Release CalendarTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV News
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsABFFPride MonthOutfest OutfrontsSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
Sign In
New Customer? Create account
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
  • Biography
  • Awards
  • Trivia
IMDbPro

Cy Endfield(1914-1995)

  • Director
  • Writer
  • Producer
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Cy Endfield
The son of a struggling businessman, Cy Endfield--born Cyril Raker Endfield--worked hard to be admitted to Yale University in 1933. While completing his education he became enamored with progressive theatre and appeared in a New Haven production of a minor Russian play in 1934. He was also profoundly influenced by such friends as writer Paul Jarrico, who was in Hollywood and who advocated liberal and leftist views. For several years Endfield worked as a director and choreographer with avant-garde theatre companies in and around New York and Montreal. He led his own repertory company of amateur players in performances of musicals and satirical revue at resorts in the Catskills.

Endfield had another string to his bow, having established a not inconsiderable reputation as master of the art of micro magic, particularly card tricks. In a circuitous way this brought him to Hollywood in 1940. There have been conflicting stories as to how he came to the attention of Orson Welles, who was known to have a long-standing fascination with magic. Endfield first met Welles in a magic shop, but it was his producer and business manager Jack Moss, himself a magician, who hired Endfield for the Mercury Theatre as a "general factotum". Moss wanted to enhance his own skills in order to confound Welles, who had engaged him in the first place as a tutor for performing magic on stage. In return for his expertise, Endfield was permitted to sit in on the making of Journey Into Fear (1943) and The Magnificent Ambersons (1942), learning valuable lessons in the process. By 1942 he was ready with his first film, a 15-minute-long documentary about the danger of rampant capitalism, entitled Inflation (1943). The witty little piece was a subtle attack on corporate greed and corruption and featured well-known actor Edward Arnold as a devil in businessman garb. An outspoken social critic, who had flirted briefly with the Young Communist League back in his days at Yale, Endfield was from the outset on a collision course with the establishment. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce banned his film as "excessively anti-capitalist" and kept it from public view for half a century.

Following wartime service, Endfield wrote several scripts for radio and television. He directed a number of short documentaries for MGM in 1946, and followed this with his motion picture debut, Gentleman Joe Palooka (1946), based on a popular comic strip character, shot in eight days at "Poverty Row" studio Monogram Pictures. He also directed a B-mystery, The Argyle Secrets (1948), from his own earlier radio play, followed by one of the better entries in the "Tarzan" series, Tarzan's Savage Fury (1952). Unfortunately, the picture did poorly at the box office. The reason for this, producer, Sol Lesser suggested later, was because Lex Barker (as "Tarzan") had been given too many lines to speak and "nearly talked himself to death". It was not until Endfield's harrowing indictment of mob rule, The Sound of Fury (1950), that he "arrived" as a director of note. That same year he helmed another independently produced minor masterpiece (on a budget of $500,000), the stylish and moody film noir The Underworld Story (1950). In this scathing attack on unscrupulous journalism, with the lead character being inherently unsympathetic, Endfield elicited one of the finest performances of his career from Dan Duryea.

The ideas and sentiments expressed in these films were ill-timed, in that they drew the attention of HUAC--The House Un-American Activities Committee, which was tasked with rooting out Communists and other "subversives" in the entertainment industry--which particularly denounced "Sound of Fury" as being un-American. Though never a card-carrying member of the Communist Party, Endfield found himself "named" as a sympathizer. Preferring to leave the country rather than inform on others to the FBI, he settled his affairs and left for a new career in Britain in December 1951. To avoid problems with distribution in the US, for the first few years he worked under pseudonyms (such as "Hugh Raker") and on two occasions allowed a friend of his, director Charles de la Tour, to act as a 'front'. He used his own name again for the offbeat action film Hell Drivers (1957). This uncompromisingly tough working-class melodrama featured Stanley Baker, with whom Endfield formed a production company in the 1960s. Baker eventually starred in six of Endfield's films, including the routinely scripted drama Sea Fury (1958) about tugboat sailors and the rather over-the-top Sands of the Kalahari (1965). From the late 1950's, Endfield became also increasingly involved in turning out television commercials. He also worked in the theatre again, directing Neil Simon's play "Come Blow Your Horn" at the West End.

Certainly the most visually impressive and successful of Endfield's films is Zulu (1964), the epic story of the Battle of Rorke's Drift in 1879 between a small contingent of British troops and a vastly superior force of Zulu tribesmen. The original story was penned by military writer John Prebble and Endfield had written the screenplay as early as 1959. After several abortive attempts, he was able to parlay his way into the offices of producer Joseph E. Levine in Rome and was finally given the go-ahead. Enhanced by John Barry's rousing score, "Zulu" is a supremely well-choreographed "battle ballet"--the battle scenes constitute well over half the screen time), with numerous lateral tracking shots of the main protagonists, which effectively draw the audience into the heart of the action. The social element is concerned with British imperialism and class structure, as two officers from different backgrounds are forced to pull together in order to stay alive. As the supercilious upper-crust Lt. Bromhead, Michael Caine, then relatively unknown, began on his path to fame with an excellent performance, alongside Stanley Baker. Historical incongruities apart, "Zulu" succeeded as pure spectacle, much in the same way as the big-budget Hollywood epics of the same period.

