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George Marshall (director)

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For other people named George Marshall, seeGeorge Marshall (disambiguation).

George Marshall
Marshall circa 1940
Born(1891-12-29)December 29, 1891
Chicago,Illinois,U.S.
DiedFebruary 17, 1975(1975-02-17)(aged 83)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Other namesGeorge E. Marshall
Occupation(s)Actor,screenwriter,producer,filmandtelevision director
Years active1915–1975
SpouseGermaine Desiree Minet (m. 1919)[1]
Children2
Marshall (left) withMarlene Dietrichand producerJoe Pasternakon the set of the 1939 filmDestry Rides Again

George E. Marshall(December 29, 1891 – February 17, 1975) was an American actor,screenwriter,producer,filmandtelevision director,active through the first six decades of film history.

Relatively few of Marshall's films are well-known today, withDestry Rides Again(1939),The Ghost Breakers(1940),The Blue Dahlia(1946),The Sheepman(1958), andHow the West Was Won(1962) being the biggest exceptions.John Housemancalled him "one of the old maestros of Hollywood... he had never become one of the giants but he held a solid and honorable position in the industry."[2]

In the 1930s, he established a reputation for comedy, directingLaurel and Hardyin three classic films, and also working on a variety of comedies forFox,though many of his films at Fox were destroyed in a vault fire in 1937.[3]Later in his career he was particularly sought after for comedies. He did around half a dozen films each withBob HopeandJerry Lewis,and also worked withW. C. Fields,Jackie Gleason,andWill Rogers.

Biography

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Early life

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Marshall dropped out of theUniversity of Chicagoand worked a journalist and a mechanic. He was working as a logger in Washington when he decided to go to Los Angeles in 1912 to visit his mother. Marshall served as acombat cinematographerwith theU.S. ArmySignal CorpsinFranceduringWorld War I.[citation needed]

Marshall decided to return to Hollywood and work in the movies. He initially worked as an extra. He and another extra, future director Frank Lloyd, once pooled their money to buy a suit and get more work.[4]Marshall eventually moved into stunt work, then directing.[5]

Harry Carey and Neal Hart

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Marshall's early directorial work most starred Harry Carey andNeal Hart.He said his first film was the Carey three reelerThe Committee on Credentials(1916).[6]He also directedLove's Lariat(1916) andA Woman's Eyes(1917), all with Carey, andThe Man from Montana(1917) with Hart. He worked with other actors too, such asHoot GibsoninThe Midnight Flyer(1918) andRuth Rolandin the serialsThe Adventures of Ruth(1919) andRuth of the Rockies(1920).[citation needed]

Marshall circa 1921

Tom Mix

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In the early 1920s Marshall directed a series of movies starringTom MixincludingPrairie Trails(1920).[7]For most of the 1920s Marshall directed short films, notably at Fox.[8]In the mid 1920s he was appointed general supervisor of Fox comedy shorts.[9]His credits includedA Flaming Affairwith Lex Neal.[10]

Laurel and Hardy

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Marshall directed a series ofLaurel and Hardyfilms includingPack Up Your Troubles(1932),Their First Mistake(1932), andTowed in a Hole(1932). He also played a menacing, vengeful chef inPack Up Your Troubles,and made a brief appearance inTheir First Mistake.

Fox Films

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Marshall took a long-term contract at Fox where his films includedWild Gold(1934) and two withAlice Faye,She Learned About Sailors(1934) and365 Nights in Hollywood(1934).

Fox entrusted him with one of the studio's biggest stars,Will RogersinLife Begins at 40(1935). He did a comedy,$10 Raise(1935), and a musical with Faye,Music Is Magic(1935).

Marshall stayed with Fox when it merged with 20th Century to become 20th Century-Fox. He did a crime film,Show Them No Mercy!(1935), aJane WithersvehicleCan This Be Dixie?(1936), and a war film withBarbara StanwyckandWallace Beery,A Message to Garcia(1936).[11]

After another crime film,The Crime of Dr. Forbes(1936) he didNancy Steele Is Missing!(1937) withVictor McLaglen,Love Under Fire(1937) withLoretta YoungandBattle of Broadway(1938) with McLaglen.

Universal

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Sam Goldwynborrowed Marshall to directThe Goldwyn Follies(1938).

Marshall went to Universal where he directedW. C. FieldsinYou Can't Cheat an Honest Man(1939). Then he had a huge success withMarlene Dietrichand James Stewart inDestry Rides Again(1939). He did another Western at Universal,When the Daltons Rode(1940).

Marshall went to Paramount, where he directed Bob Hope and Paulette Goddard in a successful horror-comedyThe Ghost Breakers(1940).

Marshall, Goddard and Stewart madePot o' Gold(1941) for United Artists. Then Marshall went to Columbia forTexas(1941) withGlenn FordandWilliam Holden,and RKO forValley of the Sun(1942) withLucille Ball.During the making of the latter he celebrated his 25th year in films.[12]By the early 1940s he was best known as a director of Westerns.[13][14]

Paramount

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Paramount were delighted withThe Ghost Breakersand offered Marshall a long-term contract. He didThe Forest Rangers(1942) with Goddard andFred MacMurrayand directed the studio's all-starStar Spangled Rhythm(1942).[15]

Marshall was among the studio's leading directors by now. He worked withDorothy LamourandDick PowellinRiding High(1943), andMary MartininTrue to Life(1943). He didAnd the Angels Sing(1944) with Lamour, MacMurray and the new starBetty Hutton,then did a comedy with MacMurrayMurder, He Says(1945).

Marshall did a biopic ofTexas Guinanstarring Hutton,Incendiary Blonde(1945), then a comedy withEddie BrackenandVeronica Lake,Hold That Blonde(1945).[16]

Marshall had a big success withThe Blue Dahlia(1946), starringAlan Laddand Lake, from a script byRaymond Chandler.[17]

Also popular was a comedy he made with Bob Hope,Monsieur Beaucaire(1946), and one with Hutton,The Perils of Pauline(1947), a tribute to the old serials that Marshall himself used to direct; it was produced bySol Siegel.[18]

Paramount got him to do another revue-style film,Variety Girl(1947).[19]

In 1946Sight and Soundmagazine said Marshall had become:

One of our leading directors of comedy. Not comedy of ideas, however fuzzy or pretentious as withPreston Sturges,the "art" comedy. But showmanship, the Paramount, the Hollywood romantic comedy... of recent years had become so syrupy, plotty and ungay. Marshall has not remodelled the form or made drastic changes. But he has lightened it, sped it up, taken stories that would have remained solemn bores with more literal minded directors and made entertainment out of them, by having a little fun, going just a little wild in the process... With a style that is extroverted, clean, limber, above all natural, casual in its use of slapstick with the effect of making Sturges' slapstick seem almost studied, Marshall, you'll probably find, is the director credit that will explain how many a film with all the external attributes of a stinker... kept you in your seat, interested to the end, as it were, in spite of yourself.[20]

Marshall did a comedy with Goddard andMacDonald Carey,Hazard(1948), then he was borrowed byWalter WangerforTap Roots(1948) starringSusan Hayward.[21]

In 1948 he quitBonanza(which becameLust for Gold) with Glenn Ford and Ida Lupino after four days of filming due to disputes with producerS. Sylvan Simon.[22]However he bounced back withMy Friend Irma(1949) which introduced Martin and Lewis.

In 1949 Paramount extended its contract with him for two more years.[23]He was reunited with Ball and Hope inFancy Pants(1950), then did two with MacMurray,Never a Dull Moment(1950) at RKO andA Millionaire for Christy(1951) at Fox.

In 1950 Marshall andWilliam Holdenannounced they had formed a company to make half hour TV shows but it appears they were not made.[24]

Back at Paramount he didThe Savage(1952) withCharlton Heston,Off Limits(1953) with Hope and Mickey Rooney, andScared Stiff(1953) with Martin and Lewis (remaking his earlierGhost Breakers).

He did a biopic,Houdini(1953) withTony Curtis,thenMoney from Home(1954) with Martin and Lewis, andRed Garters(1954) withRosemary Clooney.

Marshall went to South Africa to makeDuel in the Jungle(1954) then back at Paramount remade his ownDestry Rides AgainasDestry(1954) withAudie Murphy.[25]

Freelance

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Marshall went to Universal to do a musical,The Second Greatest Sex(1955), and a Western,Pillars of the Sky(1956). He returned to Africa to makeBeyond Mombassa(1956) withCornel Wildefor Columbia.

