He was born in 1900 in Marianna (Lee County), the son of native Arkansans. His father was a farmer and his mother a homemaker. Not much is known about his childhood.
He attended the University of the South in Sewanee, Tenn. He subsequently moved to California and got a job as the chauffeur for Hal Roach, the Hollywood filmmaker and studio owner. He got Roach to hire him as a prop man for his Harold Lloyd movies and other comedies. Once in the film industry he advanced quickly, working his way up to assistant director, then director in RKO Radio Pictures' short-subject department. He developed a reputation for developing films on time and under budget, employing the "editing in the camera" technique, with few — if any — retakes.
In 1938, he directed his first feature-length film, "Rebellious Daughters," starring Marjorie Reynolds and with Little Rock native Dick Hogan in a minor role. He became a prolific director: From 1941-1944, he directed another body of 24 movies, mostly for "Poverty Row" studios — a term that was used to describe the many fly-by-night or otherwise "B" studios that appeared, only to soon disappear from the Hollywood scene. Some were horror movies that enjoy a cult following to this day — including "The Devil Bat" with Bela Lugosi; "King of the Zombies"; and "She-Wolf of London" with June Lockhart.
He then made a few low-budget movies for Universal Pictures, where in 1944 he had the great fortune of connecting with Bud Abbott and Lou Costello, the studio's popular comedy team. He directed five of the duo's extremely popular movies. From 1944-1950, he directed 24 movies for various studios, including several of the Bowery Boys films for Monogram (later known as Allied Artists), and continued his rapid pace well into the 1950s.
His skill at working at a rapid pace made him an instant fit for television, and he soon became one of the most in-demand directors in the industry. In 1950, he directed episodes of "Beulah," starring Ethel Waters, and from 1952-53, the George Raft series, "I'm the Law," while simultaneously directing the new Bud Abbott and Lou Costello TV series. Other TV shows of which he directed multiple episodes in the 1950s and 1960s included "Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok," starring Guy Madison and Andy Devine; "Captain Gallant of the Foreign Legion," with Buster Crabbe; "The Life of Riley," starring William Bendix; "The Addams Family"; "McHale's Navy," starring Ernest Borgnine and Tim Conway; "My Favorite Martian"; "Petticoat Junction"; "The Guns of Will Sonnett," starring Walter Brennan; and "Broadside."
His final feature movie was "Hillbillys in a Haunted House" in 1967; his final TV movie was "The Over-the-Hill-Gang" in 1969. He directed TV episodes of "Death Valley Days" and "Adam-12" in 1970 and 1971.
He was married twice, raising a stepdaughter from his first marriage and a daughter from his second. He died in 1975 in Los Angeles.
Who was this prolific film and TV director from Marianna?