Walter Mirisch and brothers Marvin Mirisch and Harold Mirisch were one of the most successful producing teams in Hollywood history. Their Mirisch Company produced such diverse hits as Some Like It Hot (1959), The Magnificent Seven (1960), West Side Story (1961), The Great Escape (1963), The Pink Panther (1963) and many others. Most of their films ...
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| 1 | In his 2008 memoir, "I Thought We Were Making Movies, Not History," he says that he vetoed John Huston's desire to use his daughter Anjelica Huston as his leading lady opposite John Hurt in the film Sinful Davey (1969), the story of a Scottish rakehell. Mirisch was worried that the inexperienced Angelica, who had appeared in only one other film at the time--A Walk with Love and Death (1969), also directed by her father--would have to adopt a Scottish accent for the role. In addition, Mirisch felt that " . . . her appearance was rather more Italian than Scottish, and in stature she towered over John Hurt. John [Huston] and I then had a serious falling-out about casting Angelica". (For the record, Angelica is officially listed as 5'10" and Hurt at 5'9".) The producer and his director constantly butted heads regarding Anejelica playing the lead, but the director finally capitulated and Pamela Franklin was cast instead (Angelica appears in the finished film in an uncredited bit part). Mirisch believes that Huston acted unprofessionally in the post-production period after the shooting of "Sinful Davey". The initial preview of Huston's cut of the film in New York was disastrous, and Huston refused to re-cut it after attending another preview, informing Mirisch via his agent that "he liked it just the way it is." Huston's agent informed Mirisch that his client "didn't see any reason to be present at previews." United Artists, which financed the film, was upset over the previews and demanded a re-edit. Huston refused to re-cut the picture, and the re-editing process was overseen by Mirisch. "Sinful Davey" was a failure at the box office. Mirisch thinks the failure might have been caused by the casting of John Hurt in the lead, but he is sure that the casting of the leading lady had nothing to do with the picture flopping at the box office. Another reason Mirisch gives for the film's failure was that American audiences likely were put off by the Scottish accents of the actors and that it might have come out too soon after Tom Jones (1963), a huge hit that won the Best Picture Oscar in 1964, five years before the release of "Sinful Davey." Mirsich also felt that "Sinful Davey" was not as entertaining as "Tom Jones." In his memoir, Walter Mirisch writes that "John Huston, in his autobiography, said that he was aghast when he saw what I had done in the re-editing of his picture. Responding to preview criticism, I had tried to make it less draggy and more accessible to American audiences . . . I saw John Huston again on a couple of occasions, many years after the release of 'Sinful Davey', and he was very cold, as I was to him. I thought his behavior in abandoning the picture was unprofessional." The two, who had worked together on Moby Dick (1956), Huston's version of Herman Melville's classic novel, never collaborated again. |
| 2 | President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences from 1973 to 1977 |
| 3 | Brother of Marvin Mirisch, Harold Mirisch. |
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|
| The Pink Panther | producer announced |
| The Magnificent Seven | 2016 | executive producer |
| Bridal Wave | 2015 | TV Movie executive producer |
| A Very Pink Christmas | 2011 | TV Movie executive producer |
| Pink Panther & Pals | 2010 | TV Series executive producer - 17 episodes |
| The Magnificent Seven | 1998 | TV Series executive producer - 9 episodes |
| A Case for Life | 1996 | TV Movie executive producer |
| The Pink Panther | 1993 | TV Series executive producer - 1 episode |
| Trouble Shooters: Trapped Beneath the Earth | 1993 | TV Movie executive producer |
| Desperado | 1987 | TV Movie producer |
| Romantic Comedy | 1983 | producer |
| High Midnight | 1979 | TV Movie executive producer |
| Dracula | 1979 | producer |
| The Prisoner of Zenda | 1979 | producer |
| Same Time, Next Year | 1978 | producer |
| Gray Lady Down | 1978 | producer |
| Midway | 1976 | producer |
| Mr. Majestyk | 1974 | producer |
| The Spikes Gang | 1974 | producer |
| Scorpio | 1973 | producer |
| Fiddler on the Roof | 1971 | executive producer - uncredited |
| The Organization | 1971 | producer |
| They Call Me Mister Tibbs! | 1970 | executive producer |
| The Hawaiians | 1970 | producer |
| The Landlord | 1970 | executive producer - uncredited |
| Halls of Anger | 1970 | executive producer |
| Some Kind of a Nut | 1969 | producer |
| Sinful Davey | 1969 | executive producer |
| The Thomas Crown Affair | 1968 | executive producer - uncredited |
| The Party | 1968 | executive producer - uncredited |
| Fitzwilly | 1967 | producer |
| In the Heat of the Night | 1967 | producer |
| How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying | 1967 | executive producer - uncredited |
| Hawaii | 1966 | producer |
| The Pink Blueprint | 1966 | Short executive producer - uncredited |
| The Russians Are Coming the Russians Are Coming | 1966 | producer - uncredited |
| The Pink Phink | 1964 | Short executive producer |
