Known for Directing
Richard Owen Fleischer (December 8, 1916 – March 25, 2006) was an American film director. Fleischer was born in Brooklyn, the son of Essie (née Goldstein) and animator/producer Max Fleischer. After graduating from Brown University, he went to Yale School of Drama, where he met his future wife, Mary Dickson. His film career began in 1942 at the RKO studio, directing shorts, documentaries, and compilations of forgotten silent features. Fleischer moved to Los Angeles and was assigned his first feature, Child of Divorce (1946). In 1954, he was chosen by Walt Disney (his father's former rival as a cartoon producer) to direct 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea starring Kirk Douglas. In 1955 Fox signed Fleischer to a long term contract. He would work for that studio for the next fifteen years. His first film under his new contract with Fox was The Girl in the Red Velvet Swing (1955). Kirk Douglas hired Fleischer to make The Vikings (1958), which was another big hit. He then moved to Paris where he directed two stories for Darryl F. Zanuck starring Greco. Fleischer then signed a contract with Dino de Laurentiis to make Barabbas (1962). Back in Hollywood, Richard Zanuck had become head of production at Fox and offered Fleischer Fantastic Voyage (1966). It was a success and resurrected his Hollywood career. Che! (1969), a biopic of Che Guevera that starred Omar Sharif, was an expensive flop, as was an account of the attack on Pearl Harbor, Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970). This was his last film for 20th Century Fox. Fleischer travelled to England, where he directed an acclaimed thriller, 10 Rillington Place. See No Evil (1971) with Mia Farrow was another thriller. In Hollywood, he made The New Centurions (1972). At MGM, he made a science-fiction film, Soylent Green (1973), with Charlton Heston. He was reunited with De Laurentiis for the popular, if controversial, Mandingo (1975). The Prince and the Pauper (1977) was a version of the Mark Twain novel that featured Heston, Harrison and Scott in its cast. Fleischer was then hired on Ashanti (1979), starring Michael Caine, which turned out to be a flop. Tough Enough (1983) was about the Toughman Contest starring Dennis Quaid. He made three more for de Laurentiis. His final theatrical feature was Million Dollar Mystery (1987). Fleischer was chairman of Fleischer Studios, which today handles the licensing of Betty Boop and Koko the Clown. In June 2005, he released his memoirs of his father's career in Out of the Inkwell: Max Fleischer and the Animation Revolution. Fleischer's 1993 autobiography, Just Tell Me When to Cry, described his many difficulties with actors, writers and producers. Description above from the Wikipedia article Richard O. Fleischer, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Born
December 8, 1916
Died
March 25, 2006 (age 89)
Birthplace
Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA
Filmography
70 films, 2 shows


Call from Space
1989 · 29m · FR
A movie director and his wanna-be actor/eccentric inventor nephew are filming a low-budget sci-fi movie. Things get interesting when the nephews' bizarro invention starts bringing visitors from other times, including Napoleon, Archimedes, and people from the future and cavemen from the past. Just when they are filming what they are convinced will be one of the greatest movies ever, the same machine sends an alien visitor to their set. Also includes a last-minute cameo from James Coburn, as the infuriated head of the studio.


Million Dollar Mystery
1987 · 1h 35m · US
A dying man in a roadside diner tells the other patrons about money he has hidden in four places. But instead of directions, he leaves them only with clues they must solve in order to claim the loot. Released with a promotional tie-in for Glad-Lock brand bags.


Red Sonja
1985 · 1h 29m · US
The tyrant Gedren seeks the total power in a world of barbarism. She raids the city Hablac and kills the keeper of a talisman that gives her great power. Red Sonja, sister of the keeper, sets out with her magic sword to overthrow Gedren.


Conan the Destroyer
1984 · 1h 43m · US
Conan is commissioned by the evil queen Taramis to safely escort a teen princess and her powerful bodyguard to a far away castle to retrieve the magic Horn of Dagoth. Unknown to Conan, the queen plans to sacrifice the princess when she returns and inherit her kingdom after the bodyguard kills Conan. The queen's plans fail to take into consideration Conan's strength and cunning and the abilities of his sidekicks: the eccentric wizard Akiro, the warrior woman Zula, and the inept Malak. Together the hero and his allies must defeat both mortal and supernatural foes in this voyage to sword-and-sorcery land.


