- Died:
- June 10, 1989, Los Angeles, California (aged 68)
- Notable Works:
- “Bell, Book and Candle”
- “Full of Life”
- “Hotel”
- “How to Murder Your Wife”
- “It Happened to Jane”
- “My Sister Eileen”
- “Oh, Dad, Poor Dad, Mama’s Hung You in the Closet and I’m Feelin’ So Sad”
- “Pushover”
- “Rainbow ’Round My Shoulder”
- “Sex and the Single Girl”
- “Strangers When We Meet”
- “Sunny Side of the Street”
- “The Prisoner of Zenda”
- “The Solid Gold Cadillac”
- “The World of Suzie Wong”
- “W”
Richard Quine
-
Who was Richard Quine?
Richard Quine (1920–1989) was an American television and film director, known for his comedic movies of the 1950s and 1960s. Quine, the son of an actor, began as a child performer in vaudeville, transitioning from radio to film. After years in supporting roles, he moved behind the camera, becoming a dependable director for Columbia, specializing in comedies and Broadway play adaptations.
His notable works include My Sister Eileen (1955), Bell, Book and Candle (1958), Strangers When We Meet (1960), and How to Murder Your Wife (1965). In the 1970s, Quine shifted to television, directing episodes of Columbo. His final film was The Prisoner of Zenda (1979). In 1989, he died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
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What is Richard Quine known for in the entertainment industry?
Richard Quine (1920–1989) was an American television and film director, who gained recognition for his comedic movies during the 1950s and 60s.
Quine began as a child performer in vaudeville and later transitioned from radio to film. After 15 years of acting, he transitioned to directing, becoming a reliable director for Columbia Pictures, where he specialized in comedies and Broadway play adaptations. Some of his notable works include My Sister Eileen (1955), Bell, Book and Candle (1958), and How to Murder Your Wife (1965).
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What are some famous movies or TV shows directed by Richard Quine?
Richard Quine, born in Detroit, Michigan, was an American television and film director recognized for his comedic movies My Sister Eileen, The Solid Gold Cadillac, and Bell, Book and Candle. He directed episodes of the crime series Columbo in the 1970s. His final films included W and The Prisoner of Zenda.
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How did Richard Quine's directing style influence his movies?
Richard Quine, an American film and television director, is best known for his comedies of the 1950s and 60s. After working as an actor for 15 years, Quine became a reliable director for Columbia Pictures, where he spent 12 years specializing in comedies and often adapting Broadway plays.
His directing style influenced his movies through his ability to deliver crisp musical versions of Broadway successes, such as My Sister Eileen (1955), and showcase the comic genius of actors like Judy Holliday in The Solid Gold Cadillac (1956). Quine also explored more serious themes, such as adultery in Strangers When We Meet (1960).
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Who were some actors or writers that worked closely with Richard Quine?
Richard Quine collaborated with several actors and writers throughout his career. Blake Edwards co-wrote multiple screenplays with Quine, including Rainbow 'Round My Shoulder. Quine directed several films starring Jack Lemmon, including My Sister Eileen, It Happened to Jane, The Notorious Landlady, and How to Murder Your Wife. Kim Novak, who became Columbia’s premier glamour girl, starred in Pushover, Bell, Book and Candle, and Strangers When We Meet. Judy Holliday starred in The Solid Gold Cadillac and Full of Life. Quine also wrote The Notorious Landlady with Larry Gelbart.
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How did Richard Quine impact American film and television?
Richard Quine was an American television and film director recognized for his comedic movies from the 1950s and 60s.
Quine began as an actor, but after 15 years, he transitioned to directing, becoming a reliable director for Columbia, specializing in comedies and often adapting Broadway plays. His first solo feature-film directing credit was in 1951 with Sunny Side of the Street. In the 1970s, Quine focused on television, directing several episodes of the crime series Columbo.
2 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Richard Quine (born November 12, 1920, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.—died June 10, 1989, Los Angeles, California) was an American television and film director who was perhaps best known for his comedic movies from the 1950s and ’60s.
The son of an actor, Quine began performing on the vaudeville stage as a child. He worked his way up from radio to films, taking his first screen role in Mervyn LeRoy’s The World Changes in 1933. However, he never graduated from supporting parts, and after 15 years of acting he decided to step behind the camera. Quine eventually became a reliable director for Columbia, where he spent his first 12 years, specializing in comedy and often adapting Broadway plays.
In 1948 Quine codirected (with William Asher) the boxing yarn Leather Gloves, but he then returned to acting and did not take his first solo feature-film directing credit until 1951, with Sunny Side of the Street, a low-budget musical featuring Terry Moore and singer Frankie Laine. The comedy Sound Off starred Mickey Rooney, and Rainbow ’Round My Shoulder (both 1952) was another Laine musical; Quine cowrote the latter with Blake Edwards, and the two collaborated on several other screenplays. After Siren of Bagdad (1953) and several forgettable films, Quine garnered attention for Pushover (1954), a film noir starring Fred MacMurray and new discovery Kim Novak, who soon became Columbia’s premier glamour girl.
Quine’s subsequent assignments improved markedly. My Sister Eileen (1955), starring Janet Leigh, Betty Garrett, and Jack Lemmon, was a crisp musical version of the former Broadway success and became Quine’s first real hit. The Solid Gold Cadillac (1956) was a showcase for the comic genius of Judy Holliday, who also delivered as Richard Conte’s very pregnant wife in Full of Life (1956). Bell, Book and Candle (1958), adapted from a Broadway play, featured Novak as a witch who casts a spell on her neighbour (James Stewart), much to the amusement of his pal (Ernie Kovacs). In 1959 Lemmon reteamed with Quine on the comedy It Happened to Jane, which also starred Doris Day.
Quine examined adultery in Strangers When We Meet (1960), with the cheating couple played by Kirk Douglas and Novak. In the romance The World of Suzie Wong (1960), William Holden was cast as an aspiring artist anguishing over a prostitute (played by Nancy Kwan). The Notorious Landlady (1962), which Quine wrote with Larry Gelbart, was a black comedy starring Novak and Lemmon, and Paris When It Sizzles (1964) paired Audrey Hepburn and Holden. In 1964 Quine also directed Sex and the Single Girl, which featured Tony Curtis and Natalie Wood; the romantic comedy had little to do with Helen Gurley Brown’s how-to guide. How to Murder Your Wife (1965) was a deft black comedy starring Lemmon as a man who fantasizes about killing his spouse (Virna Lisi).
Synanon (1965) was a lugubrious drama about the famed drug-rehabilitation centre, but Oh Dad, Poor Dad, Mama’s Hung You in the Closet and I’m Feelin’ So Sad (1967), with Rosalind Russell and Robert Morse, was a tart adaptation of Arthur Kopit’s dark Broadway comedy. Quine helmed the star-studded Hotel (1967), which was based on Arthur Hailey’s best seller, before focusing on television in the 1970s, directing several episodes of the crime series Columbo. Quine’s last films were the thriller W (1974), which may best be remembered for providing fashion model Twiggy with her most dramatic role, and The Prisoner of Zenda (1979), in which Peter Sellers, as he had done so often before, starred in multiple roles. In 1989 Quine died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.