| A Shot in the Dark | 1964 | executive producer - uncredited |
| 633 Squadron | 1964 | executive producer - uncredited |
| The Pink Panther | 1963 | executive producer - uncredited |
| Toys in the Attic | 1963 | producer |
| The Great Escape | 1963 | executive producer - uncredited |
| Two for the Seesaw | 1962 | producer |
| Kid Galahad | 1962 | executive producer - uncredited |
| Follow That Dream | 1962 | executive producer |
| The Children's Hour | 1961 | executive producer - uncredited |
| West Side Story | 1961 | executive producer - uncredited |
| By Love Possessed | 1961 | producer |
| The Magnificent Seven | 1960 | executive producer |
| The Iron Horseman | 1960 | TV Movie executive producer |
| Cast a Long Shadow | 1959 | producer - as Walter M. Mirisch |
| The Gunfight at Dodge City | 1959 | producer - as Walter M. Mirisch |
| The Man in the Net | 1959 | producer |
| Man of the West | 1958 | producer - as Walter M. Mirisch |
| Fort Massacre | 1958 | producer - as Walter M. Mirisch |
| The Tall Stranger | 1957 | producer |
| The Oklahoman | 1957 | producer |
| Friendly Persuasion | 1956 | executive producer - uncredited |
| Hold Back the Night | 1956 | executive producer - uncredited |
| The First Texan | 1956 | producer |
| Crime in the Streets | 1956 | executive producer - uncredited |
| World Without End | 1956 | executive producer |
| Invasion of the Body Snatchers | 1956 | executive producer - uncredited |
| The Phenix City Story | 1955 | executive producer - uncredited |
| Wichita | 1955 | producer |
| Lord of the Jungle | 1955 | producer - uncredited |
| The Dark Avenger | 1955 | producer |
| An Annapolis Story | 1955 | producer |
| Seven Angry Men | 1955 | executive producer - uncredited |
| The Big Combo | 1955 | executive producer - uncredited |
| The Human Jungle | 1954 | executive producer - uncredited |
| Killer Leopard | 1954 | producer - uncredited |
| Riot in Cell Block 11 | 1954 | executive producer - uncredited |
| The Golden Idol | 1954 | producer - uncredited |
| Fighter Attack | 1953 | executive producer - uncredited |
| The Maze | 1953 | executive producer |
| Safari Drums | 1953 | producer - uncredited |
| Hiawatha | 1952 | producer |
| Bomba and the Jungle Girl | 1952 | producer |
| Flat Top | 1952 | producer |
| The Rose Bowl Story | 1952 | executive producer |
| African Treasure | 1952 | producer |
| Wild Stallion | 1952 | producer |
| Rodeo | 1952 | producer |
| Fort Osage | 1952 | producer |
| Flight to Mars | 1951 | producer |
| Elephant Stampede | 1951 | producer |
| Cavalry Scout | 1951 | producer |
| The Lion Hunters | 1951 | producer |
| Bomba and the Hidden City | 1950 | producer |
| County Fair | 1950 | producer |
| The Lost Volcano | 1950 | producer |
| Bomba on Panther Island | 1949 | producer |
| Bomba, the Jungle Boy | 1949 | producer |
| I Wouldn't Be in Your Shoes | 1948 | producer - as Walter M. Mirisch |
| Fall Guy | 1947 | producer - as Walter M. Mirisch |
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|
| A West Side Story: The Film and the Philharmonic | 2013 | TV Movie documentary |
| Moguls & Movie Stars: A History of Hollywood | 2010 | TV Mini-Series documentary | Himself / Himself - Producer |
| Private Screenings | 2008 | TV Series | Himself |
| Il était une fois... | 2008 | TV Series documentary | Himself |
| Entertainment Tonight | 2008 | TV Series | Himself |
| Inside 'The Apartment' | 2008 | Video documentary short | Himself |
| The Legacy of Some Like it Hot | 2006 | Video documentary short |
| The Making of 'Some Like It Hot' | 2006 | Video documentary short | Himself |
| Steve McQueen: The Essence of Cool | 2005 | TV Movie documentary | Himself - Interviewee |
| Inside the Party | 2004 | Video documentary short | Himself |
| The Party Revolution | 2004 | Video documentary short | Himself |
| The Revamping of Dracula | 2004 | Video short documentary | Himself |
| Behind the Feline: The Cartoon Phenomenon | 2003 | Video documentary short | Himself |
| The Pink Panther Story | 2003 | Video documentary short | Himself |
| West Side Memories | 2003 | Video documentary | Himself |
| The Curious Case of Inspector Clouseau | 2002 | TV Special documentary | Himself |
| The 74th Annual Academy Awards | 2002 | TV Special | Himself - Co-presenter Honorary Award to Sidney Poitier |
| Sensurround: The Sounds of Midway | 2001 | Video documentary short | Himself - Producer |
| The Making of 'Midway' | 2001 | Video documentary short | Himself |
| The Man on Lincoln's Nose | 2000 | Documentary | Himself |
| Guns for Hire: The Making of 'The Magnificent Seven' | 2000 | TV Movie documentary | Himself |
| Talking Pictures | 1988 | TV Series documentary | Himself |
| The 55th Annual Academy Awards | 1983 | TV Special | Himself - Hersholt Award Recipient |
| The 52nd Annual Academy Awards | 1980 | TV Special | Himself - Presenter: Honorary Award to Hal Elias |
| The 50th Annual Academy Awards | 1978 | TV Special | Himself - Thalberg Award Recipient |
| The 49th Annual Academy Awards | 1977 | TV Special | Himself - President |
| The 48th Annual Academy Awards | 1976 | TV Special | Himself - Academy President, presenting Honorary Award to Mary Pickford (pre-recorded) |
| The 47th Annual Academy Awards | 1975 | TV Special | Himself - President |
| The 46th Annual Academy Awards | 1974 | TV Special | President |
| The 40th Annual Academy Awards | 1968 | TV Special | Himself - Winner: Best Picture |
