S. Sylvan Simon (March 9, 1910 – May 17, 1951) was an American

stage Stage, stages, or staging may refer to: Arts and media Acting * Stage (theatre), a space for the performance of theatrical productions * Theatre, a branch of the performing arts, often referred to as "the stage" * ''The Stage'', a weekly Brit ...

/film director and producer. He directed numerous

Hollywood films The cinema of the United States, primarily associated with major film studios collectively referred to as Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood, has significantly influenced the global film industry since the early 20th century. Classical Holly ...

in the late 1930s to 1940s, and was the producer of '' Born Yesterday'' (1950).

Life and work

Born in Chicago, Simon earned bachelor's and master's degrees 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 ...

, and later attended

Columbia Law School Columbia Law School (CLS) is the Law school in the United States, law school of Columbia University, a Private university, private Ivy League university in New York City. The school was founded in 1858 as the Columbia College Law School. The un ...

. Simon began his film career at

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...

in 1935, directing screen tests. He became so proficient that

Universal Pictures Universal City Studios LLC, doing business as Universal Pictures (also known as Universal Studios or simply Universal), is an American filmmaking, film production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered at the 10 Universal Ci ...

assigned him to fashion several tests into a short-subject special titled ''Screen Test''. ''Screen Test'' and a few Universal feature assignments earned him an invitation from

MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...

to direct. He became a comedy specialist, supervising many of the

slapstick Slapstick is a style of humor involving exaggerated physical activity that exceeds the boundaries of normal physical comedy. Slapstick may involve both intentional violence and violence by mishap, often resulting from inept use of props such as ...

sequences in the

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 ...

' ''

The Big Store ''The Big Store'' is a 1941 American comedy film directed by Charles Reisner and starring the Marx Brothers ( Groucho, Harpo and Chico) that takes place in a large department store. Groucho appears as private detective Wolf J. Flywheel (a char ...

''. He directed

Red Skelton Richard Bernard Skelton (July 18, 1913September 17, 1997) was an American entertainer best known for his national old-time radio, radio and television shows between 1937 and 1971, especially as host of the television program ''The Red Skelto ...

's first starring feature, 1941's '' Whistling in the Dark'', and in 1948 worked on two more Skelton vehicles, MGM's '' A Southern Yankee'' (replacing the scheduled director

Edward Sedgwick Edward Sedgwick, Jr. (November 7, 1889 – May 7, 1953) was an American film director, screenwriter, writer, actor and film producer, producer. Early life He was born in Galveston, Texas, the son of Edward Sedgwick, Sr. and Josephine Walker, ...

) and

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc., Trade name, doing business as Columbia Pictures, is an American film Production company, production and Film distributor, distribution company that is the flagship unit of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group ...

' '' The Fuller Brush Man''. Simon also directed

Wallace Beery Wallace Fitzgerald Beery (April 1, 1885 – April 15, 1949) was an American film and stage actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Bill in '' Min and Bill'' (1930) opposite Marie Dressler, as General Director Preysing in '' Grand Hotel'' (1 ...

in '' Bad Bascomb'' (1946), and a

Glenn Ford Gwyllyn Samuel Newton Ford (May 1, 1916 – August 30, 2006), known as Glenn Ford, was a Canadian-born American actor. He was most prominent during Classical Hollywood cinema, Hollywood's Golden Age as one of the biggest box-office draws of th ...

western, '' Lust for Gold'' (1949). Simon was the producer of '' Born Yesterday'', a 1950 comedy that was nominated for five Academy Awards. He died of a heart attack, 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 ...

, California, at the age of 41. His ashes were interred in a small unassuming bronze nameplate niche at Columbarium of Memory (Niche # 20174), in the Great Mausoleum at Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery,

Glendale, California Glendale is a city located primarily in the Verdugo Mountains region, with a small portion in the San Fernando Valley, of Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is located about north of downtown Los Angeles. As of 2024, Glendale ha ...

Filmography

Director

* ''Screen Test'' (1937 short) * '' A Girl with Ideas'' (1937) * '' Prescription for Romance'' (1937) * '' The Crime of Doctor Hallet'' (1938) * '' The Road to Reno'' (1938) * '' The Nurse from Brooklyn'' (1938) * '' Spring Madness'' (1938) * '' Four Girls in White'' (1939) * '' The Kid from Texas'' (1939) * '' These Glamour Girls'' (1939) * '' Dancing Co-Ed'' (1939) * '' Two Girls on Broadway'' (1940) * '' Sporting Blood'' aka ''Sterling Metal'' (1940) * '' Dulcy'' (1940) * '' Keeping Company'' (1940) * '' Washington Melodrama'' (1941) * '' Whistling in the Dark'' (1941) * '' The Bugle Sounds'' (1942) * '' Rio Rita'' (1942) * '' Grand Central Murder'' (1942) * '' Tish'' (1942) * '' Whistling in Dixie'' (1942) * '' Salute to the Marines'' (1943) * '' Whistling in Brooklyn'' (1943) * '' Song of the Open Road'' (1944) * ''

Son of Lassie ''Son of Lassie'' (also known as ''Laddie, Son of Lassie'') is a 1945 American Technicolor feature film produced by MGM based on characters created by Eric Knight, and starring Peter Lawford, Donald Crisp, June Lockhart and Pal (credited as Lassi ...

'' (1945) * '' Abbott and Costello in Hollywood'' (1945) * '' Bad Bascomb'' (1946) * '' The Thrill of Brazil'' (1946) * '' The Cockeyed Miracle'' aka ''The Return of Mr. Griggs'' (1946) * '' Her Husband's Affairs'' (1947) * '' I Love Trouble'' (1948) * '' The Fuller Brush Man'' (1948) * '' Lust for Gold'' (1949)

Producer

* '' Abbott and Costello in Hollywood'' (uncredited, 1945) * '' I Love Trouble'' (1948) * '' The Fuller Brush Man'' (1948) * '' Shockproof'' (1949) * '' Lust for Gold'' (1949) * ''

Miss Grant Takes Richmond ''Miss Grant Takes Richmond'' is a 1949 American comedy film directed by Lloyd Bacon, starring Lucille Ball, William Holden, and Janis Carter, and produced and distributed by Columbia Pictures. It was released under the alternative title ''I ...

'' (1949) * '' Father Is a Bachelor'' (1950) * '' The Good Humor Man'' (1950) * '' The Fuller Brush Girl'' (1950) * '' Born Yesterday'' (1950)

References

External links

* * 1910 births 1951 deaths Film directors from Illinois Film producers from Illinois American theatre directors Artists from Chicago Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale) 20th-century American businesspeople University of Michigan alumni {{US-film-director-1910s-stub