Writing

Paul Gerard Smith

Born — Died

1894-09-14 — 1968-04-04

Place of birth

Omaha, Nebraska, USA

Known for

Writing

Credits

43 titles

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Paul Gerard Smith (September 14, 1894 – April 4, 1968) was an American screenwriter. He wrote for 90 films between 1926 and 1955. Smith started writing musical revues at the age of ten. He joined the Marines for World War I and while still in Germany wrote and directed the Sixth Marine Revue in the Rhine Occupation Area. He arrived back in the States in 1919 and started writing vaudeville acts. He became so successful that he was one of the few writers to be credited on the playbill. He scripted the Ziegfeld Follies of 1924, 1925, and 1926 and was also one of the writers of Funny Face. Smith was brought to Hollywood by Buster Keaton to work on The Gen…

Known for

Wild Bill Hickok Rides poster
5.5

The Western hero takes on a ruthless land baron whose henchmen killed his best friend.

Wild Bill Hickok Rides

1942

It's a Great Life poster
9.0

Desperate for work, Johnny Barclay leaves Ma and Grandpop to join the newly formed Civilian Conversation Corps. On the way he meets cynical young hobo Roscoe "Rockie" Johnson, and, although Rockie believes that hopping freight trains is a great life, Johnny convinces him to join the Corps.

It's a Great Life

1935

It's a Joke, Son! poster
6.6

Claghorn gets into some financial difficulties and is forced by a machine-political gang to enter a race for state senator against his wife (Una Merkel) who appears to have a good chance to beat the political hack backed by the machine. Claghorn is in to siphon votes and ensure his wife's opponent will win and is expected to run a campaign that will defeat himself and his wife. But, he runs to win and the machine's henchies abduct him.

It's a Joke, Son!

1947

Here We Go Again poster
6.3

It's Fibber and Molly's 20th anniversary and they want to throw a big party. But when everyone declines their invitation, they decide to go on a second honeymoon instead. After one night at the broken down Ramble Inn, where they spent their first honeymoon, they decide to go across the lake to a swanky (and expensive) lodge, where they bump into their old friends Edgar Bergan, Charlie McCarthy, Gildersleeve, and Mrs. Uppington, so the party is on again.

Here We Go Again

1942

Son of a Sailor poster
6.0

A lovesick fool bumbles into espionage and finds a stolen plane.

Son of a Sailor

1933

Steel Against the Sky poster
5.4

Steel-worker brothers compete for the same woman.

Steel Against the Sky

1941

Film credits

Behind the camera

Wild Bill Hickok Rides poster
5.5

The Western hero takes on a ruthless land baron whose henchmen killed his best friend.

Wild Bill Hickok Rides

1942

It's a Great Life poster
9.0

Desperate for work, Johnny Barclay leaves Ma and Grandpop to join the newly formed Civilian Conversation Corps. On the way he meets cynical young hobo Roscoe "Rockie" Johnson, and, although Rockie believes that hopping freight trains is a great life, Johnny convinces him to join the Corps.

It's a Great Life

1935

It's a Joke, Son! poster
6.6

Claghorn gets into some financial difficulties and is forced by a machine-political gang to enter a race for state senator against his wife (Una Merkel) who appears to have a good chance to beat the political hack backed by the machine. Claghorn is in to siphon votes and ensure his wife's opponent will win and is expected to run a campaign that will defeat himself and his wife. But, he runs to win and the machine's henchies abduct him.

It's a Joke, Son!

1947

Here We Go Again poster
6.3

It's Fibber and Molly's 20th anniversary and they want to throw a big party. But when everyone declines their invitation, they decide to go on a second honeymoon instead. After one night at the broken down Ramble Inn, where they spent their first honeymoon, they decide to go across the lake to a swanky (and expensive) lodge, where they bump into their old friends Edgar Bergan, Charlie McCarthy, Gildersleeve, and Mrs. Uppington, so the party is on again.

Here We Go Again

1942

Son of a Sailor poster
6.0

A lovesick fool bumbles into espionage and finds a stolen plane.

Son of a Sailor

1933

Steel Against the Sky poster
5.4

Steel-worker brothers compete for the same woman.

Steel Against the Sky

1941

Harold Teen poster
6.5

A young reporter pines for his high-school sweetheart, but she's preoccupied with appearing in their small town's community musical show. This 1934 comedy, with numerous songs, was inspired by the popular Depression-era comic strip of the same title. With Hal Le Roy, Rochelle Hudson, Guy Kibbee, Hugh Herbert,Douglass Dumbrille and Patricia Ellis.

Harold Teen

1934

You're in the Army Now poster
4.4

Incompetent door-to-door vacuum cleaner salesmen become enlisted without their knowledge.

You're in the Army Now

1941

Oh, What a Night! poster
8.0

An international jewel thief tries to keep his secret from his niece.

