Tay Garnett - Turner Classic Movies

Tay Garnett

Director
Tay Garnett

About

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Also Known As
William Taylor Garnett
Birth Place
Los Angeles, California, USA
Born
June 13, 1894
Died
October 03, 1977

Biography

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A prolific, skillful director of adventure films, westerns and other hard-hitting fare, Tay Garnett began in films around 1920 as a writer. Becoming as a director near the end of the silent period, Garnett quickly demonstrated the narrative verve and technical competence typical of his work with the early talkie landmarks, the rough-housing romance, "Her Man" (1930) and the intriguing ga...

Filmography

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Challenge To Be Free (1976)
Director
Timber Tramps (1975)
Director
The Mad Trapper (1972)
Director
The Delta Factor (1970)
Director
Cattle King (1963)
Director
The Night Fighters (1960)
Director

Photos & Videos

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The Postman Always Rings Twice - Behind-the-Scenes Photos
24 Photos
Postman Always Rings Twice, The (1946) -- (Movie Clip) Get That Blonde Out Of My System
0 Photos
0 Photos
My Favorite Spy (1942) -- (Movie Clip) Kay Kyser's In The Army

Family & Companions

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Patsy Ruth Miller
Wife
Actor. Married in 1929; divorced.
Helga Moray
Wife
Writer. Second wife.
Mari Aldon
Wife
Actor. Third wife; married in the 1950s.

Bibliography

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"Light Your Torches and Pull Up Your Tights"
Tay Garnett, Arlington House (1973)

Biography

A prolific, skillful director of adventure films, westerns and other hard-hitting fare, Tay Garnett began in films around 1920 as a writer. Becoming as a director near the end of the silent period, Garnett quickly demonstrated the narrative verve and technical competence typical of his work with the early talkie landmarks, the rough-housing romance, "Her Man" (1930) and the intriguing gangster film, "Bad Company" (1931). Though his output is variable, Garnett was a reliable and very talented craftsman who helmed such fine genre fare as "One Way Passage" (1932), a lovely romantic duet for Kay Francis and William Powell; "China Seas" (1935), a lively comic adventure at sea teaming up Clark Gable, Jean Harlow, and Wallace Beery; "Slave Ship" (1937), a grim, potent seafaring saga with Beery and Warner Baxter; "Stand In" (1937), a highly enjoyable spoof of Hollywood filmmaking with Leslie Howard and Joan Blondell; and one of Marlene Dietrich's best films, the rowdy yet touching "Seven Sinners" (1940). His most famous film, though, is arguably that classic film noir pairing of Lana Turner's blondeness and John Garfield's swarthiness, "The Postman Always Rings Twice" (1946).

Filmography

 

Director (Feature Film)

Challenge To Be Free (1976)
Director
Timber Tramps (1975)
Director
The Mad Trapper (1972)
Director
The Delta Factor (1970)
Director
Cattle King (1963)
Director
The Night Fighters (1960)
Director
Seven Wonders of the World (1956)
Director
The Black Knight (1954)
Director
Main Street to Broadway (1953)
Director
One Minute to Zero (1952)
Director
Soldiers Three (1951)
Director
Cause for Alarm! (1951)
Director
The Fireball (1950)
Director
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1949)
Director
Wild Harvest (1947)
Director
The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946)
Director
The Valley of Decision (1945)
Director
Since You Went Away (1944)
Director of crowd seq
The Cross of Lorraine (1944)
Director
See Here, Private Hargrove (1944)
Director of retakes
Mrs. Parkington (1944)
Director
Bataan (1943)
Director
My Favorite Spy (1942)
Director
Cheers for Miss Bishop (1941)
Director
Seven Sinners (1940)
Director
Slightly Honorable (1939)
Director
Eternally Yours (1939)
Director
Joy of Living (1938)
Director
Trade Winds (1938)
Director
Slave Ship (1937)
Director
Love Is News (1937)
Director
Stand-In (1937)
Director
Professional Soldier (1936)
Director
China Seas (1935)
Director
She Couldn't Take It (1935)
Director
Destination Unknown (1933)
Director
S.O.S. Iceberg (1933)
Director
One Way Passage (1932)
Director
Prestige (1932)
Director
Okay America (1932)
Director
Bad Company (1931)
Director
Officer O'Brien (1930)
Director
Her Man (1930)
Director
Oh, Yeah (1929)
Director
The Flying Fool (1929)
Director
The Spieler (1928)
Director
Celebrity (1928)
Director

Cast (Feature Film)

Challenge To Be Free (1976)
Marshall Mcgee
The Mad Trapper (1972)
Seven Sinners (1940)
Sailor
Slightly Honorable (1939)
Reporter
Eternally Yours (1939)
Pilot

Writer (Feature Film)

The Mad Trapper (1972)
Screenwriter
The Delta Factor (1970)
Screenwriter
The Fireball (1950)
Original Story
Cafe Hostess (1939)
Story
Trade Winds (1938)
Original Story
Prestige (1932)
Adaptation
Her Man (1930)
Story
Oh, Yeah (1929)
Adaptation
The Flying Fool (1929)
Adaptation
The Flying Fool (1929)
Story
Celebrity (1928)
Screenwriter
The Cop (1928)
Scen
Power (1928)
Story
Skyscraper (1928)
Adaptation
The Spieler (1928)
Adaptation
Power (1928)
Cont
The Spieler (1928)
Dial
Turkish Delight (1927)
Scen
The Wise Wife (1927)
Adaptation
Rubber Tires (1927)
Adaptation
No Control (1927)
Scen
The Wise Wife (1927)
Cont
White Gold (1927)
Adaptation
The Cruise of the Jasper B (1926)
Adaptation
Who's Your Friend (1925)
Cont

Producer (Feature Film)

The Delta Factor (1970)
Producer
Week-End for Three (1941)
Producer
Unexpected Uncle (1941)
Producer
Slightly Honorable (1939)
Producer

Music (Feature Film)

Oh, Yeah (1929)
Composer

Production Companies (Feature Film)

Slightly Honorable (1939)
Company
Eternally Yours (1939)
Company
Trade Winds (1938)
Company
Joy of Living (1938)
Company

Misc. Crew (Feature Film)

Going Hollywood: The War Years (1988)
Other
Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid (1982)
Other
Hearts and Minds (1975)
Other

Writer (Short)

Galloping Bungalows (1924)
Writer

Title Design (Short)

Fiddlesticks (1927)
Titles

Life Events

1920

Became a screenwriter; wrote screenplays and comic material for, among others, Hal Roach and Mack Sennett

1927

Joined the DeMille unit at Pathe

1928

Began as a film director at Pathe; first films, "Celebrity" (for which he also co-wrote the screenplay) and "The Spieler" (which he also co-wrote)

1973

Last film, "Timber Tramp"

Photo Collections

 
24 Photos
The Postman Always Rings Twice - Behind-the-Scenes Photos
Here are several behind-the-scenes photos taken during the shooting of The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946). Look for director Tay Garnett and stars Lana Turner, John Garfield, and Cecil Kellaway.

