Warren Beatty and George Stevens on the set of The Only Game In Town, 1970, 20th Century Studios
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As a cameraman during World War II, George Stevens shot footage of the liberation of Dachau that showed the world the horrors of the Holocaust – and scarred Stevens himself for life. Pre-war, he had been a director of frothy comedies; post-war, he committed himself to making epic films about “moral disasters.” This yielded a number of masterpieces – A Place in the Sun, Giant, Shane – but by the mid-60s, though more in demand than ever as a director, Stevens felt he lost touch with the audience. He only released one film in the 1960s, The Greatest Story Ever Told – an epic about Jesus, and an epic flop – and then, in an attempt to come full circle to his comedy roots, concluded his career with The Only Game in Town (1970), an awkward mashup of old and new featuring the two biggest transitional stars of the day, Warren Beatty and Elizabeth Taylor.
Still from The Greatest Story Ever Told, 1965, United Artists
SHOW NOTES:
Sources:
George Stevens: Interviews Edited by Paul Cronin
The American Cinema by Andrew Sarris
My Place in the Sun: Life in the Golden Age of Hollywood and Washington by George Stevens, Jr
Giant: George Stevens, A Life on Film by Marilyn Ann Moss
Five Came Back: A Story of Hollywood and the Second World War by Mark Harris
Star: The Life and Wild Times of Warren Beatty by Peter Biskind
Sinatra: The Chairman by James Kaplan
“Movies Aren’t Movies Anymore: The Art of the Gimp Takes Over,” Manny Farber, Commentary, June 1952
“Compassion Ideal to Guide Stevens”, Philip K. ScheuerLos Angeles Times, April 22, 1960
“Stars Clamor for Roles in Film of Christ”, Shreveport Times, January 1, 1961
“‘Greatest Story’ Cancelled by 20th”, Hedda Hopper, Los Angeles Times, September 5, 1961
“Biggest Hollywood Film Since 1945 Announced”, Los Angeles Times, May 16, 1962
“Hollywood: Forget the Incense,” TIME, December 28, 1962
“The Greatest Story Ever Told,” Variety, December 31, 1964
“$20 Million Film Gamble”, Jack Hirschberg, Los Angeles Times, January 10, 1965
“‘Greatest Story’ Exalted Spectacle”, Hedda Hopper, Los Angeles Times, February 12, 1965
“Stevens Skill Seen in ‘Greatest Story’”, Philip K. Scheuer, Los Angeles Times, February 17, 1965
“‘The Greatest Story in One Man’s View,” Joanne Stang, New York Times, February 14, 1965
“Cinema: Calendar Christ”, Time, February 26, 1965
Is God Dead? TIME Magazine Cover, April 8, 1966
Photo: “Elizabeth Taylor Leaves Hospital,” Keystone Pictures USA/ZUMAPRESS, August 8, 1968
“Festival Heads Offer to Quit Over Film Furore”, Los Angeles Times, July 5, 1970
“Oscar-Winning Director George Stevens, 70, Dies”, Los Angeles Times, March 10, 1975
“A Place in the Sun,” Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader, October 26, 1985
“Selling Religion: How to market a biblical epic”, Sheldon Hall, Film History Vol 14, No 2, Film and Religion, 2002
“George Stevens: A Filmmaker’s Journey,” PBS American Masters, July 13, 2005
“On the Death of Filmmaker Michael Verhoeven,” Observational, April 27, 2024
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Elizabeth Taylor and Warren Beatty in The Only Game in Town, 1970, 20th Century Studios
Music:
The music used in this episode, with the exception of the intro, was sourced from royalty-free music libraries and licensed music collections. The intro includes a clip from the film Casablanca.
Excerpts from the following songs were used throughout the episode:
"Periodicals” - Albany, NY
"Song at the End of Time” - Limoncello
“Four Cluster” - Fornax
"On the Passing of Time” - Kevin MacLeod
“Krok” - Simple Machines
“Coquelicot” - Magenta
“Vik Fence Haflak” - The Fence
“Messy Inkwell” - Architect
“County Courtship” - Illinois and Maco
“Tranquility” - Kevin MacLeod
“Danse Morialta” - Kevin MacLeod
“Melody of the Thrush” - Seven Rivers
“Order of Entrance” - Architect
“Caverna” - High Horse
“Kirkus” - Architect
“Peaceful Piano” - Musique Libre de Droit Club
This episode was written, narrated, edited and produced by Karina Longworth.
Our editor this season is Evan Viola.
Research, production, and social media assistant: Brendan Whalen.
Logo design: Teddy Blanks.
1972 Director’s Group party for Luis Buñel
Top row (L to R): Robert Mulligan, William Wyler, George Cukor, Robert Wise, Jean-Claude Carriere, and Serge Silverman. Bottom row (L to R): Billy Wilder, George Stevens, Luis Bunuel, Alfred Hitchcock, and Rouben Mamoulin.