Lloyd French

Directing

Lloyd French

Born — Died

1900-01-11 — 1950-05-24

Place of birth

San Francisco, California, USA

Known for

Directing

Credits

40 titles

Lloyd French (January 11, 1900 – May 24, 1950) was an American director of short films, most of them comedies. His best remembered films are several Laurel and Hardy comedies in the 1930s. He also made several musical short films featuring many bandleaders of the day; in the 1940s he also directed several shorts starring Edgar Kennedy and Leon Errol; he made his last film in 1946. French was born in San Francisco, California and died in Beverly Hills, California of heart disease.

Known for

Behind the camera

Oliver the Eighth poster
7.1

Barbershop owners Stan and Ollie answer an ad in the newspaper from a wealthy widow looking for a husband. Ollie only mails in his response and is invited to the widow's mansion. Stan discovers his unmailed letter and insists on tagging along. At the mansion, the widow's creepy butler informs them that the woman is crazy. She was once jilted by an Oliver and now her hobby is marrying Olivers and then slitting their throats. Now the boys must figure out how to escape.

Oliver the Eighth

1934

Shop Talk poster
7.0

A former art student returns from Europe to run the department store he inherited from his father and finds his employees behaving very bizarrely.

Shop Talk

1936

Busy Bodies poster
7.3

In this short film, Laurel and Hardy wage battle with inanimate objects, their co-workers, and the laws of physics during a routine work day at a sawmill.

Busy Bodies

1933

That's My Wife poster
6.6

Oliver stands to inherit a large fortune from his rich Uncle Bernal, with the condition that he be happily married. But when Mrs. Hardy walks out just before Uncle Bernal is due for a visit, Stanley is pressed into duty (and into drag) to impersonate Oliver's loving spouse.

That's My Wife

1929

Dirty Work poster
6.9

Stan and Ollie are chimney sweeps working at the home of mad scientist Professor Noodle.

Dirty Work

1933

The Officer's Mess poster
10.0

Gus Doakes joins the National Guard; hilarity ensues.

The Officer's Mess

1935

A Peach of a Pair poster
8.0

Vaudeville performers Cook and Butler are mistaken for domestic servants; hilarity ensues.

A Peach of a Pair

1934

The Midnight Patrol poster
6.6

Novice policemen Stan and Ollie bungle a burglary investigation.

The Midnight Patrol

1933

An Ache in Every Stake poster
7.8

The stooges are icemen who, while delivering ice to a house on the top of a high hill, destroy several cakes that a wealthy man is trying to bring home. When their antics cause the servants at their customer's house to quit, the boys are hired to take their place and prepare a dinner party. What they don't know is that the party is for the man whose cakes they wrecked. When Moe's gas filled cake explodes and the man realizes who they are, they must leave in a hurry.

An Ache in Every Stake

1941

The Old Grey Mayor poster
7.0

Bob Hope wants to marry the mayor's daughter, but the mayor doesn't want his daughter to marry Bob Hope.

The Old Grey Mayor

1935

Private Snuffy Smith poster
4.2

A hillbilly moonshiner enlists in the army. Monogram Pictures' comedy was inspired by the then-popular comic strip character.

Private Snuffy Smith

1942

Two Boobs in a Balloon poster
5.8

Professor Cicero Pu and his dummy Charlie take a trip in the "Spirit of Ammonia" hot air balloon to the stratosphere. After the balloon goes out of control, they land in an unexpected place.

Two Boobs in a Balloon

1935

The Choke's on You poster
8.0

Joe Palooka and Strangler Chokeovitch have set up training camps on adjacent beachfront sites. When Joe knocks out the Strangler after a misunderstanding, Chokeovitch's manager challenges the champ to a professional wrestling bout, with the winner taking all the gate receipts.

