Sidney Ivanovich Lanfield (April 20, 1898 – June 20, 1972) was an American film director known for directing romances and light comedy films and later television programs. The one-time jazz musician and vaudevillian star started his first directing job for the Fox Film Corporation in 1930; he went on to direct a number of films for

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc., formerly 20th Century Fox, is an American film studio, film production and Film distributor, distribution company owned by the Walt Disney Studios (division), Walt Disney Studios, the film studios division of the ...

. In 1941, he directed the

Fred Astaire Fred Astaire (born Frederick Austerlitz, May 10, 1899 – June 22, 1987) was an American dancer, actor, singer, musician, choreographer, and presenter, whose career in stage, film, and television spanned 76 years. He is widely regarded as the "g ...

film ''

You'll Never Get Rich ''You'll Never Get Rich'' is a 1941 American musical comedy film directed by Sidney Lanfield and starring Fred Astaire and Rita Hayworth, with music and lyrics by Cole Porter. The title references the U.S. Army song lyric: "You'll never get r ...

'' for

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 ...

, then moved to

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 ...

. There Lanfield worked on a number of film comedies. He is probably best remembered for directing actor

Bob Hope Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was an American comedian, actor, entertainer and producer with a career that spanned nearly 80 years and achievements in vaudeville, network radio, television, and USO Tours. He appeared ...

in a number of films including ''

My Favorite Blonde ''My Favorite Blonde'' is a 1942 American comedy film directed by Sidney Lanfield and starring Bob Hope and Madeleine Carroll. Based on a story by Melvin Frank and Norman Panama, the film is about a vaudeville performer who gets mixed up with Br ...

'' (1942), ''

Let's Face It '' Let's Face It'' is the fifth studio album by American ska punk band The Mighty Mighty Bosstones. It was released on March 11, 1997, by Mercury Records and Big Rig Records. The album sold very well due to the success of its single "The Impr ...

'' (1943), ''

Where There's Life ''Where There's Life'' is a 1947 American thriller comedy film directed by Sidney Lanfield.''Harrison's Reports'' film review; October 11, 1947, page 162. The film's title derives from a line in ''Don Quixote'' ("Where there's life, there's hope" ...

'' (1947), and ''

The Lemon Drop Kid ''The Lemon Drop Kid'' is a 1951 American comedy film based on the short story of the same name by Damon Runyon, starring Bob Hope and Marilyn Maxwell. Although Sidney Lanfield is credited as the director, Frank Tashlin reportedly was hired, ...

'' (1951). Lanfield's most profitable film, however, was the first teaming of

Basil Rathbone Philip St. John Basil Rathbone MC (13 June 1892 – 21 July 1967) was an Anglo-South African actor. He rose to prominence in the United Kingdom as a Shakespearean stage actor and went on to appear in more than 70 films, primarily costume drama ...

and

Nigel Bruce William Nigel Ernle Bruce (4 February 1895 – 8 October 1953) was an English character actor on stage and screen. He was best known for his portrayal of Dr. Watson in a series of films and in the radio series '' The New Adventures of Sherlo ...

Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes () is a Detective fiction, fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a "Private investigator, consulting detective" in his stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with obser ...

and

Dr. Watson Dr. John H. Watson is a fictional character in the Sherlock Holmes stories by Arthur Conan Doyle, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Along with Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Watson first appeared in the novel ''A Study in Scarlet'' (1887). "The Adventure of Shosc ...

in 1939's ''

The Hound of the Baskervilles ''The Hound of the Baskervilles'' is the third of the four Detective fiction, crime novels by British writer Arthur Conan Doyle featuring the detective Sherlock Holmes. Originally serial (literature), serialised in ''The Strand Magazine'' from ...

''. In the early 1950s the reputedly strict taskmaster-director moved to television where his vaudeville and comic background in films were put to use in television comedies including ''

Where's Raymond? ''Where's Raymond?'' is an American sitcom that aired on ABC, starring Ray Bolger. The series aired from October 1953 to April 22, 1955. The series' title was spurred by Bolger's Broadway stage hit ''Where's Charley?'' In the 1954–1955 sea ...

'', ''

McHale's Navy ''McHale's Navy'' is an American sitcom starring Ernest Borgnine that aired 138 half-hour episodes over four seasons, from October 11, 1962, to April 12, 1966, on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC television network. The series was filmed i ...

'' and ''

The Addams Family The Addams Family is a fictional family created by American cartoonist Charles Addams. They originally appeared in a series of 150 standalone single-panel comics, about half of which were originally published in ''The New Yorker'' between 193 ...

''. Lanfield was married to film actress Shirley Mason from 1927 until his death in 1972.''George Raft: The Films''
/ref> He is interred in the

Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park and Mortuary is a cemetery and Morgue, mortuary located in the Westwood, Los Angeles, Westwood area of Los Angeles. It includes a crematory for cremation services. Its location is at 1218 Glendon Av ...

in Los Angeles. Lanfield was also known as Sidney Landfield.

Selected filmography

* ''

Don't Marry ''Don't Marry'' is a 1928 American silent comedy film directed by James Tinling and starring Lois Moran, Neil Hamilton, and Henry Kolker. Plot A flapper masquerades as her strait-laced cousin to try and impress a potential suitor. Cast * Lois ...

'' (1928) * '' Broadway Bad'' (1933) * '' Red Salute'' (1935) * ''

King of Burlesque ''King of Burlesque'' is a 1936 American musical film directed by Sidney Lanfield and starring Warner Baxter, Alice Faye and Jack Oakie. It is about a former burlesque producer played by Baxter who moves into a legitimate theatre and does very wel ...

'' (1936) * '' Sing, Baby, Sing'' (1936) * ''

Love and Hisses ''Love and Hisses'' is a 1937 American musical comedy film directed by Sidney Lanfield and starring Walter Winchell, Ben Bernie and Simone Simon. It is the sequel to the film '' Wake Up and Live''.Lev p.24 Twentieth Century Fox's Darryl F. Zanu ...

'' (1937) * ''

'' (1939) * '' Second Fiddle'' (1939) * '' Swanee River'' (1939) * '' The Lady Has Plans'' (1942) * '' Standing Room Only'' (1944) * '' Station West'' (1948) * ''

'' (1951) * ''

Skirts Ahoy! ''Skirts Ahoy!'' is a 1952 musical film directed by Sidney Lanfield, and starring Esther Williams, Vivian Blaine and Joan Evans. Shot in Technicolor, the film follows several women who join the WAVES with sequences filmed on location at the Grea ...

'' (1952)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lanfield, Sidney Film directors from Illinois 1898 births 1972 deaths Burials at Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery