Richard Thorpe
Hutchinson, Kansas, USA

Richard Thorpe (February 24, 1896 - May 1, 1991) was an American film director. Born Rollo Smolt Thorpe in Hutchinson, Kansas, he began his entertainment career performing in vaudeville and onstage. In 1921 he began in motion pictures as an actor and directed his first silent film in 1923. He went on to direct more than one hundred and eighty films. The first full length motion picture he directed for MGM was Last of the Pagans (1935) starring Ray Mala. After directing The Last Challenge in 1967, he retired from the film industry. He died in Palm Springs, California in 1991.

Thorpe is also known as the original director of The Wizard of Oz. He was fired after two weeks of shooting, because it was felt that his scenes did not have the right air of fantasy about them. Thorpe notoriously gave Judy Garland a blonde wig and cutesy "baby-doll" makeup that made her look like a girl in her late teens rather than an innocent Kansas farm girl of about thirteen. Both makeup and wig were discarded at the suggestion of George Cukor, who was brought in temporarily. Stills from Thorpe's work on the film survive today.

For his contribution to the motion picture industry, Thorpe has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6101 Hollywood Blvd.

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Top 10 collaborators

Roles

Crew

The Last Challenge (1967)
Director | Producer
The Scorpio Letters (1967)
Director | Producer
That Funny Feeling (1965)
Director
The Truth About Spring (1965)
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The Golden Head (1964)
Director
Fun in Acapulco (1963)
Director
Follow the Boys (1963)
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How the West Was Won (1962)
Special Guest Director
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Director
The Honeymoon Machine (1961)
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The Tartars (1961)
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The House of the Seven Hawks (1959)
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Tip on a Dead Jockey (1957)
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Quentin Durward (1955)
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The Prodigal (1955)
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Bedevilled (1955)
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Athena (1954)
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The Student Prince (1954)
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Knights of the Round Table (1953)
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All the Brothers Were Valiant (1953)
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The Girl Who Had Everything (1953)
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The Prisoner of Zenda (1952)
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Ivanhoe (1952)
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Carbine Williams (1952)
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The Great Caruso (1951)
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Vengeance Valley (1951)
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Three Little Words (1950)
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Black Hand (1950)
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Malaya (1949)
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Challenge to Lassie (1949)
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Big Jack (1949)
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A Date with Judy (1948)
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On an Island with You (1948)
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This Time for Keeps (1947)
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Fiesta (1947)
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Two Girls and a Sailor (1944)
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Above Suspicion (1943)
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Three Hearts for Julia (1943)
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White Cargo (1942)
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Apache Trail (1942)
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Tarzan's New York Adventure (1942)
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Tarzan's Secret Treasure (1941)
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Barnacle Bill (1941)
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The Bad Man (1941)
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Night Must Fall (1937)
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Last of the Pagans (1935)
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Secret of the Chateau (1934)
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Strange Wives (1934)
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Green Eyes (1934)
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City Park (1934)
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Stolen Sweets (1934)
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The Quitter (1934)
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Murder on the Campus (1933)
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Rainbow Over Broadway (1933)
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A Man of Sentiment (1933)
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Notorious But Nice (1933)
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Strange People (1933)
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I Have Lived (1933)
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Forgotten (1933)
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The Secrets of Wu Sin (1932)
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Women Won't Tell (1932)
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The King Murder (1932)
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Thrill of Youth (1932)
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Escapade (1932)
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Probation (1932)
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Cross-Examination (1932)
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Neck and Neck (1931)
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King of the Wild (1931)
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The Flyin' Buckaroo (1928)
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Vultures of the Sea (1928)
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