Amityville 3-D
1983 · 1h 33m · US
To debunk the Amityville house's infamous reputation and take advantage of a rock-bottom asking price, skeptical journalist John Baxter buys the place and settles in to write his first novel.


Tough Enough
1983 · 1h 46m · US
An aspiring country singer, whose money is disappearing faster than his career opportunities, enters a "Tough Man" amateur boxing contest to earn some cash to pay his bills. Amazingly enough, he wins it, and is picked to go onto the national finals. He's torn between his first love, music, and the glitz, glamor and money of the "Tough Man" world.


The Jazz Singer
1980 · 1h 55m · UK
A young Jewish man is torn between tradition and individuality when his old-fashioned family objects to his career as a jazz singer.


Ashanti
1979 · 1h 58m · CH
Dr. Anansa Linderby is kidnapped in a medical mission in Africa by a slave trader. From this moment, her husband will do anything to recover her and to punish the bad guys, but that will be not an easy task.


The Prince and the Pauper
1977 · 1h 53m · UK
Tom Canty is a poor English boy who bears a remarkable resemblance to Edward, Prince of Wales and son of King Henry VIII. The two boys meet and decide to play a joke on the court by dressing in each other's clothes, but the plan goes awry when they're separated and each must live the other's life.


The Incredible Sarah
1976 · 1h 46m · UK
The legendary actress Sarah Bernhardt's unconventional life and career are examined in this biopic. At an audition in 1860, the teenage Bernhardt proclaims herself the greatest actress of her time. Her career blossoms, as does her private life. But art and life don't stay balanced, much to the frustration of her lovers. The eccentric Bernhardt eventually does marry another actor, but it's her life on stage that ultimately gives her the most satisfaction.


Mandingo
1975 · 2h 7m · US
Warren Maxwell, the owner of a run-down plantation, pressures his son, Hammond, to marry and produce an heir to inherit the plantation. Hammond settles on his own cousin, Blanche, but purchases a sex slave when he returns from the honeymoon. He also buys his father a new Mandingo slave named Mede to breed and train as a prize-fighter.


Mr. Majestyk
1974 · 1h 43m · US
A melon farmer battles organized crime and a hit man who wants to kill him.


The Spikes Gang
1974 · 1h 36m · US
Three teenage farm boys stumble upon Harry Spikes, a local bandit wounded in a gun battle. While Harry is recuperating, he regales the young men with stories of his exciting past. The adventurous tales inspire them to start a gang of their own. Failing at their first attempt to rob a bank, the boys convince the gruff Spikes to teach them the ways of the desperado.


The Don Is Dead
1973 · 1h 46m · US
After his mistress is murdered, a Mafia leader goes after the killer with a bloody vengeance. Soon after the hunt begins, a gang war ensues.


Soylent Green
1973 · 1h 37m · US
In the year 2022, overcrowding, pollution, and resource depletion have reduced society’s leaders to finding food for the teeming masses. The answer is Soylent Green.


The New Centurions
1972 · 1h 43m · US
An idealistic rookie cop joins the LAPD to make ends meet while finishing law school, and is indoctrinated by a seasoned veteran. As time goes on, he loses his ambitions and family as police work becomes his entire life.


See No Evil
1971 · 1h 29m · UK
In the English countryside, Sarah Rexton, recently blinded in a horse riding accident, moves in with her uncle's family and gallantly adjusts to her new condition, unaware that a killer stalks them.


The Last Run
1971 · 1h 35m · US
A former mob getaway driver from Chicago has retired to a peaceful life in a Portuguese fishing village. He is asked to pull off one last job - to drive a dangerous crook and his girlfriend to France.


10 Rillington Place
1971 · 1h 51m · UK
The story of British serial killer John Christie, who committed most or all of his crimes in the titular terraced house, and the miscarriage of justice involving Timothy Evans.


Tora! Tora! Tora!
1970 · 2h 24m · JP
In the summer of 1941, the United States and Japan seem on the brink of war after constant embargos and failed diplomacy come to no end. "Tora! Tora! Tora!", named after the code words used by the lead Japanese pilot to indicate they had surprised the Americans, covers the days leading up to the attack on Pearl Harbor, which plunged America into the Second World War.


