George Marshall

Filmmakers

George E. Marshall (December 29, 1891 – February 17, 1975) was an American actor, screenwriter, producer, film and television director, active through the first six decades of film history. Relatively few of Marshall’s films are well-known today, with Destry Rides Again (1939), with Marlene Dietrich and James Stewart; The Blue Dahlia (1946), with Alan Ladd and Veronica Lake; The Sheepman (1958), with Glenn Ford, Shirley MacLaine, and Leslie Nielsen; and the epic western How the West Was Won (1962; directed with John Ford and Henry Hathaway) being the biggest exceptions. John Houseman called 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.” While Marshall worked on almost all kinds of films imaginable, he started his career in the early silent period doing mostly Westerns, a genre he never completely abandoned.

In the 1930s, he established a reputation for comedy, directing Laurel and Hardy in three classic films, and also working on a variety of comedies for Fox (many of his films at Fox were destroyed in a vault fire in 1937). Later in his career, he was particularly sought after for comedies. He did around half a dozen films each with Bob Hope and Jerry Lewis, and also worked with W.C. Fields, Jackie Gleason, and Will Rogers. Other notable performers he worked with included Victor McLaglen, Lucille Ball, Fred MacMurray, Peter Lorre, Irene Dunne, Dean Martin, Audie Murphy, Tony Curtis, Janet Leigh, Claire Trevor, Rosemary Clooney, Paulette Goddard, Susan Hayward, Rita Hayworth, Rex Harrison, Donald O’Connor, Mickey Rooney, Debbie Reynolds, Charlton Heston, Randolph Scott, Carl Reiner, Phyllis Diller, Jonathan Winters, Eddie Bracken, Red Buttons, William Holden, Dorothy Lamour, Betty Hutton, Lee Marvin, Donna Reed, Miyoshi Umeki.

Each review will be linked to the title below.

(*seen originally in theaters)

(**seen rereleased in theaters)

