Roy Del Ruth

A capable director who made a number of competent musicals and crime dramas, Roy Del Ruth worked consistently throughout the 1930s and 1940s without ever distinguishing himself from his more famed contemporaries. Del Ruth began his career as a gag writer for Mack Sennett during the silent era and moved over to the director's chair in the early-1920s. After churning out numerous pictures, he began to find his footing with the James Cagney vehicle "Blonde Crazy" (1931), before directing what was considered his most popular and accomplished film, "The Maltese Falcon" (1931), the first adaptation of Dashiell Hammett's famed novel. From there, he directed Cagney in "Taxi!" (1932), Edward G. Robinson in "The Little Giant" (1933), and Ronald Colman in "Bulldog Drummond Strikes Back" (1934). Following several years of above average motion pictures, including the popular musical review "Ziegfeld Follies" (1946), Del Ruth directed one of his most charming and entertaining films, "It Happed on Fifth Avenue" (1947), a Christmas-themed film that some ranked alongside the more popular "It's a Wonderful Life" (1946). But just as it seemed he was ready to advance, Del Ruth fell flat with the rather ridiculous biopic "The Babe Ruth Story" (1948), which ended any hope of a career rejuvenation. Though he ended his career on the low notes of "The Phantom of the Rue Morgue" (1954) and "The Alligator People" (1959), Del Ruth undoubtedly made significant contributions during the studio era that certainly bore re-examination.