Endfield lost interest in filmmaking after shooting the anti-war movie Universal Soldier (1971). This was in part due to the fact that most of his films had failed to make much money. After the death of his friend Stanley Baker in 1976, Endfield devoted himself to his "technical period". He manufactured a gold-and-silver chess set as commemoration for a famous match between grand masters Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky in 1972 (only 100 were ever produced). In 1980 he invented the first pocket word processing system, the "MicroWriter", which had re-chargeable batteries and a 14-character LCD display.

In 1955 Endfield had co-authored a very successful book, "Cy Endfield's Entertaining Card Magic" (with Lewis Ganson), which had been well-received by amateur and professional magicians alike. In fact, one of his admirers, and occasional collaborators, was the famous micro magician Dai Vernon. Many of the sleight-of-hand routines in the book were developed by Endfield himself and related to the reader in a manner befitting a consummate storyteller. Endfield's passion for performing magic remained with him to the end. The multi-talented polymath resided in Britain until his death in April 1995.
BornNovember 10, 1914
DiedApril 16, 1995(80)
BornNovember 10, 1914
DiedApril 16, 1995(80)
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
  • Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award
    • 1 win & 1 nomination total

Photos

The contractual "Credit Block" shown in the re-release by VCI Entertainment in their "BEST OF!" British Classics. Pictured (from left) MANDY MILLER; STANLEY BAKER; MOLLY URQUHART; CHRISTOPHER TOYNE; PHYLLIS CALVERT and DORA BRYAN.
Elizabeth (MANDY "Mandy" MILLER) moves in with her uncaring aunt (PHYLLIS CALVERT) and uncle (ERIC PORTMAN) while her fugitive father (STANLEY BAKER) is on the lam. Elizabeth must never reveal his whereabouts, even to her best friend Peter MacNally (CHRISTOPHER TOYNE.) She must now choose to tell the truth or be loyal to her father.
Cy Endfield

Known for:

Zulu (1964)
Zulu
7.7
  • Director
  • 1964
Stanley Baker and Peggy Cummins in Hell Drivers (1957)
Hell Drivers
7.2
  • Director(as C. Raker Endfield)
  • 1957
William Gargan, Marjorie Lord, and Jack Reitzen in The Argyle Secrets (1948)
The Argyle Secrets
6.3
  • Director(as Cyril Endfield)
  • 1948
Sea Fury (1958)
Sea Fury
6.0
  • Director(as C. Raker Endfield)
  • 1958

Credits

Edit
IMDbPro

Director

  • The 1001 Gags of Spiff and Hercules (1993)
    The 1001 Gags of Spiff and Hercules
    • Director (as Charles de Latour)
    • 1993
  • Ben Carruthers, George Lazenby, and Chrissie Townson in Universal Soldier (1971)
    Universal Soldier
    • Director
    • 1971
  • De Sade (1969)
    De Sade
    • Director
    • 1969
  • Theodore Bikel, Harry Andrews, Stanley Baker, Nigel Davenport, Stuart Whitman, and Susannah York in Sands of the Kalahari (1965)
    Sands of the Kalahari
    • Director
    • 1965
  • Ian Carmichael, Curd Jürgens, and Janet Munro in Hide and Seek (1964)
    Hide and Seek
    • Director
    • 1964
  • Zulu (1964)
    Zulu
    • Director
    • 1964
  • Mysterious Island (1961)
    Mysterious Island
    • Director
    • 1961
  • Jet Storm (1959)
    Jet Storm
    • Director (as C. Raker Endfield)
    • 1959
  • Sea Fury (1958)
    Sea Fury
    • Director (as C. Raker Endfield)
    • 1958
  • Stanley Baker and Peggy Cummins in Hell Drivers (1957)
    Hell Drivers
    • Director (as C. Raker Endfield)
    • 1957
  • A 1956 Golden Era Film for Eros Films, this was another tear-jerker for child star Mandy Miller to strut her stuff after the box office success "Mandy."
    Child in the House
    • co-director (as C. Raker Endfield, direction)
    • 1956
  • The Secret (1955)
    The Secret
    • Director (as C. Raker Endfield)
    • 1955
  • Impulse (1954)
    Impulse
    • Director (as Charles de Lautour)
    • 1954
  • Colonel March of Scotland Yard (1954)
    Colonel March of Scotland Yard
    • Director (as Cyril Endfield, 3 episodes)
    • TV Series
    • 1954
  • The Master Plan (1954)
    The Master Plan
    • Director (as Hugh Raker)
    • 1954

Writer

  • Zulu Dawn (1979)
    Zulu Dawn
    • original story and scenario
    • screenplay
    • 1979
  • Ben Carruthers, George Lazenby, and Chrissie Townson in Universal Soldier (1971)
    Universal Soldier
    • screenplay
    • 1971
  • Theodore Bikel, Harry Andrews, Stanley Baker, Nigel Davenport, Stuart Whitman, and Susannah York in Sands of the Kalahari (1965)
    Sands of the Kalahari
    • screenplay
    • 1965
  • Zulu (1964)
    Zulu
    • original screenplay
    • 1964
  • Jet Storm (1959)
    Jet Storm
    • screenplay (as C. Raker Endfield)
    • 1959
  • Sea Fury (1958)
    Sea Fury
    • screenplay
    • story (as C. Raker Endfield)
    • 1958
  • Dana Andrews and Peggy Cummins in Curse of the Demon (1957)
    Curse of the Demon
    • Writer (uncredited)
    • 1957
  • Stanley Baker and Peggy Cummins in Hell Drivers (1957)
    Hell Drivers
    • adapted for the screen by
    • screenplay (as C. Raker Endfield)
    • 1957
  • A 1956 Golden Era Film for Eros Films, this was another tear-jerker for child star Mandy Miller to strut her stuff after the box office success "Mandy."
    Child in the House
    • screenplay (as C. Raker Endfield)
    • 1956
  • The Secret (1955)
    The Secret
    • written by (as C. Raker Endfield)
    • 1955
  • William Bendix, Luther Adler, Gene Evans, Arthur Kennedy, Melinda Markey, Beverly Michaels, Christopher Olsen, Gloria Talbott, William Talman, and Marshall Thompson in Crashout (1955)
    Crashout
    • Writer (uncredited)
    • 1955
  • Impulse (1954)
    Impulse
    • screenplay (as Jonathan Roach)
    • 1954
  • The Master Plan (1954)
    The Master Plan
    • screenplay (as Cyril Endfield, originally as Hugh Raker)
    • 1954
  • Lloyd Bridges, Adele Jergens, Frank Lovejoy, and Kathleen Ryan in The Sound of Fury (1950)
    The Sound of Fury
    • Writer (uncredited)
    • 1950
  • Dan Duryea, Howard Da Silva, and Gale Storm in The Underworld Story (1950)
    The Underworld Story
    • adaptation (as Cyril Endfield)
    • 1950

Producer

  • Theodore Bikel, Harry Andrews, Stanley Baker, Nigel Davenport, Stuart Whitman, and Susannah York in Sands of the Kalahari (1965)
    Sands of the Kalahari
    • producer
    • 1965
  • Zulu (1964)
    Zulu
    • producer
    • 1964
  • Leo Gorcey, Joe Gray, Huntz Hall, John Indrisano, and Gale Robbins in Mr. Hex (1946)
    Mr. Hex
    • associate producer (as Cyril Endfield)
    • 1946

Personal details

Edit
  • Alternative names
    • Charles De Lautour
  • Born
    • November 10, 1914
    • Scranton, Pennsylvania, USA
  • Died
    • April 16, 1995
    • Shipston-on-Stour, Warwickshire, England, UK(undisclosed)
  • Other works
    Book (w/Lewis Ganson): "Cy Endfield's Entertaining Card Magic".

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    Inventor of the microwriter, a replacement for the keyboard that requires one hand to operate.
  • Nicknames
    • Charles de Lautour
    • Jonathan Roach

Related news

Contribute to this page

Suggest an edit or add missing content
  • Learn more about contributing
Edit page

More to explore

Production art
List
The Best Things to Watch in June
See the list
Production art
Photos
See These Trending Actors in Early Roles
Can you place the face?

Add demo reel with IMDbPro

Demo reel thumbnail
Make your IMDb page stand out by adding a demo reel
Upload your demo reel

Add demo reel with IMDbPro

Make your IMDb page stand out by adding a demo reel
Upload your demo reel
Demo reel thumbnail

How much have you seen?

Keep track of how much of Cy Endfield’s work you have seen. Go to your list.
Production art
Photos
LGBTQIA+ Power Couples of Hollywood
See the photos

Recently viewed

Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
Get the IMDb App
Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
  • Get the IMDb App
  • Help
  • Site Index
  • IMDbPro
  • Box Office Mojo
  • IMDb Developer
  • Press Room
  • Advertising
  • Jobs
  • Conditions of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Your Ads Privacy Choices
IMDb, an Amazon company

© 1990-2023 by IMDb.com, Inc.