Joseph E. Levine


Distributor, Producer

About

Also Known As
Joseph Edward Levine
Birth Place
Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Born
September 09, 1905
Died
July 21, 1987

Biography

Self-proclaimed movie mogul who entered the film business as an exhibitor, specializing in importing foreign films. Alongside classics such as "Rome, Open City" (1945) and "The Bicycle Thief" (1948), Levine imported cheaply made entertainments such as "Godzilla" (1956) and "Hercules" (1959), a major commercial success which thrust him into the Hollywood big time. He then moved into produ...

Family & Companions

Rosalie Harrison
Wife
Singer.

Biography

Self-proclaimed movie mogul who entered the film business as an exhibitor, specializing in importing foreign films. Alongside classics such as "Rome, Open City" (1945) and "The Bicycle Thief" (1948), Levine imported cheaply made entertainments such as "Godzilla" (1956) and "Hercules" (1959), a major commercial success which thrust him into the Hollywood big time. He then moved into production and had a significant hand in some major films of the 1960s including "8 1/2" (1963) and "The Graduate" (1967). The crass movie producer played by Jack Palance in Godard's "Contempt" (1963) is widely considered to be based on Levine--who produced the film!

Filmography

 

Producer (Feature Film)

Tattoo (1981)
Producer
Magic (1978)
Producer
A Bridge Too Far (1977)
Producer
Paper Tiger (1975)
Producer
The Day of the Dolphin (1973)
Executive Producer
Hurry Up, or I'll Be 30 (1973)
Producer
Interval (1973)
Producer
Jory (1972)
Presented By
The Nightcomers (1972)
Presented By
Rivals (1972)
Presented By
Thumb Tripping (1972)
Presented By
Thumb Tripping (1972)
Executive Producer
The Steagle (1971)
Presented By
The Ski Bum (1971)
Presented By
Carnal Knowledge (1971)
Executive Producer
The Sporting Club (1971)
Presented By
The Sporting Club (1971)
Executive Producer
Sunflower (1970)
Presented By
Promise at Dawn (1970)
Presented By
The Swimming Pool (1970)
Presented By
Rider on the Rain (1970)
Presented By
C. C. and Company (1970)
Executive Producer
Macho Callahan (1970)
Executive Producer
Promise at Dawn (1970)
Executive Producer
The People Next Door (1970)
Executive Producer
Soldier Blue (1970)
Executive Producer
The Man Who Had Power Over Women (1970)
Presented By
The Adventurers (1970)
Presented By
Sunflower (1970)
Executive Producer
Baby Love (1969)
Presented By
A Nice Girl Like Me (1969)
Presented By
Don't Drink the Water (1969)
Presented By
I Married You for Fun (1969)
Presented By
Mad Monster Party (1969)
Presented By
Mad Monster Party (1969)
Executive Producer
Don't Drink the Water (1969)
Executive Producer
Stiletto (1969)
Executive Producer
La prisonnière (1969)
Presented By
Generation (1969)
Presented By
The Lion in Winter (1968)
Presented By
The Lion in Winter (1968)
Executive Producer
The Producers (1968)
Presented By
Terror of the Black Mask (1967)
Presented By
The Caper of the Golden Bulls (1967)
Presented By
Woman Times Seven (1967)
Presented By
The Caper of the Golden Bulls (1967)
Executive Producer
Woman Times Seven (1967)
Executive Producer
Robbery (1967)
Executive Producer
