Richard Thorpe

Directing

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 Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6101 Hollywood Blvd. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Filmography Movies

Acting

MOVIE

Flames of Desire

8.0(0.0K)

Daniel Strathmore, has wealth and influence. He forms an infatuation for a beautiful adventuress and when a friend interferes he fights him and the friend is accidentally killed. Strathmore takes care of the friend's daughter, who later falls in love with him. She forgives the past and they marry. A lost film.

Burn 'Em Up Barnes

5.0(0.0K)

Car racer Burn 'em Up Barnes, son of a wealthy manufacturer, leaves home to make his own way in the world. After being robbed by hoodlums, Barnes joins a group of hobos who take him in and show him the carefree life.

Three O'Clock in the Morning

7.0(0.0K)

Impulsive flapper Elizabeth Winthrop, rebels against her parents and moves to New York after breaking with her fiance, Clayton Webster. Hugo Von Strohm, a wealthy playboy, procures Elizabeth a job as a chorus dancer and secretly pays her salary. After he tries to seduce her, Elizabeth sees through his kindnesses and returns to her parents and Clayton.

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Three O'Clock in the Morning

Clayton Webster

Production

MOVIE

Double Wedding

6.4(0.0K)

A bohemian free spirit helps meek Waldo win back his fiancée and falls in love with her over-controlling sister in the process.

Above Suspicion

6.2(0.0K)

Two newlyweds spy on the Nazis for the British Secret Service during their honeymoon in Europe.

Ivanhoe

6.8(0.2K)

Sir Walter Scott's classic story of the chivalrous Ivanhoe who joins with Robin of Locksley in the fight against Prince John and for the return of King Richard the Lionheart.

King of the Wild

4.2(0.0K)

Richard Grant, imprisoned in India for a crime he did not commit, escapes and makes his way to Africa.

The Honeymoon Machine

6.5(0.0K)

Lt. Fergie Howard teams up with Lt. Beau Gilliam and Navy scientist Jason Eldridge to turn a supercomputer with missile-tracking capabilities into a tool to predict where a roulette ball will land. They dock in Venice, Italy, and begin making a killing at the casino, but their shore-to-ship signals get misinterpreted as signs of attack by Adm. Fitch, putting a serious crimp in the officers' get-rich-quick scheme.

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The Honeymoon Machine

Director

MOVIE

Tarzan Finds a Son!

6.2(0.1K)

A young couple die in a plane crash in the jungle. Their son is found by Tarzan and Jane who name him Boy and raise him as their own. Five years later a search party comes to find the young heir to millions of dollars. Jane agrees, against Tarzan's will, to lead them to civilization.

Tarzan's New York Adventure

6.4(0.1K)

Circus owner Buck Rand kidnaps Boy to perform in his show. He forces a pilot to fly him, Boy and his animal trainer out of the jungle. Tarzan and Jane follow them to New York.

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Tarzan's New York Adventure

Director

MOVIE

Tarzan's Secret Treasure

5.9(0.1K)

A scientific expedition happens to discover that gold exists on Tarzan's escarpment. The villainous Medford and Vandermeer kidnap Jane and Boy to extort from Tarzan the location of the gold.

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Tarzan's Secret Treasure

Director

MOVIE

The Prisoner of Zenda

6.9(0.1K)

A kingdom's ascending heir, marked for assassination, switches identities with a lookalike, who takes his place at the coronation. When the real king is kidnapped, his followers try to find him, while the stand-in falls in love with the king's intended bride, the beautiful Princess Flavia.

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The Prisoner of Zenda

Director