George Waggner
Encyclopedia
George Waggner was an American
film director
, producer
and actor
.
Born in New York City
, he made his film debut as Yousayef in The Sheik
(1921). He later went on to appearances in Western films. The first film he directed was Western Trails (1938) and his most well-known directorial effort arguably remains The Wolf Man (1941). In the 1960s, he directed episodes of the television series Maverick
, Batman
, The Green Hornet
, and The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
. He also directed John Wayne
and Oliver Hardy
wearing coonskin caps
in The Fighting Kentuckian
(1949), in which his daughter, Shy Waggner, appeared in a cameo. Waggner's career in film declined in the 1950s, due to the popularity of television
, and he eventually moved to television late in the decade. Many of his television credits, such as Maverick and Batman, have his name spelled as "george waGGner." He also directed Red Nightmare
, a Cold War
propaganda
film produced by the Department of Defense
and narrated by Jack Webb
.
Waggner wrote the film Queen of the Yukon
with Jack London
.
His wife was Danny Shannon. The couple had only one child, Shy, born in 1924. and two grandchildren Sherry and Robert.
Waggner also directed the following films/episodes made for television
Writer
Producer
Actor
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
film director
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:...
, 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...
and 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...
.
Born in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, he made his film debut as Yousayef in The Sheik
The Sheik (film)
The Sheik is a 1921 silent film produced by Famous Players-Lasky, directed by George Melford and starring Rudolph Valentino, Agnes Ayres, and Adolphe Menjou...
(1921). He later went on to appearances in Western films. The first film he directed was Western Trails (1938) and his most well-known directorial effort arguably remains The Wolf Man (1941). In the 1960s, he directed episodes of the television series Maverick
Maverick (TV series)
Maverick is a western television series with comedic overtones created by Roy Huggins. The show ran from September 22, 1957 to July 8, 1962 on ABC and stars James Garner as Bret Maverick, a cagey, articulate cardsharp. Eight episodes into the first season, he was joined by Jack Kelly as his brother...
, Batman
Batman (TV series)
Batman is an American television series, based on the DC comic book character of the same name. It stars Adam West as Batman and Burt Ward as Robin — two crime-fighting heroes who defend Gotham City. It aired on the American Broadcasting Company network for three seasons from January 12, 1966 to...
, The Green Hornet
The Green Hornet
The Green Hornet is an American radio and television masked vigilante created by George W. Trendle and Fran Striker, with input from radio director James Jewell, in 1936. Since his radio debut in the 1930s, the Green Hornet has appeared in numerous serialized dramas in a wide variety of media...
, and The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
The Man from U.N.C.L.E. is an American television series that was broadcast on NBC from September 22, 1964, to January 15, 1968. It follows the exploits of two secret agents, played by Robert Vaughn and David McCallum, who work for a fictitious secret international espionage and law-enforcement...
. He also directed John Wayne
John Wayne
Marion Mitchell Morrison , better known by his stage name John Wayne, was an American film actor, director and producer. He epitomized rugged masculinity and became an enduring American icon. He is famous for his distinctive calm voice, walk, and height...
and Oliver Hardy
Oliver Hardy
Oliver Hardy was an American comic actor famous as one half of Laurel and Hardy, the classic double act that began in the era of silent films and lasted nearly 30 years, from 1927 to 1955.-Early life:...
wearing coonskin caps
Coonskin cap
A coonskin cap is a hat fashioned from the skin and fur of a raccoon. The original coonskin cap consisted of the entire skin of the raccoon including its head and tail...
in The Fighting Kentuckian
The Fighting Kentuckian
The Fighting Kentuckian American comedy action film starring John Wayne and Oliver Hardy. The movie was written and directed by George Waggner and made by Republic Pictures...
