George Nicholls, Jr. | |
|---|---|
| Born | George Alberti Nicholls (1897-05-05)May 5, 1897 San Francisco,California, United States |
| Died | November 13, 1939(1939-11-13) (aged 42) Los Angeles,California, United States |
| Occupation(s) | Director, editor |
| Years active | 1928–39 |
George Nicholls Jr. (May 5, 1897 – November 13, 1939), also known asGeorge Nichols Jr., was an American director and editor during the 1930s. Born to show business parents, and son of prolific actor and directorGeorge Nichols, he entered the film industry at the tail end of thesilent film era, working as an editor for theParamount Famous Lasky Corporation. After moving toRKO Pictures in 1933, Nicholls shortly began directing films by the end of the year. His career was cut short when he died in a car accident while driving to the location of his final film.
Born George Alberti Nichols on May 5, 1897, in San Francisco, his father was the American actor and directorGeorge Nichols, and his mother was the actressViola Alberti. While his father was working atBiograph Studios, Nicholls made his film debut, acting in shorts during the 1910s. In 1912, as a child actor he had the lead in the comedy shortPa's Medicine at theThanhouser Film Corporation, a film directed by his father.[1]
He returned to the film industry behind the camera in 1928, as the editor on the Paramount filmWife Savers, directed byRalph Ceder, and starringWallace Beery,Raymond Hatton,ZaSu Pitts.[2] For the next five years he worked primarily at Paramount as an editor. While at Paramount, he went by George Nichols Jr. When he moved to RKO in 1933, he began using the original spelling of his last name, and became known as George Nicholls Jr. His first film at his new studio wasSweepings, directed byJohn Cromwell.[3] By the end of the year he was tapped to be an associate director toThornton Freeland onFlying Down to Rio, the first film to teamFred Astaire withGinger Rogers.[4] The following year he would make his directorial debut, co-directingFinishing School withWanda Tuchock (who was also directing her first film).[5]
For the remainder of the decade, he worked consistently as a director at RKO, although occasionally loaned out to other studios such as Republic and 20th-Century. He directed several notable films, including:Anne of Green Gables (1934), starringAnne Shirley (who took her stage name from this point on from the character she portrayed in this film) andTom Brown;[6] 1935'sThe Return of Peter Grimm, starringLionel Barrymore,Helen Mack,Edward Ellis, andDonald Meek;[7] the 1936 sound remake of the 1918 silent film of the same name,M'liss, starring Anne Shirley again, this time withJohn Beal;[8] and the 1939 Western,Man of Conquest, starringRichard Dix.[9] Nicholls directed the retakes on the John Ford film,The Plough and the Stars in 1937.[10]
In 1939 he was working on the action filmThe Marines Fly High.[11] On November 13, while driving to the film's location shoot atLake Sherwood, his car ran off the road onColdwater Canyon Drive, killing him instantly.[12] His sister-in-law, who was traveling with him, sustained non-serious injuries.[12] Following a funeral service in Hollywood, his body was cremated.[13]
(as perAFI's database)[14][15][16]
