Del Lord
Encyclopedia
Del Lord was a Canadian film director
and actor
best known as a director of Three Stooges
films.
, Canada
. Interested in the theatre, he traveled to New York City
then when fellow Canadian, Mack Sennett
offered him a job at his new Keystone Studios
, Lord went on to work in Hollywood, California. There, he played the driver of the Keystone Cops police van, appearing in numerous of the successful films.
Given a chance to direct, Del Lord was responsible for a number of very successful comedies for Keystone and directed two feature films for Universal Pictures
. However, the Great Depression
devastated the film industry and Sennett was forced to close his studio in 1933. Work was scarce and Del Lord had to take a job selling used cars until a friend at Columbia Pictures
offered him work.
From 1935 to 1945, Lord directed some of Columbia's fastest and funniest two-reelers and is credited with developing the unique comic style of the Three Stooges
. In addition to more than three dozen Stooges films, on which he collaborated first with Jules White
and then Hugh McCollum, over his career he directed or produced more than 200 motion pictures. Del Lord was promoted to feature films in 1944 (he was replaced as a Stooge director by Edward Bernds
). Curiously, Lord's Columbia features are action melodramas rather than slapstick comedies.
Lord worked briefly for Monogram Pictures
in 1946, and returned to Columbia in 1948. In 1952, he directed Buster Keaton
in an industrial featurette, A Paradise for Buster. Del Lord can be seen in an episode of TV's This Is Your Life
, honoring Lord's old boss Mack Sennett
.
and is interred in the Olivewood Memorial Park, in Riverside, California
.
band
of the 1980s, the Del Lords
, was named after him.
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
and actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
best known as a director of Three Stooges
Three Stooges
The Three Stooges were an American vaudeville and comedy act of the early to mid–20th century best known for their numerous short subject films. Their hallmark was physical farce and extreme slapstick. In films, the Stooges were commonly known by their first names: "Moe, Larry, and Curly" and "Moe,...
films.
Career
Delmer Lord was born in the small town of Grimsby, OntarioGrimsby, Ontario
Grimsby is a town on Lake Ontario in the Niagara Region, Ontario, Canada. Grimsby is a part of the Hamilton Census Metropolitan Area. The majority of residents reside in the area bounded by Lake Ontario and the Niagara escarpment...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Interested in the theatre, he traveled to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
then when fellow Canadian, Mack Sennett
Mack Sennett
Mack Sennett was a Canadian-born American director and was known as the innovator of slapstick comedy in film. During his lifetime he was known at times as the "King of Comedy"...
offered him a job at his new Keystone Studios
Keystone Studios
Keystone Studios was an early movie studio founded in Edendale, California in 1912 as the Keystone Pictures Studio by Mack Sennett with backing from Adam Kessel and Charles O. Bauman, owners of the New York Motion Picture Company...
, Lord went on to work in Hollywood, California. There, he played the driver of the Keystone Cops police van, appearing in numerous of the successful films.
Given a chance to direct, Del Lord was responsible for a number of very successful comedies for Keystone and directed two feature films for Universal Pictures
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
. However, the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
devastated the film industry and Sennett was forced to close his studio in 1933. Work was scarce and Del Lord had to take a job selling used cars until a friend at Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
offered him work.
From 1935 to 1945, Lord directed some of Columbia's fastest and funniest two-reelers and is credited with developing the unique comic style of the Three Stooges
Three Stooges
The Three Stooges were an American vaudeville and comedy act of the early to mid–20th century best known for their numerous short subject films. Their hallmark was physical farce and extreme slapstick. In films, the Stooges were commonly known by their first names: "Moe, Larry, and Curly" and "Moe,...
. In addition to more than three dozen Stooges films, on which he collaborated first with Jules White
Jules White
Jules White born Julius Weiss was a film director and producer best known for his short-subject comedies starring the Three Stooges.-Early years:...
and then Hugh McCollum, over his career he directed or produced more than 200 motion pictures. Del Lord was promoted to feature films in 1944 (he was replaced as a Stooge director by Edward Bernds
Edward Bernds
Edward Bernds was an American screenwriter and director, born in Chicago, Illinois.-Career:While in his junior year in Lake View High School, he and several friends formed a small radio clique and obtained amateur licenses...
). Curiously, Lord's Columbia features are action melodramas rather than slapstick comedies.
Lord worked briefly for Monogram Pictures
Monogram Pictures
Monogram Pictures Corporation is a Hollywood studio that produced and released films, most on low budgets, between 1931 and 1953, when the firm completed a transition to the name Allied Artists Pictures Corporation. Monogram is considered a leader among the smaller studios sometimes referred to...
in 1946, and returned to Columbia in 1948. In 1952, he directed Buster Keaton
Buster Keaton
Joseph Frank "Buster" Keaton was an American comic actor, filmmaker, producer and writer. He was best known for his silent films, in which his trademark was physical comedy with a consistently stoic, deadpan expression, earning him the nickname "The Great Stone Face".Keaton was recognized as the...
in an industrial featurette, A Paradise for Buster. Del Lord can be seen in an episode of TV's This Is Your Life
This Is Your Life
This Is Your Life is an American television documentary series broadcast on NBC, originally hosted by its producer, Ralph Edwards from 1952 to 1961. In the show, the host surprises a guest, and proceeds to take them through their life in front of an audience including friends and family.Edwards...
, honoring Lord's old boss Mack Sennett
Mack Sennett
Mack Sennett was a Canadian-born American director and was known as the innovator of slapstick comedy in film. During his lifetime he was known at times as the "King of Comedy"...
.
Death
Del Lord died on March 23, 1970 in Calabasas, CaliforniaCalabasas, California
Calabasas is an affluent city in Los Angeles County, California in the western United States. It is located in the hills in the southwestern San Fernando Valley and the Santa Monica Mountains between Woodland Hills, Agoura Hills, West Hills, and Malibu, California. As of the 2010 census, the city...
and is interred in the Olivewood Memorial Park, in Riverside, California
Riverside, California
Riverside is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, and the county seat of the eponymous county. Named for its location beside the Santa Ana River, it is the largest city in the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario metropolitan area of Southern California, 4th largest inland California...
.
Popular culture
A rockRock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
of the 1980s, the Del Lords
Del Lords
The Del-Lords are an American rock'n'roll band that formed in New York City in 1982, founded by The Dictators' guitarist Scott Kempner. The band combined elements of '60s garage rock with country, blues, and folk influences to become one of the initial progenitors of urban-roots-rock...
, was named after him.
Selected filmography
- Topsy and Eva (1927)
- Barnum Was Right (1929)
- The Loud MouthThe Loud MouthThe Loud Mouth is a 1932 short comedy film directed by Del Lord. It was nominated for an Academy Award in 1932 for Best Short Subject .-Cast:* Matt McHugh - Loud Mouth* Marjorie Kane - Edith* Franklin Pangborn - Freddie...
(1932) - Oh, My NervesOh, My NervesOh, My Nerves is a 1935 short comedy film directed by Del Lord. It was nominated for an Academy Award in 1935 for Best Short Subject .- Cast :* Monte Collins - Monty * Tom Kennedy - Tom* Ruth Hiatt* Elaine Waters* Tommy Bond...
(1935) - Three StoogesThree StoogesThe Three Stooges were an American vaudeville and comedy act of the early to mid–20th century best known for their numerous short subject films. Their hallmark was physical farce and extreme slapstick. In films, the Stooges were commonly known by their first names: "Moe, Larry, and Curly" and "Moe,...
shorts (1935–48, more than three dozen films) - Trapped by TelevisionTrapped by TelevisionTrapped by Television is a 1936 American film directed by Del Lord.The film is also known as Caught by Television in the United Kingdom.- Cast :*Mary Astor as Barbara "Bobby" Blake*Lyle Talbot as Fred Dennis*Nat Pendleton as Rocky O'Neil...
(1936) - Vengeance (1937)
- Kansas City KittyKansas City KittyKansas City Kitty is a 1944 American romantic musical film directed by Del Lord and starring Jane Frazee.- Cast :* Joan Davis - Polly Jasper* Bob Crosby - Jimmy* Jane Frazee - Eileen Hasbrook* Erik Rolf - Dr. Henry Talbot* Tim Ryan - Dave Clark...
(1944) - In Fast CompanyIn Fast CompanyIn Fast Company is a 1946 film starring the comedy team of The Bowery Boys. It is the second film in the series.-Plot:The boys are involved in an altercation with a vegetable vendor and are saved by Father Donovan who convinces the policeman to let them go...
(1946) - It's Great to Be YoungIt's Great To Be YoungIt's Great to Be Young is a 1956 musical comedy film about a school music teacher, starring Cecil Parker and John Mills.-Cast:* John Mills as Mr. Dingle* Cecil Parker as Frome* John Salew as Routledge* Elizabeth Kentish as Mrs...
(1946)