Harry B. Lachman (June 29, 1886 – March 19, 1975) was an American

artist An artist is a person engaged in an activity related to creating art, practicing the arts, or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse refers to a practitioner in the visual arts only. However, th ...

set design Scenic design (also known as scenography, stage design, or set design) is the creation of theatrical, as well as film or television scenery. Scenic designers come from a variety of artistic backgrounds, but in recent years, are mostly trained ...

er, and

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, p ...

. He was born in

La Salle, Illinois LaSalle is a city in LaSalle County, Illinois, United States, located at the intersection of Interstates 39 and 80. It is part of the Ottawa, IL Micropolitan Statistical Area. Originally platted in 1837 over , the city's boundaries have grown t ...

on June 29, 1886. Lachman was educated at the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

before becoming a magazine and book illustrator, contributing 4 colour illustrations to the 1907 work ''John Smith, Gentleman Adventurer'' by Charles Harcourt Ainslie Forbes-Lindsay. In 1911, he emigrated to

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

where he earned a substantial reputation as a post impressionist

painter Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ai ...

and was awarded the

Légion d'Honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

by the French government. Lachman's interest in motion pictures stemmed from his position as a set designer in

Nice Nice ( , ; Niçard: , classical norm, or , nonstandard, ; it, Nizza ; lij, Nissa; grc, Νίκαια; la, Nicaea) is the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative c ...

, leading to work on ''

Mare Nostrum ''Mare Nostrum'' (; Latin: "Our Sea") was a Ancient Rome, Roman name for the Mediterranean Sea. In Classical Latin, it would have been pronounced , and in Ecclesiastical Latin, it is pronounced . In the decades following the 1861 unification of ...

'' in 1925. He worked as a director in France and

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

before settling in

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

in 1933. His credits include ''

Down Our Street ''Down Our Street'' is a 1932 black and white British film directed by Harry Lachman. Plot This drama, set during the Depression, sees the character Charlie Stubbs trying to escape his poverty by becoming a criminal. When this course of acti ...

'', ''

Baby Take a Bow ''Baby, Take a Bow'' is a 1934 American comedy-drama film directed by Harry Lachman and is one of the earliest Hays code Hollywood films (its MPAA certificate marks it as the third ever code-approved film). The screenplay by Philip Klein and Edwa ...

'', ''

Dante's Inferno ''Inferno'' (; Italian for "Hell") is the first part of Italian writer Dante Alighieri's 14th-century epic poem ''Divine Comedy''. It is followed by ''Purgatorio'' and '' Paradiso''. The ''Inferno'' describes Dante's journey through Hell, guid ...

'', ''

Our Relations ''Our Relations'' is a 1936 feature film starring Laurel and Hardy, produced by Stan Laurel for Hal Roach Studios. This is the third of three films in which they play a dual role: the first was '' Brats'' and the second was ''Twice Two''. The sto ...

'', and ''

Dr. Renault's Secret ''Dr. Renault's Secret'' is a 1942 American horror mystery film. The story was written by William Bruckner and Robert Metzler. It is loosely based on the 1911 novel ''Balaoo'' by Gaston Leroux. The production was directed by Harry Lachman and is ...

''. In 1928 he married Jue Quon Tai."Director Proves Kiplings Wrong" The Newark Advocate, Newark, Ohio, 05 Nov 1932, Sat • Page 5 Lachman returned to painting in the 1940s. He died on March 19, 1975.

Filmography

* ''

Weekend Wives ''Weekend Wives'' is a 1928 British silent comedy film directed by Harry Lachman and starring Monty Banks, Jameson Thomas and Estelle Brody. It was made at British International Pictures's Elstree Studios. The film is set in Paris and resort to ...

'' (1928) * ''

Under the Greenwood Tree ''Under the Greenwood Tree: A Rural Painting of the Dutch School'' is a novel by the English writer Thomas Hardy, published anonymously in 1872. It was Hardy's second published novel, and the first of what was to become his series of Wessex n ...

