About

Known credits:
60
Birthday:
1908-07-02
Place of birth:
Chicago, Illinois
Website:
N/A

Phil Karlson

Overview

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Phil Karlson (July 2, 1908, Chicago, Illinois – December 12, 1985, Los Angeles, California) was a film director known for his no-nonsense film noirs. Karlson directed 99 River Street, Kansas City Confidential and Hell's Island all with actor John Payne in the early 1950s. Other films include Rocky (1948), The Phenix City Story (1955), 5 Against the House (1955) and The Young Doctors (1961).

Phil Karlson was the son of popular Irish actress Lillian O'Brien.

He studied painting at Chicago's Art Institute, and law, at his father's request, at Loyola Marymount University in California.

Karlson got into the film industry working as a prop man while a law student. After working a number of film jobs, including being an assistant director for a number of Abbott and Costello films, Karlson directed his first film in 1944 and in 1948 directed the first film starring Marilyn Monroe, Ladies of the Chorus. He worked on a number of low-budget projects for Monogram Pictures and Eagle-Lion Films before making his mark in 1950. It was then that he was known for directing tough, realistic and sometimes violent gritty crime films. In the 1960s the quality of his directed films declined, which included working on Kid Galahad (1962) with Elvis Presley and two Dean Martin Matt Helm spy films, including The Wrecking Crew (1969) co-starring Sharon Tate and Elke Sommer. He had his biggest success in 1973 when he directed the hit film, Walking Tall. The film made the director a rich man many times over, thanks to the fact that he owned a huge part of the movie.

Description above from the Wikipedia article Phil Karlson, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Known for

Directing
1975 Framed Directing Director 59
Average
1973 Walking Tall Directing Director 60
Fair
1972 Ben Directing Director 58
Average
1970 Hornets' Nest Directing Director 58
Average
1968 The Wrecking Crew Directing Director 58
Average
1968 Alexander The Great Directing Director 58
Average
1967 A Time for Killing Directing Director 58
Average
1966 The Silencers Directing Director 59
Average
1964 Ride the Wild Surf Directing Director 58
Average
1963 Rampage Directing Director 58
Average
1962 Kid Galahad Directing Director 59
Average
1961 The Young Doctors Directing Director 59
Average
1961 The Secret Ways Directing Director 58
Average
1960 Key Witness Directing Director 59
Average
1960 Hell to Eternity Directing Director 59
Average
1959 The Scarface Mob Directing Director 59
Average
1958 Gunman's Walk Directing Director 59
Average
1957 The Brothers Rico Directing Director 59
Average
1955 The Phenix City Story Directing Director 59
Average
1955 5 Against the House Directing Director 58
Average
1955 Hell's Island Directing Director 58
Average
1955 Tight Spot Directing Director 59
Average
1954 They Rode West Directing Director 59
Average
1953 99 River Street Directing Director 60
Fair
1952 Kansas City Confidential Directing Director 61
Fair
1952 The Brigand Directing Director 58
Average
1952 Scandal Sheet Directing Director 60
Fair
1951 Mask of the Avenger Directing Director 58
Average
1951 The Texas Rangers Directing Director 59
Average
1951 Lorna Doone Directing Director 58
Average
1950 The Iroquois Trail Directing Director 59
Average
1949 Down Memory Lane Directing Director N/A
N/A
1949 The Big Cat Directing Director 58
Average
1948 Ladies of the Chorus Directing Director 59
Average
1948 Thunderhoof Directing Director N/A
N/A
1948 Adventures in Silverado Directing Director 59
Average
1948 Rocky Directing Director N/A
N/A
1947 Louisiana Directing Director N/A
N/A
1947 Black Gold Directing Director 58
Average
1947 Kilroy Was Here Directing Director 59
Average
1946 Wife Wanted Directing Director 59
Average
1946 The Missing Lady Directing Director 58
Average
1946 Bowery Bombshell Directing Director 59
Average
1946 Dark Alibi Directing Director 59
Average
1946 Behind the Mask Directing Director 58
Average
1946 Swing Parade of 1946 Directing Director 58
Average
1946 Live Wires Directing Director 58
Average
1945 The Shanghai Cobra Directing Director 59
Average
1945 G.I. Honeymoon Directing Director N/A
N/A
1945 There Goes Kelly Directing Director 58
Average
1944 A Wave, a WAC and a Marine Directing Director 59
Average
1941 It Started with Eve Directing Assistant Director 59
Average
1941 The Flame of New Orleans Directing Assistant Director 58
Average
1941 In the Navy Directing Assistant Director 59
Average
1940 Seven Sinners Directing Assistant Director 59
Average
1940 The Invisible Man Returns Directing Assistant Director 59
Average
1935 Manhattan Moon Directing Assistant Director N/A
N/A
1935 Werewolf of London Directing Assistant Director 59
Average
1934 Great Expectations Directing Assistant Director 58
Average
1934 Romance in the Rain Directing Assistant Director N/A
N/A