George Marshall (director)
Encyclopedia
George E. Marshall was an American
actor
, screenwriter
, producer
, film
and television director
, active through the first six decades of movie history.
Relatively few of Marshall's films are well-known today, with Destry Rides Again
, The Sheepman
, and How the West Was Won
being the biggest exceptions. Marshall co-directed How the West Was Won with John Ford
and Henry Hathaway
, handling the railroad segment, which featured a celebrated buffalo stampede sequence. 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. 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
, Will Rogers
and Laurel and Hardy
.
For his contribution to the film industry, George Marshall has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
at 7048 Hollywood Boulevard
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
, producer
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
, film
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
and television director
Television director
A television director directs the activities involved in making a television program and is part of a television crew.-Duties:The duties of a television director vary depending on whether the production is live or recorded to video tape or video server .In both types of productions, the...
, active through the first six decades of movie history.
Relatively few of Marshall's films are well-known today, with Destry Rides Again
Destry Rides Again
Destry Rides Again is a western starring Marlene Dietrich and James Stewart. The supporting cast includes Mischa Auer, Charles Winninger, Brian Donlevy, Allen Jenkins, Irene Hervey, Billy Gilbert, Bill Cody, Jr., and Una Merkel. The original Max Brand novel was translated into an "oater" with the...
, The Sheepman
The Sheepman
The Sheepman is a tongue-in-cheek 1958 Western film directed by George Marshall and starring Glenn Ford, Shirley MacLaine and Leslie Nielsen.-Plot:...
, and How the West Was Won
How the West Was Won (film)
How the West Was Won is a 1962 American epic Western film. The picture was one of the last "old-fashioned" epic films made by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to enjoy great success. It follows four generations of a family as they move ever westward, from western New York state to the Pacific Ocean...
being the biggest exceptions. Marshall co-directed How the West Was Won with John Ford
John Ford
John Ford was an American film director. He was famous for both his westerns such as Stagecoach, The Searchers, and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, and adaptations of such classic 20th-century American novels as The Grapes of Wrath...
and Henry Hathaway
Henry Hathaway
Henry Hathaway was an American film director and producer. He is best known as a director of Westerns, especially starring John Wayne.-Background:...
, handling the railroad segment, which featured a celebrated buffalo stampede sequence. 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. Later in his career, he was particularly sought after for comedies. He did around half a dozen films each with Bob Hope
Bob Hope
Bob Hope, KBE, KCSG, KSS was a British-born American comedian and actor who appeared in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in radio, television and movies. He was also noted for his work with the US Armed Forces and his numerous USO shows entertaining American military personnel...
and Jerry Lewis
Jerry Lewis
Jerry Lewis is an American comedian, actor, singer, film producer, screenwriter and film director. He is best known for his slapstick humor in film, television, stage and radio. He was originally paired up with Dean Martin in 1946, forming the famed comedy team of Martin and Lewis...
, and also worked with W.C. Fields, Jackie Gleason
Jackie Gleason
Jackie Gleason was an American comedian, actor and musician. He was known for his brash visual and verbal comedy style, especially by his character Ralph Kramden on The Honeymooners, a situation-comedy television series. His most noted film roles were as Minnesota Fats in the drama film The...
, Will Rogers
Will Rogers
William "Will" Penn Adair Rogers was an American cowboy, comedian, humorist, social commentator, vaudeville performer, film actor, and one of the world's best-known celebrities in the 1920s and 1930s....
and Laurel and Hardy
Laurel and Hardy
Laurel and Hardy were one of the most popular and critically acclaimed comedy double acts of the early Classical Hollywood era of American cinema...
.
For his contribution to the film industry, George Marshall has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Hollywood Walk of Fame
The Hollywood Walk of Fame consists of more than 2,400 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along fifteen blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, California...
at 7048 Hollywood Boulevard
Hollywood Boulevard
-Revitalization:In recent years successful efforts have been made at cleaning up Hollywood Blvd., as the street had gained a reputation for crime and seediness. Central to these efforts was the construction of the Hollywood and Highland shopping center and adjacent Kodak Theatre in 2001...
.
Selected filmography
- Across the Rio Grande (1916)
- The Waiters' BallThe Waiters' BallThe Waiters' Ball is a 1916 short comedy film directed by and starring Fatty Arbuckle. Arbuckle's nephew Al St. John has a memorable role as Roscoe's rival.-Cast:* Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle - The Cook* Al St...
(1916) - The Committee on CredentialsThe Committee on CredentialsThe Committee on Credentials is a 1916 silent film featuring Harry Carey. It is based on the novel, The Pride of Palomar, by Peter Bernard Kyne...
(1916) - Love's LariatLove's LariatLove's Lariat is a 1916 silent film featuring Harry Carey.-Cast:* Harry Carey - Sky High* Neal Hart - Skeeter* William Quinn - Allan Landers* Olive Carey - Goldie Le Croix * Pedro León - Cowboy* Joe Rickson - Cowboy...
(1916) - A Woman's EyesA Woman's EyesA Woman's Eyes is a 1916 silent film featuring Harry Carey.-Cast:* Harry Carey* Olive Carey - * Joe Rickson* Doc Crane...
(1916) - The Devil's OwnThe Devil's Own (1916 film)The Devil's Own is a 1916 silent drama film featuring Harry Carey.-Cast:* Harry Carey* Olive Carey - * Joe Rickson...
(1916) - Double Suspicion (1917)
- The Midnight FlyerThe Midnight FlyerThe Midnight Flyer is a 1918 short film directed by George Marshall and starring Hoot Gibson....
(1918) - The Adventures of RuthThe Adventures of RuthThe Adventures of Ruth is a 1919 film serial directed by George Marshall. It is now considered to be lost.-Cast:* Ruth Roland - Ruth Robin* Herbert Heyes - Bob Wright * Thomas G...
(1919) - Ruth of the RockiesRuth of the RockiesRuth of the Rockies is a 1920 Western film serial directed by George Marshall. Two of the 15 episodes survive in the UCLA Film and Television Archive.-Cast:* Ruth Roland - Bab Murphy* Herbert Heyes - Justin Garret* Thomas G...
(1920) - Pack Up Your TroublesPack Up Your TroublesPack Up Your Troubles is a 1932 Laurel and Hardy film directed by George Marshall and Raymond McCarey, named after the World War I song "Pack Up Your Troubles in Your Old Kit-Bag, and smile, smile, smile." It is the team's second feature-length picture....
(1932) (also actor) - Their First MistakeTheir First MistakeTheir First Mistake is a 1932 short film starring Laurel and Hardy, directed by George Marshall and produced by Hal Roach.- Plot :Mrs Hardy is annoyed that her husband Oliver seems to spend more time with his friend Stanley than with her. After a furious argument, Mrs Hardy says that she is through...
(1932) - Towed in a HoleTowed in a HoleTowed in a Hole is a 1932 Laurel and Hardy film.-Plot:Laurel and Hardy are in the fish business. They drive around town seeing if they can sell any. Stan suggests they catch their own fish and keep all the profits. Ollie likes the idea of cutting out the "middleman" so they buy a boat at a junk yard...
(1932) - 365 Nights in Hollywood365 Nights in Hollywood365 Nights in Hollywood is a 1934 American drama film starring Alice Faye and James Dunn. The film was directed by George Marshall.-Cast:* James Dunn as James 'Jimmy' Dale* Alice Faye as Alice Perkins* Frank Mitchell as Percy* Jack Durant as Clarence...
(1934) - Life Begins at FortyLife Begins at Forty (1935 film)Life Begins at Forty is a 1935 black-and-white film starring Will Rogers and Richard Cromwell. It is based on the non-fiction self-help book Life Begins at 40 by Walter B. Pitkin.-Cast:*Will Rogers as Kenesaw H. Clark*Richard Cromwell as Lee Austin...
(1935) - In Old Kentucky (1935)
- Show Them No Mercy! (1935)
- Love Under Fire (1937)
- The Goldwyn FolliesThe Goldwyn FolliesThe Goldwyn Follies is a 1938 Technicolor film written by Ben Hecht, Sid Kuller, Sam Perrin and Arthur Phillips, with music by George Gershwin, Vernon Duke, and Ray Golden, and lyrics by Ira Gershwin. Some sources credit Kurt Weill as one of the composers, but this is apparently incorrect...
(1938) - You Can't Cheat an Honest ManYou Can't Cheat an Honest ManYou Can't Cheat an Honest Man is a comedy film starring and scripted by W. C. Fields.-Production background:Fields plays "Larsen E. Whipsnade", the owner of a shady carnival that is constantly on the run from the law. The whimsical title comes from a line spoken by Fields about ten minutes into...
(1939) - Destry Rides AgainDestry Rides AgainDestry Rides Again is a western starring Marlene Dietrich and James Stewart. The supporting cast includes Mischa Auer, Charles Winninger, Brian Donlevy, Allen Jenkins, Irene Hervey, Billy Gilbert, Bill Cody, Jr., and Una Merkel. The original Max Brand novel was translated into an "oater" with the...
(1939) - The Ghost BreakersThe Ghost BreakersThe Ghost Breakers is a comedy film directed by George Marshall and starring Bob Hope and Paulette Goddard. The movie was adapted by Walter DeLeon from the play The Ghost Breaker by Paul Dickey and Charles W...
(1940) - When the Daltons Rode (1940)
- Pot o' Gold (1941)
- Texas (1941)
- Star Spangled RhythmStar Spangled RhythmStar Spangled Rhythm is a 1943 all-star cast musical film made by Paramount Pictures during World War II as a morale booster. Many of the Hollywood studios produced such films during the war, generally musicals, frequently with flimsy storylines, and with the specific intent of entertaining the...
(1942) - The Forest RangersThe Forest Rangers (film)The Forest Rangers ia a 1942 adventure film made by Paramount Pictures, directed by George Marshall, and written by Harold Shumate, based on story by Thelma Strabel.-Cast:*Fred MacMurray as Don Stuart*Paulette Goddard as Celia Huston Stuart...
(1942) - Murder, He SaysMurder, He SaysMurder, He Says is a slapstick comedy film about a murderous rural family and the hapless pollster who becomes entangled in their hunt for a cache of money.-Plot:...
(1945) - The Blue DahliaThe Blue DahliaThe Blue Dahlia is a 1946 film noir, directed by George Marshall and written by Raymond Chandler. The film marks the third pairing of stars Alan Ladd and Veronica Lake.-Plot:...
(1946) - Monsieur BeaucaireMonsieur Beaucaire (1946 film)Monsieur Beaucaire is a 1946 comedy film starring Bob Hope as the title character, the barber of King Louis XV of France. It is loosely based on the novel of the same name by Booth Tarkington.-Cast:*Bob Hope as Monsieur Beaucaire*Joan Caulfield as Mimi...
(1946) - The Perils of PaulineThe Perils of Pauline (1947 film)The Perils of Pauline is a 1947 American film directed by George Marshall and released by Paramount Pictures. The movie is a fictionalized Hollywood account of silent film star Pearl White's rise to fame, starring Betty Hutton as White....
(1947) - Variety GirlVariety GirlVariety Girl is an all-star movie musical produced by Paramount Pictures. Numerous Paramount contract players and directors make cameos or perform songs, with particularly large amounts of screen time featuring Bing Crosby...
(1947) - Tap RootsTap RootsTap Roots is a 1948 period film set during the American Civil War. It is very loosely based on the true life story of Newton Knight, a farm owner who attempted to secede Jones County from Mississippi....
(1948) - My Friend IrmaMy Friend Irma (film)My Friend Irma is a comedy film directed by George Marshall and is most notable as the film debut of comedy team Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis...
(1949) - Never a Dull MomentNever a Dull Moment (1950 film)Never a Dull Moment is a 1950 RKO comedy film starring Irene Dunne and Fred MacMurray. The film is based on the 1943 book Who Could Ask For Anything More? by Kay Swift.-Cast:*Irene Dunne ... Kay*Fred MacMurray ... Chris*William Demarest ... Mears...
(1950) - Fancy Pants (1950)
- The SavageThe SavageThe Savage is a 1952 Western film directed by George Marshall and starring Charlton Heston. Much of the film was shot in the Black Hills of South Dakota.-Plot synopsis:...
(1952) - Scared Stiff (1953)
- HoudiniHoudini (film)Houdini is a 1953 biographical film about the life of the magician and escapologist Harry Houdini. It was made by Paramount Pictures, directed by George Marshall and produced by George Pal from a screenplay by Philip Yordan, based on the book Houdini by Harold Kellock. The music score was by Roy...
(1953) - Red GartersRed Garters (film)Red Garters is a 1954 film starring Rosemary Clooney, Guy Mitchell, and Jack Carson. It was a musical spoof of Westerns. The director was George Marshall....
(1954) - DestryDestryDestry is a commune in the Moselle department in Lorraine in north-eastern France....
(1954) - The Guns of Fort PetticoatThe Guns of Fort PetticoatThe Guns of Fort Petticoat is a 1957 Technicolor Western produced by Harry Joe Brown and Audie Murphy for Columbia Pictures. It was based on the 1955 short story "Petticoat Brigade" by Chester William Harrison that he expanded into a novelization for the film's release. It was directed by George...
(1957) - The SheepmanThe SheepmanThe Sheepman is a tongue-in-cheek 1958 Western film directed by George Marshall and starring Glenn Ford, Shirley MacLaine and Leslie Nielsen.-Plot:...
(1958) - Imitation GeneralImitation GeneralImitation General is a 1958 war/comedy film starring Glenn Ford, Red Buttons and Taina Elg.-Plot summary:In the aftermath of a big battle, Brigadier General Charles Lane , Master Sergeant Murphy "Murph" Savage and Corporal Chan Derby find themselves cut off...
(1958) - The Mating GameThe Mating Game (film)The Mating Game is an MGM color film made in 1959 and starring Debbie Reynolds, Tony Randall and Paul Douglas in his final screen appearance. Reynolds sings the title song during the opening credits....
(1959) - It Started with a Kiss (1959)
- The GazeboThe GazeboThe Gazebo is a 1959 black comedy film about a married couple who are being blackmailed. It was based on the play of the same name by Alec Coppel.Helen Rose was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Costume Design, Black-and-White.-Plot:...
(1959) - How the West Was WonHow the West Was Won (film)How the West Was Won is a 1962 American epic Western film. The picture was one of the last "old-fashioned" epic films made by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to enjoy great success. It follows four generations of a family as they move ever westward, from western New York state to the Pacific Ocean...
(1962) (the railroad scenes) - Advance to the RearAdvance to the RearAdvance to the Rear is a light-hearted 1964 western comedy film set in the American Civil War. It stars Glenn Ford, Stella Stevens and Melvyn Douglas and is directed by George Marshall. The film is based on the 1957 novel Company of Cowards by Jack Schaefer, with the film having that title in...
(1964) - Boy, Did I Get a Wrong Number!Boy, Did I Get a Wrong Number!Boy, Did I Get a Wrong Number! is a 1966 American comedy film starring Bob Hope and Elke Sommer.- Plot :A gorgeous actress named Didi has become more famous for commercials involving bubble baths than for acting...
(1966) - Eight on the LamEight on the LamEight on the Lam is a 1967 film directed by George Marshall. It stars Bob Hope and Phyllis Diller.-Cast:*Bob Hope as Henry Dimsdale*Phyllis Diller as Golda*Jonathan Winters as Police Sgt. Jasper Lynch / Mother Lynch*Shirley Eaton as Ellie Barton...
(1967) - Hook, Line & SinkerHook, Line & Sinker (1969 film)Hook, Line & Sinker is a 1969 American film. It was filmed from April 1-June 20, 1968. It was released on June 6, 1969 by Columbia Pictures. This film was also Lewis' last for Columbia.-Plot:...
(1969)
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Result | Category | Film |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | Western Heritage Awards | Won | Theatrical Motion Picture | How the West Was Won (shared with John Ford John Ford John Ford was an American film director. He was famous for both his westerns such as Stagecoach, The Searchers, and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, and adaptations of such classic 20th-century American novels as The Grapes of Wrath... , Henry Hathaway Henry Hathaway Henry Hathaway was an American film director and producer. He is best known as a director of Westerns, especially starring John Wayne.-Background:... , and James R. Webb) |
| 1967 | Laurel Awards | Nominated | Director | |