Robert Halmi, Sr.

In his two-hour interview, Robert Halmi, Sr. (1924-2014) speaks about his early years learning the photography trade from his father. He discusses his political difficulties in his native Hungary and his move to the United States in 1950, where he arrived with five dollars, a small suitcase, and a Leica camera. He tells how he came to work as a stringer for Life magazine, where his assignments included working in Africa. He describes his transition from a still photographer to motion picture photography, shooting documentaries for television. Halmi then explains how he came to produce television movies, approaching the financing through advertisers, rather than the networks themselves, starting in 1979 with My Old Man, an adaptation of a Hemingway short story. He discusses his interest in adapting novels (even oft-filmed ones) and his reasons for doing so, speaks of how he visualizes his projects, and explains how he begins each production with concept art (before the screenwriting process). He outlines his association with Hallmark Hall of Fame, a series he had watched in the 1950s and under whose aegis he made several successful projects, starting in the '80s. Halmi talks about running RHI Entertainment LLC, where he serves as chairman, and shares his hands-on, on-location approach to his projects. He provides production stories about several movies and miniseries he made throughout his career, including Terrible Joe Moran, Lonesome Dove, Scarlet, Gulliver's Travels, and Animal Farm. Karen Herman conducted the interview on May 18, 2007 in New York, NY.