About

Known credits:
158
Birthday:
1896-02-24
Place of birth:
Hutchinson, Kansas, USA
Website:
N/A

Richard Thorpe

Overview

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

Known for

Acting
1924 Flames of Desire Actor Dick Langton N/A
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1923 Three O'Clock in the Morning Actor Clayton Webster N/A
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1921 Burn 'Em Up Barnes Actor Stephen Thompson 58
Average

Directing
2004 Mario Lanza as THE GREAT CARUSO Directing Director N/A
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1967 The Last Challenge Directing Director 59
Average
1967 The Scorpio Letters Directing Director 59
Average
1965 That Funny Feeling Directing Director 59
Average
1965 The Truth About Spring Directing Director 59
Average
1964 The Golden Head Directing Director 58
Average
1963 Fun in Acapulco Directing Director 58
Average
1963 Follow the Boys Directing Director 58
Average
1962 How the West Was Won Directing Special Guest Director 64
Fair
1962 The Horizontal Lieutenant Directing Director 58
Average
1961 The Honeymoon Machine Directing Director 59
Average
1961 The Tartars Directing Director 58
Average
1959 The House of the Seven Hawks Directing Director 59
Average
1959 Killers of Kilimanjaro Directing Director 58
Average
1957 Jailhouse Rock Directing Director 59
Average
1957 Tip on a Dead Jockey Directing Director 59
Average
1957 Ten Thousand Bedrooms Directing Director 58
Average
1955 Quentin Durward Directing Director 58
Average
1955 The Prodigal Directing Director 58
Average
1955 Bedevilled Directing Director 59
Average
1954 Athena Directing Director 59
Average
1954 The Student Prince Directing Director 59
Average
1953 Knights of the Round Table Directing Director 58
Average
1953 All the Brothers Were Valiant Directing Director 59
Average
1953 The Girl Who Had Everything Directing Director 58
Average
1952 The Prisoner of Zenda Directing Director 59
Average
1952 Ivanhoe Directing Director 61
Fair
1952 Carbine Williams Directing Director 59
Average
1951 It's a Big Country Directing Director 58
Average
1951 The Unknown Man Directing Director 58
Average
1951 The Great Caruso Directing Director 59
Average
1951 Vengeance Valley Directing Director 58
Average
1950 Three Little Words Directing Director 58
Average
1950 Black Hand Directing Director 58
Average
1949 Malaya Directing Director 58
Average
1949 Challenge to Lassie Directing Director 58
Average
1949 The Sun Comes Up Directing Director 58
Average
1949 Big Jack Directing Director 59
Average
1948 A Date with Judy Directing Director 58
Average
1948 On an Island with You Directing Director 58
Average
1947 This Time for Keeps Directing Director 59
Average
1947 Fiesta Directing Director 58
Average
1945 What Next, Corporal Hargrove? Directing Director 58
Average
1945 Her Highness and the Bellboy Directing Director 59
Average
1945 Thrill of a Romance Directing Director 58
Average
1944 The Thin Man Goes Home Directing Director 60
Fair
1944 Two Girls and a Sailor Directing Director 58
Average
1943 Cry 'Havoc' Directing Director 58
Average
1943 Above Suspicion Directing Director 59
Average
1943 Three Hearts for Julia Directing Director 59
Average
1942 White Cargo Directing Director 58
Average
1942 Apache Trail Directing Director 59
Average
1942 Tarzan's New York Adventure Directing Director 59
Average
1942 Joe Smith, American Directing Director 58
Average
1941 Tarzan's Secret Treasure Directing Director 58
Average
1941 Barnacle Bill Directing Director 59
Average
1941 The Bad Man Directing Director 59
Average
1940 Wyoming Directing Director 59
Average
1940 20 Mule Team Directing Director 59
Average
1940 The Earl of Chicago Directing Director 59
Average
1939 Tarzan Finds a Son! Directing Director 59
Average
1939 The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Directing Director 59
Average
1938 Three Loves Has Nancy Directing Director 58
Average
1938 The Crowd Roars Directing Director 59
Average
1938 The Toy Wife Directing Director 58
Average
1938 The First Hundred Years Directing Director 59
Average
1938 Love Is a Headache Directing Director 58
Average
1938 Man-Proof Directing Director 58
Average
1937 Double Wedding Directing Director 59
Average
1937 Lest We Forget Directing Director N/A
N/A
1937 Night Must Fall Directing Director 59
Average
1937 Dangerous Number Directing Director 58
Average
1936 Tarzan Escapes Directing Director 59
Average
1936 The Voice of Bugle Ann Directing Director 59
Average
1935 Last of the Pagans Directing Director 59
Average
1934 Secret of the Chateau Directing Director 59
Average
1934 Strange Wives Directing Director N/A
N/A
1934 Cheating Cheaters Directing Director N/A
N/A
1934 Green Eyes Directing Director 58
Average
1934 City Park Directing Director N/A
N/A
1934 Stolen Sweets Directing Director 58
Average
1934 The Quitter Directing Director N/A
N/A
1933 Murder on the Campus Directing Director 59
Average
1933 Rainbow Over Broadway Directing Director 59
Average
1933 A Man of Sentiment Directing Director N/A
N/A
1933 Notorious But Nice Directing Director 59
Average
1933 Strange People Directing Director 58
Average
1933 I Have Lived Directing Director N/A
N/A
1933 Forgotten Directing Director 59
Average
1932 The Secrets of Wu Sin Directing Director N/A
N/A
1932 Women Won't Tell Directing Director N/A
N/A
1932 Slightly Married Directing Director 59
Average
1932 The King Murder Directing Director 58
Average
1932 Thrill of Youth Directing Director 58
Average
1932 Beauty Parlor Directing Director 59
Average
1932 The Midnight Lady Directing Director 59
Average
1932 Escapade Directing Director N/A
N/A
1932 Probation Directing Director 59
Average
1932 Murder at Dawn Directing Director 58
Average
1932 Cross-Examination Directing Director 58
Average
1931 The Devil Plays Directing Director 58
Average
1931 Forgotten Women Directing Director N/A
N/A
1931 Neck and Neck Directing Director N/A
N/A
1931 The Sky Spider Directing Director 58
Average
1931 Grief Street Directing Director 58
Average
1931 Wild Horse Directing Director 59
Average
1931 The Lady from Nowhere Directing Director N/A
N/A
1931 The Lawless Woman Directing Director N/A
N/A
1931 King of the Wild Directing Director 58
Average
1930 The Utah Kid Directing Director N/A
N/A
1930 Under Montana Skies Directing Director N/A
N/A
1930 The Thoroughbred Directing Director 58
Average
1930 Wings of Adventure Directing Director 59
Average
1930 The Dude Wrangler Directing Director N/A
N/A
1930 The Lone Defender Directing Director N/A
N/A
1929 The King of the Kongo Directing Director 58
Average
1929 Border Romance Directing Director 59
Average
1929 The Bachelor Girl Directing Director N/A
N/A
1929 The Fatal Warning Directing Director 58
Average
1928 The Flyin' Buckaroo Directing Director N/A
N/A
1928 The Vanishing West Directing Director N/A
N/A
1928 Vultures of the Sea Directing Director N/A
N/A
1928 The Valley Of Hunted Men Directing Director N/A
N/A
1928 The Ballyhoo Buster Directing Director N/A
N/A
1927 The Desert of the Lost Directing Director 59
Average
1927 The Meddlin' Stranger Directing Director N/A
N/A
1927 The Ridin' Rowdy Directing Director N/A
N/A
1927 Tearin' Into Trouble Directing Director N/A
N/A
1926 Josselyn's Wife Directing Director N/A
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1926 College Days Directing Director N/A
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1926 Twisted Triggers Directing Director N/A
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1926 Double Daring Directing Director N/A
N/A
1926 Easy Going Directing Director N/A
N/A
1926 Ridin' Rivals Directing Director N/A
N/A
1926 The Fighting Cheat Directing Director N/A
N/A
1926 The Roaring Rider Directing Director N/A
N/A
1925 Tearin' Loose Directing Director N/A
N/A
1925 On the Go Directing Director N/A
N/A
1924 Thundering Romance Directing Director N/A
N/A
1924 Bringin' Home the Bacon Directing Director N/A
N/A
1924 Fast and Fearless Directing Director N/A
N/A
The Bonanza Buckaroo Directing Director N/A
N/A

Writing
1928 The Flyin' Buckaroo Writing Writer N/A
N/A
1928 The Valley Of Hunted Men Writing Writer N/A
N/A
1928 The Ballyhoo Buster Writing Writer N/A
N/A
1927 The Desert of the Lost Writing Writer 59
Average
1927 The Ridin' Rowdy Writing Writer N/A
N/A
1926 Double Daring Writing Writer N/A
N/A
1925 Tearin' Loose Writing Writer N/A
N/A
1925 On the Go Writing Writer N/A
N/A

Production
1967 The Last Challenge Production Producer 59
Average
1967 The Scorpio Letters Production Producer 59
Average

Editing
1931 The Devil Plays Editing Editor 58
Average
1931 Grief Street Editing Editor 58
Average
1931 The Lady from Nowhere Editing Editor N/A
N/A