Name Charles Lamont | Role Filmmaker | |
 | ||
Full Name Charles Fred Lamont Died September 12, 1993, Woodland Hills, California, United States Spouse Estelle Bradley (m. 1925–1990) Movies Abbott and Costello Meet the I, Abbott and Costello Meet the, Abbott and Costello Meet Dr, Abbott and Costello Go to Mars, Salome Where She Danced Similar People Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Percy Kilbride, Marjorie Main, Robert Paige | ||
The World Accuses (1934) Charles Lamont
Charles Lamont (May 5, 1895 – September 12, 1993) was a prolific filmmaker, directing over 200 titles and producing and writing many others. A California native, Lamont was born in San Francisco and died in Los Angeles.
Contents
- The World Accuses 1934 Charles Lamont
- Charles lamont and the extremes i ve got to keep movin
- Career
- Death
- References
Charles lamont and the extremes i ve got to keep movin
Career
Some of Lamont's earliest directorial jobs were silent short-subject comedies for Educational Pictures. One of the studio's popular series was "Juvenile Comedies," featuring little Malcolm "Big Boy" Sebastian. Lamont directed some of these films, as well as some of the competing "Buster Brown" comedies for Universal Pictures release. Both Educational and Universal figured prominently in Lamont's career.
In 1932 Educational assigned Lamont to the "Baby Burlesk" series of kiddie comedies, featuring four-year-old Shirley Temple. By 1934 Lamont was Educational's top director, and he collaborated with Buster Keaton on most of Keaton's 16 Educational shorts.
After Educational shut down its Hollywood studio, Lamont was hired by Columbia Pictures to work with such stars as Charley Chase and The Three Stooges, but his stay was short ("I had an intense hatred for [Columbia president] Harry Cohn," said Lamont to authors Ted Okuda and Edward Watz).
Lamont then freelanced at various studios (and produced a few features himself) before joining Universal Pictures in 1942. Lamont always had a tremendous rapport with juvenile performers, and Universal entrusted him with a series of musical-comedy vehicles for the studio's teenage singing star Gloria Jean. Lamont emphasized the comic elements of the films, with Donald O'Connor and Peggy Ryan contributing their talents, and the teen musicals were very popular with wartime audiences.
Lamont's experience with limited budgets served him well at Universal, and soon he was promoted to the studio's more important productions. By 1950 he was established as one of Universal's most efficient directors. So it was with surprise and reluctance that Lamont received his new assignment: Abbott and Costello movies. These comedy features were moneymakers for the studio but had no prestige at all, and Lamont bristled at what seemed to be a backward career move. His Universal bosses explained their need for a good comedy director who could do the job indefinitely, and Lamont came to realize that "Abbott and Costello were my future." Lamont remained with the team until the studio cut them loose in 1955.
Lamont also directed Universal's successful Ma and Pa Kettle comedies; his last film was the final Francis the Talking Mule comedy, Francis in the Haunted House (1956).
Death
Lamont died of pneumonia in 1993 at age 98.