Albert Band

American film director

Albert Band

Born	Alfredo Antonini (1924-05-07)May 7, 1924 Paris, France
Died	June 14, 2002(2002-06-14) (aged 78) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Other names	Artemio Antonini
Occupation(s)	Film producer, film director, screenwriter
Years active	1951–96
Spouse	Jacquelyn Richardson
Children	Charles, Richard

Albert Band (born Alfredo Antonini;^[1] May 7, 1924 – June 14, 2002) was an Italian-American film director and film producer. He was the son of artist Max Band, father of filmmaker Charles Band and of film composer Richard Band and the grandfather of Alex Band, Taryn Band and Rachael Band.

Life and career

Band was born in Paris, France, the son of Bertha (Finkelstein) and Max Band, an artist.^[2]^[3] His mother was born in Marijampolė, Lithuania and his father was from Kudirkos Naumiestis, Lithuania.^[4] His family is Jewish.^[5] He escaped from Paris to the United States with his family prior to the occupation of France during World War II. He graduated from Hollywood High School.

Interested in film, he became an apprentice at Warner Bros.^[6] where he developed contacts eventually becoming an assistant director on John Huston's The Asphalt Jungle,^[7] then adapting the story The Red Badge of Courage for Huston's film of the same name.^[8]

He made his debut as a producer and director in The Young Guns (1956), combining the two then-popular genres of Westerns and juvenile delinquent films. In the late 1950s, he moved to Europe, producing a variety of films, beginning in Sweden with Face of Fire (1959), based on another of Stephen Crane's stories, The Monster.^[7]

Filmography

Producer

The Young Guns (1956) (producer) (uncredited)
I Bury the Living (1958) (producer)
Face of Fire (1959) (producer)
La leggenda di Enea (dir. Giorgio Venturini, 1962) (producer)
Duello nel Texas (dir. Ricardo Blasco, 1963) (producer)
Massacro al Grande Canyon (dir. Sergio Corbucci, 1964) (producer)
Hercules and the Princess of Troy (1965) (TV) (producer)
Gli uomini dal passo pesante (1965) (producer)
I crudeli (dir. Sergio Corbucci, 1967) (producer)
Un minuto per pregare, un instante per morire (dir. Franco Giraldi, 1968) (producer)
Little Cigars (dir. Chris Christenberry, 1973) (producer)
Mansion of the Doomed (dir. Michael Pataki, 1976) (supervising executive producer)
Cinderella (dir. Michael Pataki, 1977) (producer)
Dracula's Dog (1978) (producer)
She Came to the Valley (1979) (producer)
Metalstorm: The Destruction of Jared-Syn (dir. Charles Band, 1983) (executive producer)
Ghost Warrior (aka Swordkill) (dir. J. Larry Carroll, 1984) (executive producer)
Troll (dir. John Carl Buechler, 1986) (producer)
TerrorVision (dir. Ted Nicolaou, 1986) (producer)
Ghoulies II (1987) (producer)
Robot Jox (dir. Stuart Gordon, 1990) (producer)
The Pit and the Pendulum (dir. Stuart Gordon, 1991) (V) (producer)
Joey Takes a Cab (1991) (producer)
Honey, I Blew Up the Kid (dir. Randal Kleiser, 1992) (executive producer)
Doctor Mordrid (1992) (producer)
Trancers III (dir. C. Courtney Joyner, 1992) (V) (producer)
Remote (dir. Ted Nicolaou, 1993) (V) (producer)
Oblivion (dir. Sam Irvin, 1994) (co-producer)
Dragonworld (dir. Ted Nicolaou, 1994) (producer)
Pet Shop (dir. Hope Perello, 1994) (producer)
Castle Freak (dir. Stuart Gordon, 1995) (executive producer)
Magic Island (dir. Sam Irvin, 1995) (V) (producer)
Oblivion 2: Backlash (dir. Sam Irvin, 1996) (co-producer)
Zarkorr! The Invader (dir. Aaron Osborne, Michael Deak, 1996) (executive producer)

Director

The Young Guns (1956)
I Bury the Living (1958)
Face of Fire (1959)
Hercules and the Princess of Troy (1965) (TV)
Gli uomini dal passo pesante (1965)
Dracula's Dog (1978)
She Came to the Valley (1979)
Ghoulies II (1987)
Joey Takes a Cab (1991)
Doctor Mordrid (1992)
Robot Wars (1993)
Prehysteria! (1993)
Prehysteria! 2 (1994) (V)

Actor

Specter of the Rose (1946) (uncredited) .... Man
The Red Badge of Courage (1951) (uncredited) .... Union Soldier Fording River
End of the World (1977) .... Awards Party Guest
Tourist Trap (1979) (uncredited) .... Waxwork Grandfather
Troll (1986) .... Older Couple on TV
Trancers II (1991) .... Chili Man

Writer

The Red Badge of Courage (1951) (adaptation)
Footsteps in the Night (1957) (screenplay) (story)
Face of Fire (1959)
La leggenda di Enea (1962) (adaptation)
Duello nel Texas (1963) (screenplay)
Massacro al Grande Canyon (1964)
Gli uomini dal passo pesante (1965) (as Alfredo Antonini)
I crudeli (1967) (story)
Un minuto per pregare, un instante per morire (1968)
Auditions (1978)
She Came to the Valley (1979)

Other

From Beyond (production manager)

References

^ Rausch, Andrew J. (2015). Fifty Filmmakers: Conversations with Directors from Roger Avary to Steven Zaillian. McFarland. p. 18. ISBN 9780786484096.
^ "The California Register". 1966.
^ "Who's who in California". 1976.
^ "Who's who on the Pacific Coast". Larkin, Roosevelt & Larkin. December 8, 1951 – via Google Books.
^ Brehmer, Nat (September 27, 2021). Puppet Master Complete: A Franchise History. ISBN 9781476645193.
^ Albert Band Interview Rausch, Andrew J. and Dequina, Michael Fifty Filmmakers: Conversations with Directors from Roger Avary to Steven Zaillian McFarland, 2008
^ ^a ^b "Albert Band, 78; Producer, Director Worked With Huston". Los Angeles Times. June 29, 2002. Retrieved November 18, 2017.
^ Jay, Dave; Wilson, William S.; Dewi, Torsten (2017). It Came From The Video Aisle!. Schiffer Publishing. p. 10. ISBN 9780764354106.