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Mel Stuart

Mel Stuart

Director and producer, also actor and writer · Died August 9, 2012, aged 83 · New York City, New York, USA

Primetime Emmy winner · Oscar nominee

Mel Stuart (born Stuart Solomon; September 2, 1928 – August 9, 2012) was an American film director and producer who often worked with producer David L. Wolper, at whose production firm he worked for 17 years, before going freelance. Stuart directed the fantasy-musical Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971). He has directed other features, including If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium (1969), One Is a Lonely Number (1974) and Running on the Sun: The Badwater 135 (2000). Stuart also directed feature documentaries including Four Days in November and Wattstax. In addition he has directed or produced over 150 films including movies of the week, The Triangle Factory Fire, Bill, The Chisholms, and Ruby and Oswald, the television series Ripley's Believe it Not, and the documentaries The Making of the President 1960, 1964, and 1968, The Hobart Shakespeareans, Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, Man Ray - The Prophet of the Avant-Garde, George Plimpton and the Philharmonic and The Poet's View. He has been awarded four Emmy awards, an Academy Award nomination, a Peabody and numerous other awards. He served as president of the International Documentary Association for two years. He was related to TV producer David L. Wolper. Description above from the Wikipedia article Mel Stuart, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
September 2, 1928
Died
August 9, 2012 (aged 83)
From
New York City, New York, USA
Works as
Director and producer, also actor and writer
Titles
9 on MovieCove · 33 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 155 days to Oct 26Down 34% in 30 days

What are Mel Stuart's films like?

Across their 10 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Society.

Genres

Adventure2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 75th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Adventure movies
Documentary2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 92nd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Documentary movies
Drama2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 55th percentile
: browse their Drama movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
30%
Society
20%
Self
15%
Ideas
14%
Morality
9%
Power
9%
Survival
3%
Family bonds3 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity3 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 9 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 5 · Serious 3 · Dark 1

Grounded: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their grounded movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 7 · Stylized 1 · Heightened 1

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 3 · Charged 5 · Intense 1

Steady: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their steady movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 6 · Shifting 3 · Whiplash 0

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 2 · Some laughs 4 · Funny 3

Slow burn: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their slow burn movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 6 · Even-paced 3 · Relentless 0

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 6 · Engaged 3 · Full focus 0

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 9 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Joyful
5
Melancholic
5
Warm
3
Hopeful
5
Tense
3
Other
6

How their films linger

Feel-good6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteCozy2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteWistful2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 1 with a twist

  • Happy5
  • Bittersweet5

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Mel Stuart's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 2 of their 9 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Mel Stuart's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

33 credits, 9 with a MovieCove page; 3 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • The Mystery of Sleep (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

    Director · Writer

  • The Hobart Shakespeareans (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    Director

  • Running on the Sun: The Badwater 135 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)

    Director

  • AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movies (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    Show 10 episodes · Director · Executive Producer · Producer

  • Billy Wilder: The Human Comedy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    Director · Producer

  • Man Ray: Prophet of the Avant-Garde (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    Director

  • Tom and Jerry: The Movie(1992)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films

  • Happy Anniversary 007: 25 Years of James Bond (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)

    Director · Producer

  • The White Lions (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)

    Director

  • Bill (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)

    Producer

  • Sophia Loren: Her Own Story(1980)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • The Chisholms (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)

    Show 8 episodes · Director

  • The Triangle Factory Fire Scandal(1979)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • Mean Dog Blues (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)

    Director

  • Ruby and Oswald (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)

    Director

  • Brenda Starr (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)

    Director

  • LIFE Goes to the Movies (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)

    Director

  • Welcome Back, Kotter(1975)

    Show 1 episode · Director · Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all shows

  • Wattstax(1973)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • One Is a Lonely Number(1972)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films

  • Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory(1971)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • I Love My Wife(1970)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 9th percentile of all films

  • The Unfinished Journey of Robert Kennedy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)

    Director

  • If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium(1969)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • Turn-On (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)

    Show 2 episodes · Actor

  • The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)

    Executive Producer

  • China: The Roots of Madness (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)

    Director

  • The Making of the President: 1964 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)

    Director

  • The Thin Blue Line (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)

    Executive Producer

  • The Teen-Age Revolution (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)

    Executive Producer

  • The Bold Men (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)

    Executive Producer

  • Four Days In November (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)

    Director · Producer

  • The Making of the President 1960 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)

    Director

Career shape

A full career of 32 titles from 1963 to 2010.

Biggest box office

Tom and Jerry: The Movie (1992)

$3.6M worldwide

Highest rated

Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971)

Midcredits 96th

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting1 of 32: 1 only acting, 0 with another roleDirecting26 of 32: 20 only directing, 6 with another role · typical Midcredits score54thWriting1 of 32: 0 only writing, 1 with another roleProducing10 of 32: 5 only producing, 5 with another role

32 titles, 6 with more than one role — directing and producing overlap on 5 of them.

By decade

1960s10 · 1 acting · 9 crew1970s12 · crew1980s4 · crew1990s3 · crew2000s2 · crew2010s1 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

Awards

a Primetime Emmy from 6 major nominations, 1964–1997.

WinNomination
  1. 1997
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Informational Special
  2. 1982
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Drama Special
  3. 1977
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Special Classification of Outstanding Program Achievement
  4. 1968
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Musical or Variety Series
  5. 1965
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Documentary, Features
  6. 1964
    • Primetime Emmy, won · Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Documentary Programs

Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.

How do Mel Stuart's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 53rd percentile, the median of all 8; across their 9 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 55th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

55thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 9

Approval · how many liked their films

63rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 9

Reach · how many have seen their films

49thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 9

Midcredits score across 9 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up2
  • 50th to 74th4
  • 25th to 49th2
  • Below 25th1

Shape of the crowd

3 of their 9 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved2
  • Crowd Pleaser3
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed3

Most divisive · producer

Tom and Jerry: The Movie (1992)

66th percentile spread · 27% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · director

Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971)

Midcredits 96th · 86% liked

Reviewers score the atmosphere 69/100 and the pacing 54/100 in their films, across 6 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Who does Mel Stuart work with?

People who share at least 2 of Mel Stuart's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; David L. Wolper shares the most, 6.

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles