About

Known credits:
73
Birthday:
1890-01-10
Place of birth:
Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
Website:
N/A

Joseph Santley

Overview

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Joseph Mansfield Santley (born Joseph Ishmael Mansfield, January 10, 1890 – August 8, 1971) was an American actor, singer, dancer, writer, director, and producer of musical theatrical plays motion pictures and television shows. He adopted the stage name of his stepfather, actor Eugene Santley.

Joseph Santley was born in Salt Lake City, Utah. As a boy, he and older brother Fred began performing in live theatre appearing in summer stock and touring with their parents. In 1906, at age seventeen, Joseph Santley co-wrote and starred on Broadway in the play, Billy the Kid. In 1907, he acted in film for the first time for Sidney Olcott at the Kalem Company in a silent Western film short called Pony Express.

In 1928, Santley directed his first motion picture, a short talkie for Paramount Pictures that featured singer Ruth Etting. The next year, Paramount had Santley direct three more films that were short singing productions, one with Etting, another with crooner Rudy Vallee, plus a third titled High Hat with Broadway singing star Alice Boulden. Also, he directed A Ziegfeld Midnight Frolic, a musical film featuring Eddie Cantor along with Eddie Elkins and his orchestra. In 1929, Joseph Santley co-directed, with Robert Florey, the first Marx Brothers feature film The Cocoanuts, a musical comedy for which he is most famous. Based on the George S. Kaufman play, and with music by Irving Berlin, the film was billed as "Paramount's All Talking-Singing Musical Comedy Hit." His other notable directorial efforts include 1935's Harmony Lane, a biographical musical on the life of composer Stephen Foster. In 1940, he directed Melody Ranch starring "singing cowboy" Gene Autry. The film has been deemed "culturally significant" by the Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry.

During World War II, Joseph Santley worked for the war effort and in 1942 made the film Remember Pearl Harbor. In 1950, he made his last feature film but came back at age sixty-five to produce the 1954-55 television comedy The Mickey Rooney Show. In 1956, he put together two segments of Jazz Ball, a made-for-TV musical revue created from various filmed performances by jazz greats from the 1930s to the 1950s.

Joseph Santley died in 1971 in Los Angeles.

Known for

Directing
1950 When You're Smiling Directing Director N/A
N/A
1949 Make Believe Ballroom Directing Director 58
Average
1946 Shadow of a Woman Directing Director 58
Average
1945 Hitchhike to Happiness Directing Director 59
Average
1945 Earl Carroll Vanities Directing Director 58
Average
1944 Brazil Directing Director 58
Average
1944 Three Little Sisters Directing Director N/A
N/A
1944 Goodnight, Sweetheart Directing Director N/A
N/A
1944 Jamboree Directing Director 58
Average
1944 Rosie the Riveter Directing Director 59
Average
1943 Here Comes Elmer Directing Director N/A
N/A
1943 Sleepy Lagoon Directing Director 58
Average
1943 Thumbs Up Directing Director 59
Average
1943 Chatterbox Directing Director N/A
N/A
1943 Shantytown Directing Director 59
Average
1942 Call of the Canyon Directing Director 58
Average
1942 Joan of Ozark Directing Director N/A
N/A
1942 Yokel Boy Directing Director 58
Average
1942 A Tragedy at Midnight Directing Director 58
Average
1942 Remember Pearl Harbor Directing Director 59
Average
1941 Down Mexico Way Directing Director N/A
N/A
1941 Ice-Capades Directing Director 58
Average
1941 Puddin' Head Directing Director 59
Average
1941 Rookies on Parade Directing Director N/A
N/A
1941 Sis Hopkins Directing Director 59
Average
1940 Behind the News Directing Director N/A
N/A
1940 Dancing on a Dime Directing Director 58
Average
1940 Melody and Moonlight Directing Director 58
Average
1940 Melody Ranch Directing Director 58
Average
1940 Music in My Heart Directing Director 58
Average
1939 Two Bright Boys Directing Director N/A
N/A
1939 The Family Next Door Directing Director 58
Average
1939 The Spirit of Culver Directing Director N/A
N/A
1938 Swing, Sister, Swing Directing Director N/A
N/A
1938 Always in Trouble Directing Director 59
Average
1938 Blond Cheat Directing Director 58
Average
1937 She's Got Everything Directing Director 59
Average
1937 There Goes the Groom Directing Director 59
Average
1937 Meet the Missus Directing Director 58
Average
1936 Smartest Girl in Town Directing Director 59
Average
1936 Walking on Air Directing Director 59
Average
1936 We Went to College Directing Director 58
Average
1936 The Harvester Directing Director N/A
N/A
1936 Laughing Irish Eyes Directing Director N/A
N/A
1936 Dancing Feet Directing Director 58
Average
1936 Her Master's Voice Directing Director 59
Average
1935 Beautiful Dreamer Directing Director N/A
N/A
1935 Frisco Waterfront Directing Director N/A
N/A
1935 Harmony Lane Directing Director 58
Average
1935 Waterfront Lady Directing Director 59
Average
1934 Million Dollar Baby Directing Director N/A
N/A
1934 Young and Beautiful Directing Director 58
Average
1934 The Loudspeaker Directing Director N/A
N/A
1931 Oh! Oh! Cleopatra Directing Director 58
Average
1930 Swing High Directing Director 59
Average
1929 Radio Rhythm Directing Director N/A
N/A
1929 All Americans Directing Director 58
Average
1929 Two Americans Directing Director N/A
N/A
1929 The Cocoanuts Directing Director 59
Average
1929 A Ziegfeld Midnight Frolic Directing Director 58
Average
1929 His College Chums Directing Director N/A
N/A
1929 Ruth Etting in Favorite Melodies Directing Director 58
Average

Writing
1938 The Return of Carol Deane Writing Story N/A
N/A
1936 Mad Holiday Writing Story 59
Average
1935 Harmony Lane Writing Screenplay 58
Average
1934 Million Dollar Baby Writing Story N/A
N/A
1934 Million Dollar Baby Writing Screenplay N/A
N/A
1934 Young and Beautiful Writing Story 58
Average
1934 I Like it That Way Writing Screenplay 59
Average
1933 The House on 56th Street Writing Story 58
Average
1931 Oh! Oh! Cleopatra Writing Story 58
Average
1930 The Life of the Party Writing Story 59
Average
1930 Swing High Writing Writer 59
Average