Ray Nazarro
Ray Nazarro (aka "Ray" and "Nat;" né Raymond Alfred Nazarro; September 25, 1902 – September 8, 1986) was an American film and television director, producer, and screenwriter. Budd Boetticher called him a "ten day picture guy".[1]
Ray Nazarro | |
|---|---|
| Born | Raymond Alfred Nazarro September 25, 1902 |
| Died | September 8, 1986 (aged 83) |
| Occupation | Film and television director, producer, screenwriter |
| Years active | 1929-1964 |
Career
Born in Boston, Nazarro entered the movie business during the silent era. He initially worked in two-reelers, honing an approach to filmmaking that was quick, lean and eminently desirable—to producers, at least—before he became a feature film director at Columbia Pictures, beginning with Outlaws of the Rockies (1945).
Nazarro did the vast majority of his work for Columbia, and was one of the busiest directors on the lot of any major studio—from 1945-55 he worked at a furious pace, directing as many as 13 pictures in one year. These were almost all B-westerns, made very quickly but with some polish. They were lean and uncluttered—a technique he learned in his years directing shorts—with an emphasis on action but also a serious elegiac view of the west. Among them were Al Jennings of Oklahoma (1951) and The Black Dakotas (1954).
In 1952, Navarro received an Academy Award nomination for Academy Award for Best Story for Bullfighter and the Lady. Budd Boetticher, who had been a bullfighter, told his life story to Nazarro when he was working for him as an assistant director. Boetticher says he wrote it down and Nazarro typed it up and sold the project to Dore Schary at MGM. Boetticher says this is why Nazarro has credit.[1]
The same year, his contract with Columbia ended,[2] having made around 60 films for them.[3] He next made Gun Belt for United Artists and followed that with The Bandits of Corsica, also for UA, and Kansas Pacific for Allied Artists Pictures,[3] although both were released before Gun Belt. He continued making films for UA and Columbia until 1958's Apache Territory.[3] He also made The Hired Gun (1957) for MGM.[3]
At the end of the 1950s, with the market for B-westerns drying up in America, Nazarro restarted his career in Europe, making spaghetti westerns. He also began working in television. His last film was the German-made Jayne Mansfield thriller Dog Eat Dog, released in 1964.
Nazarro died on September 8, 1986, and is buried in Chapel of the Pines Crematory.
Selected filmography
Award nominations
| Year | Award | Result | Category | Film |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1952 | Academy Award | Nominated | Best Writing, Motion Picture Story | Bullfighter and the Lady (Shared with Budd Boetticher) |
References
- Budd Boetticher: The Last Interview Wheeler, Winston Dixon. Film Criticism; Meadville Vol. 26, Iss. 3, (Spring 2002): 52-0_3.
- Finler, Joel W. (April 2, 1992), The Hollywood Story (Second ed.), Mandarin, p. 458, ISBN 0-7493-0637-8
- "Obituaries: Ray Nazarro". Variety. October 29, 1986. p. 190.
External links
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