After the
Nazi Party came to power early in 1933, UFA rescinded Pommer's contract and he picked up an offer of
Fox Film Corporation to build
Fox Europa as its European arm in Paris, where he produced
Max Ophüls'
On a volé un homme (1933) and
Fritz Lang's
Liliom (1934), and then went on to Hollywood again. In 1936, he worked in the United Kingdom for
Alexander Korda's
London Films (
Fire Over England 1936 and
Farewell Again 1937). In 1936, he formed a film production company,
The Mayflower Pictures Corporation, with actor
Charles Laughton. Pommer not only produced but also directed their first film,
Vessel of Wrath (also known as
The Beachcomber), replacing
Bartlett Cormack with the latter's agreement. Although Pommer subsequently received offers to direct and could have pursued a directing career, he preferred producing and never directed another film In 1938, Pommer produced ''
St. Martin's Lane'' (via Mayflower Pictures) directed by
Tim Whelan starring Laughton and
Vivien Leigh and in 1939
Alfred Hitchcock's
Jamaica Inn (also through Mayflower Pictures) again with Laughton and also introducing
Maureen O'Hara in her first film. Pommer was in New York City for distribution negotiations when the
Second World War broke out. Because he still held a German passport, he was unable to return to the United Kingdom and remained in the United States. In 1939 he signed with
RKO Radio Pictures, in Hollywood, for whom he produced two pictures, including
Dance, Girl, Dance and
They Knew What They Wanted. Becoming seriously ill in 1941 (he was a chain-smoker and suffered a heart attack), his contract with RKO was not renewed. Between 1942 and 1946, Pommer worked on a few film projects, some of which eventually went into production but without him. Pommer and his wife rented a small apartment and lived off the proceeds from the sale of personal valuables. They also helped two close friends, (a former business manager from Berlin) and his wife, silent movie star , who bought chinaware and glasses and then hand-painted them to sell to the higher-class department stores. Pommer's wife helped with the painting, and Pommer alternated with Pinkus to work the drying oven in Pinkus' garage. Having resided continuously in the United States since 1939, Pommer and his wife became naturalized American citizens in 1944. In 1946, Pommer returned to Germany, where he became the highest-ranking film control officer of the
Office of Military Government, United States (OMGUS) responsible for the reorganisation of the German film industry overseeing the reconstruction of studios and assigning production licenses. In spite of opposition from both Americans and Germans, Pommer rebuilt the German film industry from ashes. By 1948, a total of 28 feature films had been produced in West Germany under his supervision. Together with film director and , director of the film distribution association in Wiesbaden, Pommer also established a voluntary self-control system for the German motion picture industry, which evolved into the
Freiwillige Selbstkontrolle der Filmwirtschaft (FSK), implementing a voluntary self-rating system for the movie industry modeled on the
Hays Code in the USA. Establishment of this system (and the subsequent establishment of the FSK) avoided government regulation and censorship of the movie industry and replaced military censoring. In 1949 Pommer resigned his office, believing his work to be complete, and returned to the United States. He then attempted to launch Signature Pictures with
Dorothy Arzner to produce American films in Europe, an endeavor that failed to obtain promised financing. In 1951 he started the "Intercontinental Film GmbH" in Munich, making a few movies, including
Nights on the Road (1951), which won the 1953 German Film Award, and
Kinder, Mütter und ein General, which won the 1955 Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Film and the 1956 Grand Prize of the Belgian Union of Cinema Critics. However, restrictions forced on Pommer led him to resettle in California. Physically badly shaken (Pommer used a wheelchair after the amputation of a leg) his career as a producer was ended. He retired to live quietly with his wife. After his wife's death, he lived with his son's family. Pommer died in Los Angeles, California, in 1966. == Awards ==