  • And the Best Man Won (1915) – short, story
  • Across the Rio Grande (1916) – short, writer, director
  • The Committee on Credentials (1916) – short, director
  • Liberty (1916) – serial, assistant director
  • Love’s Lariat (1916) – writer, director
  • A Woman’s Eyes (1916) -writer, director
  • The Devil’s Own (1916) – director
  • Won by Grit (1917) – director
  • The Comeback (1917) – short, director, producer
  • They Were Four (1917) – short, writer, director
  • Border Wolves (1917) – short, story, director
  • Roped In (1917) – story, director
  • The Raid (1917) – writer, director
  • The Desert Ghost (1917) – director
  • Bill Brennan’s Claim (1917) – director
  • Casey’s Border Raid (1917) – story, director
  • The Honor of Men (1917) – director
  • Swede Hearts (1917) – story, director
  • Meet My Wife (1917) – story, director
  • Double Suspicion (1917) – story, director
  • Right of Way Casey (1917) – story, director
  • Squaring It (1917) – story, director
  • The Ninth Day (1917) – director
  • The Man from Montana (1917) – story, director
  • Quick Triggers (1918) – short, director, writer
  • The Midnight Flyer (1918) – short, director
  • Naked Fists (1918) – short, director, writer
  • Beating the Limited (1918) – short, director, story
  • When Paris Saw Green Red (1918) – short, director
  • The Fast Mail (1919) – short, director
  • The Husband Hunter (1919) – director
  • The Gun Runners (1919) – director, story
  • The Adventures of Ruth (1919) – serial, director
  • Charlot! Charlot! (1919) – director
  • Ruth of the Rockies (1920) – serial, director
  • Prairie Trails (1920) – director
  • Why Trust Your Husband (1921) – director, story
  • Hands Off! (1921) – director
  • A Ridin’ Romeo (1921) – director, story
  • After Your Own Heart (1921) – director – with Tom Mix
  • The Lady from Longacre (1921) – director
  • The Jolt (1921) – director, writer
  • Smiles Are Trumps (1922) – director
  • West Is West (1922) – short, director
  • The Haunted Valley (1923) – director
  • Don Quickshot of the Rio Grande (1923) – director
  • Where Is This West (1923) – director
  • Men in the Raw (1923) – director
  • The Back Trail (1924) – director
  • The Fight (1924) – short, director
  • The Hunt (1924) – short, director
  • The Race (1924) – short, director
  • Paul JOnes Jr (1924) – short, director
  • The Burglar (1924) – short, director
  • All Abroad (1925) – short, producer
  • A Spanish Romeo (1925) – short, director
  • The Big Game Hunter – 1925) (short, director
  • The Sky Jumper (1925) – short, director
  • A Parisian Knight (1925) – short, director
  • Neptune’s Stepdaughter (1925) – short, supervisor
  • Pawnshop Politics (1926) -short, producer
  • Matrimony Blues (1926) – short, producer
  • A Bankrupt Honeymoon (1926) – short, supervisor
  • From a Cabby’s Seat (1926) – short, director
  • Moving Day (1926) – short, supervisor
  • The Steeplechaser (1926) – short, producer
  • King of the Kitchen (1926) – short, producer
  • A1 Society (1926) – short, supervisor
  • The Non-Stop Bride (1926) – short, supervisor
  • The Battling Kangaroo (1926) – short, supervisor
  • Golf Widows (1926) – short, supervisor
  • A Trip to Chinatown (1926) – production supervisor
  • Girls (1927) – short, director
  • A Dog’s Pal (1927) – short, production supervisor
  • The Kangaroo Detective (1927) – short, production supervisor
  • A Man About Town (1927) – short, director, producer
  • Wine, Women and Sauerkraut (1927) – short, production supervisor
  • Rumors for Rent (1927) – short, production supervisor
  • Suite Homes (1927) – short, production supervisor
  • The Gay Retreat (1927) – short, production supervisor
  • Gentlemen Prefer Scotch (1927) – short, director
  • Slippery Silks (1927) – short, producer
  • The Adventures of Ruth (1927) – short, director
  • Twenty Legs Under the Sea (1927) – short, supervisor
  • Captain Kidd’s Kittens (1927) – short, supervisor
  • The Elephant’s Elbows (1928) – short, supervisor
  • Bear Knees (1928) – short, supervisor
  • No Picnic (1928) – short, director
  • No Sale Smitty (1928) – short, director
  • Camping Out (1928) – short, director
  • No Vacation (1929) – short, director
  • Circus Time (1929) – short, director
  • No Children (1929) – short, director
  • Watch My Smoke (1929) – short, director
  • Tomato Omlette (1929) – short, director
  • Puckered Success (1929) – short, director
  • Uncle’s Visit (1929) – short, director
  • Hey Diddle Diddle (1930) – short, director, writer
  • He Loved Her Not (1931) – short, director
  • How I Play Golf (1931) – series of 12 shorts, director
  • Big Dame Hunting (1932) – short, director, story
  • Just a Pain in the Parlor (1932) – short, director
  • Strictly Unreliable (1932) – short, director
  • The Old Bull (1932) – short, director
  • Pack Up Your Troubles (1932) – short, director, actor
  • Allum and Eve (1932) – short, director
  • A Firehouse Honeymoon (1932) – short, director
  • The Soilers (1932) – short, director
  • Their First Mistake (1932) – short, director
  • Towed in a Hole (1932) – short, director, idea
  • Easy on the Eyes (1933) – short, director
  • Calienete Love (1933) – short, director
  • Sweet Cookie (1933) – short, director
  • Knock Out Kisses (1933) – short, director
  • Husbands’ Reunion (1933) – short, director
  • The Big Fibber (1933) – short, director
  • How to Break 90 (1933) – a series of 6 shorts, director
  • Olsen’s Big Moment (1933) – story
  • 365 Nights in Hollywood (1934) – director
  • She Learned About Sailors (1934) – director
  • Wild Gold (1934) – director
  • Call It Luck (1934) – story
  • Ever Since Eve (1934) – director
  • Life Begins at 40 (1935) – director
  • In Old Kentucky (1935) – director
  • Show Them No Mercy! (1935) – director
  • Music is Magic (1935) – director
  • $10 Raise (1935) – director
  • A Message to Garcia (1936) – director
  • The Crime of Dr. Forbes (1936) – director
  • Love Under Fire (1937) – director
  • Can This Be Dixie? (1937) – director, story
  • Nancy Steele Is Missing! (1937) – director
  • Hold That Co-ed (1938) – director
  • Battle of Broadway (1938) – director
  • The Goldwyn Follies (1938) – director
  • You Can’t Cheat an Honest Man (1939) – director
  • Destry Rides Again (1939) – director
  • The Ghost Breakers (1940) – director
  • When the Daltons Rode (1940) – director
  • Pot o’ Gold (1941) – director
  • Texas (1941) – director
  • Star Spangled Rhythm (1942) – director
  • Valley of the Sun (1942) – director
  • The Forest Rangers (1942) – director
  • True to Life (1943) – director
  • Riding High (1943) – director
  • And the Angels Sing (1944) – director
  • Murder, He Says (1945) – director
  • Hold That Blonde (1945) – director
  • Incendiary Blonde (1945) – director
  • The Blue Dahlia (1946) – director
  • Monsieur Beaucaire (1946) – director
  • The Perils of Pauline (1947) – director
  • Variety Girl (1947) – director, cameo
  • Hazard (1948) – director
  • Tap Roots (1948) – director
  • Lust for Gold (1949) – directed for a few days before leaving film
  • My Friend Irma (1949) – director
  • Never a Dull Moment (1950) – director
  • Fancy Pants (1950) – director
  • Ace of Clubs (1951) – short, director
  • A Millionaire for Christy (1951) – director
  • The Savage (1952) – director
  • Off Limits (1952) – director
  • Money from Home (1953) – director
  • Scared Stiff (1953) – director
  • Houdini (1953) – director
  • Duel in the Jungle (1954) – director
  • Red Garters (1954) – director
  • Destry (1954) – director
  • The Second Greatest Sex (1955) – director
  • Beyond Mombasa (1956) – director
  • Pillars of the Sky (1956) – director
  • The Guns of Fort Petticoat (1957) – director
  • The Sad Sack (1957) – director
  • The Sheepman (1958) – director
  • Imitation General (1958) – director
  • The Mating Game (1959) – director
  • It Started with a Kiss (1959) – director
  • The Gazebo (1959) – director
  • Cry for Happy (1961) – director
  • The Happy Thieves (1961) – director
  • How the West Was Won (1962) – co-directed with John Ford & Henry Hathaway
  • Papa’s Delicate Condition (1963) – director
  • Advance to the Rear (1964) – director
  • Dark Purpose (1964) – director
  • Boy, Did I Get a Wrong Number! (1966) – director
  • Eight on the Lam (1967) – director
  • The Wicked Dreams of Paula Schultz (1968) – director
  • Hook, Line & Sinker (1969) – director
  • The Crazy World of Julius Vrooder (1974) – directed by Arthur Hiller -actor