"I never wanted to be on the receiving end again," he said. "I wanted to be the man who handed out the jobs." Hunter was dialogue director in "The Jackie Robinson Story" (1950), for Eagle-Lion Films. He performed similar duties on "Woman on the Run" (1950) at Universal with Anne Sheridan who Hunter says promoted and mentored him. "It was my real big break," he later said. He was dialogue director on "The Sword of Monte Cristo" (1951) at Fox, and "When I Grow Up" (1951) for Sam Spiegel at United Artists. In 1951, Universal-International hired him as an associate producer for the film "Flame of Araby", starring Jeff Chandler and Maureen O'Hara. During production Hunter cut $172,000 from the film's budget, which pleased Universal executives, who raised his salary. The producer was Leonard Goldstein, who also used Hunter as an associate on "Steel Town" (1952), with Anne Sheridan, directed by George Sherman; "The Battle at Apache Pass" (1952), with Jeff Chandler, directed by Sherman; "Untamed Frontier" (1952), with Joseph Cotten and Shelley Winters; "The Duel at Silver Creek" (1952) with Audie Murphy, directed by Don Siegel; and "Son of Ali Baba" (1952), an "Eastern" with Tony Curtis. They also worked on "Take Me to Town" (1953), a Western with Sheridan and Sterling Hayden directed by Douglas Sirk who became important to Hunter's career. Sheridan's normal price was $475,000 per film but she agreed to $100,000 to work with Hunter. "It was Annie who really gave me my first break," later recalled Hunter. "She was a very great lady." In 1953, Universal-International hired Hunter as staff producer on the strength of his previous credits as a theatrical producer and director. Hunter's first film as sole producer was "All I Desire" (1953), a melodrama directed by Sirk starring Barbara Stanwyck. It was made for $460,000 and earned over $2 million. Hunter followed it with two Westerns, "Tumbleweed" (1953) with Audie Murphy, and "Taza, Son of Cochise" (1954) with Rock Hudson, directed by Sirk. The breakthrough film of Hunter's career was the 1954 film remake of the 1935 film "Magnificent Obsession", starring Rock Hudson and Jane Wyman and directed by Sirk.