NORMAN JEWISON (1926 - 2024)

Norman Jewison, the gifted filmmaker behind such cinematic classics as "In the Heat of The Night", "Fiddler on the Roof" and "Moonstruck", passed away on January 20th. The Canadian born director, who made his name by tackling social and political issues in his films while also managing to make them engaging and entertaining, was ninety-seven.

Born in Toronto, Jewison (who many assumed was Jewish but was actually of English descent) began his career working for the newly formed CBC television network as an assistant director in 1952. He worked on a wide spectrum of programming and six years later, was recruited by NBC and moved to New York.  While working on a Judy Garland television special in 1961, Jewison met Tony Curtis who encouraged him to move into films and hired him to his production company with his then-wife, Janet Leigh. Here, he would direct his first feature film, "40 Pounds of Trouble", a comedy which starred Curtis and Suzanne Pleshette. Forming his own production company, Jewison went on to direct a couple of Doris Day comedies which included "Send Me No Flowers" from 1964 with Rock Hudson.

Trying to move away from comedies, Jewison's first opportunity came in 1965 when he was hired to direct Steve McQueen in the drama, "The Cincinnati Kid" about a poker player trying to be considered the best during the Depression. While the film received mixed reviews and decent box-office, the supporting performances of Joan Blondell and Edward G. Robinson received award recognition. This success would allow Jewison a chance to create works of cinema that were of considerable interest and importance to him.

Some of the films he made that he directed and produced included the Cold-War satire, "The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming"; the 1967 crime-thriller, "In the Heat of the Night (1967) set in a racially divided South that starred Sidney Poitier and Rod Steiger, winning five Academy Awards including Best Picture; teaming with Steve McQueen again for the romantic-crime caper, "The Thomas Crown Affair" with Faye Dunaway; the film adaptations of the Broadway musicals, "Fiddler on the Roof" and "Jesus Christ Superstar"; the courtroom comedy-drama, "...And Justice for All" with Al Pacino; one of my all-time favorite films, the 1987 romantic-comedy, "Moonstruck" which starred Cher, Nicolas Cage and Olympia Dukakis and "The Hurricane" the 1999 drama based on the boxer Rubin "Hurricane" Carter (played by Denzel Washington who was Oscar-nominated for his performance) who had been falsely convicted for a triple murder. After directing "The Statement" in 2003 with Michael Caine and Tilda Swinton, Jewison would retire as a filmmaker. Nominated three times for Best Director Oscars, he would go on to receive well deserved honors which included the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and Lifetime Achievement Awards from the Directors Guilds of both Canada and America.