Biography
An extra in films of the early teens, George Marshall began writing comedy shorts and by 1916 was directing westerns. He went on to helm serials and short comedies and actioners in the silent era, as well as features. A natural director of comedy, Marshall guided several beloved comedians in the sound era:
Stan Laurel and
Oliver Hardy in their classic shorts
Their First Mistake and
Towed In A Hole, and their feature
Pack Up Your Troubles (1932), which Marshall acted in and co-directed with Raymond McCarey; W.C. Fields in
You Can't Cheat an Honest Man (1939);
Bob Hope in
The Ghost Breakers (1940),
Monsieur Beaucaire (1946),
Fancy Pants (1950), Boy' Did I Get A Wrong Number (1966) and
Eight on the Lam (1967); Martin and Lewis in
My Friend Irma (1949),
Scared Stiff (1953) and
Money from Home (1953); and
Jerry Lewis in
The Sad Sack (1957) and Hook, Line and Sinker (1969). Other notable films by this prolific and reliable craftsman include the western spoof
Destry Rides Again (1939) ,with
James Stewart and
Marlene Dietrich; the slapstick mystery Murder, He Says (1945); the serious mystery
The Blue Dahlia (1946); and the quirky
Glenn Ford comedies
The Sheepman (1958) and
The Gazebo (1959). ~ All Movie Guide