'High Noon' Director Stanley Kramer Dies

L O S  A N G E L E S, Feb. 20 -- Filmmaker Stanley Kramer, who produced anddirected some of Hollywood's most celebrated "message" filmsincluding High Noon, The Defiant Ones and Judgment atNuremberg, died Monday. He was 87

He had recently developed pneumonia, his wife, Karen SharpeKramer, said.

"This morning he seemed to be doing very well," she said. "Iwas getting dressed and coming out to see him. I said, 'I'll bethere in an hour and a half,' and he said, 'Fine, I'll just take anap, then,' and 20 minutes later he was gone."

Kramer's films drew 80 Oscar nominations and 16 victories,including those for Gary Cooper (High Noon), Maximilian Schell(Judgment at Nuremberg) and Katharine Hepburn (Guess Who'sComing to Dinner).

Films Dealt With Range of Serious Issues

As producer or producer-director, Kramer was responsible forfilms dealing with race (The Defiant Ones, Guess Who's Comingto Dinner), Nazi war crimes (Judgment at Nuremberg),fundamentalism vs. modern science (Inherit the Wind), nuclearholocaust (On the Beach) and counterculture (The Wild Ones,RPM).

The famous showdown of High Noon showed a man of couragestanding up to evil while others in his community cowered in theshadows.

"Stanley Kramer is one of our great filmmakers, not just forthe art and passion he put on-screen, but for the impact he hasmade on the conscience of the world," Steven Spielberg once said.

Kramer himself said he didn't want to be typecast as a "messagedirector." Asked, then, why he took on such films, he replied, "Isuppose the best answer is that emotionally I am drawn to thesesubjects."

But as for changing the world, he said, "If two people came outof a theater in Kansas City, Mo., and one said, `You know, I neverthought of it that way before,' that would satisfy me."

While none of his films won the Oscar for best picture, amongthose nominated were: High Noon, The Caine Mutiny, TheDefiant Ones, Judgment at Nuremberg, Ship of Fools andGuess Who's Coming to Dinner. Kramer was nominated as bestdirector three times, and in 1962 he was presented with a specialIrving G. Thalberg Memorial Award for doing consistentlyhigh-quality work.