Which film director was older, Stanley Kramer or Gordon Douglas?
Stanley Kramer Stanley Earl Kramer (September 29, 1913February 19, 2001) was an American film director and producer, responsible for making many of Hollywood's most famous "message films". As an independent producer and director, he brought attention to topical social issues that most studios avoided. Among the subjects covered in his films were racism (in "The Defiant Ones" and "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner"), nuclear war (in "On the Beach"), greed (in "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World"), creationism vs. evolution (in "Inherit the Wind") and the causes and effects of fascism (in "Judgment at Nuremberg"). His other notable films included "High Noon" (1952, as producer), "The Caine Mutiny" (1954, as producer), and "Ship of Fools" (1965).
On the Beach (1959 film) On the Beach is a 1959 American post-apocalyptic science fiction drama film from United Artists, produced and directed by Stanley Kramer, that stars Gregory Peck, Ava Gardner, Fred Astaire and Anthony Perkins. This black-and-white film is based on Nevil Shute's 1957 novel of the same name depicting the aftermath of a nuclear war. Unlike the novel, no blame is placed on whoever started the war; it is hinted in the film that the threat of annihilation may have arisen from an accident or misjudgment.