Richard Thorpe

Known for: Directing
Born: February 24, 1896, Hutchinson, Kansas, USA
Died: May 1, 1991
Movies: 150

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 Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6101 Hollywood Blvd.

Best-Known Movies

6.8

Ivanhoe

1952

6.3

Jailhouse Rock

1957

6.9

Tarzan Escapes

1936

7.1

The Thin Man Goes Home

1944

6.1

Tarzan Finds a Son!

1939

6.4

Tarzan's New York Adventure

1942

6.0

Knights of the Round Table

1953

5.9

Fun in Acapulco

1963

5.9

Tarzan's Secret Treasure

1941

6.9

The Prisoner of Zenda

1952

Filmography

1924	Flames of Desire	Dick Langton
1923	Three O'Clock in the Morning	Clayton Webster
1921	Burn 'Em Up Barnes	Stephen Thompson

Directing, Writing & Producing

1967	The Scorpio Letters	Director, Producer
1967	The Last Challenge	Director, Producer
1965	That Funny Feeling	Director
1965	The Truth About Spring	Director
1964	The Golden Head	Director
1963	Fun in Acapulco	Director
1963	Follow the Boys	Director
1962	The Horizontal Lieutenant	Director
1961	The Honeymoon Machine	Director
1961	The Tartars	Director
1959	The House of the Seven Hawks	Director
1959	Killers of Kilimanjaro	Director
1957	Tip on a Dead Jockey	Director
1957	Ten Thousand Bedrooms	Director
1957	Jailhouse Rock	Director
1955	Quentin Durward	Director
1955	The Prodigal	Director
1955	Bedevilled	Director
1954	Athena	Director
1954	The Student Prince	Director
1953	Knights of the Round Table	Director
1953	All the Brothers Were Valiant	Director
1953	The Girl Who Had Everything	Director
1952	The Prisoner of Zenda	Director
1952	Ivanhoe	Director
1952	Carbine Williams	Director
1951	It's a Big Country	Director
1951	The Unknown Man	Director
1951	The Great Caruso	Director
1951	Vengeance Valley	Director
1950	Three Little Words	Director
1950	Black Hand	Director
1949	Malaya	Director
1949	Challenge to Lassie	Director
1949	The Sun Comes Up	Director
1949	Big Jack	Director
1948	A Date with Judy	Director
1948	On an Island with You	Director
1947	This Time for Keeps	Director
1947	Fiesta	Director
1945	What Next, Corporal Hargrove?	Director
1945	Her Highness and the Bellboy	Director
1945	Thrill of a Romance	Director
1944	The Thin Man Goes Home	Director
1944	Two Girls and a Sailor	Director
1943	Cry 'Havoc'	Director
1943	Above Suspicion	Director
1943	Three Hearts for Julia	Director
1942	White Cargo	Director
1942	Apache Trail	Director
1942	Tarzan's New York Adventure	Director
1942	Joe Smith, American	Director
1941	Tarzan's Secret Treasure	Director
1941	Barnacle Bill	Director
1941	The Bad Man	Director
1940	Wyoming	Director
1940	20 Mule Team	Director
1940	The Earl of Chicago	Director
1939	Tarzan Finds a Son!	Director
1939	The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn	Director
1938	Three Loves Has Nancy	Director
1938	The Crowd Roars	Director
1938	The Toy Wife	Director
1938	The First Hundred Years	Director
1938	Love Is a Headache	Director
1938	Man-Proof	Director
1937	Double Wedding	Director
1937	Lest We Forget	Director
1937	Night Must Fall	Director
1937	Dangerous Number	Director
1936	Tarzan Escapes	Director
1936	The Voice of Bugle Ann	Director
1935	Last of the Pagans	Director
1934	Secret of the Chateau	Director
1934	Strange Wives	Director
1934	Cheating Cheaters	Director
1934	Green Eyes	Director
1934	City Park	Director
1934	Stolen Sweets	Director
1934	The Quitter	Director
1933	Murder on the Campus	Director
1933	Rainbow Over Broadway	Director
1933	A Man of Sentiment	Director
1933	Notorious But Nice	Director
1933	Strange People	Director
1933	I Have Lived	Director
1933	Forgotten	Director
1932	The Secrets of Wu Sin	Director
1932	Women Won't Tell	Director
1932	Slightly Married	Director
1932	The King Murder	Director
1932	Thrill of Youth	Director
1932	Beauty Parlor	Director
1932	The Midnight Lady	Director
1932	Escapade	Director
1932	Probation	Director
1932	Murder at Dawn	Director
1932	Cross-Examination	Director
1931	The Devil Plays	Director
1931	Forgotten Women	Director
1931	Neck and Neck	Director
1931	Grief Street	Director
1931	The Sky Spider	Director
1931	Wild Horse	Director
1931	The Lady from Nowhere	Director
1931	The Lawless Woman	Director
1931	King of the Wild	Director
1930	The Utah Kid	Director
1930	Under Montana Skies	Director
1930	The Thoroughbred	Director
1930	Wings of Adventure	Director
1930	The Dude Wrangler	Director
1930	The Lone Defender	Director
1929	The King of the Kongo	Director
1929	Border Romance	Director
1929	The Bachelor Girl	Director
1929	The Fatal Warning	Director
1928	The Flyin' Buckaroo	Director, Writer
1928	The Vanishing West	Director
1928	Vultures of the Sea	Director
1928	The Valley Of Hunted Men	Writer, Director
1928	The Ballyhoo Buster	Director, Writer
1927	The Desert of the Lost	Director, Writer
1927	Roarin' Broncs	Director, Writer
1927	The Obligin' Buckaroo	Director, Writer
1927	The Soda Water Cowboy	Director
1927	Skedaddle Gold	Director, Writer
1927	The Meddlin' Stranger	Director
1927	The Ridin' Rowdy	Writer, Director
1927	Tearin' Into Trouble	Director
1927	Between Dangers	Director, Writer
1926	Josselyn's Wife	Director
1926	College Days	Director
1926	The Interferin' Gent	Director
1926	Twisted Triggers	Director
1926	Double Daring	Director, Writer
1926	Easy Going	Director
1926	Ridin' Rivals	Director
1926	The Fighting Cheat	Director
1926	The Roaring Rider	Director
1925	The Desert Demon	Director
1925	Tearin' Loose	Writer, Director
1925	On the Go	Writer, Director
1924	Thundering Romance	Director
1924	Bringin' Home the Bacon	Director
1924	Hard-Hittin' Hamilton	Director
1924	Fast and Fearless	Director

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