William Taylor "Tay" Garnett (June 13, 1894 – October 3, 1977) was an American film director and writer.

Biography

Early life

Born in Los Angeles, Garnett attended the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a Private university, private Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern t ...

and served as a naval aviator in World War I.

Mack Sennett

He entered the film industry as a screenwriter in 1920, writing for Mack Sennett. His credits included ''The Quack Doctor'' (1920). He wrote the feature '' Broken Chains'' (1922) for Sam Goldwyn and '' The Hottentot'' (1920) for Thomas Ince.

Comedy shorts

Garnett went to work for Hal Roach for whom he wrote ''Don't Park There'' (1924). He did some with Stan Laurel: ''A Mandarin Mixup'' (1924), and '' Detained'' (1924). He wrote ''Galloping Bungalows'' (1924) for Billy Bevan and Mac Sennett, ''Off His Trolley'' (1924) for Sennett, ''

West of Hot Dog ''West of Hot Dog'' is a 1924 American comedy film starring Stan Laurel. Plot Stan's stagecoach is robbed on his way to Hot Dog for the reading of his uncle's will. Every time he raises his hands his pants fall down. The robbers ride off and ...

'' (1924) with

Laurel and Hardy Laurel and Hardy were a British-American comedy duo act during the early Classical Hollywood era of American cinema, consisting of Englishman Stan Laurel (1890–1965) and American Oliver Hardy (1892–1957). Starting their career as a duo ...

, and ''The Plumber'' (1924) for Sennett. Garnett directed some shorts, such as ''Fast Black'' (1924), ''Riders of the Kitchen Range'' (1925), and ''All Wool'' (1925). He wrote the comedy shorts ''Honeymoon Hardships'' (1925), '' Somewhere in Wrong'' (1925) with Laurel, '' Twins'' (1925) with Laurel, ''

Pie-Eyed ''Pie-Eyed'' is a 1925 American silent comedy film starring Stan Laurel. The film is made at the peak of the Prohibition era so is dealing with "illegal activity" even if it is in a humorous manner. The club owner appears a mix of Gene Tunne ...

'' (1925) with Laurel, '' The Snow Hawk'' (1925) with Laurel, '' Navy Blue Days'' (1925) with Laurel, ''Hold Tight'' (1925), '' The Sleuth'' (1925) with Laurel, '' Dr. Pyckle and Mr. Pryde'' (1925) with Laurel, ''No Sleep on the Deep'' (1925), ''Three Wise Goofs'', ''Salute'' (1925), ''On the Links'' (1925), ''Who's Your Friend'' (1925), ''The Funnymooners'' (1926), ''Puppy Lovetime'' (1926), ''Smith's Visitor'' (1926), and ''A Beauty Parlor'' (1926).

Screenwriting features

Garnett wrote the feature '' That's My Baby'' (1926) for William Beaudine at Paramount; '' Up in Mabel's Room'' (1926), adapting a stage farce, with Marie Prevost; ''

The Strong Man ''The Strong Man'' is a 1926 American silent comedy film starring Harry Langdon. Along with '' Tramp, Tramp, Tramp'', ''The Strong Man'' is Langdon's best known film. Capra would also direct Langdon's next feature, ''Long Pants'' (1927), which ...

'' (1926), starring Harry Langdon and directed by Frank Capra, his first feature as director; and '' There You Are!'' (1926), with Conrad Nagel. Garnett wrote two films produced by

Cecil B. De Mille Cecil Blount DeMille (; August 12, 1881January 21, 1959) was an American film director, producer and actor. Between 1914 and 1958, he made 70 features, both silent and sound films. He is acknowledged as a founding father of the American cinem ...

: ''

The Cruise of the Jasper B ''Cruise of the Jasper B'' is a 1926 American silent action/adventure comedy film produced by Cecil B. DeMille and directed by James W. Horne. The film is loosely based on the 1916 novel of the same name by American poet Don Marquis, although th ...

'' (1926), and ''

Rubber Tires A tire (American English) or tyre (British English) is a ring-shaped component that surrounds a wheel's rim to transfer a vehicle's load from the axle through the wheel to the ground and to provide traction on the surface over which t ...

'' (1927). He adapted another stage farce with Marie Prevost, '' Getting Gertie's Garter'' (1927), and also wrote '' White Gold'' (1927), ''

Long Pants ''Long Pants'' (also known as ''Johnny Newcomer'') is a 1927 American silent comedy film directed by Frank Capra and starring Harry Langdon. Additional cast members include Gladys Brockwell, Alan Roscoe, and Priscilla Bonner. Plot The sile ...

'' (1927) for Capra and Langdon, ''No Control'' (1927), '' The Wise Wife'' (1927). He did two for De Mille, '' Turkish Delight'' (1927) and '' Skyscraper'' (1928), and two starring William Boyd, '' The Cop'' (1928), and '' Power'' (1928). He joined Pathé.

Pathe/RKO

Garnett's first feature as director was '' Celebrity'' (1928), which he also co wrote. He directed and wrote ''The Spellbinker'' (1928), '' The Flying Fool'' (1929) with William Boyd, ''No Brakes'' (1929), and '' Her Man'' (1930) with Helen Twelvetrees. He just directed ''Officer O'Brien'' (1930). Pathe merged into RKO and Garnett went there. He wrote and directed '' Bad Company'' (1931) with Twelvetrees, and ''Prestige'' (1931), and just directed '' Panama Flo'' (1932) with Twelvetrees.

Universal

He went to Universal to make '' The Penalty of Fame'' (1932). Garnett had a big success at Warner Bros with '' One Way Passage'' (1932). At Universal he did '' Destination Unknown'' (1933), and the English version of ''

S.O.S. Iceberg ''S.O.S. Eisberg'' (aka ''S.O.S. Iceberg'' and ''Iceland'') is a 1933 German-US pre-Code drama film directed by Arnold Fanck and starring Gustav Diessl, Leni Riefenstahl, Sepp Rist, Gibson Gowland, Rod La Rocque, and Ernst Udet. The film was wri ...

'' (1933). Garnett went to MGM where he had a huge success with '' China Seas'' (1935). He did '' She Couldn't Take It'' (1935) at Columbia. In 1935 he announced his own production company. He took off around the world on a cruise to shoot footage for it. He returned in October 1936.

20th Century Fox

Garnett signed with Fox where he made '' Professional Soldier'' (1936), ''

Love Is News ''Love Is News'' is a 1937 romantic comedy film starring Tyrone Power, Loretta Young, and Don Ameche. The movie was directed by Tay Garnett and was the first film for which Power had top billing. The picture was remade in 1947 as ''That Wonderf ...

'' (1937), and ''

Slave Ship Slave ships were large cargo ships specially built or converted from the 17th to the 19th century for transporting slaves. Such ships were also known as "Guineamen" because the trade involved human trafficking to and from the Guinea coast i ...

'' (1937). He did '' Stand-In'' (1937) for Walter Wagner.

Producing

Garnet turned producer as well as director with '' Joy of Living'' (1938) at RKO. He produced and directed then three films of Wanger: '' Trade Winds'' (1938) (based on his story), '' Eternally Yours'' (1939), and ''

Slightly Honorable ''Slightly Honorable'' is a 1939 American film directed by Tay Garnett. The film was based on the 1939 novel ''Send Another Coffin'' by Frank Gilmore Presnell, Jr. (1906–1967).Frank Gilmore Presnell, Jr. (24 June 1906 (Torreon, Coahuila, Mexico ...

'' (1939). He provided a story for '' Cafe Hostess'' (1940), at Columbia. At Universal he directed '' Seven Sinners'' (1940) with

Marlene Dietrich Marie Magdalene "Marlene" DietrichBorn as Maria Magdalena, not Marie Magdalene, according to Dietrich's biography by her daughter, Maria Riva ; however Dietrich's biography by Charlotte Chandler cites "Marie Magdalene" as her birth name . (, ; ...

and John Wayne. He produced but did not direct two films at RKO, '' Unexpected Uncle'' (1941) and '' Weekend for Three'' (1941). He directed '' Cheers for Miss Bishop'' (1941) at UA, ''

My Favorite Spy My Favorite Spy may refer to: * My Favorite Spy (1942 film), an American comedy film * My Favorite Spy (1951 film) ''My Favorite Spy'' is a 1951 comedy film directed by Norman Z. McLeod and starring Bob Hope and Hedy Lamarr. Plot US intelligen ...

'' (1942) at RKO, and '' The Boy from Stalingrad'' (1942) at Columbia.

Radio

He created the NBC Red comedy-detective radio program ''Three Sheets to the Wind'' (1942), which starred John Wayne as Dan O'Brien, an American private eye posing as a drunk on a luxury liner sailing from England in 1939, and Helga Moray, which ran for six months at 11:30pm Sunday nights. The show was intended by Garnett to be the pilot for a film, though the film was never made. A demonstration episode of the radio show with Brian Donlevy in the leading role exists. Wayne, not Donlevy, played the role throughout the series run on NBC.

MGM

Garnett went to MGM where he directed '' The Cross of Lorraine'' (1943), and '' Bataan'' (1943). He did some second unit directing on '' Since You Went Away'' (1944) and uncredited directing on '' See Here, Private Hargrove'' (1944). Garnett had some big hits with two Greer Garson films, '' Mrs. Parkington'' (1944), '' The Valley of Decision'' (1945), then made '' The Postman Always Rings Twice'' (1946), starring John Garfield and

Lana Turner Lana Turner ( ; born Julia Jean Turner; February 8, 1921June 29, 1995) was an American actress. Over the course of her nearly 50-year career, she achieved fame as both a pin-up model and a film actress, as well as for her highly publicized pe ...

, which is probably his best known film.

Paramount and Howard Hughes

Garnett went to Paramount where he made '' Wild Harvest'' (1947), '' A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court'' (1949), 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 ...

and Rhonda Fleming. He wrote and directed a Mickey Rooney film, ''

The Fireball ''The Fireball'' is a 1950 American drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of p ...

'' (1950), based on his story. He went back to MGM to direct one of Loretta Young's last theatrical films, '' Cause for Alarm!'', in 1951, and the adventure film ''

Soldiers Three ''Soldiers Three'' is a collection of short stories by Rudyard Kipling. The three soldiers of the title are Learoyd, Mulvaney and Ortheris, who had also appeared previously in the collection ''Plain Tales from the Hills''. The current version, d ...

'' (1951). Garnett went to RKO, then under the ownership of

Howard Hughes Howard Robard Hughes Jr. (December 24, 1905 – April 5, 1976) was an American business magnate, record-setting pilot, engineer, film producer, and philanthropist, known during his lifetime as one of the most influential and richest people in t ...

to do some directing on '' The Racket'' (1951) and ''

One Minute to Zero ''One Minute to Zero'' is a 1952 American romantic war film starring Robert Mitchum and Ann Blyth, set during the opening phases of the Korean War, and produced by Howard Hughes as his last film as producer. Victor Young's score for the film ...

'' (1952). He began working in TV with ''

Four Star Theatre ''Four Star Playhouse'' is an American anthology series that ran from 1952 to 1956. Four Star Playhouse was owned by Four Star International. Its episodes ranged anywhere from surreal mysteries, such as "The Man on the Train", to light comedies ...

'' and made ''

Main Street to Broadway ''Main Street to Broadway'' is a 1953 American romantic musical comedy-drama film by independent producer Lester Cowan, his final credit, in collaboration with The Council of the Living Theatre, which provided tie-up with a number of well-known B ...

'' (1953).

England

Garnett travelled to England to make '' The Black Knight'' (1954) with Alan Ladd. He worked on the hugely popular documentary '' Seven Wonders of the World'' (1956).

Television

Garnett returned to the US and worked increasingly on television, directing such shows as '' Screen Directors Playhouse'' (for which he also provided some stories), '' Alcoa Theatre'', '' Goodyear Theatre'', '' The Loretta Young Show'', '' The Untouchables'', and '' Overland Trail''. He directed a feature in Ireland, '' A Terrible Beauty'' (1960), with

Robert Mitchum Robert Charles Durman Mitchum (August 6, 1917 – July 1, 1997) was an American actor. He rose to prominence with an Academy Award nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actor for ''The Story of G.I. Jo ...

, then went back to TV: '' Wagon Train'', '' Riverboat'', '' The New Loretta Young Show'', '' Frontier Circus'', '' Laramie'', '' Naked City'', '' The Deputy'', '' Whispering Smith'', '' 87th Precinct'', '' The Tall Man'', '' Rawhide'', '' Please Don't Eat the Daisies'', '' Death Valley Days'', '' The Beachcomber'', ''

Bonanza ''Bonanza'' is an American Western television series that ran on NBC from September 13, 1959, to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 432 episodes, ''Bonanza'' is NBC's longest-running western, the second-longest-running western series on ...

'', '' The Loner'', '' The Legend of Jesse James'', and ''

Gunsmoke ''Gunsmoke'' is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. It centers on Dodge City, Kansas, in the 1870s, during the settlement of the American West. The central chara ...

''. He directed a feature, ''

Guns of Wyoming ''Cattle King'' is a 1963 American Western film directed by Tay Garnett. It stars Robert Taylor and Robert Loggia. It was also known by the alternative title of ''Guns of Wyoming'' in some countries. Plot A range war is building in Wyoming ...

'' (1963), with Robert Taylor. He also did some government films.

Later career

Garnett wrote, produced and directed ''

The Delta Factor ''The Message in the Bottle: How Queer Man Is, How Queer Language Is, and What One Has to Do with the Other'' is a collection of essays on semiotics written by Walker Percy and first published in 1975. Percy writes at what he sees as the conclusi ...

'' (1970). His last two films were '' Challenge to Be Free'' (1975) and '' Timber Tramps'' (1975).

Private life

Garnett married three actresses. First was Patsy Ruth Miller in Los Angeles on 8 September 1929. She filed for divorce which was granted 18 September 1933 on grounds of desertion while she was in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

, Austria and Garnett in London, England. While in London, Garnett met South African author Helga Moray whom he married on his yacht in November 1934. They had a second ceremony on 31 March 1935 in

Yuma, Arizona Yuma ( coc, Yuum) is a city in and the county seat of Yuma County, Arizona, United States. The city's population was 93,064 at the 2010 census, up from the 2000 census population of 77,515. Yuma is the principal city of the Yuma, Arizona, M ...

to safeguard her American citizenship. Six months after their son, William John "Bill" Garnett was born, Moray filed for divorce on grounds of cruelty in 1942. Garnett then married Mari Aldon in London, England on 13 August 1953. Their daughter Tiela Aldon Garnett Daniels was born in Los Angeles on 25 October 1955.

Death

He died of

leukemia Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia and pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and result in high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or ...

at the Wadsworth Veterans Administration Hospital in Sawtelle, California, at the age of 83. His ashes were scattered on his

Paso Robles Paso Robles ( ), officially El Paso de Robles (Spanish language, Spanish for "The Pass of Oaks"), is a city in San Luis Obispo County, California, San Luis Obispo County, California, United States. Located on the Salinas River (California), Sal ...

ranch. He was survived by his two children. He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Filmography

Writer

* '' Broken Chains'' (1922) * '' The Hottentot'' (1922) * ''

Who's Your Friend The pronoun ''who'', in English, is an interrogative pronoun and a relative pronoun, used primarily to refer to persons. Unmarked, ''who'' is the pronoun’s subjective form; its inflected forms are the objective ''whom'' and the possessive ' ...

'' (1925) * '' That's My Baby'' (1926) * '' Up in Mabel's Room'' (1926) * ''

'' (1926) * '' There You Are!'' (1926) * ''

'' (1926) * ''

'' (1927) * '' Getting Gertie's Garter'' (1927) * '' White Gold'' (1927) * ''

'' (1927) * '' No Control'' (1927) * '' The Wise Wife'' (1927) * '' Turkish Delight'' (1927) * '' Skyscraper'' (1928) * '' The Cop'' (1928) * '' Power'' (1928) * '' Celebrity'' (1928) * '' The Spieler'' (1928) * '' The Flying Fool'' (1929)

Director

* '' The Spieler'' (1928) * '' Celebrity'' (1928) * '' The Flying Fool'' (1929) * '' Oh, Yeah!'' (1929) * ''

Officer O'Brien ''Officer O'Brien'' is a 1930 American pre-Code comedy crime film directed by Tay Garnett and starring William Boyd, Ernest Torrence and Dorothy Sebastian. The film's sets were designed by the art director Edward C. Jewell.Munden p.557 It was ...

'' (1930) * '' Her Man'' (1930) * '' Bad Company'' (1931) * '' Prestige'' (1932) * '' Panama Flo'' (1932, uncredited) * '' Okay, America!'' (1932) * '' One Way Passage'' (1932) * '' Destination Unknown'' (1933) * ''

'' (1933) * '' China Seas'' (1935) * '' She Couldn't Take It'' (1935) * '' Professional Soldier'' (1935) * ''

'' (1937) * ''

'' (1937) * '' Stand-In'' (1937) * '' Joy of Living'' (1938) * '' Trade Winds'' (1938) * '' Eternally Yours'' (1939) * ''

'' (1939) * '' Seven Sinners'' (1940) * '' Cheers for Miss Bishop'' (1941) * ''

'' (1942) * '' The Boy from Stalingrad'' (1943, uncredited) * '' Bataan'' (1943) * '' The Cross of Lorraine'' (1943) * '' Since You Went Away'' (1944, uncredited) * '' Mrs. Parkington'' (1944) * '' The Valley of Decision'' (1945) * '' The Postman Always Rings Twice'' (1946) * '' Wild Harvest'' (1947) * '' A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court'' (1949) * ''

'' (1950) * '' Cause for Alarm!'' (1951) * ''

'' (1951) * '' The Racket'' (1951, uncredited) * ''

'' (1952) * ''

'' (1953) * '' The Black Knight'' (1954) * '' Seven Wonders of the World'' (1956, documentary) * '' A Terrible Beauty'' (1960) * ''

Cattle King ''Cattle King'' is a 1963 American Western film directed by Tay Garnett. It stars Robert Taylor and Robert Loggia. It was also known by the alternative title of ''Guns of Wyoming'' in some countries. Plot A range war is building in Wyoming. C ...

'' (1963) * ''

'' (1970) * '' Challenge to Be Free'' (1975) * '' Timber Tramps'' (1975)

Works

* *

References

External links

*
Family Photo Album
– Tiela Aldon Garnett Daniels {{DEFAULTSORT:Garnett, Tay 1894 births 1977 deaths 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American screenwriters American male screenwriters American military personnel of World War I American television directors Deaths from cancer in California Deaths from leukemia Film directors from Los Angeles German-language film directors Screenwriters from California United States Naval Aviators Writers from Los Angeles