Stanely Earl (Abramson) Kramer (1913 - 2001)

Born 29 Sep 1913 in Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States

Husband of Anna (Pearce) Kramer — married 1950 (to 1963) in Santa Barbara, California, United States

Died 19 Feb 2001 at age 87 in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States

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Biography

Stanely (Abramson) Kramer is Notable.

Stanley Kramer was an American film director and producer, responsible for making many of Hollywood's most famous "message films."

Stanley was born Stanley Abramson, 29 Sep 1913, in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan, New York.^[1] His parents divorced when he was an infant and his mother returned to her parents' home. In 1915, one-year-old Stanley and his mother were residing in the home of his maternal grandparents, Jacob and Beckie Kramer in New York City. Both Stanley and his mother were then listed under the name "Kramer."^[2]

Stanley attended DeWitt Clinton High School and graduated with honors from New York University in 1933. He then went to Hollywood to become a screenwriter. but wound up settling for a job as a stagehand at 20th Century-Fox. He then went to Metro-Goldwyn-Meyer, where he was a film cutter, short film editor, and script writer for low budget movies. He then joined an independent film company where he produced his first feature films.

In 1940, Stanley, now age 26, was residing in the home of his widowed grandmother, Beckie Kramer, at 1719 Ambassador Street in Beverly Hills, California, along with his mother, and his mother's brother, Earl Kramer. Stanley was then listed as a self-employed motion picture producer making $3,000/year. His Uncle Earl was then working as a motion picture agent. [Residing a few doors down from the Kramer home in 1920 was the family of noted film director Paul Sloan (The Texans), while across the street lived the family of legendary cinematographer Gregg Toland (Citizen Kane).]^[3]

In October 1940, Stanley registered for the World War II draft in Los Angeles. He listed his address as 748 S. Curson, in Los Angeles, and named his mother as his next of kin at the same address. He gave his employers as David Loew and Albert Lewin of Universal Studios.^[4] During the War, Stanley joined the Army Signal Corps where he made Army training films. He eventually rose to the rank of 1st Lieutenant.

After the war he returned to film making. His first film was So This is New York (1948). Over the next four decades he became known for bringing attention to topical social issues that most studios avoided, including racism (The Defiant Ones, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner), nuclear war (On the Beach), greed (It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World), creationism vs. evolution (Inherit the Wind) and fascism (Judgment at Nuremberg). Other notable films included High Noon (1952), The Caine Mutiny (1954), and Ship of Fools (1965). Although none of his films ever won an Oscar, six of them were nominated and in 1962, the Academy honored him with the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award for outstanding work.^[5]

Stanley married actress Marilyn Erskine, 1 Sep 1945, in Manhattan, New York.^[6] The marriage was annulled just two months later.

Stanley married actress Anne Pearce, the daughter of famed Disney Studios producer Perce Pearce, 3 Jun 1950, in Santa Barbara California. He was 36; she was 24.^[7] They had two children, daughter Casey and son Larry.

Stanley married actress Karen Sharpe, 1 Sep 1966, at Stanely's home in Beverly Hills, California. He was 52; she was 30.^[8] They had two daughters, Katherine and Jennifer.

Stanley passed away 19 Feb 2001, at the Motion Picture & Television Hospital in Woodland Hills, California. He was 87 years old.^[9]

Sources

1. ↑ New York, New York Birth Index, 1910-1965. Ancestry.com (database online with images) Brooklyn, Stanley J. Abramson (1913).
2. ↑ New York State Census, 1915. Ancestry.com (database online with images), New York County, City of New York, AD 21, ED 34, page 33, household of Jacob Kramer [image 17].
3. ↑ 1940 U.S. Federal Census. Ancestry.com (database online with images) California, Los Angeles County, City of Beverly Hills, ED 19-36, page 19A, dwelling 14, family 299, household of Beckie Kramer [image 39].
4. ↑ World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947. Ancestry.com (Database online with images) Serial #324, order #1099, Los Angeles, Draft Board #238, Stanely Earl Kramer (1940).
5. ↑ Obituary: Stanley Kramer, Famed Filmmaker, 87, Fort Worth (TX) Star-Telegram, 21 Feb 2001, page 25.
6. ↑ New York, New York Marriage Licenses Index, 1907-2018. Ancestry.com (database online with images), License #22848, Manhattan, Stanley E. Abramson to Marilyn B. Erskine (1945).
7. ↑ California Marriage Index, 1949-1959. Ancestry.com (database online with images), Santa Barbara County, Stanley E. Abramson to Anne C. Pearce (1950).
8. ↑ California Marriage Index, 1960-1985. Ancestry.com (database online with images), Los Angeles County, Stanley E. Kramer to Karen K. Sharpe (1966).
9. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/6001431/stanley-kramer : accessed 14 March 2022), memorial page for Stanley Kramer (29 Sep 1913–19 Feb 2001), Find a Grave Memorial ID 6001431, ; Maintained by Find a Grave Cremated, Ashes given to family.

• Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanley_Kramer#Academy_Award_Nominations

• Obituary: The New York Times, 20 Feb 2001.