Arthur Hornblow Jr. (March 15, 1893 – July 17, 1976) was an American film producer. Four of his movies received Academy Award nominations for Best Picture.

Biography

Hornblow was the son of Arthur Hornblow Sr. (1865–1942), a writer who edited Theatre Magazine in New York City. Hornblow graduated from DeWitt Clinton High School, New York City, in 1911, before studying at Dartmouth College and New York Law School, and was a member of the fraternity Theta Delta Chi. He served in counter-intelligence during World War I, and then tried his hand at playwriting. He was then hired as a production supervisor by Sam Goldwyn at Paramount in 1927. Initially, he specialized in the popular screwball comedies, eventually giving Billy Wilder his first directing job, and producing several films starring Bob Hope. These included The Cat and the Canary (1939), The Ghost Breakers (1940) and Nothing But the Truth (1941). In 1942 he moved to MGM where he produced Gaslight and several film noir. In the 1950s, as an independent producer rather than a studio employee, he worked on the musical Oklahoma and the courtroom drama Witness for the Prosecution, directed by his former Paramount colleague, Wilder. He gave aspiring actress Marie Windsor her first screen test, and Constance Ockelman her new name, Veronica Lake. Four of his movies received Academy Award nominations for Best Picture. His producer screen credit is distinctive because it is a reproduction of his signature with an underline, not the (usually printed) font used for the rest of the credits.

Oscar nominations

As a producer he was nominated for an Academy Award 'Best Picture' Oscar four times, but failed to win.

Legacy

He allowed a version of his last name be used by C. S. Forester (who, together with Niven Busch, was a scriptwriter for one of the films he directed ) for the fictional sea captain Horatio Hornblower.

Selected filmography

Books

With Leonora Hornblow: