Arthur Lubin
Encyclopedia
Arthur Lubin was an American film director and producer who directed several Abbott & Costello films and created the TV series Mr. Ed.
Arthur Lubin was born Arthur William Lubovsky in Los Angeles
, California
in 1898. Lubin created his own film and music studio, Lubin Studios, in the 1920s, where he acted in silent films in the later half of the decade. Lubin directed the Abbott and Costello
movies Buck Privates
(1941), In the Navy
(1941), Hold That Ghost
(1941), Keep 'Em Flying
(1942) and Ride 'Em Cowboy
(1942). His most successful film at the box office was probably Phantom of the Opera
(1943). Another may be Rhubarb
(1951) about a cat that inherits a baseball team by proxy.
Lubin also directed the "Francis the Talking Mule" series and brought the idea to TV as the series Mr. Ed. He was the first producer to give a contract to Clint Eastwood
. Lubin also directed episodic TV shows like Bronco
(1958), Maverick
(1959), Bonanza
(1960), Mister Ed
(1961) and The Addams Family
(1965). Lubin's last work was the TV series called Little Lulu
(1978).
Lubin's career ended in the late 1970s, and he lived the rest of his life with his life partner Frank Burford and died in Glendale, California
of an unspecified cause on May 12, 1995 at age 96.
Arthur Lubin was born Arthur William Lubovsky in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
in 1898. Lubin created his own film and music studio, Lubin Studios, in the 1920s, where he acted in silent films in the later half of the decade. Lubin directed the Abbott and Costello
Abbott and Costello
William "Bud" Abbott and Lou Costello performed together as Abbott and Costello, an American comedy duo whose work on stage, radio, film and television made them the most popular comedy team during the 1940s and 1950s...
movies Buck Privates
Buck Privates
Buck Privates is the 1941 comedy/World War II film that turned Bud Abbott and Lou Costello into bonafide movie stars. It was the first service comedy based on the peacetime draft of 1940. The comedy team made two more service comedies before the United States entered the war...
(1941), In the Navy
In The Navy (film)
-Plot:Popular crooner Russ Raymond abandons his career at its peak and joins the Navy using an alias, Tommy Halstead. However, Dorothy Roberts , a reporter, discovers his identity and follows him in the hopes of photographing him and revealing his identity to the world.Aboard the battleship...
(1941), Hold That Ghost
Hold That Ghost
Hold That Ghost is a 1941 comedy horror film starring the comedy team of Abbott and Costello and featuring Joan Davis, Evelyn Ankers, and Shemp Howard....
(1941), Keep 'Em Flying
Keep 'Em Flying
-Plot:Jinx Roberts is a stunt pilot and his assistants are Blackie and Heathcliffe . All three are fired from the carnival and air show that they work for after a disagreement. Jinx decides that he should join the Army Air Force, so they go to a nightclub to party one last time. While there...
(1942) and Ride 'Em Cowboy
Ride 'Em Cowboy
Ride 'Em Cowboy is a 1942 film starring the comedy team of Abbott and Costello.-Plot:The author of best-selling western novels, Bronco Bob Mitchell , has never set foot in the west. A newspaper article has exposed this fact to his fans, and his image is suffering because of it. He decides to make...
(1942). His most successful film at the box office was probably Phantom of the Opera
Phantom of the Opera (1943 film)
Phantom of the Opera is a 1943 Universal horror film starring Nelson Eddy, Susanna Foster and Claude Rains, directed by Arthur Lubin, and filmed in Technicolor. The original music score was composed by Edward Ward....
(1943). Another may be Rhubarb
Rhubarb (1951 film)
Rhubarb is a 1951 film adapted from the 1946 novel Rhubarb by humorist, H. Allen Smith. Directed by Arthur Lubin, the screwball noir comedy stars the cat Orangey, Jan Sterling and Ray Milland.-Characters and story:...
(1951) about a cat that inherits a baseball team by proxy.
Lubin also directed the "Francis the Talking Mule" series and brought the idea to TV as the series Mr. Ed. He was the first producer to give a contract to Clint Eastwood
Clint Eastwood
Clinton "Clint" Eastwood, Jr. is an American film actor, director, producer, composer and politician. Eastwood first came to prominence as a supporting cast member in the TV series Rawhide...
. Lubin also directed episodic TV shows like Bronco
Bronco (TV series)
Bronco is a Western series on ABC from 1958 through 1962. It was shown by the BBC in the United Kingdom. The program starred Ty Hardin as Bronco Layne, a former Confederate officer who wandered the Old West, meeting such well-known individuals as Wild Bill Hickok, Billy the Kid, Jesse James,...
(1958), Maverick
Maverick (TV series)
Maverick is a western television series with comedic overtones created by Roy Huggins. The show ran from September 22, 1957 to July 8, 1962 on ABC and stars James Garner as Bret Maverick, a cagey, articulate cardsharp. Eight episodes into the first season, he was joined by Jack Kelly as his brother...
(1959), Bonanza
Bonanza
Bonanza is an American western television series that both ran on and was a production of NBC from September 12, 1959 to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 430 episodes, it ranks as the second longest running western series and still continues to air in syndication. It centers on the...
(1960), Mister Ed
Mister Ed
Originally produced in late 1960, Mister Ed is an American television situation comedy produced by Filmways that first aired in syndication from January 5 to July 2, 1961, and then on CBS from October 1, 1961, to February 6, 1966....
(1961) and The Addams Family
The Addams Family (TV series)
The Addams Family is an American television series based on the characters in Charles Addams' New Yorker cartoons. The 30-minute series was shot in black-and-white and aired for two seasons in 64 installments on ABC from September 18, 1964, to April 8, 1966...
(1965). Lubin's last work was the TV series called Little Lulu
Little Lulu
"Little Lulu" is the nickname for Lulu Moppett, a comic strip character created in the mid-1930s by Marjorie Henderson Buell. The character debuted in The Saturday Evening Post on February 23, 1935 in a single panel, appearing as a flower girl at a wedding and strewing the aisle with banana peels...
(1978).
Lubin's career ended in the late 1970s, and he lived the rest of his life with his life partner Frank Burford and died in Glendale, California
Glendale, California
Glendale is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2010 Census, the city population is 191,719, down from 194,973 at the 2000 census. making it the third largest city in Los Angeles County and the 22nd largest city in the state of California...
of an unspecified cause on May 12, 1995 at age 96.
Filmography
- Rain for a Dusty Summer (1971)
- Mister TerrificMister Terrific (TV series)Mister Terrific was an American TV sitcom that aired on CBS from January 9, to May 8, 1967. It starred Stephen Strimpell in the title role, and lasted 17 episodes. The show was similar to NBC's Captain Nice, which followed Mister Terrific on Monday nights during its run...
(1967) - Hold On!Hold On! (film)Hold On! is a 1966 musical film directed by Arthur Lubin and starring Peter Noone, Shelley Fabares, Herbert Anderson, and Sue Ane Langdon. The film features performances by Herman's Hermits and stars the band as fictionalized versions of themselves...
(1966) - The Incredible Mr. LimpetThe Incredible Mr. LimpetThe Incredible Mr. Limpet is a 1964 American live-action/animated film from Warner Bros. It is about a man named Henry Limpet who turns into a talking fish resembling a tilefish and helps the U.S. Navy locate and destroy Nazi submarines. Don Knotts plays the title character. The live action was...
(1964) - The Thief of Baghdad (1961)
- Escapade in JapanEscapade in JapanEscapade in Japan is a 1957 American family adventure film. It was directed by Arthur Lubin and starring Teresa Wright, Cameron Mitchell, Jon Provost and Roger Nakagawa. It also featured an early appearance of Clint Eastwood as a pilot.-Synopsis:...
(1957) - The First Traveling SalesladyThe First Traveling SalesladyThe First Traveling Saleslady was a 1956 American film starring Ginger Rogers and Carol Channing. The cast includes James Arness, and a young Clint Eastwood . Commercially unsuccessful, it was among the films that helped to close RKO Pictures.-External links:...
(1956) - Lady Godiva of CoventryLady Godiva of CoventryLady Godiva of Coventry is an American historical film, directed by Arthur Lubin and released in 1955. It starred Maureen O'Hara in the title role.-Synopsis:...
(1955) - Francis in the NavyFrancis in the NavyFrancis in the Navy is a 1955 American black-and-white comedy film, the sixth and last in the Francis the Talking Mule series directed by Arthur Lubin and starring Donald O'Connor and Chill Wills . There was one more film without them, which was poorly received. This marked the first credited role...
(1955) - Footsteps in the FogFootsteps in the FogFootsteps in the Fog is a 1955 British crime film starring Jean Simmons and Stewart Granger, with a screenplay co-written by Lenore Coffee and Dorothy Davenport, and released by Columbia Pictures. It is based on the short story "The Interruption" by W.W...
(1955) - Francis Joins the WACSFrancis Joins the WACSFrancis Joins the WACS is a 1954 American comedy film starring Donald O'Connor, Julie Adams, Mamie Van Doren and Chill Wills. A young man is brought back into the U.S. Army, but a computer error assigns him to the Women's Army Corps...
(1954) - Star of IndiaStar of India (film)Star of India is a 1954 British adventure film directed by Arthur Lubin and starring Cornel Wilde, Jean Wallace, Herbert Lom and Walter Rilla. Its Italian title was Stella Dell'India.-Cast:* Cornel Wilde - Pierre St...
(1954) - Francis Covers the Big TownFrancis Covers the Big TownFrancis Covers the Big Town is the fourth in a series of films about the misadventures of a young man, played by Donald O'Connor, and his friend, a talking mule, voiced by Chill Wills...
(1953) - South Sea WomanSouth Sea WomanSouth Sea Woman is a 1953 action-comedy-drama film directed by Arthur Lubin and starring Burt Lancaster, Virginia Mayo and Chuck Connors.Jeanine Basinger's and Jeremy Arnold's book The World War II Combat Film – Anatomy of a Genre calls the film a significant mixture of genres:...
(1953) - Gobs in a Mess (1953)
- It Grows on TreesIt Grows on TreesIt Grows on Trees is a 1952 fantasy comedy film about a couple who discover that two trees in their backyard grow money. One morning a few days after Polly Baxter purchased a couple of trees and planted them in her backyard, a $5 bill floated in through an open window, spurring a curious turn of...
(1952) - Francis Goes to West PointFrancis Goes to West PointFrancis Goes to West Point is a 1952 comedy film starring Donald O'Connor, Lori Nelson, Alice Kelley, and Gregg Palmer. The third movie in a series, it deals with a young man enrolling at West Point, where he needs to be tutored by his friend, Francis the Talking Mule.-Cast:*Donald O'Connor as...
(1952) - RhubarbRhubarb (1951 film)Rhubarb is a 1951 film adapted from the 1946 novel Rhubarb by humorist, H. Allen Smith. Directed by Arthur Lubin, the screwball noir comedy stars the cat Orangey, Jan Sterling and Ray Milland.-Characters and story:...
(1951) - Queen for a DayQueen for a DayQueen for a Day is an American radio and television game show that helped to usher in American listeners' and viewers' fascination with big-prize giveaway shows. Queen for a Day originated on the Mutual Radio Network on April 30, 1945 in New York City before moving to Los Angeles a few months...
(1951) - Francis Goes to the RacesFrancis Goes to the RacesFrancis Goes to the Races is a 1951 comedy film about a talking mule and his human sidekick at the racetrack. It is a sequel of Francis and stars Donald O'Connor, Piper Laurie, and Cecil Kellaway.-Cast:*Donald O'Connor as Peter Stirling...
(1951) - FrancisFrancis (1950 film)Francis is a 1950 black-and-white comedy film that launched the Francis the Talking Mule series. It starred Donald O'Connor as an American soldier who gets into trouble when he insists an Army mule named Francis can speak. The distinctive voice of Francis was provided by Chill Wills...
(1950) - Impact (1949)
- New Orleans (1947)
- A Night in Paradise (1946)
- The Spider Woman Strikes Back (1946)
- Delightfully DangerousDelightfully Dangerous-Cast:*Jane Powell as Sherry Williams*Ralph Bellamy as Arthur Hale*Constance Moore as Josephine 'Jo' Williams / Bubbles Barton*Morton Gould as Himself - Bandleader*Arthur Treacher as Jeffers, Hale's Butler*Louise Beavers as Hannah, Jo's Maid...
(1945) - Ali Baba and the Forty ThievesAli Baba and the Forty Thieves (1944 film)Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves is a 1944 adventure film starring Maria Montez and Jon Hall, and directed by Arthur Lubin. The film is derived from The Book of One Thousand and One Nights but its story departs greatly from the tale of the same name and includes an actual historic event...
(1944) - Phantom of the OperaPhantom of the Opera (1943 film)Phantom of the Opera is a 1943 Universal horror film starring Nelson Eddy, Susanna Foster and Claude Rains, directed by Arthur Lubin, and filmed in Technicolor. The original music score was composed by Edward Ward....
(1943) - White Savage (1943)
- To the People of the United StatesTo the People of the United StatesTo the People of the United States is a short propaganda film produced by the US Public Health Service in 1943 to warn the American GIs against syphilis. It was directed by Arthur Lubin....
(1943) - Keeping Fit (1942)
- Eagle Squadron (1942)
- Ride 'Em CowboyRide 'Em CowboyRide 'Em Cowboy is a 1942 film starring the comedy team of Abbott and Costello.-Plot:The author of best-selling western novels, Bronco Bob Mitchell , has never set foot in the west. A newspaper article has exposed this fact to his fans, and his image is suffering because of it. He decides to make...
(1942) - Keep 'Em FlyingKeep 'Em Flying-Plot:Jinx Roberts is a stunt pilot and his assistants are Blackie and Heathcliffe . All three are fired from the carnival and air show that they work for after a disagreement. Jinx decides that he should join the Army Air Force, so they go to a nightclub to party one last time. While there...
(1941)
- Hold That GhostHold That GhostHold That Ghost is a 1941 comedy horror film starring the comedy team of Abbott and Costello and featuring Joan Davis, Evelyn Ankers, and Shemp Howard....
(1941) - In the NavyIn The Navy (film)-Plot:Popular crooner Russ Raymond abandons his career at its peak and joins the Navy using an alias, Tommy Halstead. However, Dorothy Roberts , a reporter, discovers his identity and follows him in the hopes of photographing him and revealing his identity to the world.Aboard the battleship...
(1941) - Buck PrivatesBuck PrivatesBuck Privates is the 1941 comedy/World War II film that turned Bud Abbott and Lou Costello into bonafide movie stars. It was the first service comedy based on the peacetime draft of 1940. The comedy team made two more service comedies before the United States entered the war...
(1941) - Where Did You Get That Girl? (1941)
- The San Francisco Docks (1940)
- Who Killed Aunt Maggie? (1940)
- I'm Nobody's Sweetheart Now (1940)
- Meet the Wildcat (1940)
- Gangs of Chicago (1940)
- Black FridayBlack Friday (1940 film)Black Friday is a 1940 American science fiction film starring Boris Karloff. Béla Lugosi, although second-billed, has only a small part in the film and does not appear with Karloff....
(1940) - The Big Guy (1939)
- Call a MessengerCall a MessengerCall a Messenger is a 1939 Universal Studios film that starred Billy Halop and Huntz Hall of the Dead End Kids and several of the Little Tough Guys.-Plot:...
(1939) - Mickey the Kid (1939)
- Big Town Czar (1939)
- Risky Business (1939)
- Newsboys' HomeNewsboys' HomeNewsboys' Home is a 1938 Universal Studios film that starred Jackie Cooper and The Little Tough Guys.-Cast:The Little Tough Guys:*Harris Berger as Sailor*Hal E...
(1938) - Secrets of a Nurse (1938)
- Prison Break (1938)
- The Beloved Brat (1938)
- Midnight Intruder (1938)
- Adventure's EndAdventure's End-Cast:* John Wayne - Duke Slade* Diana Gibson - Janet Drew* Montagu Love - Capt. Abner Drew* Moroni Olsen - First Mate Rand Husk* Maurice Black - Blackie* Paul White - Kalo* Cameron Hall - Slivers* Patrick J. Kelly - Matt* George Cleveland - Tom...
(1937) - Idol of the CrowdsIdol of the CrowdsIdol of the Crowds is a 1937 drama film starring John Wayne as an ice hockey player.-Cast:* John Wayne as Johnny Hansen* Sheila Bromley as Helen Dale* Charles Brokaw as Jack Irwin* Bill Burrud as Bobby* Jane Johns as Peggy...
(1937) - I Cover the WarI Cover the War-Cast:* John Wayne - Bob Adams* Gwen Gaze - Pamela Armitage* Don Barclay - Elmer Davis* Pat Somerset - Captain Archie Culvert* Charles Brokaw - El Kadar/Muffadi* James Bush - Don Adams* Arthur Aylesworth - Logan* Jack Mack - Graham* Franklin Parker - Parker...
(1937) - California Straight Ahead!California Straight Ahead!California Straight Ahead! is a 1937 film about truck drivers starring John Wayne and directed by Arthur Lubin. The action movie features a memorable cross-country race between trucks and trains.-Cast:* John Wayne as Biff Smith...
(1937) - Mysterious Crossing (1936)
- YellowstoneYellowstone (film)Yellowstone is a 63-minute American film set in Yellowstone National Park, directed by Arthur Lubin and released by Universal Studios....
(1936) - The House of a Thousand Candles (1936)
- Frisco Waterfront (1935)
- Two Sinners (1935)
- Honeymoon Limited (1935)
- Great God Gold (1935)
- A Successful FailureA Successful Failure- Cast :*William Collier Sr. as Ellery Cushing aka Uncle Dudley*Lucile Gleason as Mrs. Cushing*Russell Hopton as Phil Stardon*George P. Breakston as Tommy Cushing*William Janney as Robert Cushing*Gloria Shea as Ruth Cushing...
(1934)