Carl Andy

Carlton Mordechai Anderson professionally working as Carl Andy (born October 17, 1939) is a retired American filmmaker, writer, musician and record producer best known for directing directing films such as Toby (1975), and The Boy from the Blue (1985)

Early Years (1939-1954)
Andy was born Carlton Anderson In San Fernando, California in 1939 to a Jewish-American family, He is the son of late Russian émigré actor George Andy, who acted in films in the 1910s-60s, and Sofia Benjamin, a School Teacher (where he got his interest in Education). in 1943, Carl's younger brother Joseph was born who would also become a successful director in his own right.

George and Sofia (with money given to her by the former) were forced to separate in 1948 due to George's tax problems at the time and a friend of his losing his job thanks to the McCarthy Witch Hunts despite George's self proclaimed Anti-Communist views, Andy wouldn't see his father again until 1969.

At Famous Studios and Fred Ladd (1954-1965)
during his Teen years in the 1950s, Andy worked at Paramount's Famous Studios (later Paramount Cartoon Studios) as a both janitor and a gag writer, he would even direct some of these shorts in the 1960s, around 1962-63, Andy attended Beatnik clubs in New York with a film camera and filmed interviews many people at the clubs, with this he made his live action directorial debut, the short documentary A Study in Beat (1963), about the Beatnik subculture of the late 50s to the early 60s and was released by Paramount, the short was nominated for Best Documentary Short Subject at the 1964 Academy Awards, Andy left Famous to join Fred Ladd's writing staff on English dubbed episodes of Astro Boy, a job he would take from 1963 till the Show's first-run ending in 1966, at the same time Andy also made his first feature film, 1964's The Big Arena which got the attention of B-movie king Roger Corman, who suggested him to American International Pictures for a 3-picture deal. starting with the comedic film parodying the Beach Party series of films at AIP, the result being 1965's Surfer Vampires from Beyond the Grave.

Career at ABC (1965-1969)
In his mid to late 20s, Andy later would work at ABC as broadcasting opperator, mainly controlling the cameras durring broadcast.

Also during this time, Andy tried his hand at Instrumental Jazz, recording for ABC Records, he recorded one album And Now... Carl Andy (1967) before getting being let go from ABC due to a shift in management.

At Columbia Records and Golden Age (1970-1989)
After his firing at ABC, Andy was going through a state of depression and attempted suicide many times, this got the attention of Andy's former High School classmate James William Guercio, who by this point had become a producer for CBS Records, Guercio helped the struggling Andy sign a deal with Columbia Records in 1970, where he would record albums for 2 decades.

Andy also made his return to film making, directing two films in 1971, the low budget Jewish themed revenge film Hebrew Rage for New Line Cinema and the also Jewish themed thriller Home Invader for Unversal Pictures.

Andy approached notoriety with the release of Toby, while not a critical success, people praised the direction and the young stars, most notably Carrie Fisher, complete with a new deal with United Artists, Andy took advantage of every deal the studio had, producing films for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Lorimar and others, and a Carl Andy film was released almost every year, combined with sales of his Jazz records.

One film Andy pitched to UA, Horseshoe however was rejected due to it's politically satirical subject matter, so Andy took it to 20th Century-Fox whom agreed to finance and release, the film however was plagued by being released days after the Greensboro massacre and the film flopped though would develop a cult following later on.

Discography

 * And Now... Carl Andy (1967) - ABC
 * Andy's Wide World of Jazz (1971) - Columbia
 * Home Invader (Original Motion Picture Score) (1971) - Decca, with Bernard Herman
 * The Promised Land (1973) - Columbia
 * Big Big Band (1975) - Columbia
 * Experience (1977) - Dreidel
 * A Softer Side (1979) - Dreidel
 * Reflections (1981) - Dreidel
 * Adventures in Inner Thoughts (1985) - Dreidel
 * The Best of Carl Andy (1986) - Dreidel
 * Shalom Aleichem (1989) - Dreidel
 * Live at Tom's Restraunt (1999) - Columbia/Legacy
 * The Essential Carl Andy (2003) - Columbia/Legacy
 * The Box (2009) - Columbia/Legacy
 * This is Music (2021) - RCA

Music Videography

 * Underground (1981) - Men at Work
 * Pulling Mussels (from the Shell) (1982) - Squeeze (co-directed with Mamoru Oshii)
 * It's a Mistake (1982) - Men at Work
 * Eminence Front (1982) - The Who
 * Break My Stride (1983) - Matthew Wilder
 * Walking on a Thin Line (1983) - Huey Lewis and the News
 * You Can't Get What You Want (Till You Know What You Want) (1984) - Joe Jackson (co-directed with Mamoru Oshii)
 * Pop Life (1985) - Prince/The Revolution
 * Even in Light - Carl Andy, w/ Joe Jackson (co-directed with Mamoru Oshii)
 * Here's Johnny (1986) - "Weird Al" Yankovic
 * What Kind of Man Would I Be? (1988) - Chicago
 * Daughter (1993) - Pearl Jam, starring a young Amy Poehler.
 * Sorry for the Stupid Things (2006) - Babyface

More to be added soon

Short Films

 * A Study in Beat (1963) - Paramount Pictures
 * Japan: The Future is Now! (1963) Paramount Pictures
 * Sand, Surfing and Fun in the Sun (1964) Paramount Pictures
 * Springtime for Cuba (1965) - Paramount Pictures
 * A Talk with Carl Andy (1967) - Paramount Pictures

Feature Films

 * The Big Arena (1964) - American International Pictures
 * Surfer Vampires from Beyond the Grave (1965) - American International Pictures
 * Carnival of Madness! (1965) - American International Pictures
 * Stacy Takes a Trip (1968) - Warner Bros.-Seven Arts
 * Astro Boy: Battle Among the Stars (English Dub) (1965, released in the US in 1968) - Universal Pictures, Written only
 * Hebrew Rage (1971) - New Line Cinema
 * Home Invader (1971) - Universal Pictures
 * Chicago: Live in Japan (1973) - Warner Bros. Pictures
 * Toby (1975) - United Artists
 * 2999 (1976) - United Artists/ITC Entertainment
 * Talkie (1977) - United Artists/Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
 * Horseshoe (1979) - 20th Century-Fox
 * Sea of Troubles (1980) - Universal Pictures/Paramount Pictures
 * Space Firebird (1982) - Warner Bros. Pictures/The Ladd Company, Uncredited
 * Faith of a Rabbi (1982) - Walt Disney Pictures
 * The Boy from the Blue (1985) - 20th Century Fox
 * The Easy Way (1986) - New World Pictures, credited as "Alan Smithee"
 * The Booter (1987) - Orion Pictures
 * Astro Boy (1988) - Columbia Pictures
 * The Mamiya House (1989) - Warner Bros. Pictures, US re-cut of Sweet Home (1989)
 * Temptation (1993) - TriStar Pictures/Carolco Pictures
 * Secret Recipe (1994) - Touchstone Pictures/Simpson/Bruckheimer Films
 * Just Kidding (1995) - Universal Pictures/Imagine Entertainment
 * Finding Love in the Riviera (1996) - Columbia Pictures/Castle Rock Entertainment
 * London Stories (1997) - Miramax Films/PolyGram Filmed Entertainment, segment "An American in the East End"
 * End of Night (1999) - Touchstone Pictures/Spyglass Entertainment
 * Hello Teacher! (2000) - Hollywood Pictures/Summit Entertainment
 * The Impatient Artist (2001) - Miramax Films
 * Calamity (2003) - Columbia Pictures/Revolution Studios
 * To Live (2006) - DreamWorks Pictures

Television

 * The Making of Astro Boy (1966) - WNDT
 * The Instrument Documentary (1972) - KCET
 * The Jackers (1979) - Universal Television/Toei
 * Day After Day (1981) - Paramount Television
 * Toons from Around the World (1984-88) - Orion Pay Television
 * Six Days (1997) - HBO Films
 * Night of the Meek (1998) - Columbia TriStar Television

As Actor Only

 * Punch and Judo (1951) - Orphan
 * Monster on the University (1960) - Student Scientist
 * Trey the Penguin (1974) - English dub
 * A Penguin's Memories (1985) - Waiter, English dub
 * The Story of Quincy (2005 TV series, Season 1 only)

Films he rejected/passed on

 * King Kong (1976)
 * FM (1978)
 * The Wiz (1978) due to feeling the script wasn't accurate to the play
 * Rocky II (1979) due to having already directed Toby
 * Bronco Billy (1980) due to coping with the death of his Parents and Wife
 * The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
 * Endless Love (1981)
 * Ghostbusters (1984) same as Superman, He would later call this decision the biggest mistake of his career
 * The Color Purple (1985) due to author Alice Walker's Anti-Israeli stance, ironically Steven Spielberg, a Jew himself would direct the film
 * The Mosquito Coast (1986)
 * Back to the Beach (1987)
 * Moonwalker (1988) same as Superman
 * UHF (1989)
 * Steel Magnolias (1989)
 * Misery (1990)
 * What About Bob? (1991)
 * Cool as Ice (1991)
 * A Few Good Men (1992)
 * Sleepless in Seattle (1994)
 * Babe (1995)
 * Shakespeare in Love (1998)
 * The Whole Nine Yards (2000)
 * Intolerable Cruelty (2003)
 * Christmas with the Kranks (2004)