Leslie Goodwins (17 September 1899 – 8 January 1969) was an English

film director A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, ...

and

screenwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. ...

. He directed nearly 100 films between 1926 and 1967, notably 27 features and shorts with Leon Errol, including the Mexican Spitfire series. His 1936 film '' Dummy Ache'' was nominated for an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment in ...

in 1936 for Best Short Subject (Two-Reel). ''Dummy Ache'' was preserved by the

Academy Film Archive The Academy Film Archive is part of the Academy Foundation, established in 1944 with the purpose of organizing and overseeing the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ educational and cultural activities, including the preservation of m ...

and the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The librar ...

in 2013. His 1937 film ''

Should Wives Work? ''Should Wives Work?'' is a 1937 American short comedy film directed by Leslie Goodwins. In 1937, at the 10th Academy Awards The 10th Academy Awards were held on March 10, 1938 to honor films released in 1937, at the Biltmore Hotel in Los ...

'' (starring Errol) was also nominated for an Academy Award in the same category. He was born in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, England and he died in

Hollywood, California Hollywood is a neighborhood in the Central Los Angeles, central region of Los Angeles, California. Its name has come to be a metonymy, shorthand reference for the Cinema of the United States, U.S. film industry and the people associated with i ...

. Goodwins began his screen career in the waning years of silent films, as a gag writer and then director. He directed comedy stars Snub Pollard and

Ben Turpin Bernard "Ben" Turpin (September 19, 1869 – July 1, 1940) was an American comedian and actor, best remembered for his work in silent films. His trademarks were his cross-eyed appearance and adeptness at vigorous physical comedy. Turpin wo ...

for the low-budget Weiss Brothers studio. In 1936 producer Maurice Conn hired Goodwins to direct features for Ambassador Pictures starring Pinky Tomlin or Frankie Darro. That same year he joined the two-reel comedy unit at

RKO Radio Pictures RKO Radio Pictures Inc., commonly known as RKO Pictures or simply RKO, was an American film production and distribution company, one of the "Big Five" film studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Keith-Albee-Orph ...

, two of his early efforts earning Academy Award nominations. Goodwins became a fixture at RKO, equally adept at action and mystery stories but specializing in comedy. He remained with the short-subject division while working on feature films, notably the popular '' Mexican Spitfire'' comedies. He remained with RKO through 1951. In 1950 Goodwins entered the new field of television, directing

Jackie Gleason John Herbert Gleason (February 26, 1916June 24, 1987) was an American actor, comedian, writer, composer, and conductor known affectionately as "The Great One." Developing a style and characters from growing up in Brooklyn, New York, he was know ...

in '' The Life of Riley''. The director's long experience with budget productions made him an ideal choice for fast-paced television production, and he was involved in several hit shows including '' Topper'', '' The Cisco Kid'', '' My Favorite Martian'', ''

F Troop ''F Troop'' is a satirical American television sitcom Western about U.S. soldiers and Native Americans in the Wild West during the 1860s that originally aired for two seasons on ABC. It debuted in the United States on September 14, 1965, an ...

'', and '' Gilligan's Island''.

Partial filmography

* '' With Love and Kisses'' (1936) * '' Headline Crasher'' (1936) * ''

Robin Hood, Jr. ''Robin Hood, Jr.'' is a 1936 American musical romance film directed by Leslie Goodwins from a screenplay by Harry O. Hoyt Harry O. Hoyt (6 August 1885 – 29 July 1961) was an American screenwriter and film director whose film career began ...

'' (1936) * '' Dummy Ache'' (1936) short subject * ''

Deep South The Deep South or the Lower South is a cultural and geographic subregion in the Southern United States. The term was first used to describe the states most dependent on plantations and slavery prior to the American Civil War. Following the war ...

'' (1937) short subject * ''

'' (1937) short subject * '' The Devil Diamond'' (1937) * '' Young Dynamite'' (1937) * '' The Girl from Mexico'' (1939) * '' Way Down South'' (1939) co-director * '' Men Against the Sky'' (1940) * '' Let's Make Music'' (1941) * '' Parachute Battalion'' (1941) * '' Rookies in Burma'' (1943) * '' Ladies' Day'' (1943) * ''

Silver Skates ''Silver Skates'' is a 1943 American musical film directed by Leslie Goodwins and starring Kenny Baker, Belita and Patricia Morison.Stephens, p. 219 Cast * Kenny Baker as Danny Donovan *Belita as Belita *Patricia Morison as Claire Thoma ...

'' (1943) * '' The Mummy's Curse'' (1944) * '' Murder in the Blue Room'' (1944) * '' Vacation in Reno'' (1946) * '' Dragnet'' (1947) * '' The Lone Wolf in London'' (1947) * '' Gold Fever'' (1952) * '' Fireman Save My Child'' (1954) * '' Paris Follies of 1956'' (1955) * '' The Go-Getter'' (1956)

References

External links

* * * 1899 births 1969 deaths English film directors English male screenwriters Writers from London 20th-century English screenwriters 20th-century English male writers {{UK-film-director-stub