Robert B. Radnitz
Encyclopedia
Robert Bonoff Radnitz was an American
film producer
best known for his production of the family film
s Sounder
and Where the Lilies Bloom
. He produced several movies, many of which were adapted from children's literature.
. As an asthmatic child, Radnitz would spend his weekends attending double features with his father, collecting themes that he would use throughout his filmmaking career. He earned an undergraduate degree from the University of Virginia
in drama and English and spent a year on the university's faculty teaching English after graduating.
His start in the entertainment field was as an apprentice to theater director Harold Clurman
. Radnitz went off on his own in the 1950s, producing the Broadway theatre
productions of The Frogs of Spring and The Young and the Beautiful. On October 16, 1966, Radnitz married Joanna Crawford, author of the first novel Birch Interval which was then being adapted on film.
as a script consultant. One of his first productions was the 1960 film A Dog of Flanders
about a Belgian farm boy who aspires to be an artist. The film helped develop Radnitz's reputation as "a maker of high-quality movies for children and their parents", according to critic Valerie J. Nelson of the Los Angeles Times
.
His 1961 film Misty tells the story of a family and their efforts to raise a filly born to a wild horse. Island of the Blue Dolphins
in 1964 was based on the true story of a Native American boy left alone for 18 years on an island. Time
described the film as "the very model of what children's pictures ought to be" in a film that "provided sentiment without sentimentality and a moral without a lecture".
In May 1970, Radnitz and toy-maker Mattel
formed a partnership to produce films marketed to children. My Side of the Mountain
was a 1969 film about a boy who decides to leave the big city to spend a sabbatical in the woods to see if he can make it on his own. An early retrospective of Radnitz' works at the Museum of Modern Art
in 1969 credited his ability to produce family fare that had "compassion and sophistication than many so-called adult films".
His 1972 film Sounder
, based on the 1970 Newbery Medal
-winning novel of the same name by William H. Armstrong
, was his best known work. Radnitz had been advised not to turn Sounder into a movie because of the perception that theatergoers would not want to see the film. It told the story of an African-American boy living with his sharecropper family in Depression-era Louisiana who longs for an education after his father is sent to prison for stealing food. The film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture
. Film critic Charles Champlin of the Los Angeles Times
called the movie "beautifully acted, honest, angering and inspiring" and named it as one of his ten best films of that year.
The 1974 film Where the Lilies Bloom
, about a teenager struggling to keep her orphaned family together, also received generally positive reviews. Reviewer Howard Thompson of The New York Times
wrote that "this beautiful little movie is like a cool, clear dip of mountain spring water" and was made "without one false, hayseed note or drop of sugar". Radnitz' 1983 film Cross Creek
, adapted from the memoir of the same title by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings
, tells her story of how she started writing while living in central Florida. The picture, which starred Mary Steenburgen
, earned four Academy Award nominations.
Radnitz died at age 85 on June 6, 2010, of complications from a stroke
at his home in Malibu, California. He was survived by his wife, the former Pearl Turner.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
film 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...
best known for his production of the family film
Family film
A family film is a film genre that is designed to appeal to a variety of age groups and, thus, families.In December 2005, Steven Spielberg's 1982 film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial came first in a poll of the 100 Greatest Family Films. The genre today generates billions of dollars per annum.Family...
s Sounder
Sounder (film)
Sounder is a 1972 film starring Cicely Tyson, Paul Winfield, Kevin Hooks, Carmen Mathews, Taj Mahal, Eric Hooks and Janet MacLachlan. It was adapted by Lonne Elder III and directed by Martin Ritt from the 1970 Newbery Medal-winning novel Sounder by William H...
and Where the Lilies Bloom
Where the Lilies Bloom
Where the Lilies Bloom is a film adaptation of the novel by the same name, written by Bill Cleaver. The film was made by director William A...
. He produced several movies, many of which were adapted from children's literature.
Early life
An only child, Radnitz was born on August 9, 1924, in Great Neck, New YorkGreat Neck, New York
The term Great Neck is commonly applied to a peninsula on the North Shore of Long Island, which includes the village of Great Neck, the village of Great Neck Estates, the village of Great Neck Plaza, and others, as well as an area south of the peninsula near Lake Success and the border of Queens...
. As an asthmatic child, Radnitz would spend his weekends attending double features with his father, collecting themes that he would use throughout his filmmaking career. He earned an undergraduate degree from the University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
in drama and English and spent a year on the university's faculty teaching English after graduating.
His start in the entertainment field was as an apprentice to theater director Harold Clurman
Harold Clurman
Harold Edgar Clurman was a visionary American theatre director and drama critic, "one of the most influential in the United States". He was most notable as one of the three founders of the New York City's Group Theatre...
. Radnitz went off on his own in the 1950s, producing the Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
productions of The Frogs of Spring and The Young and the Beautiful. On October 16, 1966, Radnitz married Joanna Crawford, author of the first novel Birch Interval which was then being adapted on film.
