George Waggner
George Waggner (* 7. December 1894 in New York City , New York as George Wagoner ; † 11. December 1984 in Hollywood , California ) was an American film director , -producer , screenwriter and actor .
Life
George Waggner was born in New York City . He first appeared as an actor in the film The Sheikh (1921). He then played supporting roles in several other silent films , including a number of westerns . He then began to work as a screenwriter.
His first film as a director was Western Trails (1938). Besides numerous other Western films he directed for Universal also some significant for the genre horror films , including Man Made Monster (1941, with Lionel Atwill and Jr. Lon Chaney. In his first horror film) and The Climax (1944, the first color film with Boris Karloff , Oscar-nominated for its sumptuous furnishings). As Waggners main work is now considered The Wolf Man ( The Wolf Man ) from 1941, from a screenplay by Curt Siodmak , with Lon Chaney jr. in the title role as well as Claude Rains , Evelyn Ankers and Bela Lugosi . The film was made by Chaney Jr. became a star and defined the rules and narrative patterns for the werewolf film subgenre , some of which are still valid today.
In 1949 he made the western In the Last Second , with John Wayne and Oliver Hardy in one of his rare solo roles without Stan Laurel . Waggner's daughter, Shy Waggner, made a cameo in this film.
Waggner wrote the lyrics for many of the films he produced or directed.
In the mid-1950s, Waggner concentrated almost exclusively on television work, primarily as an episode director for numerous television series. In the 1960s, he directed episodes of Maverick , Batman , Green Hornet and Solo for ONCEL . After 1967 Waggner withdrew completely from the film and TV business.
His wife was Danny Shannon. They had a child, Shy (* 1924 ), and two grandchildren, Sherry and Robert.
A homage to Waggner, the inventor of the werewolf film, can be found in The Animal (1981) by Joe Dante . Here a main character, a psychiatrist who is actually the leader of a group of werewolves, bears the name Dr. George Waggner . The character is played by Patrick Macnee .
Filmography (selection)
As a director
- 1938: Western Trails
- 1941: Man Made Monster
- 1941: The Wolf Man ( The Wolf Man )
- 1941: Horror Island
- 1942: Sealed Lips
- 1944: The Climax
- 1945: Shady Lady
- 1947: Avengers without weapons ( Gunfighters )
- 1949: In the Last Second ( The Fighting Kentuckian )
- 1951: Operation Seeadler ( Operation Pacific )
- 1966–1967: Solo for ONCEL ( The Man from UNCLE , TV series, 7 episodes)
- 1966–1967: Batman (TV series, 10 episodes)
As a producer
- 1942: Frankenstein returns ( The Ghost of Frankenstein )
- 1942: Invisible Agent ( Invisible Agent )
- 1943: Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man ( Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man )
- 1943: Phantom of the Opera ( Phantom of the Opera )
- 1944: The Serpent ( Cobra Woman )
- 1944: Gypsy Wildcat ( Gypsy Wildcat )
- 1945: Dracula's House ( House of Dracula )
As a screenwriter
- 1932: Gorilla Ship
- 1938: Western Trails
- 1949: In the Last Second ( The Fighting Kentuckian )
- 1951: Operation Seeadler ( Operation Pacific )
- 1954: The Avenger of Montana ( Bitter Creek )
- 1961: Fury River
As an actor
- 1921: The Sheikh ( The Sheik )
- 1924: The iron horse ( The Iron Horse )
Web links
- George Waggner in the Internet Movie Database (English)
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Waggner, George |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Wagoner, George |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor |
| DATE OF BIRTH | December 7, 1894 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | New York City , New York |
| DATE OF DEATH | December 11, 1984 |
| Place of death | Hollywood , California |