"...or make a director out of wood." The Best of Sam Wood
On the set of the Marx Brother's 1935 classic A Night At The Opera, Sam Wood said to Groucho Marx, “You can't make an actor out of clay.” Groucho quickly responded, "Or make a director out of wood.
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- DirectorSam WoodStarsGary CooperTeresa WrightBabe RuthThe story of the life and career of famed baseball player Lou Gehrig.
- DirectorSam WoodStarsJames StewartJune AllysonFrank MorganStar major league pitcher Monty Stratton loses a leg in a hunting accident, but becomes determined to leave the game on his own terms.
- DirectorSam WoodEdmund GouldingStarsGroucho MarxChico MarxHarpo MarxA sly business manager and the wacky friends of two opera singers in Italy help them achieve success in America while humiliating their stuffy and snobbish enemies.
- DirectorSam WoodStarsGroucho MarxChico MarxHarpo MarxA veterinarian posing as a doctor teams with a singer and his friends as they struggle to save an upstate New York sanitarium with the help of a misfit racehorse.
- DirectorSam WoodStarsGloria SwansonRudolph ValentinoEdythe ChapmanA young woman marries an older millionaire and then falls in love with a handsome nobleman on her honeymoon.
- DirectorSam WoodStarsAnn SheridanRobert CummingsRonald ReaganThe dark side and hypocrisy of provincial American life is seen through the eyes of five children as they grow to adulthood at the turn of the century.
- DirectorSam WoodStarsJean ArthurRobert CummingsCharles CoburnA tycoon goes undercover to ferret out agitators at a department store, but gets involved in their lives instead.
- DirectorSam WoodStarsGary CooperIngrid BergmanAkim TamiroffDuring the Spanish Civil War, an American allied with the Republicans finds romance during a desperate mission to blow up a strategically important bridge.
- DirectorSam WoodStarsGinger RogersDennis MorganJames CraigA hard-working white-collar girl from a middle-class family meets and falls in love with a young socialite, but she soon clashes with his family.
- DirectorSam WoodStarsJoan FontainePatric KnowlesHerbert MarshallAn Edwardian belle meets a rich bachelor, but what to do about her husband and her lover?
- DirectorSam WoodStarsJean HarlowClark GableStuart ErwinA woman is sent to a reformatory when her con artist lover flees after killing a man during a botched blackmail scheme.
- DirectorSam WoodStarsRamon NovarroMadge EvansUna MerkelTony, the son of Italian immigrants, works in a smoky steel mill in Gary, Indiana. He wins a company scholarship which will enable him to attend Yale college. Over the four years of his college career he learns about football, love, and class prejudice.
- DirectorSam WoodStarsMyrna LoySpencer TracyHarvey StephensHoping to nab a gang of jewel thieves, a government agent poses as a crook and travels across the country with a female thief.
- DirectorSam WoodStarsGary CooperIngrid BergmanFlora RobsonAn opportunistic Texas gambler and the exiled Creole daughter of an aristocratic family join forces to achieve justice from the society that has ostracized them.
- DirectorSam WoodStarsWilliam HainesLeila HyamsPolly MoranA brash, pushy young man gets a job in a bank and sets his cap for his boss's secretary, but the death of his father makes him reassess his priorities.
- DirectorSam WoodStarsClark GableWalter PidgeonVan JohnsonArmy generals struggle with the decision to prioritize bombing the German factories producing new jet fighters over the extremely high casualties the mission will cost.
- DirectorSam WoodStarsJackie CooganWheeler OakmanDoris MayTrouble and havoc seem to trail Little Henry Peck wherever he goes and only his dear mother understands him. But when young Henry's pranks get his big sister's boyfriend, Dr. Martin, arrested, dad decides that the boy must be punished.
- DirectorSam WoodStarsGinger RogersJean-Pierre AumontAdolphe MenjouIn Paris, a young woman runs away from a reform school, joins a pickpocket academy, and finds herself falling for the handsome diplomat she's been blackmailed into stealing from.
