George Waggner (September 7, 1894 – December 11, 1984) was an American actor, director, producer and writer. He is best known for producing and directing the 1941 film '' The Wolf Man''. For some unknown reason, Waggner sometimes configured his name in mostly lowercase letters but with his surname's two Gs capitalized ("waGGner"), including in the credits of some of the productions he directed.

Career

Born in New York City, he trained as a chemist and served in

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

before coming to

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 ...

to pursue a career as an actor. He made his film debut as an actor portraying Yousayef in '' The Sheik'' (1921). He later acted in Western films. The first film he directed was ''Western Trails'' (1938). During his career as a film director, he worked with

John Wayne Marion Robert Morrison (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), known professionally as John Wayne, was an American actor. Nicknamed "Duke", he became a Pop icon, popular icon through his starring roles in films which were produced during Hollywood' ...

('' The Fighting Kentuckian''), Lon Chaney Jr. ('' Man Made Monster'' and his most famous film, ''The Wolf Man''),

Brian Donlevy Waldo Brian Donlevy (February 9, 1901 – April 6, 1972) was an American actor, who was noted for playing dangerous and tough characters. Usually appearing in supporting roles, among his best-known films are '' Beau Geste'' (1939), '' The Great ...

and

Broderick Crawford William Broderick Crawford (December 9, 1911 – April 26, 1986) was an American actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Willie Stark in the film ''All the King's Men'' (1949), which earned him an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award. Of ...

('' South of Tahiti''),

Randolph Scott George Randolph Scott (January 23, 1898 – March 2, 1987) was an American film actor, whose Hollywood career spanned from 1928 to 1962. As a leading man for all but the first three years of his cinematic career, Scott appeared in dramas, come ...

('' Gunfighters'') and

Boris Karloff William Henry Pratt (23 November 1887 – 2 February 1969), known professionally as Boris Karloff () and occasionally billed as Karloff the Uncanny, was a British actor. His portrayal of Frankenstein's monster in the horror film ''Frankenstei ...

('' The Climax''). Though primarily known for his horror films today, Waggner also directed many Westerns,

action film The action film is a film genre that predominantly features chase sequences, fights, shootouts, explosions, and stunt work. The specifics of what constitutes an action film has been in scholarly debate since the 1980s. While some scholars such as D ...

s, and

war film War film is a film genre concerned with warfare, typically about navy, naval, air force, air, or army, land battles, with combat scenes central to the drama. It has been strongly associated with the 20th century. The fateful nature of battle s ...

s. During his career as a film director, he also wrote songs which appeared in his films, beginning with "Round, White, and Ruby Red" from '' Operation Pacific''. By the end of his career, he had written over 100 songs. In the 1960s, he moved from cinema to

television Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

, directing episodes of the television series '' Maverick'', ''

Batman Batman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on M ...

'', ''

The Green Hornet The Green Hornet is a superhero created in 1936 by George W. Trendle and Fran Striker, with input from radio director James Jewell (director), James Jewell. Since his 1930s radio debut, the character has appeared in numerous serialized dramas i ...

'', '' 77 Sunset Strip'', '

Hawaiian Eye ''Hawaiian Eye'' is an American detective television series that ran from October 1959 to April 1963 on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC television network. Premise Private investigator Tracy Steele (Anthony Eisley) and his half-Hawaiian ...

' and '' The Man from U.N.C.L.E.''. In 1957 he directed '' Red Nightmare'', a

Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...

propaganda Propaganda is communication that is primarily used to influence or persuade an audience to further an agenda, which may not be objective and may be selectively presenting facts to encourage a particular synthesis or perception, or using loaded l ...

film produced by the

Department of Defense The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD, or DOD) is an executive department of the U.S. federal government charged with coordinating and supervising the six U.S. armed services: the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Space Force, ...

and narrated by

Jack Webb John Randolph Webb (April 2, 1920 – December 23, 1982) was an American actor, television producer, Television director, director, and screenwriter, most famous for his role as Joe Friday in the Dragnet (franchise), ''Dragnet'' franchise ...

Personal life

Waggner died in

Woodland Hills, Los Angeles Woodland Hills is a neighborhood bordering the Santa Monica Mountains in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California, United States. History The area was inhabited for around 8,000 years by Native Americans in the United States, ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

on December 11, 1984, at the age of 90.

