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Joel Schumacher

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Joel Schumacher
Schumacher at the 2003 Taormina Film Fest in Italy
Born(1939-08-29)August 29, 1939
New York City, U.S.
DiedJune 22, 2020(2020-06-22) (aged 80)
New York City, U.S.
Alma materFashion Institute of Technology
Parsons School of Design
Occupations
  • Film director
  • producer
  • screenwriter
Years active1970–2020

Joel T. Schumacher (/ˈʃuːmɑːkər/; August 29, 1939 – June 22, 2020) was an American film director, producer and screenwriter. Raised in New York City by his mother, Schumacher graduated from Parsons School of Design and originally became a fashion designer. He first entered filmmaking as a production and costume designer before gaining writing credits on Car Wash, Sparkle, and The Wiz.

Schumacher received little attention for his first theatrically released films, The Incredible Shrinking Woman and D.C. Cab, but rose to prominence after directing St. Elmo's Fire, The Lost Boys, The Client and Falling Down. Schumacher was selected to replace Tim Burton as director of the Batman film franchise, and oversaw two of the series' most commercially-oriented entries, Batman Forever (1995) and Batman & Robin (1997). The latter's failure foresaw a steep career decline, although Schumacher continued directing work on smaller-budgeted films, such as Tigerland and Phone Booth. In 2004, he directed The Phantom of the Opera, which was released to mixed reviews. His final directorial work was two episodes of House of Cards.

Early life and education

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Joel T. Schumacher was born on August 29, 1939, in New York City. His parents were Francis Schumacher, a Baptist from Knoxville, Tennessee, who died from pneumonia when Joel was four, and Marian (Kantor), a Swedish Jew. He was raised by his widowed mother in Long Island City. During his youth, he used LSD and methamphetamine and started drinking alcohol by age nine. In 1965, he graduated from Parsons School of Design, after having studied at the Fashion Institute of Technology, and later became a designer for Revlon in 1966.[1][2][3][4]

At the time of his mother's death in 1965, Schumacher stated that his "life seemed like a joke" as he was $50,000 in debt, lost multiple teeth, and only weighed 130 pounds (59 kg). However, in 1970, he stopped using drugs and became employed at Henri Bendel. He later stated that "I got my self-respect back getting a good day's pay for a good day's work."[3]

Career

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Production designer

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In 1972, Schumacher served as a costume designer for Play It as It Lays and designed the wardrobes of Dyan Cannon, Joan Hackett, and Raquel Welch for the film The Last of Sheila.[5] In 1973, he served as a costume designer for Woody Allen's Sleeper, and Paul Mazursky's Blume in Love.[6] In 1974, he served as the production designer of Killer Bees. He later served as a costume designer for The Time of the Cuckoo, The Prisoner of Second Avenue and Interiors.[7][8]

Early filmmaking

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In 1974, Schumacher wrote a script for an eponymous biographic made-for-television movie based on the life of Virginia Hill. He was selected to serve as the movie's director and started filming on September 9.[9][10]

In 1974, he and Howard Rosenman wrote the script for Sparkle which later went into production in 1975, and was released in 1976.[11][12] His original plan for the film was for the film to be a "black Gone with the Wind", but had to be modest due to the limited budget given to the production by Warner Bros. According to Schumacher the film represented his "personal fascination" with Jesse Jackson, Angela Davis, Tammi Terrell, and Diana Ross.[13] He was later selected to write the screenplays for Car Wash and The Wiz.[14]

In 1978, Schumacher was selected to serve as the director of Amateur Night at the Dixie Bar and Grill which was later released in 1979.[15][16][17] On January 31, 1980, he submitted a script for A Chorus Line, but the film underwent rewrites in development hell.[18][19]

In 1979, he was selected to serve as the director of The Incredible Shrinking Woman, his first theatrically released film, to replace John Landis, who had left after Universal Pictures had reduced the film's budget.[20][21] In 1981, the film was released to negative reviews, and was a box office bomb.[22][23] The film was initially given a $30 million budget, but it was reduced to $11–13 million although it would later rise to over $20 million due to the cost of special effects.[24][25]

In 1983, he directed D.C. Cab starring Mr. T, but later stated that he only worked on the film as he needed a job.[26]

St. Elmo's Fire and The Lost Boys

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In 1984, Schumacher was selected by Columbia Pictures to direct St. Elmo's Fire and was secretive during the production of the film.[27][28] In 1987, he directed The Lost Boys. Both films were successful among young people and were his first major critical and commercial successes.[29][30][31]

Following The Lost Boys, Schumacher directed Cousins (a remake of the French film Cousin Cousine), Flatliners, Dying Young, Falling Down, and The Client.[29][30][31]

Batman

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Schumacher was selected by Warner Bros. in 1993 to replace Tim Burton as the director of the Batman franchise. He directed Batman Forever, which was a stylistic departure from Burton's Batman and Batman Returns. Batman Forever was released to mixed reviews, but was more financially successful than Batman Returns.[29][30][31][32]

He later directed Batman & Robin, which was rushed into production following Batman Forever and was intentionally made toyetic and light-hearted to appeal to children and sell merchandise. The film was released to largely negative reviews and did not perform as well at the box-office as any of its predecessors, causing a planned sequel, Batman Unchained, to be cancelled. Schumacher later approached Warner Bros. to pitch concepts for a new Batman movie which were inspired by Frank Miller's graphic novels Batman: Year One and The Dark Knight Returns, but due to the box-office bomb of Batman & Robin, along with the negative impact that the film had on his reputation, Warner Bros. refused to let him develop another Batman film.[33] Schumacher later apologized for the quality of Batman & Robin in 2017.[34][29][30][31]

It was alleged that Schumacher, a gay man, had added homoerotic elements to the film with the most prominent being the rubber nipples, codpieces, and close-up camera shots of Batman and Robin's buttocks.[35] Schumacher stated that the designs of the suits had been based on anatomically correct Greek statues and medical drawings. However, George Clooney, who played Batman in the film, said in 2005 that Schumacher told him that Batman was gay.[34][36]

Later career

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Following Batman & Robin, Schumacher directed 8mm, Flawless, Tigerland, Bad Company, Phone Booth, Veronica Guerin, The Phantom of the Opera, The Number 23, Blood Creek, Twelve, and Trespass.[29][30][31]

In August 2008, Schumacher directed the music video for American rock band Scars on Broadway, for their single "World Long Gone".[37]

In 2013, he directed two episodes of the television series House of Cards.[30]

Personal life

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Schumacher was openly gay and described himself as "extremely promiscuous", saying in a 2019 interview that he became sexually active at age eleven, estimating that he had sex with between 10,000 and 20,000 men over the course of his life. He said the first person he knew who died from the AIDS epidemic, in 1983, "was not promiscuous", which led Schumacher to believe he would die soon after, recalling that he thought at the time, "If he has it, I must have it quadrupled [...] I was sure I had it, I was planning my death", though he never contracted the disease.[38]

In 1984, Schumacher purchased the horse stables that had belonged to Rudolph Valentino from Doris Duke.[39]

Schumacher donated to Democratic Party candidates, including multiple congressional campaigns as well as John Kerry's 2004 presidential campaign.[40]

Death

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On June 22, 2020, Schumacher died from cancer. Following his death, he was praised by Jim Carrey as well as Matthew McConaughey who credited Schumacher with launching his career.[41]

Filmography

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Film

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Filmmaking credits

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Title Year Director Writer Producer Notes Ref.
Sparkle 1976 Yes Directed by Sam O'Steen [31]
Car Wash 1976 Yes Directed by Michael Schultz [14]
The Wiz 1978 Yes Directed by Sidney Lumet [14]
The Incredible Shrinking Woman 1981 Yes Directorial debut [31]
D.C. Cab (a.k.a. Street Fleet) 1983 Yes Yes [31]
St. Elmo's Fire 1985 Yes Yes [14]
The Lost Boys 1987 Yes [14]
Cousins 1989 Yes [14]
Flatliners 1990 Yes [14]
Dying Young 1991 Yes [31]
Falling Down 1993 Yes [14]
The Client 1994 Yes [14]
Batman Forever 1995 Yes [14]
A Time to Kill 1996 Yes [31]
Batman & Robin 1997 Yes [14]
8mm 1999 Yes Yes [14]
Flawless 1999 Yes Yes Yes [14]
Tigerland 2000 Yes [31]
Bad Company 2002 Yes [31]
Phone Booth 2002 Yes [14]
Veronica Guerin 2003 Yes [31]
The Phantom of the Opera 2004 Yes Yes [14]
The Number 23 2007 Yes [31]
Blood Creek 2009 Yes [14]
Twelve 2010 Yes [31]
Trespass 2011 Yes [14]
Man in the Mirror 2011 Yes Short film

Executive producer

Other credits

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Title Year Role Director Notes Ref.
Play It as It Lays 1972 Costume designer Frank Perry [31]
Blume in Love 1973 Costume designer Paul Mazursky [31]
The Last of Sheila 1973 Costume designer Herbert Ross [31]
Sleeper 1973 Costume designer Woody Allen [31]
The Prisoner of Second Avenue 1975 Costume designer Melvin Frank [31]
Interiors 1978 Costume designer Woody Allen [31]
Welcome to Hollywood 1998 Cameo appearance Adam Rifkin Mockumentary film
Halston 2019 Himself Frédéric Tcheng

Television

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Filmmaking credits

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Title Year Director Writer Executive
producer 		Notes Ref.
Virginia Hill 1974 Yes Yes TV film [31]
Amateur Night at the Dixie Bar and Grill 1979 Yes Yes TV film [31]
Now We're Cookin 1983 Yes Yes Unsold pilot, directed by Noam Pitlik [42]
Code Name: Foxfire 1985 Creator & Story Yes Creator and producer (8 episodes) / Story (Episode: "Pilot")
Slow Burn 1986 Yes TV film, directed by Matthew Chapman
2000 Malibu Road 1992 Yes Yes 5 episodes
Choose or Lose 2008 Yes TV special
House of Cards 2013 Yes 2 episodes [30]
Do Not Disturb: Hotel Horrors 2015 Yes 3 episodes

Other credits

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Title Year Role Notes Ref.
Killer Bees 1974 Production designer TV film, directed by Curtis Harrington [7]
Real Housewives of New York City 2012 Cameo appearance S05E18: "All's Well That Doesn't End Well"
Nightcap 2017 Cameo appearance Episode: "Guest in a Snake"

Music videos

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Directing credits

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Artist Year Title
INXS 1988 "Devil Inside"[43]
Lenny Kravitz 1993 "Heaven Help" (European Version)
Seal 1994 "Kiss from a Rose" (Version 1)[43]
The Smashing Pumpkins 1997 "The End Is the Beginning Is the End"
Bush 1999 "Letting the Cables Sleep"
Scars On Broadway 2008 "World Long Gone"
The Killing Floor 2012 "Star Baby"

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Young U.S. Designers Say Paris Has Had It". The Corpus Christi Caller-Times. May 6, 1965. p. 20. Archived from the original on June 24, 2020. Retrieved June 26, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ "They're Egotistical But Lack Confidence". Hartford Courant. May 19, 1966. p. 38. Archived from the original on June 24, 2020. Retrieved June 26, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ a b "Joel Schumacher, Director of 'St. Elmo's Fire,' Is Dead at 80". The New York Times. June 22, 2020. Archived from the original on June 24, 2020. Retrieved June 23, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Joel Schumacher obituary". The Guardian. June 22, 2020. Archived from the original on June 25, 2020. Retrieved June 26, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Schumacher To Design Clothing". Clarion-Ledger. December 8, 1972. p. 51. Archived from the original on June 23, 2020. Retrieved June 26, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Futuristic 'Sleeper': A Film With Behind-Times Costumes". The Los Angeles Times. January 1, 1974. p. 62. Archived from the original on June 23, 2020. Retrieved June 26, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ a b "Joel Schumacher, Director of Batman Films and 'Lost Boys,' Dies at 80". Variety. June 22, 2020. Archived from the original on June 24, 2020. Retrieved June 22, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "The Time Of The Cuckoo". The Los Angeles Times. March 10, 1974. p. 495. Archived from the original on June 25, 2020. Retrieved June 26, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Dyan Cannon In Fall Drama". The Tribune. July 20, 1974. p. 19. Archived from the original on June 25, 2020. Retrieved June 27, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Virginia Hill Filming Starts". The Los Angeles Times. August 18, 1974. p. 147. Archived from the original on June 25, 2020. Retrieved June 27, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "'Sparkle' set". Kenosha News. June 26, 1974. p. 33. Archived from the original on June 25, 2020. Retrieved June 27, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "Shooting Starts On 'Sparkle'". The Atlanta Constitution. May 25, 1975. p. 157. Archived from the original on June 25, 2020. Retrieved June 27, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "To Schumacher, Black Is Bankable". The Los Angeles Times. June 2, 1976. p. 82. Archived from the original on June 26, 2020. Retrieved June 27, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q "Where to Stream the Films of Joel Schumacher". Vulture. June 22, 2020. Archived from the original on June 27, 2020. Retrieved June 27, 2020.
  15. ^ "Amateur Night Director". The Los Angeles Times. May 29, 1978. p. 40. Archived from the original on June 27, 2020. Retrieved June 27, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ "'Amateur Night' no challenge to viewer". Austin American-Statesman. January 8, 1979. p. 23. Archived from the original on June 27, 2020. Retrieved June 27, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ "AMATEUR NIGHT AT THE DIXIE BAR AND GRILL(1979)". Archived from the original on June 27, 2020. Retrieved June 27, 2020.
  18. ^ "'A Chorus Line' – Still No Movie". The Los Angeles Times. June 20, 1982. p. 273. Archived from the original on June 28, 2020. Retrieved June 28, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ^ "3d studio takes on 'A Chorus Line'". The Philadelphia Inquirer. May 8, 1983. p. 103. Archived from the original on June 29, 2020. Retrieved June 29, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ^ "The Incredible Shrinking Woman Director". Daily News. March 23, 1979. p. 77. Archived from the original on June 27, 2020. Retrieved June 27, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. ^ "Schumacher replaces Landis". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. January 13, 1981. p. 22. Archived from the original on June 27, 2020. Retrieved June 27, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. ^ "THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING WOMAN (LA INCREÍBLE MUJER DIMINUTA)".
  23. ^ "The Incredible Shrinking Woman Box Office".
  24. ^ "'Shrinking' role may restore her confidence". The Philadelphia Inquirer. January 20, 1981. p. 21. Archived from the original on June 27, 2020. Retrieved June 27, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  25. ^ "Budget For New Tomlin Film Grows". The Cincinnati Enquirer. June 23, 1980. p. 17. Archived from the original on June 27, 2020. Retrieved June 27, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  26. ^ "FILM / Damaged goods in the shop window: He's upset America's Hispanics and Koreans, and he's not exactly the toast of Los Angeles. Is Joel Schumacher sorry? Is he hell. Sheila Johnston reports". Independent. May 29, 1993. Archived from the original on June 28, 2020. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
  27. ^ "St. Elmo's Fire". Daily News. March 30, 1984. p. 95. Archived from the original on June 29, 2020. Retrieved June 29, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  28. ^ "Secretive production". Daily News. July 9, 1984. p. 72. Archived from the original on June 29, 2020. Retrieved June 29, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  29. ^ a b c d e "Joel Schumacher, director of Batman movies and 'St. Elmo's Fire,' dead at 80". CNN. June 22, 2020. Archived from the original on June 28, 2020. Retrieved June 28, 2020.
  30. ^ a b c d e f g "Joel Schumacher, Director With a Flair for the Distinctive, Dies at 80". The Hollywood Reporter. June 22, 2020. Archived from the original on June 28, 2020. Retrieved June 28, 2020.
  31. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w "Joel Schumacher: 1939–2020". Roger Ebert. June 22, 2020. Archived from the original on June 28, 2020. Retrieved June 28, 2020.
  32. ^ "Batman Battle". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on September 21, 2013. Retrieved August 16, 2008.
  33. ^ "8 Unmade BATMAN Movies". warpedfactor. October 4, 2019.
  34. ^ a b "Twenty Years Later, Joel Schumacher Is Very Sorry About 'Batman & Robin'". Vice. June 12, 2017. Archived from the original on June 25, 2020.
  35. ^ Joel Schumacher, Peter MacGregor-Scott, Chris O'Donnell, Val Kilmer, Uma Thurman, John Glover, Shadows of the Bat: The Cinematic Saga of the Dark Knight Part 6-Batman Unbound, 2005, Warner Home Video
  36. ^ "'Happy' to sign off". Variety. June 27, 2005. Archived from the original on June 25, 2020.
  37. ^ "Scars On Broadway Taps Joel Schumacher For 'World Long Gone' Video Shoot". Blabbermouth.net. August 22, 2008. Archived from the original on August 22, 2008. Retrieved April 8, 2019.
  38. ^ "In Conversation: Joel Schumacher After five decades in Hollywood, the director has plenty of stories — but don't expect him to kiss and tell". Vulture. June 22, 2020. Archived from the original on June 26, 2020. Retrieved June 27, 2020.
  39. ^ "Rudolph Valentino". The South Bend Tribune. September 7, 1984. p. 40. Archived from the original on June 29, 2020. Retrieved June 29, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  40. ^ "Donor Lookup". Archived from the original on June 27, 2020. Retrieved August 22, 2019.
  41. ^ "Jim Carrey, Matthew McConaughey And More Pay Tribute To Batman Director Joel Schumacher". Cinema Blend. June 23, 2020. Archived from the original on June 24, 2020. Retrieved June 27, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  42. ^ "Now We're Cookin". The Indianapolis Star. February 20, 1982. p. 33. Archived from the original on June 28, 2020. Retrieved June 28, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  43. ^ a b "Joel Schumacher: Stars remember 'creative and heroic' Lost Boys director". BBC. June 23, 2020.
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