(1949), in which his daughter, Shy Waggner, appeared in a cameo. Waggner's career in film declined in the 1950s, due to the popularity of television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
, and he eventually moved to television late in the decade. Many of his television credits, such as Maverick and Batman, have his name spelled as "george waGGner." He also directed Red Nightmare
Red Nightmare
Red Nightmare is the best known title of Armed Forces Information Film 120, Freedom and You. It was meant to educate the U.S. armed forces about the nature of Communism...
, a Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
propaganda
Propaganda
Propaganda is a form of communication that is aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position so as to benefit oneself or one's group....
film produced by the Department of Defense
United States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
and narrated by Jack Webb
Jack Webb
John Randolph "Jack" Webb , also known by the pseudonym John Randolph, was an American actor, television producer, director and screenwriter, who is most famous for his role as Sergeant Joe Friday in the radio and television series Dragnet...
.
Waggner wrote the film Queen of the Yukon
Queen of the Yukon
Queen Of The Yukon is a 1940 American western film. The film is an adaptation of Jack London's story. Filming took place in Big Bear Lake, California.-Plot:...
with Jack London
Jack London
John Griffith "Jack" London was an American author, journalist, and social activist. He was a pioneer in the then-burgeoning world of commercial magazine fiction and was one of the first fiction writers to obtain worldwide celebrity and a large fortune from his fiction alone...
.
His wife was Danny Shannon. The couple had only one child, Shy, born in 1924. and two grandchildren Sherry and Robert.
Filmography
Director- Western Trails (1938)
- Mystery Plane (1939)
- The Phantom Stage (1939)
- Drums of the Desert (1940)
- The Fatal HourThe Fatal HourThe Fatal Hour is a 1940 American thriller/ crime drama film. It was directed by William Nigh, and starred Boris Karloff, Grant Withers, and Marjorie Reynolds.The film is also known as Mr. Wong at Headquarters in the United Kingdom.-Cast:...
(1940) - Man Made MonsterMan Made MonsterMan-Made Monster is a science fiction horror film released by Universal Pictures. The film stars Lon Chaney Jr. in his horror debut. Man-Made Monster was re-released under various titles including Electric Man and The Mysterious Dr. R...
(1941) - The Wolf Man (1941)
- The Ghost of FrankensteinThe Ghost of FrankensteinThe Ghost of Frankenstein, is an American monster horror film released in 1942. The movie is the fourth in a series of films produced by Universal Studios based upon characters in Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein and features Lon Chaney, Jr...
(1942) - Invisible AgentInvisible AgentInvisible Agent is a 1942 science fiction film from Universal. This movie was a war-time propaganda production that was part of a Hollywood effort to boost morale at the home front. It loosely echoed a series of formula war-horror films produced during this period that typically featured a mad...
(1942)
- The Phantom of the OperaPhantom of the Opera (1943 film)Phantom of the Opera is a 1943 Universal horror film starring Nelson Eddy, Susanna Foster and Claude Rains, directed by Arthur Lubin, and filmed in Technicolor. The original music score was composed by Edward Ward....
(1943) - The Climax (1944)
- The Fighting KentuckianThe Fighting KentuckianThe Fighting Kentuckian American comedy action film starring John Wayne and Oliver Hardy. The movie was written and directed by George Waggner and made by Republic Pictures...
(1949) - Operation PacificOperation PacificOperation Pacific is a 1951 World War II submarine film starring John Wayne and directed by George Waggner. The technical advisor for this film was Admiral Charles A...
(1951) - Red NightmareRed NightmareRed Nightmare is the best known title of Armed Forces Information Film 120, Freedom and You. It was meant to educate the U.S. armed forces about the nature of Communism...
aka Freedom and You and The Commies Are Coming, the Commies Are Coming (1957)
Waggner also directed the following films/episodes made for television
- The Sword of Villon (1956)
- Destination Nightmare (1958)
- Jack the Ripper (1958)
- The VeilThe VeilThe Veil is the title of an American horror/suspense anthology television series produced in 1958 by Hal Roach Studios.The series was hosted by Boris Karloff, who also acted in every episode but one, and was allegedly based upon real-life reports of supernatural happenings and the unexplained...
(1958)
Writer
- Gorilla Ship (1932)
- Air Devils (1938)
- Oklahoma Terror (1939)
- The Fatal HourThe Fatal HourThe Fatal Hour is a 1940 American thriller/ crime drama film. It was directed by William Nigh, and starred Boris Karloff, Grant Withers, and Marjorie Reynolds.The film is also known as Mr. Wong at Headquarters in the United Kingdom.-Cast:...
(1940) - Queen of the YukonQueen of the YukonQueen Of The Yukon is a 1940 American western film. The film is an adaptation of Jack London's story. Filming took place in Big Bear Lake, California.-Plot:...
(1940) - Phantom of ChinatownPhantom of ChinatownPhantom of Chinatown is a 1940 Chinese American mystery film directed by Phil Rosen starring Keye Luke.-Plot:In the middle of a pictorial lecture on his recent expedition to the Mongolian Desert, Dr. John Benton the famous explorer, drinks from the water bottle on his lecture table, collapses and...
(1940) - Drums of the Desert (1940)
- Man Made MonsterMan Made MonsterMan-Made Monster is a science fiction horror film released by Universal Pictures. The film stars Lon Chaney Jr. in his horror debut. Man-Made Monster was re-released under various titles including Electric Man and The Mysterious Dr. R...
(1941) - The Climax (1944)
- The Fighting KentuckianThe Fighting KentuckianThe Fighting Kentuckian American comedy action film starring John Wayne and Oliver Hardy. The movie was written and directed by George Waggner and made by Republic Pictures...
(1949) - Operation PacificOperation PacificOperation Pacific is a 1951 World War II submarine film starring John Wayne and directed by George Waggner. The technical advisor for this film was Admiral Charles A...
(1951) - Pawnee (1957)
Producer
- Badlands of Dakota (1941)
- The Wolf Man (1941)
- The Ghost of FrankensteinThe Ghost of FrankensteinThe Ghost of Frankenstein, is an American monster horror film released in 1942. The movie is the fourth in a series of films produced by Universal Studios based upon characters in Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein and features Lon Chaney, Jr...
(1942) - Invisible AgentInvisible AgentInvisible Agent is a 1942 science fiction film from Universal. This movie was a war-time propaganda production that was part of a Hollywood effort to boost morale at the home front. It loosely echoed a series of formula war-horror films produced during this period that typically featured a mad...
(1942) - Frankenstein Meets the Wolf ManFrankenstein Meets the Wolf ManFrankenstein Meets the Wolf Man, released in 1943, is an American monster horror film produced by Universal Studios starring Lon Chaney, Jr. as the Wolf Man and Bela Lugosi as Frankenstein's monster. This was the first of a series of "ensemble" monster films combining characters from several film...
(1943) - Phantom of the OperaPhantom of the Opera (1943 film)Phantom of the Opera is a 1943 Universal horror film starring Nelson Eddy, Susanna Foster and Claude Rains, directed by Arthur Lubin, and filmed in Technicolor. The original music score was composed by Edward Ward....
(1943) - Cobra WomanCobra WomanCobra Woman is a 1944 American melodrama/adventure film of the South Seas genre, directed by Robert Siodmak. It was mad in and starring Jon Hall, Sabu, Mary Nash, Lon Chaney, Jr. and, in a dual role, Maria Montez...
(1944) - The Climax (1944)
Actor
- The SheikThe Sheik (film)The Sheik is a 1921 silent film produced by Famous Players-Lasky, directed by George Melford and starring Rudolph Valentino, Agnes Ayres, and Adolphe Menjou...
(1921) - The Iron HorseThe Iron Horse (film)The Iron Horse is a silent film directed by John Ford in 1924. It was produced by Fox Film. -Synopsis:The film presents an idealized image of the construction of the American first transcontinental railroad. It culminates with the scene of driving of the golden spike at Promontory Summit on May...
(1924) - Love's Blindness (1926)