Richard Thorpe

Known for DirectingBorn 1896-02-24Died 1991-05-01Hutchinson, Kansas, USA

Richard Thorpe (February 24, 1896 - May 1, 1991) was an American film director. Born Rollo Smolt Thorpe in Hutchinson, Kansas, he began his entertainment career performing in vaudeville and onstage. In 1921 he began in motion pictures as an actor and directed his first silent film in 1923. He went on to direct more than one hundred and eighty films. The first full length motion picture he directed for MGM was Last of the Pagans (1935) starring Ray Mala. After directing The Last Challenge in 1967, he retired from the film industry. He died in Palm Springs, California in 1991. Thorpe is also known as the original director of The Wizard of Oz. He was fired after two weeks of shooting, because it was felt that his scenes did not have the right air of fantasy about them. Thorpe notoriously gave Judy Garland a blonde wig and cutesy "baby-doll" makeup that made her look like a girl in her late teens rather than an innocent Kansas farm girl of about thirteen. Both makeup and wig were discarded at the suggestion of George Cukor, who was brought in temporarily. Stills from Thorpe's work on the film survive today. For his contribution to the motion picture industry, Thorpe has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6101 Hollywood Blvd. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaRead more

Movies & web series

City Park

The Lady from Nowhere

Under Montana Skies

The Dude Wrangler

The Flyin' Buckaroo

Tearin' Into Trouble

College Days

Double Daring

Ridin' Rivals

The Quitter

The Lone Defender

Vultures of the Sea

The Valley Of Hunted Men

The Meddlin' Stranger

The Soda Water Cowboy

Easy Going

Tearin' Loose

The Desert Demon

The First Hundred Years

Lest We Forget

I Have Lived

Forgotten Women

The Lawless Woman

The King of the Kongo

The Vanishing West

The Ballyhoo Buster

The Shady Lady

The Desert of the Lost

Between Dangers

Roarin' Broncs

Skedaddle Gold

Twisted Triggers

The Interferin' Gent

Flames of Desire

Bringin' Home the Bacon

Barnacle Bill

Big Jack

Beauty Parlor

How the West Was Won

The Truth About Spring

The Thin Man Goes Home

Malaya

The Prisoner of Zenda

Apache Trail

The Crowd Roars

Strange Wives

Cheating Cheaters

Night Must Fall