Joseph A. McDonough
Encyclopedia
Joseph A. McDonough was an assistant director
in Hollywood, perhaps most noted for working often with James Whale, even after Whale left Universal Studios
. Among the films he worked on with Whale at Universal were Frankenstein
(1931), The Old Dark House
(1932), The Invisible Man
(1933), Bride of Frankenstein
(1935) and the 1936 version of Show Boat
. At MGM, McDonough worked with Whale on the unsuccessful Port of Seven Seas (1938), an American, and somewhat disguised, adaptation of the French Marcel Pagnol
"Marius Trilogy".
He also worked on the W.C. Fields-Mae West
classic comedy My Little Chickadee
in 1940, and on the supernatural anthology film
Flesh and Fantasy
, in 1943. In 1934, he was nominated for an Oscar, not for any one film, but for his body of work, in a category that would be discontinued after 1937.
Assistant director
The role of an Assistant director include tracking daily progress against the filming production schedule, arranging logistics, preparing daily call sheets, checking cast and crew, maintaining order on the set. They also have to take care of health and safety of the crew...
in Hollywood, perhaps most noted for working often with James Whale, even after Whale left Universal Studios
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
. Among the films he worked on with Whale at Universal were Frankenstein
Frankenstein (1931 film)
Frankenstein is a 1931 Pre-Code Horror Monster film from Universal Pictures directed by James Whale and adapted from the play by Peggy Webling which in turn is based on the novel of the same name by Mary Shelley. The film stars Colin Clive, Mae Clarke, John Boles and Boris Karloff, and features...
(1931), The Old Dark House
The Old Dark House
The Old Dark House is an American comedy horror film directed by James Whale and starring Boris Karloff, produced just one year after their success with Frankenstein, also released by Universal Studios.-Background:...
(1932), The Invisible Man
The Invisible Man (1933 film)
The Invisible Man is a 1933 science fiction film based on H. G. Wells' science fiction novel The Invisible Man, published in 1897, as adapted by R. C. Sherriff, Philip Wylie and Preston Sturges, whose work was considered unsatisfactory and who was taken off the project...
(1933), Bride of Frankenstein
Bride of Frankenstein
Bride of Frankenstein is a 1935 American horror film, the first sequel to Frankenstein...
(1935) and the 1936 version of Show Boat
Show Boat (1936 film)
Show Boat is a 1936 film based on the musical play by Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II , which the team adapted from the novel by Edna Ferber....
. At MGM, McDonough worked with Whale on the unsuccessful Port of Seven Seas (1938), an American, and somewhat disguised, adaptation of the French Marcel Pagnol
Marcel Pagnol
Marcel Pagnol was a French novelist, playwright, and filmmaker. In 1946, he became the first filmmaker elected to the Académie Française.-Biography:...
"Marius Trilogy".
He also worked on the W.C. Fields-Mae West
Mae West
Mae West was an American actress, playwright, screenwriter and sex symbol whose entertainment career spanned seven decades....
classic comedy My Little Chickadee
My Little Chickadee
My Little Chickadee is a Universal comedy/western motion picture starring Mae West and W. C. Fields, with Joseph Calleia, Ruth Donnelly, Margaret Hamilton, Donald Meek, Willard Robertson, Dick Foran, George Moran, William B. Davidson, and Addison Richards. It was directed by Edward F. Cline...
in 1940, and on the supernatural anthology film
Anthology film
An anthology film is a feature film consisting of several different short films, often tied together by only a single theme, premise, or brief interlocking event . Sometimes each one is directed by a different director...
Flesh and Fantasy
Flesh and Fantasy
Flesh and Fantasy is a 1943 American anthology film directed by Julien Duvivier, starring Edward G. Robinson, Charles Boyer and Barbara Stanwyck. The making of this film was inspired by the success of Duvivier's previous anthology film, the 1942 Tales of Manhattan.Flesh and Fantasy tells three...
, in 1943. In 1934, he was nominated for an Oscar, not for any one film, but for his body of work, in a category that would be discontinued after 1937.