Raoul Walsh

Raoul Walsh (March 11, 1887 – December 31, 1980) was an American motion picture director.

Related Topics:
March 11 - 1887 - December 31 - 1980 - American - Motion picture - Director

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Walsh began his entertainment career as a stage actor in New York City, quickly progressing into film acting. In 1914 he became assistant to D.W. Griffith and made his first full-length feature film The Life of General Vila in the same year, followed by the newly-revisited and critically-acclaimed Regeneration in 1915, possibly the earliest gangster film. He enjoyed success with the innovative and spectacular The Thief of Baghdad in 1924 starring Douglas Fairbanks. In the early days of sound with Fox Walsh directed the Westerns In Old Arizona in 1929 and The Big Trail in 1930, the latter film starring the then unknown John Wayne. A not too-distinguished period followed with Paramount Pictures from 1935 to 1939 but Walsh's career rose to new heights soon after moving to Warner Brothers with The Roaring Twenties (1939), High Sierra (1941) and They Died with Their Boots On (1941) with such stars as James Cagney, Humphrey Bogart and Errol Flynn. His contract at Warners expired in 1953 and he retired in 1964.

Related Topics:
Stage - Actor - New York City - 1914 - D.W. Griffith - The Life of General Vila - Regeneration - 1915 - The Thief of Baghdad - 1924 - Douglas Fairbanks - Fox - Westerns - In Old Arizona - 1929 - The Big Trail - 1930 - John Wayne - Paramount Pictures - 1935 - 1939 - Warner Brothers - The Roaring Twenties - High Sierra - 1941 - They Died with Their Boots On - James Cagney - Humphrey Bogart - Errol Flynn - 1953 - 1964

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A founding member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), Walsh lost an eye in a car accident while working on the film In Old Arizona in 1929. He was the brother of silent screen actor George Walsh.

Related Topics:
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences - 1929 - George Walsh

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Among his better known works are:

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• The Life of General Villa (1914), directorial debut
• Regeneration (1915)
• Evangeline (1919)
• The Thief of Bagdad (1924), produced by and starring Douglas Fairbanks
• What Price Glory? (1926), his most successful silent movie
• Sadie Thompson (1928), in which he acted alongside Gloria Swanson
• In Old Arizona (1929)
• Klondike Annie (1936), starring Mae West
• The Roaring Twenties (1939)
• They Drive By Night (1940)
• High Sierra (1941)
• Desperate Journey (1942)
• Northern Pursuit (1943)
• Pursued (1947), starring Robert Mitchum
• White Heat (1949), with James Cagney
• Colorado Territory (1949), a remake of High Sierra
• Captain Horatio Hornblower (1951)
• Distant Drums (1951), remarkable for its innovative sound effects
• Blackbeard the Pirate (1952)
• The Tall Men (1955)
• The King and Four Queens (1956)
• Esther and the King (1960)
• Marines, Let's Go (1961)
• A Distant Trumpet (1964), final film.

He also unofficially co-directed Humphrey Bogart's The Enforcer in 1951.

Related Topics:
Humphrey Bogart - The Enforcer - 1951

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Like his contemporary Howard Hawks, Walsh was known for never letting the facts get in the way of a good story. Leonard Maltin has described Walsh's autobiography as "entertaining fiction with an occasional nod at the truth".

Related Topics:
Howard Hawks - Leonard Maltin

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