- DirectorSam WoodStarsJoan CrawfordRobert ArmstrongMarie PrevostMary Turner goes up for three years on a crime she didn't commit. Once out she and former prison mates plan a scam in which old men can be sued for breach of promise - the "heart balm" racket. After plotting verious ways to get back at the men who set her up initially, she softens and settles down.
- DirectorSam WoodStarsWilliam HoldenMartha ScottFay BainterChange comes slowly to a small New Hampshire town in the early 20th century.
- DirectorSam WoodStarsGary CooperTeresa WrightFrank MorganIn this hilarious romantic comedy, Gary Cooper gets a lesson in diapers and formula after stealing his child from his ex-wife (Teresa Wright), who was planning to give her up for adoption.
- DirectorSam WoodStarsClaudette ColbertDon AmecheDick ForanA newspaper correspondent who has convinced his publisher he is married implores his friend's wife to pose as his bride.
- DirectorSam WoodStarsRobert YoungJames StewartFlorence RiceThree young men, with a common fondness for football, become roommates the at United States Naval Academy where they experience its rules and traditions.
- DirectorSam WoodStarsWilliam HainesJimmy DuranteErnest TorrenceWallingford is a con-man whose specialty is taking money from suckers. His partners are Schnozzle, a pickpocket and car thief; and Blackie, who has played the game for years. Jimmy's latest deal involves land and a clay pot factory in a small town. When he has the money in hand from a number of investors, he decides to go legitimate when he falls for Dorothy - the girl through whom he is working the con.
- DirectorSam WoodStarsJohn GilbertWallace BeeryJim TullyJack is a sailor who lives to go to sea. A typical sailor, he is always broke and has been in seven jails in the last seven ports. The one girl he tries to impress the most is in London and his mates call her 'the Eskimo'. For two years, he approaches her every time he docks near London, and for two years, Joan rejects the expensive gifts he brings her and ignores all advances he makes. She wants nothing to do with a sailor. When Jack uses trickery to convince Joan to marry him, Joan leaves him when she finds out the truth about his so-called new life. Rough seas are ahead as Jack tries to get Joan to return to him.
- DirectorSam WoodStarsLoretta YoungFranchot ToneLewis StoneAn ambitious barrister and his wife are targeted by blackmailers. In trying to save her husband, the wife becomes involved in a murder case her husband is trying. For his part, the husband's actions make him a suspect in a related murder.
- DirectorSam WoodStarsRobert TaylorJohn HodiakArlene DahlIn 1878, Ward Kinsman, a prospector and Indian scout, is persuaded by the US Cavalry to find Mary Carlyle, the daughter of a general, who has been taken by Apaches.
- DirectorSam WoodStarsMarion DaviesJohnny Mack BrownJane WintonMarion goes to college to pursue a handsome young man and discovers that he is coach of a women's basketball team.
- DirectorSam WoodStarsFreddie BartholomewMickey RooneyCharles CoburnA spoiled orphan, raised by a couple of con artists, gets sent to a mercantile marine vocational school for orphaned boys, where he learns about friendship and ethics, and uncovers a new future.
- DirectorSam WoodStarsRobert MontgomeryCharlotte GreenwoodIrene PurcellA charming bailiff's assistant poses as a young woman's butler until she can pay her debts.
- DirectorSam WoodStarsMarie DresslerPolly MoranAnita PageIn 1925, John becomes President of the prosperous Warren Bank when Maggie retires. Six years later, John, Helen and the two children are happy in their home, but the two mother-in-laws are still bickering. When Lizzy inadvertently starts a run on the bank, it closes when Maggie learns that John has done what she had told him never to do - used the bank bonds for a get rich quick scheme. To gain some money for the depositors, Maggie and John sell everything that they have and move in with Lizzy, who hounds them every day. Their only hope for a normal life is to get the bonds back from the crooks that have them.