Oh, What a Night!

1944

Moonlight and Cactus poster
5.5

The swinging Andrews Sisters provide the musical interludes and romance in this western. They play a trio of WW II era ranchers. That they are so good at running it proves terrible surprise for a ranch hand who has just returned home after serving in the Navy.

Moonlight and Cactus

1944

Thrill of a Lifetime poster
7.0

"Howdy" Nelson believes there is no such think as real love and that romance can be cooked up between any eligible persons (of the opposite sex.) He is so imbued with the idea that he has established a summer camp for that reason,and has written a play on the subject. The Yacht Club Boys visit the camp, misrepresenting themselves as Broadway producers, and the talented guest of the camp put on Nelson's play...which all ends up with a lot of marriage mating; Judy and Skipper, Betty Jane and Stanley and...Gwen and "Howdy,' the guy who was positive there was no such thing as true love.

Thrill of a Lifetime

1937

In Holland poster
7.0

Comedy short.

In Holland

1929

Harpoon poster
7.0

A tale of feuding and revenge among whalers in Alaska in the late 19th century.

Harpoon

1948

Turn Off the Moon poster
8.0

Department store owner J. Elliott Dinwiddy has waited fifteen years for the perfect astrological moment to propose to his secretary, Myrtle Tweep. His astrological advisor, Dr. Wakefield, has told him that if he can unite a boy and a girl in true love before midnight, he can propose to Myrtle the following night. Fate then brings unemployed dancer Caroline Wilson into the music department of Dinwiddy's, where she meets handsome songwriter Terry Keith.

Turn Off the Moon

1937

Niagara Falls poster
6.7

The nosy antics of a honeymooner puts an unwed couple in the same room.

Niagara Falls

1941

Ditto poster
5.8

Buster, an ice delivery man, falls for one of his customers, not knowing she has a twin sister living next door.

Ditto

1937

No artwork available
10.0

An amoral young dancer falls in love with a band leader.

She Knew What She Wanted

1936

F-Man poster
7.0

Johnny Dime has aspirations of becoming a "G-Man," but gums up the work of actual agent Rogan, in his pursuit of Public Enemy No. 1. Dime's ambitious goal is to improve his "F" rating to a "G". His sweetheart Evelyn hopes to not get shot in the process.

F-Man

1936

One Hour Late poster
3.8

A secretary catches the eye of her amorous boss while her regular boyfriend keeps trying to propose marriage to her.

One Hour Late

1934

Dangerous Nan McGrew poster
4.5

Dangerous Nan McGrew is the sharp-shooting expert of a traveling medicine show that is stranded in the Canadian northwest at the snowbound hunting lodge of wealthy Mrs. Benson. Nan is invited to put on a show for the benefit of Mrs. Benson's Christmas-Eve guests. While performing her boop-a-doop songs, Eustace Macy, the saxophone-tooting nephew of Mrs. Benson falls in love with Nan. And, then, the villain, the bank-robbing Doc Foster, makes his entrance. Can Dawes of the Royal Mounted be seen slushing in pursuit behind the gangster? Could Be.

Dangerous Nan McGrew

1930

Hello, Sucker poster
10.0

A young couple buy a bankrupt vaudeville booking agency, and try to make it a success.

Hello, Sucker

1941

Hurry, Charlie, Hurry poster
5.7

In this comedy, the marital conflicts between a meek banker and his nagging wife are chronicled.

Hurry, Charlie, Hurry

1941

Tanks a Million poster
5.8

Chubby William Tracy starred as Dodo Doubleday, a feckless Army draftee blessed (or cursed) with a photographic memory. Inexplicably promoted to sergeant, Doubleday becomes the bane of topkick Sgt. Ames' (Joe Sawyer) existence.

Tanks a Million

1941

Sandy Gets Her Man poster
6.5

A young widow lets her baby be the deciding factor as to which eligible bachelor she should marry.

Sandy Gets Her Man

1940

San Antonio Rose poster
7.0

San Antonio Rose is an amiably wacky mini-musical evenly divided between its "official" stars, The Merry Macs, and a strong cast of supporting clowns. Robert Paige plays roadhouse operator Con Conway, whose establishment is in danger of being squeezed out by its competition. Stranded entertainers Hope Holloway (Jane Frazee) and Gabby Trent (Eve Arden) decide to revivify Conway's establishment by staging an energetic floor show built around the talented Merry Macs. A rival club owner dispatches his two top hooligans Jigsaw Kennedy (Lon Chaney Jr.) and Benny the Bounce (Shemp Howard) to wreck Conway's club by posing as waiters, but the two stupes are easily cowed into submission--by the leading ladies!

San Antonio Rose

1941

Welcome Home poster
9.0

A con artist attends a reunion in his hometown and discovers that his former classmates are trying to trick an old millionaire into returning to build a factory.

