Frank Wright Tuttle (August 6, 1892 – January 6, 1963) was a Hollywood

film director A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, pr ...

and writer who directed films from 1922 (''The Cradle Buster'') to 1959 ('' Island of Lost Women'').

Biography

Frank Tuttle was educated at

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the w ...

, where he edited campus humor magazine '' The Yale Record''."Frank Wright Tuttle". ''The twelfth general catalogue of the Psi Upsilon Fraternity''. New York: Psi Upsilon. May 1917. p. 203. After graduation, he worked in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

in the advertising department of the Metropolitan Music Bureau. He later moved to Hollywood, where he became a film director for Paramount. His films are largely in the comedy and film noir genres. In 1947, his career ground to a temporary halt with the onset of the first of the House Un-American Activities Committee hearings on Communist infiltration of the movie industry. Tuttle had joined the American Communist Party in 1937 in reaction to Hitler's rise to power. Unable to find work in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

, he moved to France, where he made '' Gunman in the Streets'' (1950) starring Simone Signoret and Dane Clark. In 1951, after a decade as a member of the Communist Party, Tuttle gave 36 names to the

HUAC The House Committee on Un-American Activities (HCUA), popularly dubbed the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), was an investigative committee of the United States House of Representatives, created in 1938 to investigate alleged disloy ...

Death

Tuttle died in

Hollywood, California Hollywood is a neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. Its name has come to be a shorthand reference for the U.S. film industry and the people associated with it. Many notable film studios, such as Columbia Picture ...

, on January 6, 1963, aged 70. He was survived by his three daughters.

Selected filmography

* '' The Cradle Buster'' (1922) * '' Puritan Passions'' (1923) starring Mary Astor * '' Second Fiddle'' (1923) starring Mary Astor *'' Youthful Cheaters'' (1923) * '' Grit'' (1924) * '' Dangerous Money'' (1924) * '' The Manicure Girl'' (1925) * '' The Lucky Devil'' (1925) * ''

Lovers in Quarantine ''Lovers in Quarantine'' is an extant 1925 American silent comedy film starring Bebe Daniels and directed by Frank Tuttle. It was produced by Famous Players-Lasky Famous Players-Lasky Corporation was an American motion picture and distributi ...

'' (1925) starring Bebe Daniels and the other

Harrison Ford Harrison Ford (born July 13, 1942) is an American actor. His films have grossed more than $5.4billion in North America and more than $9.3billion worldwide, making him the seventh-highest-grossing actor in North America. He is the recipient o ...

* '' Kid Boots'' (1926) starring

Eddie Cantor Eddie Cantor (born Isidore Itzkowitz; January 31, 1892 – October 10, 1964) was an American comedian, actor, dancer, singer, songwriter, film producer, screenwriter and author. Familiar to Broadway, radio, movie, and early television audiences ...

and

Clara Bow Clara Gordon Bow (; July 29, 1905 – September 27, 1965) was an American actress who rose to stardom during the silent film era of the 1920s and successfully made the transition to " talkies" in 1929. Her appearance as a plucky shopgirl in the ...

* '' Love 'Em and Leave 'Em'' (1926) starring Evelyn Brent and Louise Brooks * ''

The American Venus ''The American Venus'' is a 1926 American silent comedy film directed by Frank Tuttle, and starring Esther Ralston, Ford Sterling, Lawrence Gray, Fay Lanphier, Louise Brooks, and Douglas Fairbanks Jr. The film was based on an original story ...

'' (1926) with

Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. Douglas Elton Fairbanks Jr., (December 9, 1909 – May 7, 2000) was an American actor, producer and decorated naval officer of World War II. He is best known for starring in such films as ''The Prisoner of Zenda'' (1937), ''Gunga Din'' (1939) ...

* '' The Untamed Lady'' (1926) starring Gloria Swanson * ''

Blind Alleys ''Blind Alleys'' was a play written by David Henry Hwang and Frederic Kimball, filmed and aired as a 1985 television special produced by WCVB-TV for Metromedia. It is the story of two people once linked by an interracial marriage setting up for ...

'' (1927) starring Evelyn Brent and

Thomas Meighan Thomas Meighan (April 9, 1879 – July 8, 1936) was an American actor of silent films and early talkies. He played several leading-man roles opposite popular actresses of the day, including Mary Pickford and Gloria Swanson. At one point he comm ...

* '' Time to Love'' (1927) * '' One Woman to Another'' (1927) * '' Something Always Happens'' (1928) * '' Varsity'' (1928) starring Charles "Buddy" Rogers and Mary Brian * ''

The Canary Murder Case ''For the film adaptation see The Canary Murder Case (film)'' ''The Canary Murder Case'' (1927) is a murder mystery novel which deals with the murders of a sexy nightclub singer known as "the Canary," and, eventually, her boyfriend, solved by Ph ...

'' (additional sound footage; 1929) starring William Powell as

Philo Vance Philo Vance is a fictional amateur detective originally featured in 12 crime novels by S. S. Van Dine in the 1920s and 1930s. During that time, Vance was immensely popular in books, films, and radio. He was portrayed as a stylish—even foppish� ...

* '' The Green Murder Case'' starring William Powell as

* '' Sweetie'' (1929) starring Nancy Carroll * '' Paramount on Parade'' (1930), Paramount's all-star revue with a screenplay by Joseph L. Mankiewicz * '' The Benson Murder Case'' (1930) starring William Powell as

* '' True to the Navy'' (1930) starring

and Fredric March * '' It Pays to Advertise'' (1931) starring

Carole Lombard Carole Lombard (born Jane Alice Peters; October 6, 1908 – January 16, 1942) was an American actress, particularly noted for her energetic, often off-beat roles in screwball comedies. In 1999, the American Film Institute ranked Lombard 2 ...

* '' No Limit'' (1931) starring

and Thelma Todd * ''

This Reckless Age ''This Reckless Age'' is a 1932 American pre-Code comedy film directed by Frank Tuttle and starring Charles "Buddy" Rogers and produced and distributed by Paramount Pictures. The film is based on a Broadway play ''The Goose Hangs High'' by L ...

'' starring Charles "Buddy" Rogers * ''

The Big Broadcast ''The Big Broadcast'' is a 1932 American pre-Code musical comedy film directed by Frank Tuttle and starring Bing Crosby, Stuart Erwin, and Leila Hyams. Based on the play ''Wild Waves'' by William Ford Manley, the film is about a radio-sing ...

'' (1932) starring

Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, musician and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwide. He was a ...

* '' This Is the Night'' (1932) with

Cary Grant Cary Grant (born Archibald Alec Leach; January 18, 1904November 29, 1986) was an English-American actor. He was known for his Mid-Atlantic accent, debonair demeanor, light-hearted approach to acting, and sense of comic timing. He was one of ...

* '' Roman Scandals'' (1933) starring

* ''

Springtime for Henry ''Springtime for Henry'' is a 1934 American comedy film directed by Frank Tuttle and starring Otto Kruger, Nancy Carroll and Nigel Bruce. It was based on a play of the same name by the British writer Benn W. Levy which enjoyed an eight-month ru ...

'' (1934) starring Otto Kruger and Nigel Bruce * '' Here is My Heart'' (1934) starring

* ''

Ladies Should Listen ''Ladies Should Listen'' is a 1934 American comedy film directed by Frank Tuttle and starring Cary Grant, Edward Everett Horton, Frances Drake, and Nydia Westman. Plot The switchboard operator Anna Mirelle (Frances Drake) in an apartment buil ...

'' (1934) starring

* '' Two for Tonight'' (1935) starring

* '' The Glass Key'' (1935), film adaptation of

Dashiell Hammett Samuel Dashiell Hammett (; May 27, 1894 – January 10, 1961) was an American writer of hard-boiled detective novels and short stories. He was also a screenwriter and political activist. Among the enduring characters he created are Sam Spade ('' ...

's novel of the same name * '' All the King's Horses'' (1935) starring Carl Brisson * '' College Holiday'' (1936) starring

Jack Benny Jack Benny (born Benjamin Kubelsky, February 14, 1894 – December 26, 1974) was an American entertainer who evolved from a modest success playing violin on the vaudeville circuit to one of the leading entertainers of the twentieth century wit ...