Che!
1969 · 1h 36m · US
Biography of Argentinian revolutionary Ernesto "Che" Guevara, who helped Fidel Castro in his struggle against the corrupt Batista regime, eventually resulting in the overthrow of that government and Castro's taking over of Cuba. The film covers Guevara's life from when he first landed in Cuba in 1956 to his death in an ambush by government troops in the mountains of Bolivia in 1967.


The Boston Strangler
1968 · 1h 56m · US
Boston is being terrorized by a series of seemingly random murders of women. Based on the true story, the film follows the investigators path through several leads before introducing the Strangler as a character. It is seen almost exclusively from the point of view of the investigators who have very few clues to build a case upon.


Doctor Dolittle
1967 · 2h 31m · US
A veterinarian who can communicate with animals travels abroad to search for a giant sea snail.


Fantastic Voyage
1966 · 1h 41m · US
In order to save an assassinated scientist, a submarine and its crew are shrunk to microscopic size and injected into his bloodstream.


Barabbas
1961 · 2h 17m · US
Epic account of the thief Barabbas, who was pardoned for his crimes and spared crucifixion when Pilate offered the Israelites a choice to pardon Barabbas or Jesus. Struggling with his spirituality, Barabbas goes through many ordeals leading him to the gladiatorial arena, where he tries to win his freedom and confront his inner demons, ultimately becoming a follower of the man who was crucified in his place.


The Big Gamble
1961 · 1h 40m · US
Irish seaman Vic Brennan persuades his Dublin family to finance a truck-hauling business in the remote African town of Jebanda. The only stipulation is that his cousin Samuel, a timid bank clerk, accompany Vic and his Corsican bride, Marie, to Africa and protect the family fortune.


Crack in the Mirror
1960 · 1h 37m · US
Three stars appear in two separate but intertwined stories of romantic triangles gone wrong in this ambitious drama. In the first segment, Hagolin is a loutish construction worker with an unhappy wife, Eponine. The wife becomes involved with a swarthy working man, Larnier, and their passion knows no boundaries of caution or safety. Eventually, Eponine's and Larnier's lust drives them to madness, and they murder Hagolin. The second tale concerns an up-and-coming young lawyer, Claude, whose mentor is a highly successful veteran attorney, Lamerciere, with a beautiful young wife named Florence. Claude finds himself defending Larnier and Eponine, while Lamerciere dies of a heart attack after he discovers that Florence has been unfaithful to him with Claude.


These Thousand Hills
1959 · 1h 36m · US
A cowboy tries for easy money with his partner, then tries ranching with a saloon hostess's money.


Compulsion
1959 · 1h 43m · US
Two close friends' plan to execute a flawless crime is crushed when one of them inadvertently leaves his glasses at the crime scene.


The Vikings
1958 · 1h 55m · US
Einar, brutal son of the viking Ragnar and future heir to his throne, tangles with clever slave Eric, for the hand of a beautiful English maiden.


Between Heaven and Hell
1956 · 1h 34m · US
Sam Gifford remembers : In prewar years he was an arrogant southern cotton plantation owner, married to the daughter of a colonel. At the beginning of the war he was mobilized with his National Guard unit as a sergeant. Came the day when, revolted by the cowardice of his lieutenant, who had fired at his own men, he hit him. Downgraded, he was sent to a disciplinary battalion. Sam now discovers his new detachment, his new commanding officer, just another cowardly brute, Captain Waco Grimes. While in combat, Sam will gradually become closer to the privates, working-class people he used to despise. He will become another man, a better man.


Bandido!
1956 · 1h 32m · US
American arms dealer Kennedy hopes to make a killing by selling to the "regulares" in the 1916 Mexican revolution. American mercenary Wilson favors the rebel faction headed by Escobar, and they plot to hijack Kennedy's arms; but Wilson also has his eye on Kennedy's wife. Raids, counter-raids, and escapes follow in a veritable hail of bullets.


The Girl in the Red Velvet Swing
1955 · 1h 49m · US
Broadway showgirl Evelyn Nesbit is the object of affection of two men: playboy architect Stanford White and the wealthy but unstable Harry Thaw. Nesbit marries Thaw, but White’s continued pursuit puts him in the path of Thaw’s volatile temper. A fictionalized account of true events that occurred at the turn of the 20th century.


Violent Saturday
1955 · 1h 30m · US
Three men case a small town very carefully, with plans to rob the bank on the upcoming Saturday, which turns violent and deadly.


