Joseph Mansfield Santley (born Joseph Ishmael Mansfield, January 10, 1890 – August 8, 1971) was an American actor, singer, dancer, writer, director, and producer of

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the Character (arts), charac ...

motion pictures A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...

and television shows. He adopted the

stage name A stage name or professional name is a pseudonym used by performers, authors, and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. The equivalent concept among writers is called a ''nom de plume'' (pen name). Some performers ...

of his stepfather, actor Eugene Santley.

Life and career

Joseph Santley was born in

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in the state. The city is the core of the Salt Lake Ci ...

Utah Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...

. His mother, Laurene Santley, was an actress. As a boy, he and older brother

Fred Fred or FRED may refer to: People * Fred (name), including a list of people and characters with the name Mononym * Fred (cartoonist) (1931–2013), pen name of Fred Othon Aristidès, French * Fred (footballer, born 1949) (1949–2022), Fred ...

began performing in live theatre appearing in

summer stock In American theater, summer stock theater is a theater that presents stage productions only in the summer. The name combines the season with the tradition of staging shows by a resident company, reusing stock scenery and costumes. Summer stock ...

and touring with their parents. In 1906, at age seventeen, Joseph Santley co-wrote and starred on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...

in the play, ''

Billy the Kid Henry McCarty (September 17 or November 23, 1859July 14, 1881), alias William H. Bonney, better known as Billy the Kid, was an American outlaw and gunfighter of the Old West who was linked to nine murders: four for which he was solely res ...

''. In 1907, he acted in film for the first time for

Sidney Olcott Sidney Olcott (born John Sidney Allcott; September 20, 1872 – December 16, 1949) was a Canadian-born film producer, director, actor and screenwriter. Biography Born John Sidney Allcott in Toronto, he became one of the first great dire ...

at the

Kalem Company The Kalem Company was an early American film studio founded in New York City in 1907. It was one of the first companies to make films abroad and to set up winter production facilities, first in Florida and then in California. Kalem was sold to V ...

in a silent

Western film The Western is a film genre defined by the American Film Institute as films which are "set in the American West that mbodythe spirit, the struggle, and the demise of the new frontier." Generally set in the American frontier between the Calif ...

short called ''

The Pony Express The Pony Express was an American express mail service that used relays of horse-mounted riders between Missouri and California. It was operated by the Central Overland California and Pikes Peak Express Company. During its 18 months of opera ...

''. Santley continued to work almost exclusively in

musical comedy Musical theatre is a form of theatre, theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, ...

plays, returning to Broadway five more times as well as touring nationally. A gifted dancer and choreographer, Santley created the "Santley Tango" and the "Hawaiian Butterfly". He choreographed and starred in the 1913 Broadway musical '' When Dreams Come True'' by Silvio Hein and

Philip Bartholomae Philip Bartholomae (July 3, 1880 - January 5, 1947) was an American playwright, lyricist, screenwriter, and theatre director. He wrote many plays and musicals which were staged on Broadway in the 1910s and 1920s, several of which were adapted int ...

; a piece written specifically for him. After he married actress/singer and

cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, casino, hotel, restaurant, or nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or drinking, ...

dancer

Ivy Sawyer Ivy Sawyer (February 13, 1897 – November 16, 1999) was a British-born American cabaret and ballroom dancer, singer, and stage actress. The London-born Sawyer danced professionally with John Jarrot until she met and married fellow dancer/ ...

, beginning in 1916 the two danced as a team, performing together in a number of Broadway musicals beginning with ''Betty'' and '' Oh, My Dear!'' and eventually other productions at major venues across the United States such as the National Theatre in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

Their final collective Broadway presentation was in 1927's ''Just Fancy'', which Santley co-wrote, produced, and directed. He and Ivy Sawyer had a son Joseph born in 1916 and a daughter Betty born in 1928. In 1928, Santley directed his first motion picture, a short

talkie A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decades passed befo ...

for

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...

that featured singer

Ruth Etting Ruth Etting (November 23, 1896 – September 24, 1978) was an American singer and actress during the 1920s and 1930s, who had over 60 hit recordings and worked in stage, radio, and film. Known as "America's sweetheart of song", her signature tu ...

. The next year, Paramount had Santley direct three more films that were short singing productions, one with Etting, another with

crooner A crooner is a singer who performs with a smooth, intimate style that originated in the 1920s. The crooning style was made possible by better microphones that picked up quieter sounds and a wider range of frequencies, allowing the singer to acce ...

Rudy Vallee Rudy or Rudi is a masculine given name, sometimes short for Rudolf, Rudolph, Rawad, Rudra, Ruairidh, or variations thereof, a nickname and a surname which may refer to: People Given name or nickname *Rudolf Rudy Andeweg (born 1952), Dutch poli ...

, plus a third titled ''High Hat'' with Broadway singing star Alice Boulden. He also directed ''A Ziegfeld Midnight Frolic'', a musical film featuring

Eddie Cantor Eddie Cantor (born Isidore Itzkowitz; January 31, 1892 – October 10, 1964) was an American comedian, actor, dancer, singer, songwriter, film producer, screenwriter and author. Cantor was one of the prominent entertainers of his era. Some of h ...

along with Eddie Elkins and his orchestra. In 1929, Joseph Santley co-directed with

Robert Florey Robert Florey (September 14, 1900 – May 16, 1979) was a French-American director, screenwriter, film journalist and actor. Florey directed more than 50 films, the best known likely being the Marx Brothers first feature ''The Cocoanuts'' (1929 ...

the first

Marx Brothers The Marx Brothers were an American family comedy act known for their anarchic humor, rapid-fire wordplay, and visual gags. They achieved success in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in 14 motion pictures. The core group consisted of brothers Chi ...

feature film, ''

The Cocoanuts ''The Cocoanuts'' is a 1929 pre-Code musical comedy film starring the Marx Brothers ( Groucho, Harpo, Chico, and Zeppo). Produced for Paramount Pictures by Walter Wanger, who is not credited, the film also stars Mary Eaton, Oscar Shaw, ...

'', a

for which he is most famous. Based on the George S. Kaufman play, and with music by

Irving Berlin Irving Berlin (born Israel Isidore Beilin; May 11, 1888 – September 22, 1989) was a Russian-born American composer and songwriter. His music forms a large part of the Great American Songbook. Berlin received numerous honors including an Acade ...

, the film was billed as "Paramount's All Talking-Singing Musical Comedy Hit." Santley also directed the musical short film, ''All Americans'' which featured song and dance numbers relating to

nativism Nativism may refer to: * Nativism (politics), ethnocentric beliefs relating to immigration and nationalism * Nativism (psychology), a concept in psychology and philosophy which asserts certain concepts are "native" or in the brain at birth * Lingu ...

that arose in the 1920s. His other notable directorial efforts include 1935's ''Harmony Lane'', a biographical musical on the life of composer

Stephen Foster Stephen Collins Foster (July 4, 1826January 13, 1864), known as "the father of American music", was an American composer known primarily for his parlour music, parlour and Folk music, folk music during the Romantic music, Romantic period. He wr ...

. In 1940, he directed ''

Melody Ranch ''Melody Ranch'' is a 1940 Western (genre), Western musical film directed by Joseph Santley and starring Gene Autry, Jimmy Durante, and Ann Miller. Written by Jack Moffitt (screenwriter), Jack Moffitt, F. Hugh Herbert, Bradford Ropes, and Betty ...

'' starring "singing cowboy"

Gene Autry Orvon Grover "Gene" Autry (September 29, 1907 – October 2, 1998), nicknamed the Singing Cowboy, was an American actor, musician, singer, composer, rodeo performer, and baseball team owner, who largely gained fame by singing in a Crooner ...

. The film has been deemed "culturally significant" by the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers Copyright law o ...

and selected for preservation in the United States

National Film Registry The National Film Registry (NFR) is the United States National Film Preservation Board's (NFPB) collection of films selected for preservation (library and archival science), preservation, each selected for its cultural, historical, and aestheti ...

. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Joseph Santley worked for the war effort and in 1942 made the film ''

Remember Pearl Harbor Remember Pearl Harbor may refer to: *Remember Pearl Harbor (slogan), American popular saying coined after December 7, 1941, attack * "Remember Pearl Harbor" (song), American patriotic march by Sammy Kaye Sammy Kaye (born Samuel Zarnocay Jr.; M ...

''. In 1950, he made his last feature film but came back at age sixty-five to produce the 1954-55 television comedy '' The Mickey Rooney Show''. In 1956, he put together two segments of ''Jazz Ball'', a made-for-TV musical revue created from various filmed performances by

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

greats from the 1930s to the 1950s. Joseph Santley died in 1971 in Los Angeles.

Partial filmography

*''

'' (1929) *'' Swing High'' (1930) *'' Young and Beautiful'' (1934) *''

Million Dollar Baby ''Million Dollar Baby'' is a 2004 American sports drama film directed, co-produced, scored by and starring Clint Eastwood from a screenplay by Paul Haggis. It is based on stories from the 2000 collection ''Rope Burns: Stories from the Corner' ...

'' (1934) *''

Waterfront Lady ''Waterfront Lady'' is a 1935 American film directed by Joseph Santley and starring Ann Rutherford, in her feature film debut (she had previously appeared in the serial '' The Fighting Marines'', also produced by Mascot Pictures), and Frank Albe ...

'' (1935) *''

Her Master's Voice ''Her Master's Voice'' is a 1936 film directed by Joseph Santley and based on the 1933 play '' Her Master's Voice'' by Clare Kummer. The film's sets were designed by the art director Art director is a title for a variety of similar job funct ...

'' (1936) *'' Walking on Air'' (1936) *'' She's Got Everything'' (1937) *''

Always in Trouble ''Always in Trouble'' is a 1938 American comedy film directed by Joseph Santley, and written by Robert Chapin and Karen DeWolf. The film stars Jane Withers, Jean Rogers, Arthur Treacher, Robert Kellard, Eddie Collins and Andrew Tombes. The film ...

'' (1938) *'' Swing, Sister, Swing'' (1938) *''

The Family Next Door The Family Next Door may refer to: Film and television * ''The Family Next Door'' (1912 film), directed by Romaine Fielding * ''The Family Next Door'' (1939 film), directed by Joseph Santley * "The Family Next Door", a 1979 episode of the TV ...

'' (1939) *''

Behind the News ''Behind the News'' (more commonly known as ''BTN'') is an Australian children's news program televised by the ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation). Described as an 'educational news program aimed at 10-13 year old kids', ''BTN'' is commo ...

'' (1940) *''

Ice-Capades ''Ice-Capades'' is a 1941 American comedy film directed by Joseph Santley and starring James Ellison, Phil Silvers, and Barbara Jo Allen. Its score, composed by Cy Feuer, was nominated for the Best Scoring of a Musical Picture. The film's sets w ...

'' (1940) *''

Music in My Heart ''Music in My Heart'' is a 1940 Columbia Pictures romantic musical starring Tony Martin and Rita Hayworth. Hayworth's first musical for the studio, the film was recognized with an Academy Award nomination for the song, "It's a Blue World", perfor ...

'' (1940) *''

Dancing on a Dime Dancing on a Dime is a 1940 Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company ...

'' (1940) *'' Down Mexico Way'' (1941) *''

'' (1942) *'' Joan of Ozark'' (1942) *''

Thumbs Up A thumb signal, usually described as a thumbs-up or thumbs-down, is a common hand gesture achieved by a closed fist held with the thumb extended upward or downward, respectively. The thumbs-up gesture is associated with positivity, approval, ac ...

'' (1943) *'' Sleepy Lagoon'' (1943) *''

Jamboree In Scouting, a jamboree is a large gathering of Scouts and/or Girl Guides who rally at a national or international level. History The 1st World Scout Jamboree was held in 1920, and was hosted by the United Kingdom. Since then, there have been t ...

'' (1944) *''

Rosie the Riveter Rosie the Riveter is an allegorical cultural icon in the United States who represents the women who worked in factories and shipyards during World War II, many of whom produced munitions and war supplies. These women sometimes took entirely n ...

'' (1944) *'' Hitchhike to Happiness'' (1945) *''

Make Believe Ballroom ''Make Believe Ballroom'' is a long-running radio program which first aired on radio station WNEW in 1935. The show was created as filler by announcer Martin Block to fill in time between news bulletins covering the Lindbergh kidnapping trial. T ...

'' (1949) *''

When You're Smiling "When You're Smiling" is a popular song written by Larry Shay, Mark Fisher and Joe Goodwin. First published in 1928, popular recordings were made by Seger Ellis (1928), Louis Armstrong (1929), and Ted Wallace & His Campus Boys (1930). The lyri ...

'' (1950)

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Santley, Joseph American male film actors Film directors from Utah American male silent film actors American male stage actors American theatre directors American male dancers Writers from Utah 1889 births 1971 deaths 20th-century American male actors 20th-century American dancers