Richard O. Fleischer

12.8.1916 - Richard O. Fleischer, film director, was born in Brooklyn into a show business family, but harbored ambitions of becoming a psychiatrist. He was a psychology student at Brown University when he dropped out in favor of the Yale Drama Department. At age 21, Fleischer organized a campus theatrical troupe called the Arena Players, acting as producer and director for all of their staged plays. Son of animation pioneer Max Fleischer, who brought Betty Boop and Popeye, among other popular characters to the screen.

In 1942, he joined New York's RKO-Pathe' News in 1942, where he wrote newsreel commentaries and directed two-reel wartime documentaries for the "This Is America" series and wrote and produced "Flicker Flashbacks," shorts compiled from silent film. In 1947, he co-produced the Oscar-winning documentary feature "Design for Death."

Fleischer 's successes won him a ticket to the RKO studio in Hollywood, where he directed a series of suspenseful grade-B film noirs, including: "Bodyguard" (1948 )and "The Clay Pigeon" in 1949 and "Armored Car Robbery" (1950). His 1952 thriller "The Narrow Margin" is considered a classic in movie-making today.

After directing "The Happy Time" (1952), he received a call to meet his father's arch rival Walt Disney at his Studio. Fleischer recalls, "I was completely taken aback. I couldn't understand why he'd selected me to direct '20,000 Leagues Under the Sea'. I said, 'I'd love to do this picture, but I'd like to talk with my father, first, knowing the competitive relationship you've both had." "Walt agreed. He called his father in New York who told him he "must take that job without any question. Just do one thing. Give a message to Walt for me, tell him that he's got great taste in directors.'"

Today, "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" remains one of Disney's most ambitious live-action films. After its 1954 release, Fleischer went on to direct many other big movies including "The Vikings" (1958), "Fantastic Voyage" (1966), "Doctor Dolittle" (1967), The Boston Strangler (1968), Che! (1969), "Tora! Tora! Tora!" (1970), "Soylent Green" (1973), ), "The Jazz Singer" (1980) and "Red Sonja" (1985).etc.

In 1993, Richard published his autobiography "Just Tell Me When to Cry" and in 2001, he appeared in the ABC documentary "Walt Disney: The Man Behind the Myth."

He died in his sleep on 3.25.2006, age 89, from complications of an upper respiratory infection