20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
1954 · 2h 7m · US
A ship sent to investigate a wave of mysterious sinkings encounters the advanced submarine, the Nautilus, commanded by Captain Nemo.


Arena
1953 · 1h 23m · US
Left by his wife, a vain rodeo star picks up a floozy and rides a bad Brahman bull.


The Happy Time
1952 · 1h 34m · US
A violinist and his brother guide one's son through his crush on the family maid in 1920s Ottawa.


The Narrow Margin
1952 · 1h 11m · US
A tough cop meets his match when he has to guard a gangster's widow on a train journey from Chicago to Los Angeles.


Armored Car Robbery
1950 · 1h 7m · US
While executing an armored car heist in Los Angeles, icy crook Dave Purvis shoots policeman Lt. Phillips before he and his cronies make off with the loot. Thinking he got away scot-free, Purvis collects his money-crazy mistress, Yvonne, then disposes of his partners and heads out of town. What Purvis doesn't know is that Phillips' partner, tough-as-nails Lt. Cordell, is wise to the criminal's plans and is closing in on his prey.


Trapped
1949 · 1h 18m · US
Secret Service agents make a deal with a counterfeiting inmate to be released on early parole if he will help them recover some bogus moneymaking plates, but he plans to double-cross them.


Make Mine Laughs
1949 · 1h 3m · US
A kind of filmed vaudeville show, using old material from RKO films and some new.


Follow Me Quietly
1949 · 1h · US
When it rains in the city, a serial killer known as "The Judge" looks for his next strangling victim. For months, the madman has been stalking at night, leaving behind clues, but police efforts have been fruitless. Constructing a life-size dummy of the murderer, police Lt. Harry Grant is growing obsessed with capturing him, and always following Grant is the relentless reporter Ann Gorman looking to break the story, but the hunt continues.


The Clay Pigeon
1949 · 1h 3m · US
Jim Fletcher, waking up from a coma, finds he is to be given a court martial for treason and charged with informing on fellow inmates in a Japanese prison camp during WWII. Escaping from the hospital he tries to clear himself by enlisting the aid of Martha Gregory, widow of a service buddy he was accused of informing on. Helped also by Ted Niles, a surviving fellow prisoner, he gets closer to finding the answers he needs, and becomes ensnared in a grandiose scheme involving his Japanese ex-prison guard, $10,000,000 of US currency forged by the Japanese and a burgeoning crime network poised to wreak havoc throughout southern California.


Bodyguard
1948 · 1h 2m · US
A cop on suspension is framed for murder when he noses in on a murder investigation.


Design for Death
1948 · 48m · US
Documentary Feature winner "Design for Death" (1947) examines Japanese culture and how it led to Japan's role in WWII.


So This Is New York
1948 · 1h 19m · US
A small town man inherits a significant fortune and takes his family to New York City whereupon they are continually shocked at the alien culture of the Big Apple.


Banjo
1947 · 1h 8m · US
Family drama about a young farm girl, suddenly orphaned, who must give up her beloved dog when she's sent to live with her aunt in Boston.
Mr. Bell
Mr. Bell
1947 · 32m · US
This is 1947 biography movie about how Alexander Graham Bell and his partner Thomas Augustus Watson invented the first discernible speech, transmitted over a telephone.


Child of Divorce
1946 · 1h 2m · US
An eight-year-old girl is an unwilling and disturbed witness of parental quarrels in her home, and when the parents finally secure a divorce, the judge decrees that the young girl live with her mother for eight months and her father the other four months. The divided life affects her both mentally and physically.
Make Mine Memories
Make Mine Memories
1945 · 7m · US
Richard Fleischer provides a funny twist and amusing narrative commentary by Ward Wilson on two re-edited silent films in this RKO short film.


Memo for Joe
1944 · 10m · US
Documentary short film extolling the virtues of the American Community Chest charity program and its value to the Allied war effort.


Flicker Flashbacks #2
1943 · 9m · US
A collection of old-time silent movies, re-scored and narrated, featuring the most popular silent film stars. Includes: 1. Pathé 1900 Bathing Beauties fron Venice, California 2. Goodness Gracious with Clara Kimball Young and Sidney Drew 3. A Drunkard's Reformation Directed by D.W. Griffith