Editing Irving Allen (section)

==Biography==
Born in Lemberg (Austro-Hungary), Allen entered the film industry as an [[Film editing#Film Editor|editor]] at [[Universal Pictures|Universal]], [[Paramount Pictures|Paramount]] and [[Republic]] in 1929. During the 1940s, he made a sequence of shorts, including the [[Academy Awards|Academy Award]]-nominated ''[[Forty Boys and a Song]]'' (1941), which he directed.<ref name="Oscars1942">{{Cite web|url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1942 |title=The 14th Academy Awards (1942) Nominees and Winners |access-date=2013-06-25 |work=oscars.org}}</ref> His short films often won more acclaim than his low-budget features. He later said "for two years after that Oscar I was out of work. Then I decided there was no profit in being a genius."<ref name=“allen”>{{cite news|newspaper=Evening Standard|date=25 March 1959|page=8|title=‘I can’t afford to be a mouse in the rat race’|first=Thomas|last=Wiseman}}</ref> 

In the late 1940s, Allen started concentrating more fully on being a [[Film producer|producer]].

===Warwick Films===
In the early 1950s, he led [[Warwick Films]] as the 'name producer', making films in both the US and England, with [[Albert R. Broccoli]] something of a junior partner. In 1957–1958, his partnership with Broccoli was strained both by Broccoli's family health crises (his second wife became terminally ill, soon after adopting one child and with a newborn) and to a lesser extent their disagreement over the film potential of the [[James Bond]] novel series. Broccoli was very interested, believing the novels could lead to a high quality series of films, and Allen was not, eschewing the potential of Broccoli's vision of Bond in favor of older established forms. The partners met with Bond author [[Ian Fleming]] separately in 1957, Cubby from New York where he'd retreated to care for his wife, but in the London meeting with Fleming arranged by Broccoli, Allen all but insulted <!---(according to various accounts, including documentaries on Bond movie [[DVD]]s)--->Fleming, declaring that Fleming's novels weren't even "good enough for television". Broccoli mired in his troubles in New York, only knew that no deal had occurred until pre-production meetings with Fleming which resulted in the decision to make the ''[[Dr. No (film)|Dr. No]]'', as the first film project by [[Eon Productions]].

In 1959, captivated by the historical importance and a good script Warwick undertook the risky project of producing, funding, and distributing ''[[The Trials of Oscar Wilde]]'', which was released in 1960. Ahead of the times, its frank unprejudiced depiction of homosexual issues ran into a ratings stone wall in the United States all but preventing any sort of advertising, and the company lost its large investment, Broccoli and Allen fell out, and the partnership became moribund, being dissolved officially in a 1961 bankruptcy liquidation.

Thus the two partners each turned into solo producers in late 1960. Broccoli went on to found [[Danjaq, S.A.]] and Eon Productions with [[Harry Saltzman]] beginning the Bond films on a shoestring budget, and Allen occupied himself with other projects.
===Other Allen Projects===
Without Broccoli, Allen produced ''The Hellions'' in South Africa and ''The Long Ships'' in Yugoslavia.

In 1965 he announced he would make ''Clive of India'' with director Terence Young but it was not made.
===Matt Helm===
Some years later, Allen cast about for his own spy series. He acquired the rights to [[Donald Hamilton]]'s Matt Helm series. Allen was responsible for the [[Matt Helm]] series, ''[[The Silencers (film)|The Silencers]]'' (1966), ''[[Murderers' Row (film)|Murderers' Row]]'' (1966), ''[[The Ambushers (film)|The Ambushers]]'' (1967), and ''[[The Wrecking Crew (1969 film)|The Wrecking Crew]]'' (1969).

In July 1967, Allen said "At this stage I"m only interested in making money. I'm not interested in kudos or getting good reviews - I've had all that. I'm just concerned with getting the greatest number of people into theatres."<ref name="allen">Allen at Helm of Production Thomas, Kevin. Los Angeles Times 6 July 1967: e14.</ref> "I've done practically everything," he said. "There's no place I haven't been in the business. The only thing I can't do is write."<ref name="allen"/>

Allen's Helm series had one major effect on Broccoli's Bond movies (produced at the time in partnership with [[Harry Saltzman]]). To get [[Dean Martin]] on board as Matt Helm, Allen had to make the actor a partner in the enterprise. Dean Martin ended up making more money on ''The Silencers'' (1966) than [[Sean Connery]] made on ''[[Thunderball (film)|Thunderball]]'' (1965). This did not go unnoticed by Connery.

Other Allen films included ''The Desperadoes''.

Allen was buried at the [[Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills)|Forest Lawn Memorial Park]] in Hollywood, California.