Film production
Radnitz moved to Hollywood, starting work for 20th Century Fox20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
as a script consultant. One of his first productions was the 1960 film A Dog of Flanders
A Dog of Flanders
A Dog of Flanders is an 1872 novel by English author Marie Louise de la Ramée published with her pseudonym "Ouida". It is about a Flemish boy named Nello and his dog Patrasche....
about a Belgian farm boy who aspires to be an artist. The film helped develop Radnitz's reputation as "a maker of high-quality movies for children and their parents", according to critic Valerie J. Nelson of the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
.
His 1961 film Misty tells the story of a family and their efforts to raise a filly born to a wild horse. Island of the Blue Dolphins
Island of the Blue Dolphins
Island of the Blue Dolphins is a 1960 American children's novel written by Scott O'Dell. The story of a young girl stranded for years on an island off the California coast, it is based on the true story of Juana Maria, a Nicoleño Indian left alone for 18 years on San Nicolas Island in the 19th...
in 1964 was based on the true story of a Native American boy left alone for 18 years on an island. Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
described the film as "the very model of what children's pictures ought to be" in a film that "provided sentiment without sentimentality and a moral without a lecture".
In May 1970, Radnitz and toy-maker Mattel
Mattel
Mattel, Inc. is the world's largest toy company based on revenue. The products it produces include Fisher Price, Barbie dolls, Hot Wheels and Matchbox toys, Masters of the Universe, American Girl dolls, board games, and, in the early 1980s, video game consoles. The company's name is derived from...
formed a partnership to produce films marketed to children. My Side of the Mountain
My Side of the Mountain (film)
My Side of the Mountain is a 1969 film adaption of the novel by Jean Craighead George. A family movie by Paramount Pictures, the story revolves around thirteen-year old Sam Gribley , a devotee of Thoreau, as many were back in the 1960s...
was a 1969 film about a boy who decides to leave the big city to spend a sabbatical in the woods to see if he can make it on his own. An early retrospective of Radnitz' works at the Museum of Modern Art
Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art is an art museum in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world...
in 1969 credited his ability to produce family fare that had "compassion and sophistication than many so-called adult films".
His 1972 film Sounder
Sounder (film)
Sounder is a 1972 film starring Cicely Tyson, Paul Winfield, Kevin Hooks, Carmen Mathews, Taj Mahal, Eric Hooks and Janet MacLachlan. It was adapted by Lonne Elder III and directed by Martin Ritt from the 1970 Newbery Medal-winning novel Sounder by William H...
, based on the 1970 Newbery Medal
Newbery Medal
The John Newbery Medal is a literary award given by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association . The award is given to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children. The award has been given since 1922. ...
-winning novel of the same name by William H. Armstrong
William H. Armstrong
William H. Armstrong was an American children's author and educator, best known for his 1969 Newbery Medal-winning novel, Sounder....
, was his best known work. Radnitz had been advised not to turn Sounder into a movie because of the perception that theatergoers would not want to see the film. It told the story of an African-American boy living with his sharecropper family in Depression-era Louisiana who longs for an education after his father is sent to prison for stealing food. The film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture
Academy Award for Best Picture
The 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...
. Film critic Charles Champlin of the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
called the movie "beautifully acted, honest, angering and inspiring" and named it as one of his ten best films of that year.
The 1974 film Where the Lilies Bloom
Where the Lilies Bloom
Where the Lilies Bloom is a film adaptation of the novel by the same name, written by Bill Cleaver. The film was made by director William A...
, about a teenager struggling to keep her orphaned family together, also received generally positive reviews. Reviewer Howard Thompson of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
wrote that "this beautiful little movie is like a cool, clear dip of mountain spring water" and was made "without one false, hayseed note or drop of sugar". Radnitz' 1983 film Cross Creek
Cross Creek (film)
Cross Creek is a 1983 film starring Mary Steenburgen as The Yearling author Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings. The film is directed by Martin Ritt and is based, in part, on Rawlings' 1942 memoir, Cross Creek.-Plot:...
, adapted from the memoir of the same title by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings
Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings
Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings was an American author who lived in rural Florida and wrote novels with rural themes and settings. Her best known work, The Yearling, about a boy who adopts an orphaned fawn, won a Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1939 and was later made into a movie, also known as The...
, tells her story of how she started writing while living in central Florida. The picture, which starred Mary Steenburgen
Mary Steenburgen
Mary Nell Steenburgen is an American actress. She is best known for playing the role of Lynda Dummar in Jonathan Demme's Melvin and Howard, which earned her an Academy Award and a Golden Globe.-Early life:...
, earned four Academy Award nominations.
Radnitz died at age 85 on June 6, 2010, of complications from a stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
at his home in Malibu, California. He was survived by his wife, the former Pearl Turner.