German-American producer, the son of a painter, Wilhelm Blanke. Henry
began in films in 1920 as personal assistant to the renowned director
Ernst Lubitsch whom he accompanied to
Hollywood in 1922. However, while the autocratic Lubitsch soon departed
following artistic differences with the equally headstrong studio boss
Jack L. Warner, Blanke remained behind at
an ever increasing salary which would eventually top $5000 a week. From
1928 to 1930, he was based in Berlin, supervising the German-based
output of Warner Brothers. Returning to the fold at Burbank in 1931, he
brought with him the noted German director
William Dieterle, who stayed on
Warner's roster until 1939.
In 1931, Blanke became staff producer and production supervisor,
subordinate in the studio hierarchy only to
Hal B. Wallis and to the Warner brothers
themselves. Blanke remained with the company until 1961. Popular with
directors and production staff alike for his easy-going, laissez-faire
approach (never a typical character trait of producers, then or now),
Blanke turned out numerous imperishable classics featuring the cream of
Warner Brothers talent: Bette Davis
(Jezebel - die boshafte Lady (1938),
Die alte Jungfer (1939)),
Errol Flynn
(Die Abenteuer des Robin Hood (1938),
Der Herr der sieben Meere (1940)) ,
Humphrey Bogart
(Die Spur des Falken (1941),
Der Schatz der Sierra Madre (1948)
) , James Cagney
(Come Fill the Cup (1951)),
Paul Muni
(Das Leben des Emile Zola (1937),
Juarez (1939)) and
Edward G. Robinson
(Ein Mann mit Phantasie (1940),
Der Seewolf (1941)).
