For a time in the mid-1950s, the Mirisch family held great influence at Allied Artists, with Walter as executive producer, his brother Harold as head of sales, and brother Marvin as assistant treasurer. They pushed the studio into big-budget filmmaking, signing contracts with William Wyler, John Huston, Billy Wilder and Gary Cooper. When their first big-name productions, Wyler's "Friendly Persuasion" which was nominated for 6 Academy Awards including Best Picture and Wilder's "Love in the Afternoon" were box-office flops in 1956–57, studio head Broidy retreated into the kind of pictures Monogram had previously been known for: low-budget action and thrillers. The Mirisch Company then had success releasing their films through United Artists.