Richard Thorpe

Biography

Richard Thorpe (February 24, 1896 - May 1, 1991) was an American film director. Born Rollo Smolt Thorpe in Hutchinson, Kansas, he began his entertainment career performing in vaudeville and onstage. In 1921 he began in motion pictures as an actor and directed his first silent film in 1923. He went on to direct more than one hundred and eighty films. The first full length motion picture he directed for MGM was Last of the Pagans (1935) starring Ray Mala. After directing The Last Challenge in 1967, he retired from the film industry. He died in Palm Springs, California in 1991. Thorpe is also known as the original director of The Wizard of Oz. He was fired after two weeks of shooting, because it was felt that his scenes did not have the right air of fantasy about them. Thorpe notoriously gave Judy Garland a blonde wig and cutesy "baby-doll" makeup that made her look like a girl in her late teens rather than an innocent Kansas farm girl of about thirteen. Both makeup and wig were discarded at the suggestion of George Cukor, who was brought in temporarily. Stills from Thorpe's work on the film survive today. For his contribution to the motion picture industry, Thorpe has a star on the…

Directed

1. Ivanhoe (1952) — Director
2. Jailhouse Rock (1957) — Director
3. Tarzan Escapes (1936) — Director
4. The Thin Man Goes Home (1944) — Director
5. Tarzan Finds a Son! (1939) — Director
6. Tarzan's New York Adventure (1942) — Director
7. Knights of the Round Table (1953) — Director
8. Fun in Acapulco (1963) — Director
9. Tarzan's Secret Treasure (1941) — Director
10. The Prisoner of Zenda (1952) — Director
11. Vengeance Valley (1951) — Director
12. Night Must Fall (1937) — Director
13. Above Suspicion (1943) — Director
14. Double Wedding (1937) — Director
15. The Last Challenge (1967) — Director
16. Black Hand (1950) — Director
17. The Honeymoon Machine (1961) — Director
18. That Funny Feeling (1965) — Director
19. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1939) — Director
20. A Date with Judy (1948) — Director
21. The Great Caruso (1951) — Director
22. Carbine Williams (1952) — Director
23. All the Brothers Were Valiant (1953) — Director
24. Quentin Durward (1955) — Director
25. Three Little Words (1950) — Director
26. On an Island with You (1948) — Director
27. The Truth About Spring (1965) — Director
28. The Student Prince (1954) — Director
29. Malaya (1949) — Director
30. Cry 'Havoc' (1943) — Director
31. The Unknown Man (1951) — Director
32. The House of the Seven Hawks (1959) — Director
33. Grief Street (1931) — Director
34. The Tartars (1961) — Director
35. The Devil Plays (1931) — Director
36. Challenge to Lassie (1949) — Director
37. Her Highness and the Bellboy (1945) — Director
38. Two Girls and a Sailor (1944) — Director
39. The Girl Who Had Everything (1953) — Director
40. Cross-Examination (1932) — Director

Also appeared in

1. Burn 'Em Up Barnes (1921) — Stephen Thompson
2. Flames of Desire (1924) — Dick Langton
3. Three O'Clock in the Morning (1923) — Clayton Webster