Norman Rae Taurog (February 23, 1899 – April 7, 1981) was an American film director and screenwriter.[1] From 1920 to 1968, Taurog directed 180 films.[2] At the age of 32, he received the Academy Award for Best Director for Skippy (1931). He is the second youngest person ever to win the award after Damien Chazelle, who won for La La Land in 2017. He was later nominated for Best Director for the film Boys Town (1938). He directed some of the best-known actors of the twentieth century, including his nephew Jackie Cooper, Spencer Tracy, Mickey Rooney, Judy Garland, Deanna Durbin, Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, Deborah Kerr, Peter Lawford, Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis, and Elvis Presley. Taurog directed six Martin and Lewis
Martin and Lewis films, and nine Elvis Presley films, more than any other director.[2] For his contribution to the motion picture industry, Norman Taurog
Norman Taurog has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1600 Vine Street.[2]

Contents

1 Early life 2 Film career 3 Later years 4 Awards and nominations 5 Filmography

5.1 1920s 5.2 1930s 5.3 1940s 5.4 1950s 5.5 1960s

6 See also 7 References 8 External links

Early life[edit] Norman Taurog
Norman Taurog was born February 23, 1899 in Chicago, Illinois, to Arthur Jack Taurog and Anita (originally "Annie") Taurog (née Goldsmith). His father's naturalization records claim that Arthur was born in the Russian Empire
Russian Empire in 1872 or 1873 and naturalized as a minor, while his mother was from New York. Later census records claimed that Arthur's parents were from Germany, and Anita's were from England. The couple were married in Chicago
Chicago in 1896. Norman became a child performer on the stage at an early age, making his movie debut at the age of 13 in the short film Tangled Relations, produced by Thomas Ince's studios. In the eight years until his next screen credit, he worked in theater, mostly off-Broadway. Film career[edit]

Norman Taurog
Norman Taurog (foreground, second from left) and MGM camera crew at K-25, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, in July 1946, filming The Beginning or the End (1947)

In 1919, Taurog returned to the film industry as a director, collaborating with Larry Semon
Larry Semon in The Sportsman (1920). In the coming decade, he made 42 silent films, mostly shorts. During this time, he developed his style, his forte being light comedy although he could also deal with drama and maintain complex narratives. In 1931, he made his breakthrough, directing Skippy, for which he won an Academy Award for Best Director. Recently, Taurog's award statue sold for $301,973 at auction in Beverly Hills. Taurog's nephew Jackie Cooper was also nominated for his performance; in his 1981 autobiography Please Don't Shoot My Dog, Cooper wrote that, during filming, Taurog threatened to shoot his dog if the child actor could not cry for the scene. (While this book was being written, attempts were made by Cooper's editor to get Taurog's version of events; Taurog declined to participate.) Skippy tells of the adventures of the eponymous hero, his antics and adventures with his friend Sooky
Sooky as they try to come up with a license for Sooky's dog, save his shantytown from demolition, sell lemonade and save for a new bike. Based on a popular comic strip character, its sentiment, comedy and moral didacticism (common with movies of the time), added to a gritty realism made it a huge success, so much so that the studio immediately scheduled a sequel, Sooky, for the following year. The next few years saw Taurog enter the third chapter of his career, as an established director who could work in a number of genres. He directed a series of well-received films, including If I Had a Million (1932), which showed his ability to work with an all-star cast—Gary Cooper, George Raft, Charles Laughton, and W. C. Fields. In 1934, he directed We're Not Dressing, starring Bing Crosby, Carole Lombard, George Burns, Gracie Allen, and Ray Milland. In 1935, he directed the star-studded musical showcase The Big Broadcast of 1936
The Big Broadcast of 1936 starring Bing Crosby and George Burns
George Burns and Gracie Allen.[2] In 1938, Taurog brought all his skill and experience to bear with one of the liveliest and most successful adaptations of classic literature; The Adventures of Tom Sawyer was an artistic and commercial triumph. The year also brought Boys Town, showing Taurog to be more than capable of sustaining a dramatic narrative and earning him another Academy Award nomination. It wasn't all success, though. Lucky Night
Lucky Night (1939) starring Myrna Loy
Myrna Loy and Robert Taylor was a turkey, and while Taurog shot test scenes for 1939's cinematic extravaganza The Wizard of Oz, Victor Fleming
Victor Fleming was chosen to direct. Taurog was reassigned to work on The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, a change which he had little to no say in. However, Taurog went on to earn a Best Director nomination for Boys Town later that year, despite losing out on directing Oz.[3] He did, however, helm the last of MGM's big pre-war musical showcases, 1940's Broadway Melody, starring Fred Astaire and Eleanor Powell. He expanded his range into biographies, working with Mickey Rooney
Mickey Rooney again, in the well-received Young Tom Edison (1940). He directed Judy Garland
Judy Garland twice, in Little Nellie Kelly (1940) and the 'small-town-girl-gets-big-break' Presenting Lily Mars (1943).[1] After directing re-takes for a wartime propaganda film, Rationing (1944), Taurog entered new territory with a docudrama of the atom bomb, The Beginning or the End
The Beginning or the End (1947). It was back to his metier of light comedy for his next couple of outings, The Bride Goes Wild
The Bride Goes Wild with Van Johnson
Van Johnson and June Allyson, and Big City, both in 1948. Remarkably, he also directed a third film that year combining the genres of comedy, drama and biography and dealing with an all-star cast; Words and Music was a fictionalized biopic of the relationship between Richard Rodgers
Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart. It starred, among others, Judy Garland, Gene Kelly, Mickey Rooney
Mickey Rooney and Cyd Charisse. By now, Taurog had established a reputation as a director who was comfortable working in the musical and comedy genre, and who could be relied upon to work with slight material—qualities which would be useful later in his career. Dean Martin
Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis
Jerry Lewis had been a double-act since 1946 and had made five films together, three Martin and Lewis
Martin and Lewis top-liners, before Taurog directed Jumping Jacks
Jumping Jacks (1952), regarded by many Martin and Lewis fans as the finest of their films. Taurog worked well with the duo and he went on to direct them in The Stooge (1953), The Caddy (1954), Living It Up
Living It Up (1955), You're Never Too Young
You're Never Too Young (1954), and their penultimate film together, Pardners
Pardners (1956). Taurog worked with Lewis alone twice more, in Don't Give Up the Ship (1959) and Visit to a Small Planet (1960).[2] In 1960, Taurog directed his first Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley film, G.I. Blues. This was a turning point for Elvis. Up until then, he had harbored ambitions of being a James Dean
James Dean figure, playing brooding rebel roles in Love Me Tender (1956), Jailhouse Rock (1957), and King Creole (1958). However, Colonel Tom Parker
Colonel Tom Parker had different plans for the singer. G.I. Blues
G.I. Blues was Elvis's first film in two years, following his return from the army, and would set the tone for future films—a few girls, a few adventures, and a few songs along the way with weak plots and uninspired acting. When well-made, this was an entertaining, light-hearted formula and Taurog, now in his sixties, was an old hand at it. So impressed was Parker with his work that over the next eight years, Taurog directed Elvis in eight more films: Blue Hawaii
Blue Hawaii (1961), Girls! Girls! Girls!
Girls! Girls! Girls! (1962), It Happened at the World's Fair
It Happened at the World's Fair (1963), Tickle Me
Tickle Me (1965), Spinout (1966), Double Trouble (1967), Speedway (1968), and Live a Little, Love a Little
Live a Little, Love a Little (1968). Although some were better than others—and some were almost identical—Taurog ensured that the films had pace, the comedy was delivered well, and the songs were well executed. Live a Little, Love a Little
Live a Little, Love a Little was his last film. Later years[edit] In 1968, Taurog retired from directing. He later taught at the University of California
University of California School of Cinema and remained a board member of the Director's Guild. Toward the end of his life he became blind. In his last years, he served as director of the Braille Institute in Los Angeles. Taurog died on April 7, 1981 in Palm Desert, California, at the age of 82.[4] His ashes were scattered into the Pacific Ocean. For his contribution to the motion picture industry, Norman Taurog
Norman Taurog has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1600 Vine Street.[2] Awards and nominations[edit]

1931 Academy Award for Best Director
Academy Award for Best Director (Skippy) 1938 Venice Film Festival Mussolini Cup for Best Film (The Adventures of Tom Sawyer) 1939 Academy Award Nomination for Best Director (Boys Town) 1960 Star on the Walk of Fame for Motion Pictures, dedicated on February 8, 1960 at 1600 Vine Street 1966 Laurel Award Nomination for Director, fourth place 1967 Laurel Award Nomination for Director, fifth place 1968 Laurel Award Nomination for Director, eighth place[5]

Filmography[edit] From 1920 to 1968, Taurog directed 180 films.[2] The following is a partial list of his feature films. 1920s[edit]

The Fly Cop (1920) with Larry Semon Lucky Boy
Lucky Boy (1929)

1930s[edit]

Troopers Three
Troopers Three (1930) Skippy (1931) with Jackie Cooper Newly Rich (1931) with Mitzi Green Huckleberry Finn (1931) with Jackie Coogan Sooky
Sooky (1931) with Jackie Cooper
Jackie Cooper and Robert Coogan The Phantom President
The Phantom President (1932) with George M. Cohan, Claudette Colbert, and Jimmy Durante A Bedtime Story (1933) with Maurice Chevalier We're Not Dressing
We're Not Dressing (1934) with Bing Crosby, Carole Lombard, and George Burns The Big Broadcast of 1936
The Big Broadcast of 1936 (1935) with Bing Crosby, Ethel Merman, Dorothy Dandridge, and Glenn Miller Rhythm on the Range (1936) with Bing Crosby
Bing Crosby and Frances Farmer Mad About Music
Mad About Music (1938) with Deanna Durbin
Deanna Durbin and Herbert Marshall The Girl Downstairs (1938) with Franciska Gaal
Franciska Gaal and Franchot Tone The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1938) with Tommy Kelly
Tommy Kelly and Jackie Moran Boys Town (1938) with Spencer Tracy
Spencer Tracy and Mickey Rooney

1940s[edit]

Young Tom Edison
Young Tom Edison (1940) Broadway Melody
Broadway Melody of 1940 (1940) with Fred Astaire
Fred Astaire and Eleanor Powell Little Nellie Kelly
Little Nellie Kelly (1940) with Judy Garland Men of Boys Town
Men of Boys Town (1941) with Spencer Tracy
Spencer Tracy and Mickey Rooney Design for Scandal
Design for Scandal (1941) with Rosalind Russell
Rosalind Russell and Walter Pidgeon A Yank at Eton
A Yank at Eton (1942) with Mickey Rooney Presenting Lily Mars
Presenting Lily Mars (1943) with Judy Garland
Judy Garland and Van Heflin Girl Crazy (1943) with Mickey Rooney
Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland The Canterville Ghost
The Canterville Ghost (1944) co-directed (uncredited) with Jules Dassin The Beginning or the End
The Beginning or the End (1947) with Brian Donlevy The Bride Goes Wild
The Bride Goes Wild (1948) with Van Johnson
Van Johnson and June Allyson Big City (1948) with Margaret O'Brien Words and Music (1948) with June Allyson, Perry Como, Judy Garland, Gene Kelly, Mickey Rooney, and Cyd Charisse

1950s[edit]

Please Believe Me
Please Believe Me (1950) with Deborah Kerr, Robert Walker and Peter Lawford The Toast of New Orleans
The Toast of New Orleans (1950) with Kathryn Grayson, Mario Lanza, and David Niven Room for One More (1952) with Cary Grant Jumping Jacks
Jumping Jacks (1952) with Dean Martin
Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis The Stooge (1953) with Dean Martin
Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis The Caddy
The Caddy (1953) with Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis
Jerry Lewis and Donna Reed Light's Diamond Jubilee (1954, TV special with 6 other directors) Living It Up
Living It Up (1954) with Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis
Jerry Lewis and Janet Leigh You're Never Too Young
You're Never Too Young (1955) with Dean Martin
Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis Pardners
Pardners (1956) with Dean Martin
Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis The Birds and the Bees (1956) with George Gobel, Mitzi Gaynor, and David Niven The Fuzzy Pink Nightgown
The Fuzzy Pink Nightgown (1957) with Jane Russell Don't Give Up the Ship (1959) with Jerry Lewis

1960s[edit]

Visit to a Small Planet
Visit to a Small Planet (1960) with Jerry Lewis G.I. Blues
G.I. Blues (1960) with Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley and Juliet Prowse All Hands on Deck (1961) with Pat Boone Blue Hawaii
Blue Hawaii (1961) with Elvis Presley, Joan Blackman
Joan Blackman and Angela Lansbury Girls! Girls! Girls!
Girls! Girls! Girls! (1962) with Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley and Stella Stevens Palm Springs Weekend
Palm Springs Weekend (1963) with Troy Donahue
Troy Donahue and Connie Stevens It Happened at the World's Fair
It Happened at the World's Fair (1963) with Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley and Gary Lockwood Tickle Me
Tickle Me (1965) with Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley and Jocelyn Lane Sergeant Deadhead (1965) with Frankie Avalon Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine
Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine (1965) with Vincent Price Spinout (1966) with Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley and Shelley Fabares Double Trouble (1967) with Elvis Presley Speedway (1968) with Elvis Presley, Nancy Sinatra, and Bill Bixby Live a Little, Love a Little
Live a Little, Love a Little (1968) with Elvis Presley, Michele Carey and Dick Sargent

See also[edit]

Biography portal

List of oldest and youngest Academy Award winners and nominees

References[edit]

^ a b "Norman Taurog". Allmovie. Retrieved September 8, 2012.  ^ a b c d e f g "Norman Taurog". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved September 8, 2012.  ^ "Unpublished Wizard of Oz Photos from the Estate of Norman Taurog
Norman Taurog - PBA Galleries". Retrieved 13 March 2016.  ^ "Norman Taurog, Director, Dies". The New York Times. April 10, 1981. Retrieved September 8, 2012.  ^ "Awards for Norman Taurog". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved September 8, 2012. 

External links[edit]

Norman Taurog
Norman Taurog on IMDb Norman Taurog
Norman Taurog at Find a Grave

v t e

Films directed by Norman Taurog

Lucky Boy
Lucky Boy (1928) The Diplomats (1929) In Holland (1929) The Medicine Men (1929) Troopers Three
Troopers Three (1930) Sunny Skies (1930) Hot Curves (1930) Follow the Leader (1930) Finn and Hattie Skippy (1931) Forbidden Adventure (1931) Huckleberry Finn (1931) Sooky Hold 'Em Jail The Phantom President If I Had a Million
If I Had a Million (segments "Prologue" and "Epilogue", 1932) A Bedtime Story The Way to Love (1933) We're Not Dressing
We're Not Dressing (1934) Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch (1934) College Rhythm The Big Broadcast of 1936
The Big Broadcast of 1936 (1936) Strike Me Pink (1936) Rhythm on the Range (1936) Reunion (1936) Fifty Roads to Town You Can't Have Everything The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1938) Mad About Music
Mad About Music (1938) Boys Town (1938) The Girl Downstairs Lucky Night Broadway Melody
Broadway Melody of 1940 (1940) Young Tom Edison
Young Tom Edison (1940) Little Nellie Kelly Men of Boys Town Design for Scandal Are Husbands Necessary? (1942) A Yank at Eton
A Yank at Eton (1942) Presenting Lily Mars
Presenting Lily Mars (1943) Girl Crazy (with Busby Berkeley) (1943) The Hoodlum Saint The Beginning or the End The Bride Goes Wild Big City (1948) Words and Music (1948) That Midnight Kiss
That Midnight Kiss (1949) Please Believe Me The Toast of New Orleans Mrs. O'Malley and Mr. Malone Rich, Young and Pretty
Rich, Young and Pretty (1951) Room for One More (1952) Jumping Jacks
Jumping Jacks (1952) The Stooge (1953) The Stars Are Singing (1953) The Caddy
The Caddy (1953) Living It Up
Living It Up (1954) You're Never Too Young
You're Never Too Young (1954) The Birds and the Bees Pardners
Pardners (1956) Bundle of Joy (1956) The Fuzzy Pink Nightgown
The Fuzzy Pink Nightgown (1958) Onionhead (1958) Don't Give Up the Ship (1959) Visit to a Small Planet
Visit to a Small Planet (1960) G.I. Blues
G.I. Blues (1960) All Hands on Deck (1961) Blue Hawaii
Blue Hawaii (1961) Girls! Girls! Girls!
Girls! Girls! Girls! (1962) It Happened at the World's Fair
It Happened at the World's Fair (1962) Palm Springs Weekend
Palm Springs Weekend (1963) Tickle Me
Tickle Me (1965) Sergeant Deadhead (1965) Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine
Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine (1965) Spinout (1966) Double Trouble (1967) Speedway (1968) Live a Little, Love a Little
Live a Little, Love a Little (1968)

v t e

Academy Award for Best Director

1927–1950

Frank Borzage
Frank Borzage (1927) Lewis Milestone
Lewis Milestone (1928) Frank Lloyd
Frank Lloyd (1929) Lewis Milestone
Lewis Milestone (1930) Norman Taurog
Norman Taurog (1931) Frank Borzage
Frank Borzage (1932) Frank Lloyd
Frank Lloyd (1933) Frank Capra
Frank Capra (1934) John Ford
John Ford (1935) Frank Capra
Frank Capra (1936) Leo McCarey (1937) Frank Capra
Frank Capra (1938) Victor Fleming
Victor Fleming (1939) John Ford
John Ford (1940) John Ford
John Ford (1941) William Wyler
William Wyler (1942) Michael Curtiz
Michael Curtiz (1943) Leo McCarey (1944) Billy Wilder
Billy Wilder (1945) William Wyler
William Wyler (1946) Elia Kazan
Elia Kazan (1947) John Huston
John Huston (1948) Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Joseph L. Mankiewicz (1949) Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Joseph L. Mankiewicz (1950)

1951–1975

George Stevens
George Stevens (1951) John Ford
John Ford (1952) Fred Zinnemann
Fred Zinnemann (1953) Elia Kazan
Elia Kazan (1954) Delbert Mann
Delbert Mann (1955) George Stevens
George Stevens (1956) David Lean
David Lean (1957) Vincente Minnelli
Vincente Minnelli (1958) William Wyler
William Wyler (1959) Billy Wilder
Billy Wilder (1960) Jerome Robbins
Jerome Robbins and Robert Wise
Robert Wise (1961) David Lean
David Lean (1962) Tony Richardson
Tony Richardson (1963) George Cukor
George Cukor (1964) Robert Wise
Robert Wise (1965) Fred Zinnemann
Fred Zinnemann (1966) Mike Nichols
Mike Nichols (1967) Carol Reed
Carol Reed (1968) John Schlesinger
John Schlesinger (1969) Franklin J. Schaffner
Franklin J. Schaffner (1970) William Friedkin
William Friedkin (1971) Bob Fosse
Bob Fosse (1972) George Roy Hill (1973) Francis Ford Coppola
Francis Ford Coppola (1974) Miloš Forman
Miloš Forman (1975)

1976–2000

John G. Avildsen
John G. Avildsen (1976) Woody Allen
Woody Allen (1977) Michael Cimino
Michael Cimino (1978) Robert Benton (1979) Robert Redford
Robert Redford (1980) Warren Beatty
Warren Beatty (1981) Richard Attenborough
Richard Attenborough (1982) James L. Brooks
James L. Brooks (1983) Miloš Forman
Miloš Forman (1984) Sydney Pollack
Sydney Pollack (1985) Oliver Stone
Oliver Stone (1986) Bernardo Bertolucci
Bernardo Bertolucci (1987) Barry Levinson
Barry Levinson (1988) Oliver Stone
Oliver Stone (1989) Kevin Costner
Kevin Costner (1990) Jonathan Demme
Jonathan Demme (1991) Clint Eastwood
Clint Eastwood (1992) Steven Spielberg
Steven Spielberg (1993) Robert Zemeckis
Robert Zemeckis (1994) Mel Gibson
Mel Gibson (1995) Anthony Minghella
Anthony Minghella (1996) James Cameron
James Cameron (1997) Steven Spielberg
Steven Spielberg (1998) Sam Mendes
Sam Mendes (1999) Steven Soderbergh
Steven Soderbergh (2000)

2001–present

Ron Howard
Ron Howard (2001) Roman Polanski
Roman Polanski (2002) Peter Jackson
Peter Jackson (2003) Clint Eastwood
Clint Eastwood (2004) Ang Lee
Ang Lee (2005) Martin Scorsese
Martin Scorsese (2006) Joel Coen and Ethan Coen (2007) Danny Boyle
Danny Boyle (2008) Kathryn Bigelow
Kathryn Bigelow (2009) Tom Hooper
Tom Hooper (2010) Michel Hazanavicius
Michel Hazanavicius (2011) Ang Lee
Ang Lee (2012) Alfonso Cuarón
Alfonso Cuarón (2013) Alejandro G. Iñárritu (2014) Alejandro G. Iñárritu (2015) Damien Chazelle
Damien Chazelle (2016) Guillermo del Toro
Guillermo del Toro (2017)

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WorldCat Identities VIAF: 76501650 LCCN: n85376781 ISNI: 0000 0000 8395 6681 GND: 133526526 SUDOC: 154028401 BNF: cb139003030 (data) BIBSYS: 14015641 NLA: 36023641 NKC: xx0095375 BNE: XX1177295 SN