Welcome Home

1935

Hi, Good Lookin'! poster
6.5

An usher at a radio station studio pretends to be an executive at the station in order to help a pretty girl become a singer.

Hi, Good Lookin'!

1944

Earthworm Tractors poster
5.4

A salesman tries to sell a tractor to a customer who hates tractors while falling for the girl.

Earthworm Tractors

1936

Jail House Blues poster
9.0

A prisoner about to be pardoned puts it off until he can put on one last variety show for his fellow inmates.

Jail House Blues

1942

Give Out, Sisters poster
6.0

The Andrews Sisters headline this musical. They play the lead act at a popular nightclub. The trouble begins when they hire a few students from a financially foundering dance school for their newest production. One of the dancers, a rich young socialite, desperately wants to be in it too, but her prurient maiden aunts refuse to allow her to disgrace their family by becoming a common chorine. She and the club owner (who must have the aunt's permission because the girl is underage) try to convince them, but it's not easy.

Give Out, Sisters

1942

Heavenly Music poster
6.2

Bandleader/singer/songwriter Ted Barry arrives to heaven. The receptionist tells him that before he can take his place in the Hall of Music, a committee must review his work and decide whether he is worthy of admittance.

Heavenly Music

1943

La Conga Nights poster
7.7

In this comedy, actor Hugh Herbert plays six different roles. Only one of the roles is a man. The story centers around a dizzy music lover, who has grown rich through real estate deals. Also figuring in the story are a cab driver/performer, and a down-on-her-luck, aspiring singer. They meet when she hails his cab as she skips out on her former boarding house because she cannot pay rent.

La Conga Nights

1940

No artwork available
8.0

Husband and wife decide to carry on their arguing by red-light-green-light traffic lights.

Red, Green and Yellow

1930

Mama Runs Wild poster
7.0

Suburban Paradise Park becomes a heaven for social-minded Mrs. Alice Summers (Mary Boland), when she accidentally causes the apprehension of two bank robbers after walking into the bank during the robbery and one of the robbers, in taking money from her purse, left his fingerprints on the purse. She is made an honorary police captain and, with her society sisters sets about "keeping lawlessness" out of the town. From that point on, life becomes miserable for her hen-pecked husband Calvin (Ernest Truex).

Mama Runs Wild

1937

Margie poster
9.0

Newlyweds Bret (Tom Brown) and Margie (Nan Grey) both aspire to show-biz careers: he wants to be a songwriter, while she is desirous of becoming a radio scripter. Inevitably, Bret and Margie quarrel and break up, only to be reunited by their efforts to snag "banana king" Gomez (Mischa Auer) for a lucrative radio contract. The old 1920s tune "Margie" is heard throughout the proceedings, frequently fitted out with ludicrous new lyrics ("Bananas! We're Always Thikin' of Bananas!" etc.) by a zany songwriting team (Eddie Quillan and Wally Vernon).

Margie

1940

No artwork available
7.0

In this musical, an idealistic college graduate is bitten by the show business bug after he finds success writing and producing the campus variety show. Wanting to launch his career, he convinces his father to allow him to create a production using the workers at the old man's clothing factory. Unfortunately, the young man is naive and an unscrupulous producer bilks his father's advance money from him.

Sing Another Chorus

1941

Waltzing Around poster
7.0

Two zany transients get jobs as vendors at a sports arena. One of them accidently knocks out one of the fighters, and must take his place, with his partner acting as referee.

Waltzing Around

1929

Lady, Let's Dance poster
6.7

Singing, dancing, and ice skating are featured in this musical that focuses on ice-skating sensation Belita. The story begins as she travels to a California resort where she has been hired as a replacement for a dance team. The resort is run by a handsome fellow. As a result of the gig, the skater becomes a national star while the resort manager gets fired and becomes a drifter until he ends up in the Army. The Oscar nominated score includes the following songs: "Silver Shadows and Golden Dreams", "Dream of Dreams", "Rio", "In the Days of Beau Brummel", "Lady, Let's Dance", "Happy Hearts", "Ten Million Men and a Girl", and the rhumba standard "Esperanza".

Lady, Let's Dance

1944

Hold 'Em Yale poster
7.0

A pretty young socialite falls for a charming but shady hustler, who abandons her when he finds that she has been disowned by her wealthy father. Three of the hustler's partners, who have also been left high and dry by heir former associate, come up with a plan to get her to the annual Yale-Harvard football game to reunite with her former sweetheart, an honest but nerdy bookworm.

Hold 'Em Yale

1935

Girls Will Be Boys poster
7.0

A wife demands that her husband take over the household responsibilities, while she does his job, unaware that he is a piano mover. They both land in the hospital, sadder and sicker as a result of their experience.

Girls Will Be Boys

1931