Harry B. Lachman (June 29, 1886 – March 19, 1975) was an American

artist An artist is a person engaged in an activity related to creating art, practicing the arts, or demonstrating the work of art. The most common usage (in both everyday speech and academic discourse) refers to a practitioner in the visual arts o ...

set design Scenic design, also known as stage design or set design, is the creation of scenery for theatrical productions including plays and musicals. The term can also be applied to film and television productions, where it may be referred to as prod ...

er, and

film director A film director or filmmaker is a person who controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfillment of that Goal, vision. The director has a key role ...

. He was born in

La Salle, Illinois LaSalle or La Salle is a city in LaSalle County, Illinois, United States, located at the intersection of Interstates Interstate 39, 39 and Interstate 80, 80. It is part of the Ottawa, IL Micropolitan Statistical Area. Originally platted in 1837 o ...

on June 29, 1886. Lachman was educated at the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

before becoming a magazine and book illustrator, contributing 4 colour illustrations to the 1907 work ''John Smith, Gentleman Adventurer'' by Charles Harcourt Ainslie Forbes-Lindsay. In 1911, he emigrated to

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

where he earned a substantial reputation as a

Post-Impressionist Post-Impressionism (also spelled Postimpressionism) was a predominantly French art movement that developed roughly between 1886 and 1905, from the last Impressionist exhibition to the birth of Fauvism. Post-Impressionism emerged as a reaction a ...

painter Painting is a Visual arts, visual art, which is characterized by the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called "matrix" or "Support (art), support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with ...

and was awarded the

Légion d'Honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

by the French government. Lachman's interest in motion pictures stemmed from his position as a set designer in

Nice Nice ( ; ) is a city in and the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative city limits, with a population of nearly one million Mare Nostrum In the Roman Empire, () was a term that referred to the Mediterranean Sea. Meaning "Our Sea" in Latin, it denoted the body of water in the context of borders and policy; Ancient Rome, Rome remains the only state in history to have controlled th ...

'' in 1925. He worked as a director in France and

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

before settling in

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...

in 1933. His credits include '' Down Our Street'', ''

Baby Take a Bow ''Baby Take a Bow'' (sometimes written as ''Baby, take a Bow'', etc. in promotional posters at the time) is a 1934 American comedy-drama film directed by Harry Lachman and is one of the earliest Hays code Hollywood films (its MPAA certificate ...

'', ''

Dante's Inferno ''Inferno'' (; Italian for ' Hell') is the first part of Italian writer Dante Alighieri's 14th-century narrative poem '' The Divine Comedy'', followed by and . The ''Inferno'' describes the journey of a fictionalised version of Dante himsel ...

'', ''

Our Relations ''Our Relations'' is a 1936 American comedy film directed by Harry Lachman starring Laurel and Hardy, produced by Stan Laurel for Hal Roach Studios. Plot Stan and Ollie are unexpectedly reunited with their long-lost twin brothers, Alf and Bert ...

'', and '' Dr. Renault's Secret''. In 1928 he married Jue Quon Tai."Director Proves Kiplings Wrong" The Newark Advocate, Newark, Ohio, 05 Nov 1932, Sat • Page 5 Lachman returned to painting in the 1940s. He died on March 19, 1975.

Filmography

* ''

Weekend Wives ''Weekend Wives'' is a 1928 British silent comedy film directed by Harry Lachman and starring Monty Banks, Jameson Thomas and Estelle Brody. It was made at British International Pictures's Elstree Studios. The film is set in Paris and resort t ...

'' (1928) * ''

Under the Greenwood Tree ''Under the Greenwood Tree: A Rural Painting of the Dutch School'' is the second published novel by English author Thomas Hardy, published anonymously in 1872. It was Hardy's second published novel, and the first of what was to become his seri ...

'' (1929) * ''

Song of Soho ''Song of Soho'' is a 1930 British musical film directed by Harry Lachman and starring Carl Brisson, Edna Davies and Donald Calthrop. It was produced by British International Pictures at the company's Elstree Studios outside London. Plot An ex ...

'' (1930) * ''

The Compulsory Husband ''The Compulsory Husband'' is a 1930 British comedy film directed by Monty Banks and Harry Lachman and starring Banks, Lillian Manton and Clifford Heatherley. It was based on a novel of the same title by John Glyder. Cast * Monty Banks as Monty ...

'' (1930) * ''

The Yellow Mask ''The Yellow Mask'' is a 1930 British musical crime film directed by Harry Lachman and starring Lupino Lane, Dorothy Seacombe and Warwick Ward. A criminal plans to rob the Crown Jewels from the Tower of London. It was based on the 1927 Edgar W ...

'' (1930) * ''

The Love Habit ''The Love Habit'' is a 1931 British comedy film directed by Harry Lachman and starring Seymour Hicks, Margot Grahame and Edmund Breon. It was made at Elstree Studios with production beginning in August 1930.Wood p.69 Produced by British Inter ...

'' (1931) * '' The Outsider'' (1931) * ''

The Man at Midnight ''The Man at Midnight'' (French: ''Le Monsieur de minuit'') is a 1931 French comedy film directed by Harry Lachman and starring Jean Weber, Josseline Gaël and Marcel Simon. It was the French-language version of the British film '' Almost a H ...

'' (1931) * '' Mistigri'' (1931) * ''

Insult An insult is an expression, statement, or behavior that is often deliberately disrespectful, offensive, scornful, or derogatory towards an individual or a group. Insults can be intentional or unintentional, and they often aim to belittle, of ...