Filmography

Director *'' Western Trails'' (1938) *'' Prairie Justice'' (1938) *'' Mystery Plane'' (1939) *''

Stunt Pilot Stunt flying refers to any stunts performed in an aircraft. It encompasses aerobatics, wing walking, and transferring from one airplane to another or to a moving vehicle on the ground, such as an automobile or train, and vice versa. History From t ...

'' (1939) * '' Wolf Call'' (1939) *'' The Phantom Stage'' (1939) *'' Drums of the Desert'' (1940) *'' Man Made Monster'' (1941) *'' Horror Island'' (1941) *'' The Wolf Man'' (1941) *'' South of Tahiti'' (1941) *'' Sealed Lips'' (1942) *'' The Climax'' (1944) *'' Frisco Sal'' (1945) *'' Shady Lady'' (1945) * ''

Tangier Tangier ( ; , , ) is a city in northwestern Morocco, on the coasts of the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. The city is the capital city, capital of the Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region, as well as the Tangier-Assilah Prefecture of Moroc ...

'' (1946) *'' Gunfighters'' (1947) *'' The Fighting Kentuckian'' (1949) *'' Operation Pacific'' (1951) *'' Red Nightmare'' aka ''Freedom and You'' and ''The Commies Are Coming, the Commies Are Coming'' (1957) Waggner also directed the following films/episodes made for television *'' The Sword of Villon'' (1956) *''Destination Nightmare'' (1958) *''Jack the Ripper'' (1958) *'' The Veil'' (1958) *'' 77 Sunset Strip'' ("Canien Caper" - 1959) *'' 77 Sunset Strip'' ("The Left Field Caper" - 1963, stylized as "george waGGner") *'' The Jane Wyman Show'' (“Roadblock Number Seven” - 1957) *''

Wagon Train ''Wagon Train'' is an American Western television series that aired for eight seasons, first on the NBC television network (1957–1962) and then on ABC (1962–1965). ''Wagon Train'' debuted on September 18, 1957, and reached the top of the ...

'' ("The John Cameron Story" - 1957) *''

'' ("The Cliff Grundy Story" - 1957) *''

'' (10 episodes - 1966-1968, stylized as "george waGGner") Writer *'' Gorilla Ship'' (1932) *'' Once to Every Bachelor'' (1934) *'' Champagne for Breakfast'' (1935) *''Air Devils'' (1938) *'' Oklahoma Terror'' (1939) *'' Laughing at Danger'' (1940) *'' The Fatal Hour'' (1940) *'' Queen of the Yukon'' (1940) *'' On the Spot'' (1940) *'' Phantom of Chinatown'' (1940) *''Drums of the Desert'' (1940) *'' Man Made Monster'' (1941) *'' The Climax (1944) *'' The Fighting Kentuckian'' (1949) *'' Operation Pacific'' (1951) *''

Pawnee Pawnee initially refers to a Native American people and its language: * Pawnee people * Pawnee language Pawnee is also the name of several places in the United States: * Pawnee, Illinois * Pawnee, Kansas * Pawnee, Missouri * Pawnee City, Nebraska * ...

'' (1957) *'' Man from God's Country'' (1958) Producer *''Badlands of Dakota'' (1941) *'' The Wolf Man'' (1941) *'' The Ghost of Frankenstein'' (1942) * '' Sin Town'' (1942) *''

Invisible Agent ''Invisible Agent'' is a 1942 American Action film, action and spy film directed by Edwin L. Marin with a screenplay written by Curt Siodmak. The invisible agent is played by Jon Hall (actor), Jon Hall, with Peter Lorre and Sir Cedric Hardwick ...

'' (1942) *'' Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man'' (1943) *'' Phantom of the Opera'' (1943) *'' Cobra Woman'' (1944) *'' The Climax'' (1944) Actor *'' The Sheik'' (1921) * '' The Great Alone'' (1922) *'' The Iron Horse'' (1924) *'' His Hour'' (1924) *'' Love's Blindness'' (1926)

References

External links

*
George Waggner papers
at th
American Heritage Center
{{DEFAULTSORT:Waggner, George 1894 births 1984 deaths Male actors from New York City American male film actors American male silent film actors Film directors from New York City American horror film directors Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale) 20th-century American male actors