About
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...
Known for
How the West Was WonMovie • 1962
Tarzan's New York AdventureMovie • 1942
The Great CarusoMovie • 1951
Jailhouse RockMovie • 1957
IvanhoeMovie • 1952
Tarzan EscapesMovie • 1936
Knights of the Round TableMovie • 1953
Tarzan Finds a Son!Movie • 1939
The Prisoner of ZendaMovie • 1952
That's Entertainment, Part IIMovie • 1976
The Thin Man Goes HomeMovie • 1944
Vengeance ValleyMovie • 1951
The Last ChallengeMovie • 1967
Carbine WilliamsMovie • 1952
A Date with JudyMovie • 1948
Double WeddingMovie • 1937
Tarzan's Secret TreasureMovie • 1941
That Funny FeelingMovie • 1965
Fun in AcapulcoMovie • 1963
The Adventures of Huckleberry FinnMovie • 1939
Black HandMovie • 1950
The Honeymoon MachineMovie • 1961
Above SuspicionMovie • 1943
Night Must FallMovie • 1937