'' (1929) * ''

Song of Soho ''Song of Soho'' is a 1930 British musical film directed by Harry Lachman and starring Carl Brisson, Edna Davies and Donald Calthrop. The screenplay concerns an ex-French Foreign Legion soldier who comes to Soho and ends up as a singer in a cafe ...

'' (1930) * ''

The Compulsory Husband ''The Compulsory Husband'' is a 1930 British comedy film directed by Monty Banks and Harry Lachman and starring Banks, Lillian Manton and Clifford Heatherley. It was based on a novel by John Glyder. Cast * Monty Banks as Monty * Lillian Manton ...

'' (1930) * ''

The Yellow Mask ''The Yellow Mask'' is a 1930 British musical crime film directed by Harry Lachman and starring Lupino Lane, Dorothy Seacombe and Warwick Ward. A criminal plans to rob the Crown Jewels from the Tower of London. It was based on the 1927 Edgar W ...

'' (1930) * ''

The Love Habit ''The Love Habit'' is a 1931 British comedy film directed by Harry Lachman and starring Seymour Hicks, Margot Grahame and Edmund Breon. It was made at Elstree Studios with production beginning in August 1930.Wood p.69 Produced by British Intern ...

'' (1931) * '' The Outsider'' (1931) * ''

The Man at Midnight ''The Man at Midnight'' (French: ''Le monsieur de minuit'') is a 1931 French comedy film directed by Harry Lachman and starring Jean Weber, Josseline Gaël and Marcel Simon.Cook p.514 It was the French-language version of the British film '' A ...

'' (1931) * '' Mistigri'' (1931) * ''

Insult An insult is an expression or statement (or sometimes behavior) which is disrespectful or scornful. Insults may be intentional or accidental. An insult may be factual, but at the same time pejorative, such as the word "inbred". Jocular exc ...

'' (1932) * ''

The Dressmaker of Luneville ''The Dressmaker of Luneville'' (french: La couturière de Lunéville) is a 1932 French comedy film directed by Harry Lachman and starring Madeleine Renaud, Pierre Blanchar and Jeanne Fusier-Gir. It was made at the Joinville Studios by the French ...

'' (1932) * ''

The Beautiful Sailor ''The Beautiful Sailor'' (french: La belle marinière) is a 1932 French drama film directed by Harry Lachman and starring Pierre Blanchar, Madeleine Renaud and Jean Gabin.Oscherwitz & Higgins p.177 It was made by the French subsidiary of Paramou ...

'' (1932) * ''

Aren't We All? ''Aren't We All?'' is a comic play by Frederick Lonsdale. At the core of the drawing room comedy's slim plot is the Hon. William Tatham who, having been consigned to the proverbial doghouse for a romantic indiscretion, is determined to catch his ...

'' (1932) * '' Paddy the Next Best Thing'' (1933) * ''

Face in the Sky ''Face in the Sky'' is a 1933 American Pre-Code comedy film. Plot The film concerns two sign painters (Spencer Tracy and Stuart Erwin) who find themselves blackmailed by a beautiful woman (Marian Nixon) determined to force Tracy's character in ...

'' (1933) * ''

'' (1934) * ''

George White's Scandals ''George White's Scandals'' were a long-running string of Broadway revues produced by George White that ran from 1919–1939, modeled after the ''Ziegfeld Follies''. The "Scandals" launched the careers of many entertainers, including W. C. Fie ...

'' (1934) * ''

I Like It That Way ''I Like It That Way'' is a 1934 American pre-Code musical film directed by Harry Lachman and starring Gloria Stuart, Roger Pryor and Marian Marsh. The film depicts the story of a telephone operator who quits her job to become a singer at a night ...

'' (1934) * ''

Nothing More Than a Woman ''Nothing More Than a Woman'' (Spanish: ''Nada más que una mujer'') is a 1934 American drama film directed by Harry Lachman and starring Berta Singerman, Alfredo del Diestro and Juan Torena. It is the Spanish-language version of Fox's ''Pursued'' ...