, George Burns and Gracie Allen * '' Waikiki Wedding'' (1937) starring

* '' Doctor Rhythm'' (1938) starring

* '' Paris Honeymoon'' (1939) starring

* '' I Stole a Million'' (1939) starring George Raft and written by Nathanael West * ''Charlie McCarthy, Detective'' (1939) starring Edgar Bergen * ''

Lucky Jordan ''Lucky Jordan'' is a 1942 film directed by Frank Tuttle, starring Alan Ladd in his first leading role, Helen Walker in her film debut, and Sheldon Leonard. The screenplay concerns a self-centered gangster who tangles with Nazi spies. Plot During ...

'' (1942) starring

Sheldon Leonard Sheldon Leonard Bershad (February 22, 1907 – January 11, 1997) was an American film and television actor, producer, director, and screenwriter. Early life Sheldon Leonard Bershad was born in Manhattan, New York City, the son of middle-cla ...

and Alan Ladd * '' This Gun for Hire'' (1942) starring Veronica Lake and Alan Ladd * '' Star Spangled Rhythm'' (contributing director; 1943) with sketches by

George S. Kaufman George Simon Kaufman (November 16, 1889June 2, 1961) was an American playwright, theater director and producer, humorist, and drama critic. In addition to comedies and political satire, he wrote several musicals for the Marx Brothers and other ...

* ''

The Hour Before the Dawn ''The Hour Before the Dawn'' is a 1944 American drama war film directed by Frank Tuttle starring Franchot Tone and Veronica Lake. It was based on the 1942 novel by W. Somerset Maugham. Plot In 1923 in England, General Hetherton is instructing hi ...

'' (1944) starring Veronica Lake and based on the novel by

W. Somerset Maugham William Somerset Maugham ( ; 25 January 1874 – 16 December 1965) was an English writer, known for his plays, novels and short stories. Born in Paris, where he spent his first ten years, Maugham was schooled in England and went to a German un ...

* ''

Don Juan Quilligan ''Don Juan Quilligan'' is a 1945 American comedy film directed by Frank Tuttle and written by Frank Gabrielson and Arthur Kober. The film stars William Bendix, Joan Blondell, Phil Silvers, Anne Revere, B.S. Pully and Mary Treen. The film was re ...

'' (1945) starring Phil Silvers * ''

The Great John L. ''The Great John L.'' is a 1945 American biographical drama film directed by Frank Tuttle and written by James Edward Grant. The film stars Linda Darnell, Barbara Britton, Greg McClure, Otto Kruger, Wallace Ford and George Mathews. The film was ...

'' (1945) starring Linda Darnell * ''

Suspense Suspense is a state of mental uncertainty, anxiety, being Decision-making, undecided, or being Doubt, doubtful. In a Drama, dramatic work, suspense is the anticipation of the wikt:outcome, outcome of a plot (narrative), plot or of the solution t ...

'' (1946) starring

Barry Sullivan Barry Sullivan may refer to: *Barry Sullivan (American actor) (1912–1994), US film and Broadway actor *Barry Sullivan (stage actor) (1821–1891), Irish born stage actor active in Britain and Australia *Barry Sullivan (lawyer) Barry Sullivan is ...

and

Belita Belita Jepson-Turner (21 October 1923 – 18 December 2005), known professionally as Belita, was a British Olympic figure skater, dancer and film actress. Biography Born at Nether Wallop, Hampshire,Swell Guy'' (1946) starring Sonny Tufts * '' Gunman in the Streets'' (1950) starring Simone Signoret * ''The Magic Face'' (1951) starring Luther Adler * '' Hell on Frisco Bay'' (1956) starring Alan Ladd and

Edward G. Robinson Edward G. Robinson (born Emanuel Goldenberg; December 12, 1893January 26, 1973) was a Romanian-American actor of stage and screen, who was popular during the Hollywood's Golden Age. He appeared in 30 Broadway plays and more than 100 films duri ...

* '' A Cry in the Night'' (1956) starring Edmond O'Brien, Natalie Wood and

Raymond Burr Raymond William Stacy Burr (May 21, 1917September 12, 1993) was a Canadian actor known for his lengthy Hollywood film career and his title roles in television dramas '' Perry Mason'' and '' Ironside''. Burr's early acting career included roles ...

* '' Island of Lost Women'' (1959) starring Jeff Richards and produced by Alan Ladd

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Tuttle, Frank 1892 births 1963 deaths Film directors from New York City People from Greater Los Angeles Yale University alumni Film directors from California Burials at Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery