Happy Birthday. Mel Stuart! Born today in 1928 as Stuart Solomon, this American producer and director often worked with American television and film producer David L. Wolper, whose production firm he worked for seventeen years, before going freelance.
Post-graduation from New York University in 1949, Stuart later worked for an advertising company.
Before joining forces with the Wolper Organization, Stuart worked as an editor for NBC.
The following year, Stuart was a researcher for CBS News' 1950s American black and white documentary television program The Twentieth Century (1957–1970). The program was hosted and narrated by Walter Cronkite.
Some years later, Stuart started his career by producing feature documentaries. This included the made-for-television 1963 American black and white history/documentary film "The Making of the President: 1960".
One year later, Stuart directed the 1964 American black and white documentary film 'Four Days in November'. The two-hour film, from more than eight million feet of newsreels, shows amateur footage, tape-recordings and more.
Here, Wolper presents a priceless detailed account of the time and events surrounding the assassination of 35th U.S. President John F. Kennedy.
Four years later, Stuart served as executive producer for three one-hour episodes of the made-for-television 1968 American black and white history/war documentary film 'The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich'.
The following year. Stuart returned to directing features, such as the 1969 American DeLuxe Color romantic comedy film 'If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium'. Currently. this is Stuart's lowest rated picture.
Later that same year, Stuart co-directed the third and final installment of "The Making of the President: 1968". All installments of the series were written by Pulitzer Prize-winning American political journalist and historian Theodore H. White.
One year later, Stuart directed the 1970 American comedy-drama film 'I Love My Wife'. It starred Elliott Gould and Angel Tompkins.
The following year, Stuart directed the film for which he is best known. This was the 1971 American/East German/West German/Belgian/British musical fantasy/comedy family film 'Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory'.
The film was based off of the 1964 children's novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by British novelist, short story writer, poet, screenwriter, and fighter pilot Roald Dahl. He also wrote the screenplay for the film.
Stuart's response for making 'Willy Wonka' was to a young reader of Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. That fan was Stuart's daughter Madeline, who was eleven at the time.
She had urged her father to make a movie of the book she loved. With Gene Wilder as Wonka (and Madeline in a cameo role as a student in a classroom scene), the film, over the years, became an enduring family favorite.
At the time, Wolper and his production team were doing a series for Quaker Oats™.
By accident at the table, a man says, "Have you got anything about chocolate? We're thinking of making a chocolate bar."
Upon hearing this, Wolper excitedly said "Have I got a story for you!" Although relaying this to Quaker, he had never in fact read the book. He and Stuart then took this as sheer luck.
Filming took place in Munich, Germany from August to November 1970. Dahl was credited with writing the film's screenplay.
Near the end of shooting 'Willy Wonka', Stuart had gone through many drafts. He later spotted a kid who was a text researcher who worked for Wolper. Stuart thought that the young man had "it". He then took the researcher to Munich to rewrite the draft to make the script better.
Eventually exhausted, the young man goes to Maine to relax in a cabin with one telephone. Near shooting the last scene of 'Willy Wonka', Stuart turned to the last page of the screenplay.
It says that Grandpa Joe says "Yippee!" as the Wonkavator soars into the sky. This had been Dahl's original script for the picture.
Stuart was displeased, and, panicking, asked to get a hold of the young text researcher. He said that he wouldn't finish the picture until he got the last line.
The proaction team then find out that the kid was in Maine. When Stuart got a hold him him, the researched answered the single phone in the cabin.
Upon realizing that it was Stuart on the other end, he asked what was wrong. The director told him that he needed the last line for the picture.
Upon realizing that it was Stuart on the other end, he asked what was wrong. The director told him that he needed the last line for the picture.
The kid said "a How long have I got?" Stuart replied "Five minutes." Stuart held on the phone for five minutes from Munich. Stuart looked at his watch, as a minute-and-a-half had gone by.
The young man finally responded to Stuart on the other end, stating that he had the last line.
