Mitchell Leisen (born October 6, 1898–died October 28, 1972) was an American director, art director, and costume designer. He entered the film industry in the 1920s, beginning in the art and costume departments. He garnered his sole Academy Award nomination in 1930, for Art Direction, for Cecil B. DeMille's Dynamite. He directed his first film in 1933 and became known for his keen sense for aesthetics and glossy Hollywood melodramas. His best known films include the Alberto Casella adaptation Death Takes a Holiday (1934), as well as Midnight (1939) and Hold Back the Dawn (1941), both scripted by Billy Wilder. Easy Living (1937), another hit for the director, was written by Preston Sturges. Later in his career, he directed episodes of The Twilight Zone and Shirley Temple's Storybook. Leisen died of heart disease in 1972. October 6 is the 279th day of the year (280th in leap years). ... 1898 (MDCCCXCVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... 1628 - The Siege of La Rochelle, which had been ongoing for 14 months, ends with Huguenot surrender 1664 - The Duke of York and Albanys Maritime Regiment of Foot later to be known as the Royal Marines is established. ... 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1972 calendar). ... Generally a director is a person or one of a body of persons appointed to manage the affairs of a government agency, company, corporation, group or project. ... The term art director, is an overall title for a variety of similar job functions in advertising, publishing, film and television, the Internet, and video games. ... Costume designer is a cinema term which refers to a person whose responsibilty is to design costumes for a movie or stage production. ... Although he never won an Oscar for any of his movie performances, the comedian Bob Hope received two honorary Oscars for his contributions to cinema. ... 1930 (MCMXXX) is a common year starting on Wednesday. ... The Academy Awards are the oldest awards ceremony for achievements in motion pictures. ... Cecil Blount DeMille (August 12, 1881 – January 21, 1959) was one of the most successful filmmakers during the first half of the 20th century. ... 1933 (MCMXXXIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... ... Video cover showing Fredric March and Evelyn Venable. ... 1934 (MCMXXXIV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... Midnight was a 1939 comedy film directed by Mitchell Leisen and written by Charles Brackett and Billy Wilder based on a story by Edwin Justus Mayer and Franz Schulz. ... 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... Hold Back the Dawn is a 1941 romantic film in which a Romanian gigolo marries an American woman in Mexico in order to gain entry to the United States, but winds up falling in love with her. ... For the movie, see 1941 (film) 1941 (MCMXLI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1941 calendar). ... Billy Wilder Billy Wilder (June 22, 1906 – March 27, 2002) was a screenwriter, film director and producer whose career spanned more than 50 years and 60 films. ... Easy Living is the name of a film, specifically a screwball comedy of 1937 made by Preston Sturges, starring Jean Arthur. ... 1937 (MCMXXXVII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... Preston Sturges (August 29, 1898-August 6, 1959), originally Edmund Preston Biden, was a screenwriter and director born in Chicago. ... The Twilight Zone original opening The Twilight Zone is an anthology series created (and often written) by its narrator and host Rod Serling. ... Heart disease is one of a number of different diseases which afflict the heart. ... 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1972 calendar). ...

Selected filmography

• Death Takes a Holiday (1934)
• Murder at the Vanities (1934)
• Hands Across the Table (1935)
• Easy Living (1937)
• Swing High, Swing Low (1937)
• The Big Broadcast of 1938 (1938)
• Midnight (1939)
• Remember the Night (1940)
• Arise, My Love (1940)
• Hold Back the Dawn (1941)
• Frenchman's Creek (1944)
• To Each His Own (1946)
• Gold Earrings (1947)
• No Man of Her Own (1950)
• The Mating Season (1950)

Video cover showing Fredric March and Evelyn Venable. ... Easy Living is the name of a film, specifically a screwball comedy of 1937 made by Preston Sturges, starring Jean Arthur. ... The Big Broadcast of 1938 was the last in a series of movies that were variety anthologies--vaudeville on film, in a sense. ... Midnight was a 1939 comedy film directed by Mitchell Leisen and written by Charles Brackett and Billy Wilder based on a story by Edwin Justus Mayer and Franz Schulz. ... Hold Back the Dawn is a 1941 romantic film in which a Romanian gigolo marries an American woman in Mexico in order to gain entry to the United States, but winds up falling in love with her. ... To Each His Own is a 1946 film which tells the story of an unwed mother, following World War I, who gives up her son for adoption and loves him from afar. ...

External links

• Senses of Cinema: Mitchell Leisen