Leo McCarey facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Leo McCarey
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McCarey on the set of Make Way for Tomorrow (1937)
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Thomas Leo McCarey
October 3, 1898 Los Angeles, California, U.S.
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| Died | July 5, 1969 (aged 70) Santa Monica, California, U.S.
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| Resting place | Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City |
| Alma mater | USC Gould School of Law |
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| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) |
Stella Martin
(m. 1920) |
| Children | 1 |
| Relatives | Ray McCarey (brother) |
Thomas Leo McCarey (born October 3, 1898 – died July 5, 1969) was a famous American film director, screenwriter, and producer. He worked on almost 200 movies! Some of his most well-known films include Duck Soup, The Awful Truth, Going My Way, and An Affair To Remember.
In the 1930s, McCarey was known for making funny movies called screwball comedies. These films often had fast-paced jokes and silly situations. Later, in the 1940s, he started making more serious films, often with religious themes. He was very successful in both types of movies and was one of the most popular comedy directors before World War II.
Contents
Early Life and Career Beginnings
Leo McCarey was born in Los Angeles, California. He went to St. Joseph's Catholic School and Los Angeles High School. After high school, he studied law at the University of Southern California. Before becoming a filmmaker, he tried different jobs like mining, boxing, and writing songs.
In 1919, McCarey became an assistant director. He then started working at the Hal Roach Studios in 1923 as a "gagman." This meant he came up with funny ideas and jokes for films. He wrote jokes for the Our Gang series and other short films. He also produced and directed "two-reelers," which were short movies about 20 minutes long.
Working with Comedy Legends
McCarey helped create one of the most famous comedy teams ever: Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. He brought them together and helped them develop their funny characters. Even though he only officially directed a few of their shorts, like We Faw Down (1928) and Liberty (1929), he wrote many of their screenplays and supervised other directors. By 1929, he was a vice-president at the Hal Roach studio.
Directing Feature Films
When movies started having sound, McCarey began directing longer films called feature films. He worked with many big stars of his time. These included the Marx Brothers in Duck Soup (1933) and Mae West in Belle of the Nineties (1934).
One of his films, Make Way for Tomorrow (1937), was about an elderly couple who had to live apart because of money problems during the Depression. Even though it had some humor, it was not very popular at the box office. However, this film later became recognized as a very important movie and is even considered one of McCarey's best works by some experts.
Award-Winning Success
Later in 1937, McCarey directed The Awful Truth, starring Irene Dunne and Cary Grant. This screwball comedy was a huge hit! It helped make Cary Grant a major star and earned McCarey his first Academy Award for Best Director. Many people say that Cary Grant's unique acting style in light comedies was greatly influenced by McCarey.
After this success, McCarey continued to make popular films. However, a car accident in 1940 prevented him from directing My Favorite Wife, which also starred Cary Grant and Irene Dunne.
Later Career and Themes
Leo McCarey was a very religious person and a Roman Catholic. In the 1940s, his films started to become more serious and often had themes about faith and social issues.
In 1944, he directed Going My Way. This movie was about a kind and energetic young priest named Father Chuck O'Malley, played by Bing Crosby. The film was a massive success! McCarey won his second Best Director Oscar for it, and Bing Crosby won Best Actor. The next year, McCarey made a follow-up film called The Bells of St. Mary's (1945), starring Bing Crosby and Ingrid Bergman. This film was also very popular.
Later Films and Legacy
After World War II, some of McCarey's films were not as well-received. For example, his anti-communist film My Son John (1952) did not do well at the box office.
However, in 1957, he had another big hit with An Affair to Remember. This romantic movie starred Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr. It was a remake of his own 1939 film, Love Affair. Years later, the popular movie Sleepless In Seattle (1993) mentioned An Affair To Remember many times. This helped the older film become popular again, showing it to a whole new generation.
McCarey's last film was Satan Never Sleeps (1962), which, like My Son John, was a strong message against Communism.
McCarey's Unique Directing Style
Leo McCarey was known for his special way of directing. He often changed the story ideas, jokes, and dialogue right on the set, even if a script was already written. He would sometimes sit at a piano, waiting for new ideas to come to him. Actor Bing Crosby once said that about 75% of what they filmed each day was made up by Leo on the spot! This way of working made many of McCarey's scenes feel fresh and natural, unlike other Hollywood movies of the time.
The famous French director Jean Renoir once said that "Leo McCarey understood people better than any other Hollywood director." This shows how much respect other filmmakers had for his talent.
Death
Leo McCarey passed away on July 5, 1969, at the age of 70, due to a lung condition called emphysema. He was buried in the Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California. His younger brother, Ray McCarey, who was also a director, had died 21 years before him.
Filmography
Here are some of the films Leo McCarey directed or worked on:
Films Directed
- Society Secrets (1921)
- Isn't Life Terrible? (1925 short)
- Long Fliv the King (1926 short)
- Mighty Like a Moose (1926 short)
- Sugar Daddies (1927 short)
- Should Married Men Go Home? (1928 short), also writer
- We Faw Down (1928 short)
- Liberty (1929 short), also writer
- Wrong Again (1929 short)
- The Sophomore (1929)
- Red Hot Rhythm (1929)
- Wild Company (1930)
- Part Time Wife (1930)
- Let's Go Native (1930)
- Indiscreet (1931)
- The Kid from Spain (1932)
- Duck Soup (1933)
- Six of a Kind (1934)
- Belle of the Nineties (1934)
- Ruggles of Red Gap (1935)
- The Milky Way (1936)
- Make Way for Tomorrow (1937), also producer
- The Awful Truth (1937), also producer
- Love Affair (1939), also producer
- Once Upon a Honeymoon (1942), also writer and uncredited producer
- Going My Way (1944), also producer
- The Bells of St. Mary's (1945), also producer and writer
- Good Sam (1948), also producer and writer
- My Son John (1952)
- An Affair to Remember (1957), also producer and writer
- Rally 'Round the Flag, Boys! (1958), also producer
- Satan Never Sleeps (1962), also producer
Other Film Work
- Habeas Corpus (1928 short), supervisor
- Pass the Gravy (1928 short), supervisor
- Big Business (1929 short), supervisor
- The Cowboy and the Lady (1938), storywriter
- My Favorite Wife (1940), producer and storywriter
Awards and Nominations
Leo McCarey won several important awards for his work in film.
Wins
- 1937 Best Director: The Awful Truth
- 1944 Best Director: Going My Way
- 1944 Best Writing (Original Story): Going My Way
Nominations
- 1939 Best Writing (Original Story): Love Affair
- 1940 Best Writing (Original Story): My Favorite Wife
- 1945 Best Director: The Bells of St. Mary's
- 1952 Best Writing (Motion Picture Story): My Son John
- 1957 Best Music, Song: "An Affair To Remember" from An Affair to Remember
See also
In Spanish: Leo McCarey para niños