- DirectorSam WoodStarsRamon NovarroMyrna LoyReginald DennyAn American tourist catches the eye of a disguised Egyptian prince who decides to kidnap her, then try to win her love.
- DirectorSam WoodStarsElliott NugentRobert MontgomeryCliff EdwardsBiff and Eddie are the best of friends. They are college seniors, roommates at the fraternity, and star teammates on the USC football team. Then a flapper named Babs enters the picture. Biff considers Babs his girl, and she does like him more than Eddie, but Eddie is persistent. Everywhere they go, Eddie and Biff are competing for Babs. When Eddie backs off for the sake of the friendship, Babs decides that she wants him, and this causes the friendship to end. Their rivalry even threatens the team's play in the big Stanford football game.
- DirectorSam WoodStarsLouis MannRobert MontgomeryElliott NugentA German immigrant to a small American town is a barber with four children. He has saved enough money to invest in a savings-and-loan company with a friend. Unfortunately, one of his sons has been stricken with tuberculosis, and the investment money goes to pay for the son's treatment in Arizona. Twenty years later, the wastrel son of the now-rich man who was to have been his partner, falls in love with the barber's daughter.
- DirectorSam WoodStarsRosetta DuncanVivian DuncanLawrence GraySisters Casey and Babe work in a department store that puts on a show every year. As expected, things are going wrong with every act until Casey comes out to help Babe with her song. They are a hit, but in the final act, Casey again comes out and this time the president sees her act and fires both her and Babe on the spot. Benny is able to book Casey, Babe, and Dean into Vaudeville and their act is popular. But before they have their shot at stardom, Dean and Babe leave Casey and the act.
- DirectorSam WoodStarsRichard ArlenVirginia BruceAlice BradyYoung Federal gang-busters in action, with pauses for romance.
- DirectorSam WoodStarsWallace BeeryMickey RooneyArthur HohlA washed up, alcoholic Vet and a dreamer stable boy help nurse a sick race horse back to health.
- DirectorSam WoodStarsWilliam HainesDorothy JordanJoseph CawthornThe adventures of a trouser presser whose cheerful self-reliance enables him to mix with society people and assume the management of a big store.
- DirectorSam WoodStarsFred MacMurrayAlbert DekkerGilbert RolandTwo cowboys come to the aid of a town under the control of a crooked boss.
- DirectorSam WoodStarsWallace ReidWallace Reid Jr.Ann LittleA top race-car driver leaves the sport to get married and settle down, because his new wife doesn't want him to race anymore. However, not long afterwards his wife takes their infant son and leaves him to go to San Francisco. The husband gets word that his son is seriously ill in San Francisco, but he has no way to get there. Just in the nick of time, however, the racer's father-in-law just happens to have developed a new car for a cross-country race--to San Francisco!
- DirectorSam WoodStarsMarie DresslerLionel BarrymoreHelen MackWhen the painter Christopher Bean dies, some unscrupulous art dealers try to get several of his paintings cheaply from a family who have no idea of their value.
- DirectorSam WoodStarsHarold 'Red' GrangeMary McAllisterCharles Ogle"Red" Wade, a star high-school football player, has intentions of going to Claxton College, which has a powerhouse football team, but changes his mind when he meets the sister of the pitiful Paramlee team and goes to college there, just as his father, an alum of the school, had wished. But his father has ordered him not to play football. "Dad" Wade, has offered a $100,000 endowment to his old school, not knowing his son has joined the football team, but is going to withdraw it if his son plays in the Big Game against Claxton. This puts "Red" between a rock and a hard place.
- DirectorSam WoodStarsCharles 'Buddy' RogersIvy HarrisJack LudenPlayboy Teddy Ward wants to marry artist Jeannie King; his father wants him to marry Loris Lane, but tells him he can marry his choice if he can make the Mountain Inn a profitable operation. Teddy agrees, and with his friends' support he arranges an ice-boat race with a $10,000 prize to the winner. A problem arises when his father refuses to pay such an amount. Teddy thinks one of his friends will win the race and refuse the prize, but champion racer "Duke" Slade shows up and Teddy knows he will take the money. Some movie stars show up and, while using their own names, are definitely not playing "Self" in this fictional film.
- DirectorSam WoodStarsGloria SwansonAlec B. FrancisMilton SillsSir Edward Pelham, married to a Russian Gypsy, fears that his daughter will follow in her mother's footsteps and arranges a marriage with her cousin, whom she does not love. During a trip to Nevada with her father, she meets engineer Bayard Delavel, who saves her life when she is bitten by a snake; when her father finds her with Bayard in his cabin, he forces them to marry. Believing that Nadine does not love him, Delavel leaves her and prepares to sue for divorce. In Washington Nadine is reconciled with her father and agrees to marry Hopper, a millionaire; she meets Delavel on the night of her engagement ball, however, and the lovers are reunited.A silent drama starring Gloria Swanson. Now considered lost.
. - DirectorSam WoodStarsGloria SwansonHuntley GordonCharles GreeneMona deBriac, the beautiful daughter of a French nobleman, is induced to marry wealthy American John Brandon because her family needs his money. When she learns that her husband has divorced seven wives, she becomes so angry that she tries to force Brandon, who really loves her, into another divorce. Brandon refuses to release her, and they are finally reconciled.
- DirectorSam WoodStarsWallace ReidBebe DanielsJohn StepplingWhen showing a woman customer some ranch property, real estate agent John Weems's car is disabled by a terrible storm, and he and his client are forced to take refuge in a roadhouse. Weems's wife Constance finds out about her husband's adventure and, bored with her marriage, determines to file for divorce. Constance calls upon Reginald Jay to testify about the roadhouse incident, and Jay, reluctant to testify, feigns illness and is hospitalized, promptly falling in love with one of his nurses. After several comic incidents involving Jay's attempts to convince the doctors of his malaise, Constance is reconciled with her husband and Jay wins the love of his nurse.
- DirectorSam WoodStarsGloria SwansonRalph GravesVera ReynoldsElinor "Swifty" Forbes and her younger sister Marjory are the carefree daughters of wealthy J. D. Forbes. Their mother shows no restraint over her daughters, so they live among the flapper set. Lester Hodges, a songwriter, is enamored of Marjory, while Garside, who runs a card room, is interested in Swifty. While gambling at Garside's place, Swifty meets Roger Corbin, who works as an engineer at her father's business. Corbin falls in love with Swifty. When Mr. Forbes protests against both his daughters' behavior, they move out. Marjory marries Hodges, but eventually leaves him and returns to her parents. Swifty, who has gambled herself into debt, agrees to marry Garside. But when the couple are together in a café, prohibition agents raid the place. Corbin, who has been searching for Swifty, helps her escape, and the two are united.
- DirectorSam WoodStarsKarl DaneGeorge K. ArthurMarceline DayGreg, an arrogant entertainer, gets drafted into the army and runs up against tough drill sergeant Sgt. Diggs. Not wanting to stay in the army, Greg sets out to annoy and aggravate Sgt. Diggs so much that Diggs will have him thrown out. To make matters more complicated, they both have their sights set on pretty Betty Wayne. Complications ensue.
- DirectorSam WoodStarsWilliam HainesAnita PageEileen PercyThe journalist Don Davis becomes involved in a murder case, where Chrystal Malone is part of it. Davis follows Chrystal to China. When Chrystal arrives in China, Davis has to save her from an execution.Lost.
- DirectorVictor FlemingGeorge CukorSam WoodStarsClark GableVivien LeighThomas MitchellA sheltered and manipulative Southern belle and a roguish profiteer face off in a turbulent romance as the society around them crumbles with the end of slavery and is rebuilt during the Civil War and Reconstruction periods.This, and the following titles, were directed by Sam Wood in collaboration with one or more directors.
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