'' (1934) * ''

George White's 1935 Scandals ''George White's 1935 Scandals'' is an American musical film, written by Jack Yellen and produced in 1935 by Fox Film Corporation. It was a follow-up to (but not a sequel to) the 1934 release, ''George White's Scandals''. Plot The film centers ...

'' (1935) * ''

Dressed to Thrill ''Dressed to Thrill'' is a 1935 American musical film directed by Harry Lachman and written by Samson Raphaelson. The film stars Tutta Rolf, Clive Brook, Robert Barrat, Nydia Westman and Dina Smirnova. The film was released on August 16, 1935, by ...

'' (1935) * ''

'' (1936) * ''

Charlie Chan at the Circus ''Charlie Chan at the Circus'' is the 11th film produced by Fox starring Warner Oland as Charlie Chan. A seemingly harmless family outing drags a vacationing Chan into a murder investigation. The film's sets were designed by the art director Dun ...

'' (1936) * ''

The Man Who Lived Twice ''The Man Who Lived Twice'' is a 1936 American crime film directed by Harry Lachman and starring Ralph Bellamy, Marian Marsh and Thurston Hall Ernest Thurston Hall (May 10, 1882 – February 20, 1958) was an American film, stage and tel ...

'' (1936) * '' When You're in Love'' (1937) * '' The Devil Is Driving'' (1937) * ''

It Happened in Hollywood ''It Happened in Hollywood'' is a 1937 American comedy film directed by Harry Lachman and starring Richard Dix, Fay Wray and Victor Kilian. The arrival of sound wrecks the career of a leading western actor while his leading lady rises to new heig ...

'' (1937) * ''

No Time to Marry ''No Time to Marry'' is a 1938 American comedy film directed by Harry Lachman and starring Richard Arlen, Mary Astor and Lionel Stander.Goble p.888 Partial cast * Richard Arlen as Perry Brown * Mary Astor as Kay McGowan * Lionel Stander as A ...

'' (1938) * ''

They Came by Night ''They Came by Night'' is a 1940 British crime film directed by Harry Lachman and starring Will Fyffe, Phyllis Calvert and Anthony Hulme. It was made at the Islington Studios by Gainsborough Pictures and released by 20th Century Fox. The fil ...

'' (1940) * ''

Murder Over New York ''Murder Over New York'' is a 1940 American mystery film directed by Harry Lachman and starring Sidney Toler as Charlie Chan. The cast also features Marjorie Weaver, Robert Lowery and Ricardo Cortez.Backer p.128-29 Chan must solve a murder myst ...

'' (1940) * ''

Dead Men Tell ''Dead Men Tell'' is a 1941 American mystery film starring Sidney Toler, who played Charlie Chan in 22 feature films, beginning with ''Charlie Chan in Honolulu'' (1938), and ending with '' The Trap'' (1946). The first 11 Charlie Chan films were p ...

'' (1941) * ''

Charlie Chan in Rio ''Charlie Chan in Rio'' is a 1941 film featuring the Asian detective Charlie Chan. It was the tenth film to feature Sidney Toler as the title character, who is called upon to investigate the death of a suspected murderer in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. ...

'' (1941) * ''

The Loves of Edgar Allan Poe ''The Loves of Edgar Allan Poe'' is a 1942 drama film directed by Harry Lachman, starring Linda Darnell and Shepperd Strudwick. The film is a cinematic biography of Edgar Allan Poe that examines his romantic relationships with Sarah Elmira Roys ...

'' (1942) * ''

Castle in the Desert ''Castle in the Desert'' is a 1942 film featuring the Chinese detective Charlie Chan. It was the eleventh film to feature Sidney Toler as the title character, and the last made by 20th Century Fox. The series continued with Toler, though under m ...

'' (1942) * ''

'' (1942)

References

External links

*
Paintings by Lachman
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lachman, Harry 1886 births 1975 deaths 20th-century American painters American male painters Post-impressionist painters University of Michigan alumni People from LaSalle, Illinois Painters from Illinois Recipients of the Legion of Honour 20th-century American male artists