Videos

Movie Clip

Postman Always Rings Twice, The (1946) -- (Movie Clip) Get That Blonde Out Of My System The brief entire brilliant performance by Audrey Totter, herself usually the blonde, as Madge (the Anjelica Huston part in the 1982 Jack Nicholson, Jessica Lange and Bob Rafelson remake), just the gal to distract John Garfield (as Frank) from wife Lana Turner (in her landmark performance as waitress, wife and murderous adulteress Cora), who’s left on the train to visit her ailing mother, Hume Cronyn their friendly lawyer, in The Postman Always Rings Twice, 1946.
My Favorite Spy (1942) -- (Movie Clip) Kay Kyser's In The Army Late for his wedding, bandleader Kay Kyser overhears a routine on a park bench (George Cleveland, Hobart Cavanaugh) then crosses paths with trumpeter-comic Ish Kabibble, but not with betrothed Terry (Ellen Drew), opening My Favorite Spy, 1942.
Mrs. Parkington (1944) -- (Movie Clip) I Own A Mountain Her first flashback, Greer Garson as the then-unmarried, brunette title character Susie, Walter Pidgeon as Parkington, wealthy New York mine-owner, arriving at the Nevada boarding house of her mother (Mary Servoss), confronted by a chippy miner (Charles Cane), in MGM's Mrs. Parkington, 1944.
Postman Always Rings Twice, The (1946) -- (Movie Clip) The Original Plan Was Hers Rejoining Frank (John Garfield) and his narration from the James M. Cain novel, providing Cora (Lana Turner) with a bag of ball-bearings to whack her husband in the bathtub, arranging his accidental death, Tay Garnett directing, in The Postman Always Rings Twice, 1946.
China Seas (1935) -- (Movie Clip) Are You With Me? In scenes largely about her wardrobe, China (Jean Harlow) wins a drinking game against Jamesy (Wallace Beery), who's already quit, then discovers his criminal scheme, rescued by captain Gaskell (Clark Gable), as the ship hits a storm, in MGM's sprawling China Seas, 1935.
China Seas (1935) -- (Movie Clip) Number One Girl In The Archipelago Clark Gable as captain Gaskell, boarding his ship after a hard-partying call in Singapore, finds underling Rockwell (William Henry) imitating lines he himself just barked, then ambushed by girlfriend “China Doll” (Jean Harlow), who’s not done with him, early in MGM’s China Seas, 1935.
Bataan (1943) -- (Movie Clip) Hard Night's Work Stand-in mechanics Purckett (Robert Walker) and Ramirez (Desi Arnaz) helping pilot Bentley (George Murphy) fix up his plane, reporting to Sergeant Dane (Robert Taylor) and discovering a man missing, in the Dore Schary-MGM production Bataan, 1943.
Trade Winds (1938) -- (Movie Clip) Lacking Moral Fortitude Sequence in which Joan Bennett (as socialite Kaye, who just righteously shot a guy) becomes the often sultry brunette she would remain for the rest of her career, cop Ralph Bellamy and commish Thomas Mitchell bumbling behind, in Trade Winds, produced by Bennett's future husband Walter Wanger.
Trade Winds (1938) -- (Movie Clip) When She Wants A Light From producer Walter Wanger, lots of pace introducing Joan Bennett as socialite and pianist Kaye, going after playboy Sidney Blackmer, who caused the death of her sister, screenplay credits including Dorothy Parker and husband Alan Campbell, Tay Garnett directing, opening Trade Winds, 1938.
Trade Winds (1938) -- (Movie Clip) I Thought I'd Dreamed You Already talked-up as a womanizing private eye, Sam Wye (Fredric March) is introduced at work on a client when his assistant (Ann Sothern) takes a call from the police commissioner who needs help tracking a fugitive murderess, Tay Garnett directing producer Walter Wanger's Trade Winds, 1938.
Mrs. Parkington (1944) -- (Movie Clip) Great American Family Introducing Greer Garson, title character, with schmoozing son-in-law Amory (Edward Arnold), his wife (Helen Stillman), Alice (Florence Bates) and Madeleine (Lee Patrick) her daughters, Rod Cameron a new husband, grandson Dan Duryea, Byron Foulger a hired author, in Mrs. Parkington, 1944.
Mrs. Parkington (1944) -- (Movie Clip) Not Just A Man Newlywed working class Nevada girl Susie (Greer Garson, title character), her first morning at her husband's New York mansion, wakened by Baroness Aspasia (Agnes Moorehead) who, until that day, had been fiancee` to "The Major," graciously befriending her usurper, in Mrs. Parkington, 1944.

Trailer

One Minute To Zero (1952) -- Original Trailer Noisy and spectacular, if uninformative, theatrical trailer for producer Edmund Grainger’s contemporary Korean War drama, One Minute To Zero, 1952.
One Minute To Zero - (Original Trailer) A U.S. colonel (Robert Mitchum) tries to evacuate American civilians during the Korean War in One Minute To Zero (1952).
Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, A (1949) - (Original Trailer) Bing Crosby brings 19th-Century know-how to Camelot in a musical version of Mark Twain's classic tale.
Unexpected Uncle - (Original Trailer) A bored retiree (Charles Coburn) decides to play matchmaker in Unexpected Uncle (1941).
Weekend For Three - (Original Trailer) Algonquin wit Dorothy Parker co-wrote Weekend For Three (1941), a comedy about a married woman who can't get rid of an old boyfriend.
Bataan - (Original Trailer) Robert Taylor leads a do-or-die mission during World War II in Bataan (1943), co-starring George Murphy and Thomas Mitchell.
Postman Always Rings Twice, The (1946) - (Original Trailer) Illicit lovers plot to kill the woman's older husband in The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946),starring Lana Turner and John Garfield.
Valley of Decision, The - (Original Trailer) Greer Garson's career is the subject, in the original trailer for The Valley of Decision, 1945, the story of an Irish housemaid's romance with the boss's son, also starring Gregory Peck.
Cross of Lorraine, The - (Original Trailer) Allied POWs fight to survive torture and loss of faith in The Cross of Lorraine (1944) starring Gene Kelly and Peter Lorre.
Cause For Alarm -- (Original Trailer) Loretta Young fights to intercept a letter in which her husband tries to prove her guilty of murder in Cause For Alarm (1951).
China Seas - (Re-issue Trailer) A sea captain caught in a romantic triangle has to fight off modern-day pirates in China Seas (1935) starring Clark Gable and Jean Harlow.
Mrs. Parkington - (Original Trailer) Greer Garson is a servant girl who marries mine owner Walter Pidgeon in Mrs. Parkington (1944).

Companions

Patsy Ruth Miller
Wife
Actor. Married in 1929; divorced.
Helga Moray
Wife
Writer. Second wife.
Mari Aldon
Wife
Actor. Third wife; married in the 1950s.

Bibliography

"Light Your Torches and Pull Up Your Tights"
Tay Garnett, Arlington House (1973)
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