Screenwriter, producer, director and songwriter. Born Samuel Donald Hartman in Brooklyn, where his father operated the Park Circle Theatre, he had jobs as hotel bellhop, night clerk in a bank and truck driver on the oil fields in Texas, where he finally started as an actor with the Dallas Little Theatre in the early 1920s. Soon he was on Broadway, gradually changing over to writing, directing and staging shows, also writing lyrics for musical plays and special material for radio and stage performers. In 1933 he came to Hollywood, writing his first screenplay "Romance in Manhattan". Numerous writing assignments followed, among them "The Gay Deception" (1935/AA-nomination), "Road to Singapore" (1940), "My Favorite Blonde" (1942), "Road to Morocco" (1942/AA-nomination) and "Wonder Man" (1945). From 1947 he was also a producer and director, making "Every Girl Should Be Married" (1948, with Cary Grant) and "Mr. Imperium" (1951, with Ezio Pinza). In 1951 he was appointed as head of production at Paramount, a post he left in 1956 to establish his own company, producing "Desire Under the Elms" (1958, with Sophia Loren) and "The Matchmaker" (1958, with Shirley Booth). He died in his sleep from a heart attack.
Screenwriter, producer, director and songwriter. Born Samuel Donald Hartman in Brooklyn, where his father operated the Park Circle Theatre, he had jobs as hotel bellhop, night clerk in a bank and truck driver on the oil fields in Texas, where he finally started as an actor with the Dallas Little Theatre in the early 1920s. Soon he was on Broadway, gradually changing over to writing, directing and staging shows, also writing lyrics for musical plays and special material for radio and stage performers. In 1933 he came to Hollywood, writing his first screenplay "Romance in Manhattan". Numerous writing assignments followed, among them "The Gay Deception" (1935/AA-nomination), "Road to Singapore" (1940), "My Favorite Blonde" (1942), "Road to Morocco" (1942/AA-nomination) and "Wonder Man" (1945). From 1947 he was also a producer and director, making "Every Girl Should Be Married" (1948, with Cary Grant) and "Mr. Imperium" (1951, with Ezio Pinza). In 1951 he was appointed as head of production at Paramount, a post he left in 1956 to establish his own company, producing "Desire Under the Elms" (1958, with Sophia Loren) and "The Matchmaker" (1958, with Shirley Booth). He died in his sleep from a heart attack.
Bio by: Fritz Tauber
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Don Hartman
1900 - 1958
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