Albert Ruddy
Encyclopedia
Albert S. Ruddy is a Canadian
-born producer
. Ruddy was born March 28, 1930 in Montreal and raised in New York City
with his mother. Ruddy attended Brooklyn Technical High School
before earning a scholarship to allow him to study chemical engineering at City College of New York
. He graduated from the School of Architecture at the University of Southern California
and then he worked in the construction industry on the East Coast
.
After a short stint at Warner Brothers, brought about by a chance meeting with Jack Warner
, Ruddy moved on to become a programmer trainee at the Rand Corporation in Santa Monica
, California
. Returning to entertainment, Ruddy was a television writer at Universal Studios
, but left when Marlon Brando Sr., father of the legendary actor
, hired him to produce Wild Seed
in 1965.
With this one film completed, Ruddy co-created Hogan's Heroes
(CBS
, 1965–1971), and when the show's five-year run was over, Ruddy produced his second film, Making It (1970), about a sexually triumphant high school student who beds the gerontophobic
wife of his gym teacher. In 1972, he produced The Godfather
and won his first of two Oscars for Best Picture. In 1974, Ruddy produced The Longest Yard, which was also successful.
The following year, Ruddy produced director/animator Ralph Bakshi
's satirical
film Coonskin
. The film was extremely controversial and initially received negative reviews, although it would eventually earn critical acclaim and develop a following with African American
viewers.
Ruddy went on to produce a long string of movies that, in most cases, failed to either make money or please critics, or in some cases both. Though successful at the box office, The Cannonball Run (1981) was not well received by critics. Following two financially unsuccessful action flicks, Death Hunt
(1981) and Megaforce
(1982), Ruddy returned to produce Cannonball Run II
(1984), which was not commercially successful. For some time he worked with writer-philosopher Ayn Rand
to produce her epic dystopic novel Atlas Shrugged
as a movie, the rights to which he purchased in the mid-1970s. He has been interviewed a number of times about Rand.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
-born producer
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
. Ruddy was born March 28, 1930 in Montreal and raised in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
with his mother. Ruddy attended Brooklyn Technical High School
Brooklyn Technical High School
Brooklyn Technical High School, commonly called Brooklyn Tech or just Tech, and also administratively as High School 430, is a New York City public high school that specializes in engineering, math and science and is the largest specialized high school for science, technology, engineering, and...
before earning a scholarship to allow him to study chemical engineering at City College of New York
City College of New York
The City College of the City University of New York is a senior college of the City University of New York , in New York City. It is also the oldest of the City University's twenty-three institutions of higher learning...
. He graduated from the School of Architecture at the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
and then he worked in the construction industry on the East Coast
East Coast of the United States
The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, refers to the easternmost coastal states in the United States, which touch the Atlantic Ocean and stretch up to Canada. The term includes the U.S...
.
After a short stint at Warner Brothers, brought about by a chance meeting with Jack Warner
Jack Warner
Jack Leonard "J. L." Warner , born Jacob Warner in London, Ontario, was a Canadian American film executive who was the president and driving force behind the Warner Bros. Studios in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California...
, Ruddy moved on to become a programmer trainee at the Rand Corporation in Santa Monica
Santa Mônica
Santa Mônica is a town and municipality in the state of Paraná in the Southern Region of Brazil.-References:...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. Returning to entertainment, Ruddy was a television writer at Universal Studios
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
, but left when Marlon Brando Sr., father of the legendary actor
Marlon Brando
Marlon Brando, Jr. was an American movie star and political activist. "Unchallenged as the most important actor in modern American Cinema" according to the St...
, hired him to produce Wild Seed
Wild Seed
Wild Seed is a 1995 album by Norwegian singer Morten Harket. It is his first solo album to be sung in English.It was produced by Chris Neil .-Track listing:...
in 1965.
