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Personal Info

Known For

Directing

Known Credits

158

Gender

Male

Birthday

1896-02-24

Day of Death

1991-05-01 (95 years old)

Place of Birth

Hutchinson, Kansas, USA

Also Known As

Frank L. Inghram

Frank Inghram

Rollo Smolt Thorpe

Richard Thorpe

Biography

Richard Thorpe (February 24, 1896 - May 1, 1991) was an American film director. Born Rollo Smolt Thorpe in Hutchinson, Kansas, he began his entertainment career performing in vaudeville and onstage. In 1921 he began in motion pictures as an actor and directed his first silent film in 1923. He went on to direct more than one hundred and eighty films. The first full length motion picture he directed for MGM was Last of the Pagans (1935) starring Ray Mala. After directing The Last Challenge in 1967, he retired from the film industry. He died in Palm Springs, California in 1991. Thorpe is also known as the original director of The Wizard of Oz. He was fired after two weeks of shooting, because it was felt that his scenes did not have the right air of fantasy about them. Thorpe notoriously gave Judy Garland a blonde wig and cutesy "baby-doll" makeup that made her look like a girl in her late teens rather than an innocent Kansas farm girl of about thirteen. Both makeup and wig were discarded at the suggestion of George Cukor, who was brought in temporarily. Stills from Thorpe's work on the film survive today. For his contribution to the motion picture industry, Thorpe has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6101 Hollywood Blvd. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Known For

Acting

Flames of Desire

1924

Flames of Desire

as

Dick Langton

Burn 'Em Up Barnes

1921

Burn 'Em Up Barnes

as

Stephen Thompson

Three O'Clock in the Morning

1923

Three O'Clock in the Morning

as

Clayton Webster

Production

Crew

Directing

Ivanhoe

1952

Ivanhoe

as

Fiesta

1947

Fiesta

as

Malaya

1949

Malaya

as

Athena

1954

Athena

as

Forgotten

1933

Forgotten

as

Wyoming

1940

Wyoming

as

Big Jack

1949

Big Jack

as

Man-Proof

1938

Man-Proof

as

Probation

1932

Probation

as

City Park

1934

City Park

as

Escapade

1932

Escapade

as

On the Go

1925

On the Go

as