The Tiger and the Pussycat (1967)
Executive Producer
The Wacky World of Mother Goose (1967)
Executive Producer
The Graduate (1967)
Presented By
Romeo and Juliet (1966)
Presented By
The Daydreamer (1966)
Presented By
The Idol (1966)
Presented By
The Oscar (1966)
Presented By
Nevada Smith (1966)
Presented By
The Oscar (1966)
Executive Producer
The Idol (1966)
Executive Producer
A Man Called Adam (1966)
Executive Producer
Nevada Smith (1966)
Executive Producer
Shoot Loud, Louder ... I Don't Understand (1966)
Executive Producer
The Tramplers (1966)
Presented By
The Spy With a Cold Nose (1966)
Executive Producer
The Daydreamer (1966)
Executive Producer
Dingaka (1965)
Presented By
Sands of the Kalahari (1965)
Presented By
The Little Nuns (1965)
Presented By
The 2nd Best Secret Agent in the Whole Wide World (1965)
Presented By
The 10th Victim (1965)
Presented By
Italiano brava gente (1965)
Presented By
Harlow (1965)
Presented By
Git! (1965)
Presented By
The 10th Victim (1965)
Executive Producer
Casanova '70 (1965)
Presented By
Darling (1965)
Presented By
Harlow (1965)
Producer
Sands of the Kalahari (1965)
Executive Producer
Light Fantastic (1964)
Presented By
Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (1964)
Presented By
Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow (1964)
Presented By
Let's Talk About Women (1964)
Presented By
The Carpetbaggers (1964)
Producer
Contempt (1964)
Presented By
A House Is Not a Home (1964)
Presented By
The Empty Canvas (1964)
Presented By
Crazy Desire (1964)
Presented By
The Secret of Magic Island (1964)
Pres of original version
Marriage Italian Style (1964)
Executive Producer
The Empty Canvas (1964)
Executive Producer
Marriage Italian Style (1964)
Presented By
The Ape Woman (1964)
Presented By
Only One New York (1964)
Presented By
Zulu (1964)
Presented By
Where Love Has Gone (1964)
Producer
Where Love Has Gone (1964)
Presented By
Seven Capital Sins (1963)
Presented By
Night Is My Future (1963)
Presented By
The Easy Life (1963)
Presented By
8 1/2 (1963)
Presented By
Landru (1963)
Presented By
The Conjugal Bed (1963)
Presented By
Fury at Smuggler's Bay (1963)
Presented By
Madame (1963)
Presented By
A Face in the Rain (1963)
Presented By
Love at Twenty (1963)
Presented By
The Hellfire Club (1963)
Presented By
Women of the World (1963)
Presented By
Sodom and Gomorrah (1963)
Presented By
Constantine and the Cross (1962)
Presented By
Boccaccio '70 (1962)
Presented By
The Devil's Wanton (1962)
Presented By
Strangers in the City (1962)
Presented By
Boys' Night Out (1962)
Presented By
What a Carve Up! (1962)
Presented By
The Sky Above--The Mud Below (1962)
Presented By
Crime Does Not Pay (1962)
Presented By
Divorce--Italian Style (1962)
Presented By
The Wonders of Aladdin (1961)
Presented By
Morgan the Pirate (1961)
Presented By
Two Women (1961)
Presented By
The Thief of Baghdad (1961)
Presented By
Bimbo the Great (1961)
Presented By
The Fabulous World of Jules Verne (1961)
Presented By
The Law (1960)
Presented By
Jack the Ripper (1960)
Presented By
Attila (1958)
Executive Producer
Discovery (1947)
Producer
Gaslight Follies (1945)
Presented By
Gaslight Follies (1945)
Producer

Misc. Crew (Special)

The 64th Annual Academy Awards Presentation (1992)
Archival Footage

Life Events

Videos

Movie Clip

Morgan The Pirate (1960) -- (Movie Clip) Long Live Morgan! More brisk action from Hollywood director Andre De Toth, his hero (Steve Reeves, title character) demonstrating how slaves can take a Spanish galleon, somewhere off Panama, ca. 1670, in the Italian-financed Morgan The Pirate, 1960.
Morgan The Pirate (1960) -- (Movie Clip) The Beast Is English Opening from Hollywood renegades, producer Joseph E. Levine and director Andre De Toth, working in Italy, cinematography by Tonino Delli Colli, brings French Valérie Lagrange (about 18 at the time!) and her attendant Lydia Alfonsi to the slave market in Panama where the main attraction, Steve Reeves, the title character, looks buff, in Morgan The Pirate, 1960.
Morgan The Pirate (1960) -- (Movie Clip) By Order Of His Excellency Broad set-piece by Hollywood veteran director Andre De Toth, working in Rome with Italian financing, as the governor (Ivo Garrani) oversees an execution in Panama, ca. 1670, his daughter (Valérie Lagrange) clearly hoping her former slave (Steve Reeves, title character) will luck out, in producer Joseph E. Levine’s Morgan The Pirate, 1960.
Morgan The Pirate (1960) -- (Movie Clip) I Want These Women We meet Chelo Alonso, highly promoted in the credits, appearing in her second Italian-made feature with leading man Steve Reeves, as barmaid Consuela, beholden apparently to pirate L’Olannais (Armand Mestral), who receives the hero, with his new pirate crew, in time to rescue hostages Valérie Lagrange and Lydia Alfonso, in Morgan The Pirate, 1960.
Two Women (1960) -- (Movie Clip) Those Germans Aren't So Bad Fleeing Allied bombs in Rome, Cesira (Sophia Loren) and daughter Rosetta (Eleanora Brown), decide to walk when the train can't go on, amusing German soldiers, in Vittorio De Sica's drama of the war crime campaign known as the “Marocchinate,” Two Women, 1960.
Carpetbaggers, The (1964) -- (Movie Clip) The Best Torture 1925 Nevada, widow Rina (Carroll Baker) with her ex, playboy heir Jonas (George Peppard), whom she dropped for his rich industrialist father who has suddenly died, talking settlement and sex with remarkable explicit language from the steamy Harold Robbins novel, lacking only modern profanity, in The Carpetbaggers, 1964.
Carpetbaggers, The (1964) -- (Movie Clip) Bring Me My Robe The notorious though mild nude scene, and a spike in the plot temperature, as brash Jonas (George Peppard) does exposition and moral trespass with Carroll Baker in her first scene as Rina, his gold-digging ex who married his suddenly-deceased industrialist father for money, early in The Carpetbaggers, 1964, from the Harold Robbins potboiler.
Carpetbaggers, The (1964) -- (Movie Clip) The Fictional And Fabulous Crisp Paul Frees narration soon justifies the aerial opening credit sequence, not quite indicating the salacious tone of the Harold Robbins novel, but George Peppard is introduced as the Howard Hughes-ey Jonas, and Alan Ladd as the grounded Nevada, in The Carpetbaggers, 1964, from producer Joseph E. Levine.
Carpetbaggers, The (1964) -- (Movie Clip) We're Known As A Liberal Newspaper Further exposition as Jonas (George Peppard), a Howard Hughes-like figure in 1920’s aviation is shown to have a more extensive relationship than we knew with Monica (Elizabeth Ashley), daughter of industrial friendly-rival Winthrop (Tom Tully) who, unsuspecting, calls from downstairs, in the 1964 feature from the Harold Robbins novel, The Carpetbaggers.
Carpetbaggers, The (1964) -- (Movie Clip) Evil Can Be Fun High-living widow Rina (Carroll Baker) now in Hollywood after adventures in Paris is visited by Nevada (Alan Ladd), now a silent movie star, but formerly aide-de-camp to the industrial-aviation family he worked for, inquiring about Jonas (George Peppard, not seen) her ex-flame, son of her sugar-daddy husband, now head of the firm, in The Carpetbaggers, 1964, from the Harold Robbins best-seller.
Boys' Night Out (1962) -- (Movie Clip) We Should Have Gone Bowling Four New York commuters, single Fred (James Garner) and married George, Doug and Howard (Tony Randall, Howard Duff, Howard Morris) lamenting that their Thursday night standing date has grown dull, William Bendix their barkeep, opening the Kim Novak comedy vehicle Boys’ Night Out, 1962.
Boys' Night Out (1962) -- (Movie Clip) The Boys Are All Aces Single Fred (James Garner) intends to chivalrously talk sociology student Cathy (Kim Novak) out of posing as a hired companion for him and his three married buddies, but she’s a step ahead, so George (Tony Randal), with Doug and Howard (Howard Duff, Howard Morris) prepares for the first date, in Boys’ Night Out, 1962.

Trailer

Family

Richard Levine
Son
Producer.

Companions

Rosalie Harrison
Wife
Singer.

Bibliography