Biography
A lifelong comedy man, English-born actor/director Frank Butler was starring in two-reelers almost from the moment the Oxford graduate arrived in the U.S. During the World War One years, the gangly Butler appeared in a series of "In-Law" comedies. He spent the better part of the 1920s at
Hal Roach studios, where he wrote, directed and acted in many of Roach's top comedies. One of his best-remembered bits was as one of two veddy proper Englishmen besieged by peashooters in the
Our Gang comedy
Seeing the World; his fellow Briton in that scene is
Stan Laurel, who with
Oliver Hardy starred in the Frank Butler-directed short subject
Flying Elephants. Butler remained with Roach until the mid 1930s, working as a gag writer on such memorable films as
Babes in Toyland (1934). He also freelanced occasionally for MGM, Paramount, and
Harold Lloyd Productions. In 1940 Butler labored on the script of the first Hope-Crosby "Road" picture
Road to Singapore, which led to future assignments on
Road to Zanzibar (1941) and
Road to Morocco (1942). Active in both comedy and drama until 1959, Frank Butler was honored with an Academy Award for co-writing 1944's Oscar-winning
Going My Way. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide