Fred Fleck

Fred Fleck
Born(1892-06-04)June 4, 1892
New York City, New York, United States
DiedNovember 9, 1961(1961-11-09) (aged 69)
North Hollywood, California, United States
OccupationFilmmaker
Years active1928–1957

Fred Fleck (June 6, 1892 – November 9, 1961), also known as Fred A. Fleck, Frederick Fleck, or Freddie Fleck, was an American assistant director and production manager. Born in New York City on June 4, 1892, he broke into the film business as an assistant director on the 1928 silent film The Riding Renegade, directed by Wallace Fox.[1][2] During his 30-year career, he would work on some notable films, with some notable directors. Those films included the epic Hell's Angels (1930), directed by Howard Hughes;[3] Bird of Paradise (1932), directed by King Vidor;[4] Tom, Dick and Harry (1941), directed by Garson Kanin, starring Ginger Rogers;[5] The Magnificent Ambersons (1942), directed by Orson Welles, starring Joseph Cotten and Anne Baxter;[6] Born to be Bad (1950), directed by Nicholas Ray, starring Joan Fontaine and Robert Ryan;[7] and Jet Pilot (1957), directed by Josef von Sternberg, starring John Wayne.[8] Fleck was also one of the aerial cameramen on George Archainbaud's classic 1932 film, The Lost Squadron.[9]

Fleck was also production manager on several notable films, including: Sylvia Scarlett (1935), directed by George Cukor, starring Katharine Hepburn;[10] the Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers vehicle, Swing Time (1936), directed by George Stevens;[11] Stage Door (1937), directed by Gregory La Cava,starring Hepburn, Rogers and Adolphe Menjou;[12] and The Las Vegas Story (1952), directed by Robert Stevenson, starring Jane Russell and Victor Mature.[13]

Although Jet Pilot was released in 1957, it was produced in 1949–50, and sat on the shelf for seven years. The last film Fleck worked on was Son of Sinbad (1955), for which he was a production manager.[14] He would die on November 9, 1961, in North Hollywood, California.

  1. ^ "Fred A. Fleck". American Film Institute. Retrieved January 7, 2015.
  2. ^ "The Riding Renegade". American Film Institute. Retrieved January 7, 2015.
  3. ^ "Hell's Angels". American Film Institute. Retrieved January 7, 2015.
  4. ^ "Bird of Paradise". American Film Institute. Retrieved January 7, 2015.
  5. ^ "Tom, Dick and Harry". American Film Institute. Retrieved January 7, 2015.
  6. ^ "The Magnificent Ambersons". American Film Institute. Retrieved January 7, 2015.
  7. ^ "Born to be Bad". American Film Institute. Retrieved January 7, 2015.
  8. ^ "Jet Pilot". American Film Institute. Retrieved January 7, 2015.
  9. ^ "The Lost Squadron". American Film Institute. Retrieved January 7, 2015.
  10. ^ "Syliva Scarlett". American Film Institute. Retrieved January 7, 2015.
  11. ^ "Swing Time". American Film Institute. Retrieved January 7, 2015.
  12. ^ "Stage Door". American Film Institute. Retrieved January 7, 2015.
  13. ^ "The Las Vegas Story". American Film Institute. Retrieved January 7, 2015.
  14. ^ "Son of Sinbad". American Film Institute. Retrieved January 7, 2015.