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MITCHELL LEISEN (Paramount Director)
Mitchell Leisen was horn in Menominee, Michigan, Octoher 5, 1898. One of his maternal forbears was Thomas Vvillett, second governor of Plymouth Colony, who came over in "The Swallow," the "Mayf lower 1 s" successor. Another was the first mayor of New Yor.:, following the Dutch administration.
His paternal great-grandfather was a beer-baron in Cologne, Germany. His offspring carried on the family tradition by remaining in the brewery •■business in Michigan. Mitch accordingly grew up in an atmosphere of plenty. He satisfied his craving for an art career by studying architecture at the Washington University, in St. Louis.
Deciding that commercial art was his metier, he went to Chicago to practice it, and, in time lar.ded in the advertising department of a Chicago newspaper. Later, he was a draftsman for a firm of well .cnown architects. This position he relinquished to drill recruits at the outbreak of the war.
The Armistice, followed by the 18th Amendment, found the Leistn family out of the brewery business, and young Mitchell loosing for a real job. As he tells it, he came to Hollywood to act, but after a trial decided that acting wasn't his life's work.
Six months after his arrival in Hollywood, Louis A'eber introduced him to Jeanie McFherson, and through her he met Cecil 3. DeMille. At his very first interview, DeMille as :ed if he could design costumes. Leisen wasn't sure, but he found himst.lf with the assignment to design all the costumes for the Babylonian scene of "..Hie and Female".
From designing costumes to becoming DeMille' s art director was a short step for him. His association with DeMille was over a period of 12 years. In 1933 he assisteu in the direction of "Tonight is Ours" and "The Eagle and the Hawk" at Paramount. His first solo directorial job was "Cradle Song" Dorothea flack* a first Hollywood starring picture. His second was "Death Takes a Holiday". His most recent pictures are: FOUR HOUHS TO KILL, ■TiS AfilinRR ™ TA<:.* 13 hp, it uv its urr. nnATv>w *w