With this one film completed, Ruddy co-created Hogan's Heroes
Hogan's Heroes
Hogan's Heroes is an American television sitcom that ran for 168 episodes from September 17, 1965, to March 28, 1971, on the CBS network. The show was set in a German prisoner of war camp during the Second World War. Bob Crane had the starring role as Colonel Robert E...
(CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
, 1965–1971), and when the show's five-year run was over, Ruddy produced his second film, Making It (1970), about a sexually triumphant high school student who beds the gerontophobic
Gerontophobia
Gerontophobia is the fear of growing old, or a hatred or fear of the elderly.-Indicators:Ken Dychtwald identifies seven markers that can make up this phobia in chapter two of Age Wave: How the Most Important Trend of Our Time Will Change Your Future:...
wife of his gym teacher. In 1972, he produced The Godfather
The Godfather
The Godfather is a 1972 American epic crime film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, based on the 1969 novel by Mario Puzo. With a screenplay by Puzo, Coppola and an uncredited Robert Towne, the film stars Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Robert Duvall, Sterling Hayden, John Marley, Richard...
and won his first of two Oscars for Best Picture. In 1974, Ruddy produced The Longest Yard, which was also successful.
The following year, Ruddy produced director/animator Ralph Bakshi
Ralph Bakshi
Ralph Bakshi is an Israeli-American director of animated and live-action films. In the 1970s, he established an alternative to mainstream animation through independent and adult-oriented productions. Between 1972 and 1992, he directed nine theatrically released feature films, five of which he wrote...
's satirical
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
film Coonskin
Coonskin (film)
Coonskin is a 1975 American animated film written and directed by Ralph Bakshi, about an African American rabbit, fox, and bear who rise to the top of the organized crime racket in Harlem, encountering corrupt law enforcement, con artists and the Mafia...
. The film was extremely controversial and initially received negative reviews, although it would eventually earn critical acclaim and develop a following with African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
viewers.
Ruddy went on to produce a long string of movies that, in most cases, failed to either make money or please critics, or in some cases both. Though successful at the box office, The Cannonball Run (1981) was not well received by critics. Following two financially unsuccessful action flicks, Death Hunt
Death Hunt
Death Hunt is a 1981 film starring Charles Bronson, Lee Marvin, Angie Dickinson, Carl Weathers, Maury Chaykin, Ed Lauter and Andrew Stevens...
(1981) and Megaforce
Megaforce
Megaforce is an action film made in 1982 directed by former stuntman Hal Needham. The film starred Barry Bostwick, Persis Khambatta, Michael Beck, Edward Mulhare, Evan C...
(1982), Ruddy returned to produce Cannonball Run II
Cannonball Run II
See also Cannonball Baker Sea-To-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy DashCannonball Run II comedy film featuring Burt Reynolds and an all-star cast, released by Warner Bros. and Golden Harvest...
(1984), which was not commercially successful. For some time he worked with writer-philosopher Ayn Rand
Ayn Rand
Ayn Rand was a Russian-American novelist, philosopher, playwright, and screenwriter. She is known for her two best-selling novels The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged and for developing a philosophical system she called Objectivism....
to produce her epic dystopic novel Atlas Shrugged
Atlas Shrugged
Atlas Shrugged is a novel by Ayn Rand, first published in 1957 in the United States. Rand's fourth and last novel, it was also her longest, and the one she considered to be her magnum opus in the realm of fiction writing...
as a movie, the rights to which he purchased in the mid-1970s. He has been interviewed a number of times about Rand.
Awards
- Won: 197345th Academy AwardsThe 45th Academy Awards were presented March 27, 1973 at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Los Angeles. The ceremonies were presided over by Carol Burnett, Michael Caine, Charlton Heston, and Rock Hudson....
Academy Award for Best PictureAcademy Award for Best PictureThe Academy Award for Best Picture is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to artists working in the motion picture industry. The Best Picture category is the only category in which every member of the Academy is eligible not only...
The GodfatherThe GodfatherThe Godfather is a 1972 American epic crime film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, based on the 1969 novel by Mario Puzo. With a screenplay by Puzo, Coppola and an uncredited Robert Towne, the film stars Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Robert Duvall, Sterling Hayden, John Marley, Richard...
Clint EastwoodClint EastwoodClinton "Clint" Eastwood, Jr. is an American film actor, director, producer, composer and politician. Eastwood first came to prominence as a supporting cast member in the TV series Rawhide...
presented Ruddy with the Best Picture Oscar for The GodfatherThe GodfatherThe Godfather is a 1972 American epic crime film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, based on the 1969 novel by Mario Puzo. With a screenplay by Puzo, Coppola and an uncredited Robert Towne, the film stars Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Robert Duvall, Sterling Hayden, John Marley, Richard...
. Over 30 years later, Eastwood and Ruddy would share Best Picture Oscars as producers of Million Dollar BabyMillion Dollar BabyMillion Dollar Baby is a 2004 American sports drama film directed, co-produced, and scored by Clint Eastwood and starring Eastwood, Hilary Swank, and Morgan Freeman...
. - Nomination: 1983 Golden Raspberry Awards1983 Golden Raspberry AwardsThe 4th Golden Raspberry Awards were held on April 8, 1984 at Third Street Elementary School in Los Angeles, California, to recognize the worst the movie industry had to offer in 1983.-Awards and nominations:-See also:*1983 in film*56th Academy Awards...
for Worst Picture MegaforceMegaforceMegaforce is an action film made in 1982 directed by former stuntman Hal Needham. The film starred Barry Bostwick, Persis Khambatta, Michael Beck, Edward Mulhare, Evan C... - Nomination: 1985 Golden Raspberry Awards1985 Golden Raspberry AwardsThe 6th Golden Raspberry Awards were held on March 23, 1986 at the Morgan-Wixon Theatre in Santa Monica, California to recognize the worst the movie industry had to offer in 1985. Though Rambo: First Blood Part II won Worst Picture, Rocky IV received the greatest number of nominations and "wins"...
for Worst Picture Cannonball Run IICannonball Run IISee also Cannonball Baker Sea-To-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy DashCannonball Run II comedy film featuring Burt Reynolds and an all-star cast, released by Warner Bros. and Golden Harvest... - Nomination: 1985 Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Screenplay Cannonball Run II (with Hal NeedhamHal NeedhamHal Needham is an American stuntman and film director.-Early years:Needham was born in Memphis, Tennessee, the son of Edith May and Howard Needham. He was raised in Arkansas and Missouri...
, Harvey MillerHarvey MillerHarvey Miller may refer to:* Harvey R. Miller, New York lawyer* SS Harvey C. Miller, a Liberty ship, see List of Liberty ships: G-Je* A character from the TV show "Baywatch" played by Tom McTigue* The main character of the film The Caddy-See also:...
) - Won: 200577th Academy AwardsThe 77th Academy Awards honored the best films of 2004 and were held on February 27, 2005, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, California. They were hosted by comedian Chris Rock.The nominees were announced on January 25, 2005...
Academy Award for Best PictureAcademy Award for Best PictureThe Academy Award for Best Picture is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to artists working in the motion picture industry. The Best Picture category is the only category in which every member of the Academy is eligible not only...
Million Dollar BabyMillion Dollar BabyMillion Dollar Baby is a 2004 American sports drama film directed, co-produced, and scored by Clint Eastwood and starring Eastwood, Hilary Swank, and Morgan Freeman...
See also
- Canadian pioneers in early HollywoodCanadian pioneers in early HollywoodMotion pictures have been a part of the culture of Canada since the beginning.-History:Around 1910, the East Coast filmmakers began to take advantage of California winters and after Nestor Studios, run by Canadian Al Christie, built the first permanent movie studio in Hollywood a number of the...