He explained that Wonka would say to Charlie in a serious tone after he won the factory, "Do you know what happens to someone who gets everything they want in life, Charlie?" "No, Mr. Wonka." "They live happily ever after." Stuart replied, "Not too bad, kid. You can go back to the cabin."
After a while, Stuart thought about it, musing over the fact that if he could come up with the last line for every fairytale in conjunction with the picture itself, then that was the "it" of which Stuart had been looking for.
He explained that Wonka would say to Charlie in a serious tone after he won the factory, "Do you know what happens to someone who gets everything they want in life, Charlie?" "No, Mr. Wonka." "They live happily ever after." Stuart replied, "Not too bad, kid. You can go back to the cabin."
After a while, Stuart thought about it, musing over the fact that if he could come up with the last line for every fairytale in conjunction with the picture itself, then that was the "it" of which Stuart had been looking for.
That kid was American screenwriter, producer and director David Seltzer, (who went uncredited in the film). As sheer luck would have it again, he was brought in to re-work the screenplay against Dahl's wishes.
Disregarding the film's final line, he also made major changes to the ending and adding musical numbers. These changes and other decisions made by Stuart led Dahl to later disown the film.
With a budget of just $3 million, 'Willy Wonka' received generally positive reviews and earned $4.5 million by the end of its original run.
The film gained a cult following and became highly popular in part through repeated television airings and home entertainment sales.
Throughout the years, it has become a timeless, scrumdidlyumptious classic.
The endearing musical numbers in 'Willy Wonka' were written by Leslie Bricusse, and Anthony Newley, while Walter Scharf arranged and conducted the orchestral score.
The film also introduced the song "The Candy Man", which went on to become a popular hit when recorded by Sammy Davis Jr. and since covered by numerous artists.
The following year, 'Willy Wonka' was nominated an Oscar for Best Music, Scoring Adaptation and Original Song Score. However, both nominations failed to win. This occurred at the 44th Academy Awards in mid-March 1972.
Later that same year, Stuart directed the 1972 American drama film 'One Is a Lonely Number'. It co-starred Janet Leigh and Melvyn Douglas.
One year later, Stuart directed the 1973 American music/comedy film 'Wattstax'.
The title of the film was a benefit concert organized by Stax Records to commemorate the seventh anniversary of the 1965 riots in the African-American community of Watts, Los Angeles, California.
The concert took place at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on August 20. The event was also known as "Black Woodstock". 'Wattstax' also features hilarious commentary from Richard Pryor.
In 1980, Stuart produced four episodes and executive produced seven episodes for the American television series Ripley's Believe It or Not (1982–present). The program was then hosted by Jack Palance.
In the late 1990s Stuart directed an episode of PBS' Emmy-winning documentary series American Masters.
The episode pertained to one of Stuart's favorite filmmakers. It was called "Billy Wilder: The Human Comedy" (S12E03). The episode aired in early February 1998.
Two years later, Stuart produced and directed the 2000 American sport/documentary film 'Running on the Sun: The Badwater 135'.
Tthe film chronicles athletes as they run for one hundred and thirty-five miles in the searing heat on the most unforgiving terrain anywhere.
The event took place during the 1999 Badwater Ultramarathon, beginning in California's Death Valley and ending in Whitney Portal, the trailhead to Mount Whitney.
Five years after the release of 'Running on the Sun', Tim Burton directed a reimagining of Stuart's 'Willy Wonka'. This was the 2005 British/American musical fantasy/adventure film 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'.
However, while the 2005 film holds an 83% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the original holds 91%.
Aside from documentaries, Stuart, in addition, has produced or directed over one hundred and eighty films.
In 2014, 'Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory' was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".
Throughout his career, Stuart had been awarded an Emmy award, an Academy Award nomination, a Peabody, and numerous other awards.
He also served as president of the International Documentary Association for two years.
Stuart had been active from 1961–2010.
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