Also at Columbia he madeThe Guns of Fort Petticoat(1957) with Audie Murphy, produced by Murphy.

He went back to Paramount to makeThe Sad Sack(1957), Jerry Lewis' second film without Dean Martin.

Glenn Ford

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Marshall then received an offer from MGM, who were then being run by Sol Siegel, to directGlenn Fordin a Western,The Sheepman(1958). It was a hit, so he stayed at the studio to directImitation General(1959), with Ford;The Mating Game(1959) withDebbie Reynolds;andIt Started with a Kiss(1959) andThe Gazebo(1959), both with Reynolds and Ford. All these films were popular.

Marshall and Ford madeCry for Happy(1961) at Columbia, which featured location filming in Japan.[26]He announced plans to make a biopic of Ruth Roland with Debbie Reynolds but it was not made.[27]

Then Marshall directedRita HayworthinThe Happy Thieves(1963) and directed the railroad segment of MGM's epicHow the West Was Won(1963) inCinerama.

In 1963 he celebrated his fiftieth year as a director. "You try to keep up with the spirit of the times", he said. "" You go along with it or wonder why they don't call you any more... Some of my friends have let the world go by them. They couldn't understand the changes... I don't think people have basically changed. They still want to be entertained. "[6]

Marshall said his credo was "you should see possibilities and they lead you to other things later on. If you're a mechanic you just do it as written. If you're – I wouldn't say an artist – then you try to make more of it. It's easy to be a mechanic."[6]

Marshall didPapa's Delicate Condition(1963) withJackie Gleason,Dark Purpose(1964) withShirley JonesandAdvance to the Rear(1964) with Ford. He also did the pilot forDaniel Boone.[6]

Later career

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In the late 1960s Marshall moved increasingly into television.[28]

His later feature credits include two with Hope,Boy, Did I Get a Wrong Number!(1966) andEight on the Lam(1967) andThe Wicked Dreams of Paula Schultz(1968) withElke Sommer.

His last feature that he directed wasHook, Line & Sinker(1969) starring Lewis.

Lucille Ballchose George Marshall to direct eleven episodes of herHere's Lucytelevision series in 1969, having previously worked in several Marshall comedies herself.[citation needed]

He appeared as an actor inThe Crazy World of Julius Vrooderin 1974, his last feature film.[29]

His last professional job was an acting appearance inPolice Woman.[4]Three days before he died he was inducted into the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Hall of Fame.[5]

Personal life

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Marshall married Germaine, who he met in France after World War I. They had two children, a son and a daughter.[4]

Marshall died after a two-week illness.[4]He is buried in Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, Los Angeles.

For his contribution to the film industry, George Marshall has a star on theHollywood Walk of Fameat 7048Hollywood Boulevard.[30]

Partial filmography

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Awards and nominations

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Year Award Result Category Film
1964 Western Heritage Awards Won Theatrical Motion Picture How the West Was Won
(shared withJohn Ford,Henry Hathaway,and James R. Webb)
1967 Laurel Awards Nominated Director
-

