More sad news. The death has been announced of the legendary film director Billy Wilder. Born in Vienna in 1906, his early career was as a reporter. He got his first break in films when he collaborated with Robert Sidomak in the 1929 film "People on Sunday." He later was involved in the scripts of many German films but was forced to flee to Paris when Hitler came to power. He came to the United States in 1934 but the family he left behind died in concentration camps.
His early years in Hollywood were hard but things gradually improved and by the 1950s he had such successes as "Sunset Boulevard", "Ace in the Hole" and "Witness for the Prosecution" under his belt. Other successes included "Some Like it Hot" and "The Apartment." He was nominated 20 times for Oscars and won six. With his death an era closes on the great European film makers who made Hollywood their home. It's been a bad week folks for the entertainment world and it's only Thursday.