Richard Fleischer: Journeyman

by Jason A. Ney, Eddie Muller (Foreword by)

Overview

When it came to filmmaking, Richard Fleischer had big shoes to fill. His father, Max, was one of America's most influential animators. However, Richard's own passions led him not to the animator's desk but to the director's chair.

After garnering an Academy Award for Best Documentary with Design for Death (1948), Fleischer became known for an eclectic mix of pictures such as 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954), Fantastic Voyage (1966), Doctor Dolittle (1967), The Boston Strangler (1968), Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970), Soylent Green (1973), and Conan the Destroyer (1984), directing such luminaries as Orson Welles, Kirk Douglas, Charlton Heston, Joan Collins, Lee Marvin, and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

In Richard Fleischer: Journeyman, author Jason A. Ney reveals how Fleischer navigated Hollywood's shifting standards, kept a good-humored outlook on his career, and earned lasting appreciation from those who worked with him. In addition to drawing on Fleischer's archived personal papers, Ney conducted original interviews with his family members as well as dozens of his professional collaborators, which gives the book a behind-the-scenes feel.

This comprehensive biography is the story of a genre-spanning director, a son of a pioneering animator, and a multifaceted man whose art continues to influence filmmakers today.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781985904323
Publisher:	University Press of Kentucky
Publication date:	05/12/2026
Series:	Screen Classics
Pages:	400
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Jason A. Ney lives in Colorado with his wife and four children. His writing has appeared in several anthologies and magazines, and he has contributed dozens of audio commentaries to home media releases of films from Hollywood's golden age.

Table of Contents

Foreword, by Eddie Muller
Introduction
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Acknowledgements
Bibliography
References

Editorial Reviews

Richard Fleischer: Journeyman is an entertaining, informative, and thoughtful look at the career of an often-undervalued director who interacted with pivotal characters from a storied era. Jason A. Ney's language sparkles, and he engages readers through the life, work, and basic decency of an influential man who deserves his due. Richard Fleischer is a charming and essential work—a true treasure.

Susan A. Compo