References

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  1. ^"George Marshall".
  2. ^Houseman, John (1976). "Lost Fortnight, a Memoir".The Blue Dahlia: A Screenplay.By Chandler, Raymond. Carbondale. pp. xiii.
  3. ^Young, Jordan (2012).Directing Laurel and Hardy.USA: Past Times Publishing Co. pp. 292, 298, 302, 334.
  4. ^abcd"George Marshall, Director, Diesauthor=Dreyfuss, John".Los Angeles Times.February 8, 1975. p. A3.
  5. ^abROBERT McG. THOMAS Jr. (February 18, 1975). "GEORGE MARSHALL, FILM DIRECTOR, 84: Hollywood Figure 62 Years Dies Made 400 Movies".New York Times.p. 32.
  6. ^abcdMURRAY SCHUMACH (September 1, 1963). "HARDY HOLLYWOOD: George Marshall Marks His 50th Year As Director at the Same Old Stand Down Memory Lane Fields' Day".New York Times.p. X5.
  7. ^"MIX IN THE SADDLE.: But It Isn't the Horsey Kind, Instead Old-Fashioned Bike".Los Angeles Times.March 27, 1921. p. III35.
  8. ^Kingsley, Grace (April 2, 1924). "FLASHES: FOX STILL HERE IAGNATE SEES MANY NEW FILMS IN PRODUCTION".Los Angeles Times.p. A11.
  9. ^Kingsley, Grace (January 23, 1926). "FLASHES: STAR STARTS WORK HARRY CAPEY BEGINS ON" FRONTIER TRAIL "".Los Angeles Times.p. 7.
  10. ^Kingsley, Grace (October 31, 1925). "FLASHES: FOX EXPANDS BIG STORIES INOLUDE HOYT'S" TRIP TO CHINATOWN "".Los Angeles Times.p. A11.
  11. ^Shaffer, George (August 29, 1936). "Director Hurt as He Tries to Teach Dancing: Young Autograph Seekers Storm Autos".Chicago Daily Tribune.p. 16.
  12. ^"George Marshall to Be Honored".Los Angeles Times.August 5, 1940. p. 11.
  13. ^Frank Daugherty (February 27, 1942). "George Marshall Wins Fame As a Director of Westerns: Hollywood Letter".The Christian Science Monitor.p. 10.
  14. ^"PUTTING GUFFAWS INTO THE WESTERN".New York Times.October 12, 1941. p. X4.
  15. ^""Star Spangled Rhythm": George Marshall Directs the Greatest Star Cast in History ".The Tatler and Bystander.Vol. 167, no. 2175. London. March 3, 1943. p. 261.
  16. ^"TEXAS GUINAN FILM DUE AT PARAMOUNT: Screen Biography of NightClub Figure, Starring BettyHutton, Opens Today".New York Times (1923-Current file); New York, N.Y. [New York, N.Y]25 July 1945.p. 18.
  17. ^"SCREEN NEWS: Warners Pay $100,000 Down for 'Hasty Heart' Joan Blondell Gets Top Part".New York Times.February 19, 1945. p. 21.
  18. ^Frank Daugherty (April 26, 1946). "'Perils of Pauline' Anew ".The Christian Science Monitor.p. 5.
  19. ^"PARAMOUNT PLANS STAR-STUDDED FILM: Virtually All Contract Players to Appear in 'Variety Girl'-- Two Openings Today".New York Times.July 10, 1946. p. 18.
  20. ^Leonard, Harold. "DIRECTORS MOVING UP".Sight and Sound.Vol. 15, no. 57 (Spring 1946). London. p. 9.
  21. ^"Paulette Will Make 'Hazard' for Paramount".The Washington Post.October 12, 1947. p. L5.
  22. ^THOMAS F. BRADYS (October 30, 1948). "GEORGE MARSHALL LEAVES COLUMBIA: Director Quits 'Bonanza' Work After Four Days of Shooting in Dispute With Simon".New York Times.p. 11.
  23. ^"Marshall Starting 36th Year in Show Business".Los Angeles Times.October 23, 1949. p. D3.
  24. ^SIDNEY LOHMAN (May 14, 1950). "NEWS OF TV AND RADIO: Cabinet Meeting Will Be Televised by C.B.S.".New York Times.p. 119.
  25. ^Scheuer, Philip K. (June 20, 1954). "A TOWN CALLED HOLLYWOOD: 'Oklahoma!' Cast Complete; Mack Sennett Glances Back".Los Angeles Times.p. D4.
  26. ^BILL BECKER (June 27, 1960). "JAPANESE ACTORS STAR IN WESTERN: Sequence in 'Cry for Happy,' With Oriental Cowboys and Indians Filmed in Kyoto".New York Times.p. 21.
  27. ^Scheuer, Philip K. (May 12, 1961). "TV Ace With 20th; Vallee Goes Legit: Movies for Children Listed; Debbie May Play Ruth Roland".Los Angeles Times.p. A11.
  28. ^"George Marshall Set for Daniel Boone Show".Los Angeles Times.October 9, 1969. p. g26.
  29. ^Dettmer, Roger (January 26, 1975). "Hiller in the 'Booth': A director on trial".Chicago Tribune.p. e2.
  30. ^"George Marshall – Hollywood Star Walk – Los Angeles Times".projects.latimes.com.RetrievedOctober 3,2017.
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