'' (1932) * '' The Dressmaker of Luneville'' (1932) * ''

The Beautiful Sailor ''The Beautiful Sailor'' () is a 1932 French drama film directed by Harry Lachman and starring Pierre Blanchar, Madeleine Renaud and Jean Gabin.Oscherwitz & Higgins p.177 It was made by the French subsidiary of Paramount Pictures at the company's ...

'' (1932) * '' Down Our Street'' (1932) * ''

Aren't We All? ''Aren't We All?'' is a stage play in three acts by Frederick Lonsdale. The plot of this drawing room comedy concerns the Hon William Tatham, whose wife catches him kissing another woman at a party, but she had an extramarital kiss of her own ...

'' (1932) * '' Paddy the Next Best Thing'' (1933) * ''

Face in the Sky ''Face in the Sky'' is a 1933 American pre-Code comedy film starring Spencer Tracy and Stuart Erwin. The film was directed by Harry Lachman and released by Fox Film. Plot Two sign painters find themselves blackmailed by a beautiful woman dete ...

'' (1933) * ''

'' (1934) * ''

George White's Scandals ''George White's Scandals'' were a long-running string of Broadway revues produced by George White that ran from 1919–1939, modeled after the ''Ziegfeld Follies''. The "Scandals" launched the careers of many entertainers, including W. C. ...

'' (1934) * ''

I Like It That Way ''I Like It That Way'' is a 1934 American pre-Code musical film directed by Harry Lachman and starring Gloria Stuart, Roger Pryor and Marian Marsh. Plot A telephone operator quits her job to become a singer at a nightclub. Main cast * Gloria S ...

'' (1934) * ''

Nothing More Than a Woman ''Nothing More Than a Woman'' (Spanish: ''Nada más que una mujer'') is a 1934 American drama film directed by Harry Lachman and starring Berta Singerman, Alfredo del Diestro and Juan Torena. It is the Spanish-language version of Fox Film Corporati ...

'' (1934) * ''

George White's 1935 Scandals ''George White's 1935 Scandals'' is an American musical film, written by Jack Yellen, directed by George White and Harry Lachman, and produced in 1935 by Fox Film Corporation. It was a follow-up to (but not a sequel to) the 1934 release, ' ...

'' (1935) * ''

'' (1935) * '' Dressed to Thrill'' (1935) * ''

'' (1936) * ''

Charlie Chan at the Circus ''Charlie Chan at the Circus'' is the 11th film produced by Fox starring Warner Oland as Charlie Chan. A seemingly harmless family outing drags a vacationing Chan into a murder investigation. The film's sets were designed by the art director Dun ...

'' (1936) * ''

The Man Who Lived Twice ''The Man Who Lived Twice'' is a 1936 American crime film directed by Harry Lachman and starring Ralph Bellamy, Marian Marsh and Thurston Hall. It was remade as ''Man in the Dark ''Man in the Dark'' is a 1953 film noir drama 3-D film directed ...

'' (1936) * '' When You're in Love'' (1937) * '' The Devil Is Driving'' (1937) * ''

It Happened in Hollywood ''It Happened in Hollywood'' is a 1937 American comedy film directed by Harry Lachman and starring Richard Dix, Fay Wray and Victor Kilian. The arrival of sound wrecks the career of a leading western actor while his leading lady rises to new hei ...

'' (1937) * ''

No Time to Marry ''No Time to Marry'' is a 1938 American comedy film directed by Harry Lachman and starring Richard Arlen, Mary Astor and Lionel Stander.Goble p.888 Plot Cast * Richard Arlen as Perry Brown * Mary Astor as Kay McGowan * Lionel Stander as Al ...

'' (1938) * ''

They Came by Night ''They Came by Night'' is a 1940 British crime film directed by Harry Lachman and starring Will Fyffe, Phyllis Calvert and Anthony Hulme. It was made at the Islington Studios by Gainsborough Pictures and released by 20th Century Fox. The film' ...

'' (1940) * ''

Murder Over New York ''Murder Over New York'' is a 1940 American mystery film directed by Harry Lachman and starring Sidney Toler as Charlie Chan. The cast also features Marjorie Weaver, Robert Lowery and Ricardo Cortez.Backer p.128-29 Chan must solve a murder my ...

'' (1940) * ''

Dead Men Tell ''Dead Men Tell'' is a 1941 American mystery film directed by Harry Lachman and starring Sidney Toler, Sheila Ryan and Victor Sen Yung. Toler played Charlie Chan in 22 feature films, beginning with '' Charlie Chan in Honolulu'' (1938), and ...

'' (1941) * ''

Charlie Chan in Rio ''Charlie Chan in Rio'' is a 1941 American mystery film directed by Harry Lachman and featuring the Asian detective Charlie Chan. It was the tenth film to feature Sidney Toler as the title character, who is called upon to investigate the death of ...

'' (1941) * '' The Loves of Edgar Allan Poe'' (1942) * ''

Castle in the Desert ''Castle in the Desert'' is a 1942 film featuring the Chinese detective Charlie Chan. It was the eleventh film to feature Sidney Toler as the title character, and the last made by 20th Century Fox. The series continued with Toler, though under ...

'' (1942) * '' Dr. Renault's Secret'' (1942)

References

External links

*
Paintings by Lachman

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lachman, Harry 1886 births 1975 deaths 20th-century American painters American male painters American Post-impressionist painters University of Michigan alumni People from LaSalle, Illinois Painters from Illinois American recipients of the Legion of Honour Burials at Hollywood Forever Cemetery 20th-century American male artists