George Marshall

An extra in films of the early teens, George Marshall began writing comedy shorts and by 1916 was directing westerns. He went on to helm serials and short comedies and actioners in the silent era, as well as features. A natural director of comedy, Marshall guided several beloved comedians in the sound era: Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy in their classic shorts Their First Mistake and Towed In A Hole, and their feature Pack Up Your Troubles (1932), which Marshall acted in and co-directed with Raymond McCarey; W.C. Fields in You Can't Cheat an Honest Man (1939); Bob Hope in The Ghost Breakers (1940), Monsieur Beaucaire (1946), Fancy Pants (1950), Boy' Did I Get A Wrong Number (1966) and Eight on the Lam (1967); Martin and Lewis in My Friend Irma (1949), Scared Stiff (1953) and Money from Home (1953); and Jerry Lewis in The Sad Sack (1957) and Hook, Line and Sinker (1969). Other notable films by this prolific and reliable craftsman include the western spoof Destry Rides Again (1939) ,with James Stewart and Marlene Dietrich; the slapstick mystery Murder, He Says (1945); the serious mystery The Blue Dahlia (1946); and the quirky Glenn Ford comedies The Sheepman (1958) and The Gazebo (1959). - All Movie Guide