Victor Fleming

Lore & Background

Victor Fleming was born at the Banbury Ranch near what is now La Cañada Flintridge, California, to Eva Hartman and William Richard Lonzo Fleming. He served in the photographic section for the United States Army during World War I and acted as chief photographer for President Woodrow Wilson in Versailles, France. Beginning in 1918, he taught at and headed Columbia University's School of Military Cinematography, training over 700 soldiers in film production. He showed mechanical aptitude early, working as a car mechanic before meeting director Allan Dwan, who took him on as a camera assistant. He rose to cinematographer, working with Dwan and D. W. Griffith, and directed his first film in 1919.

Many of his silent films were action movies or Westerns, often starring Douglas Fairbanks. Known as a 'man's director' for his robust attitude and love of outdoor sports, he also proved effective directing women: under his direction, Vivien Leigh won the Best Actress Oscar, Hattie McDaniel won for Best Supporting Actress, and Olivia de Havilland was nominated. In 1932, Fleming joined MGM and directed prestigious films including *Red Dust*, *Bombshell*, *Treasure Island*, *Captains Courageous*, and his two most famous films in 1939: *The Wizard of Oz* and *Gone with the Wind*. He directed Clark Gable in five films and Spencer Tracy in several, including *Captains Courageous*, for which Tracy won his first Oscar.

Fleming owned the Moraga Estate in Bel Air, a horse ranch where frequent guests included Clark Gable, Carole Lombard, Vivien Leigh, Laurence Olivier, John Barrymore, Ingrid Bergman, Judy Garland, and Spencer Tracy. He died en route to a hospital in Cottonwood, Arizona, after a heart attack on January 6, 1949, shortly after completing *Joan of Arc* (1948) with Ingrid Bergman. The film received seven Oscar nominations, winning two. His political beliefs were disputed: actress Anne Revere reportedly called him 'violently pro-Nazi' and opposed to U.S. entry into World War II, but the accuracy of that characterization has been questioned, as Revere did not know Fleming beyond their professional relationship.

Reader's Guide

Victor Fleming's significance lies in his direction of two of the most enduring and commercially successful films in Hollywood history, both released in 1939: *The Wizard of Oz* and *Gone with the Wind*. The latter earned him an Academy Award for Best Director, and both films remain on the American Film Institute's top 10 list of greatest American movies. His career spanned silent and sound eras, and he was noted for technical knowledge of cinematography—veteran cinematographer Archie Stout considered Fleming the most knowledgeable director regarding camera angles and lenses. Fleming also directed multiple actors to Oscar recognition, including Vivien Leigh, Hattie McDaniel, and Spencer Tracy. Despite his achievements, his legacy is complicated by disputed allegations of pro-Nazi sympathies, which the source article presents as contested. His death at age 59 cut short a career that had shaped some of MGM's most prestigious films.

Did You Know?

• Fleming served as chief photographer for President Woodrow Wilson in Versailles, France during World War I.
• He trained over 700 soldiers in film production at Columbia University's School of Military Cinematography.
• Under his direction, Hattie McDaniel won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for *Gone with the Wind*.
• Fleming died of a heart attack en route to a hospital in Cottonwood, Arizona, shortly after completing *Joan of Arc*.