King Vidor

Filmmakers

King Wallis Vidor (February 8, 1894 – November 1, 1982) was an American film director, film producer, and screenwriter whose career spanned nearly seven decades. In 1979, he was awarded an Honorary Academy Award for his “incomparable achievements as a cinematic creator and innovator.” He was nominated five times for the Academy Award for Best Director, and won eight international film awards during his career. Vidor’s best known films include The Big Parade (1925), with John Gilbert, Renée Adorée, Hobart Bosworth, Tom O’Brien, and Karl Dane; The Crowd (1928), with James Murray, Eleanor Boardman, and Bert Roach; Stella Dallas (1937), with Barbara Stanwyck; and Duel in the Sun (1946), with Jennifer Jones, Joseph Cotten, Gregory Peck, Lillian Gish and Lionel Barrymore; The Fountainhead (1949), with Gary Cooper; Man Without a Star (1955), with Kirk Douglas, Jeanne Crain, Claire Trevor and William Campbell; War and Peace (1956), with Audrey Hepburn, Henry Fonda, Mel Ferrer, Oskar Homolka, Vittorio Gassman, Herbert Lom, Jeremy Brett, John Mills, and Anita Ekberg; and Solomon and Sheba (1959), with Yul Brynner. Contrary to common belief, he is not related to fellow director Charles Vidor.

Each review will be linked to the title below.

(*seen originally in theaters)

(**seen rereleased in theaters)

  • The Grand Military Parade (1913)
  • Hurricane in Galveston (1913)
  • The Intrigue (1916) – actor
  • The Lost Lie (1918)
  • Bud’s Recruit (1918)
  • The Chocolate of the Gang (1918)
  • Tad’s Swimming Hole (1918)
  • The Accusing Toe (1918)
  • I’m a Man (1918)
  • The Turn in the Road (1919)
  • Better Times (1919) – as King W. Vidor
  • The Other Half (1919) – as King W. Vidor
  • Poor Relations (1919)
  • The Family Honor (1920) – as King W. Vidor
  • The Jack-Knife Man (1920)
  • The Sky Pilot (1921)
  • Love Never Dies (1921)
  • The Real Adventure (1922)
  • Dusk to Dawn (1922)
  • Conquering the Woman (1922)
  • Peg o’ My Heart (1922)
  • The Woman of Bronze (1923)
  • Three Wise Fools (1923)
  • Wild Oranges (1924)
  • Happiness (1924)
  • Wine of Youth (1924)
  • His Hour (1924)
  • The Wife of the Centaur (1924)
  • Proud Flesh (1925)
  • The Big Parade (1925)
  • La Bohème (1926)
  • Bardelys the Magnificent (1926)
  • The Crowd (1928)
  • The Patsy (1928) – aka The Politic Flapper
  • Show People (1928)
  • Hallelujah (1929)
  • Not So Dumb (1930)
  • Billy the Kid (1930) – The Highwayman Rides (US TV title)
  • Street Scene (1931)
  • The Champ (1931)
  • Bird of Paradise (1932)
  • Cynara (1932) – I Was Faithful (US reissue title)
  • The Stranger’s Return (1933)
  • Our Daily Bread (1934)
  • The Wedding Night (1935)
  • So Red the Rose (1935)
  • The Texas Rangers (1936)
  • Stella Dallas (1937)
  • The Citadel (1938)
  • The Wizard of Oz (1939) – Kansas scenes only; uncredited
  • Northwest Passage (1940)
  • Comrade X (1940)
  • H.M. Pulham, Esq. (1941)
  • An American Romance (1944)
  • Duel in the Sun (1946)
  • On Our Merry Way (1948) – aka A Miracle Can Happen
  • The Fountainhead (1949)
  • Beyond the Forest (1949)
  • Lightning Strikes Twice (1951)
  • Japanese War Bride (1952)
  • Ruby Gentry (1952)
  • Light’s Diamond Jubilee (1954) – TV movie
  • Man Without a Star (1955)
  • War and Peace (1956)
  • Solomon and Sheba (1959)
  • Truth and Illusion (1964)
  • The Metaphor (1980) – short