The Choke's on You

1936

Me and My Pal poster
6.5

On the morning of his wedding to oil baron Peter Cucumber's daughter, Ollie receives a jigsaw puzzle from Stan as a wedding gift. The boys soon become absorbed in the puzzle. A taxi driver, butler, policeman and messenger boy join in as well.

Me and My Pal

1933

Serves You Right poster
7.3

Johnny (Shemp Howard) is promised the chief process server's job if he can serve a summons on Musclebound Pete, a local hood. Like the servers before him, he's not only unsuccessful, but beat up for his efforts. Pete's only weakness is women, so Johnny switches clothes with girlfriend Helen, and goes after Pete in drag.

Serves You Right

1935

So You Won't T-T-T-Talk poster
3.5

A hen-pecked husband takes his shrewish wife, and her obnoxious little brother, on a weekend camping trip. Along for the ride are the boorish downstairs neighbors (Shemp Howard and Ruth Gillette). A pleasant getaway turns into a nightmare thanks to the antics of Junior, an uncooperative tent, a lazy and oblivious Henry, and a skunk.

So You Won't T-T-T-Talk

1934

Smoked Hams poster
7.0

A vaudeville team convinces an agent to book their new act, which uses a Civil War theme.

Smoked Hams

1934

No artwork available
5.2

In this The Boy Friends series short, college students Mickey and Alabam stay at a city friend's place for what they tell him will be one night - though it stretches into several months.

You're Telling Me

1932

For the Love of Pete poster
9.0

Boxer Joe Palooka steps into the ring after a friend's dog gets kicked.

For the Love of Pete

1936

All Girl Revue poster
6.0

Women are put in charge of the city government for a day, and the mayor must go to the train station to greet an opera singer.

All Girl Revue

1940

No artwork available
6.7

A man desiring to join the Grouch Club describes the terrible experience of trying to check out a book from a public library.

The Great Library Misery

1938

While the Cat's Away poster
10.0

Henry and Johnnie need to clean the apartment before the wives get home.

While the Cat's Away

1936

No artwork available
NR

Leith Stevens leads his orchestra in a nice assortment of standards in a variety of musical styles, including Dixieland and swing. Mr. Stevens was a popular orchestra leader of the era who later became a musical director for an assortment of television shows and his facility with more than one style of music, so important for his later career, is much in evidence here.

Saturday Night Swing Club

1938

Why Pay Rent? poster
10.0

Elmer fixes up a room for his just-married, freeloading brother-in-law and wife. When the newlyweds show up, Henry brings a surprise in the form of stepson Junior. The apartment is now too small, so Henry decides that they'll buy a lot and build a do-it-yourself home, a disaster in the making when Junior switches the house's part numbers. It doesn't help matters that Elmer, Henry and the wives are all incompetent.

Why Pay Rent?

1935

No artwork available
NR

No synopsis available yet.

The Good Old Plumbertime

1936

No artwork available
NR

Part of the Melody Masters series (1938-1939 season) #11 where Dave Apollon and His Club Casanova Orchestra does their comedy and music bits.

Dave Apollon and His Club Casanova Orchestra

1939

All American Drawback poster
5.6

The Dean and Board of Flunk Well College are arguing with its football coach, Bergen, about the team's star player, Charlie McCarthy, who is the only reason the team is a winning one, but who isn't doing well academically and could be pulled from the team if his grades and behavior don't improve. In other words, Charlie is a dummy in more ways than one. Beyond other problems Coach Bergen has with Charlie concerning the coach's girlfriend Joan, Coach Bergen has to get Charlie prepared to pass an exam administered by the Dean. Instead of cheating like he usually does, Charlie has his own way of dealing with the exam.

All American Drawback

1935

No artwork available
6.3

Prankster Bob is traveling to New York by ship with his girlfriend and he proposes to marry her. Along the trip, he plays pranks on the captain, passengers and his future father-in-law. When they arrive in the harbor, the captain and his father-in-law decide to revenge and the captain asks his men to retain Bob at the customs for hours. Then he heads to the office of his father-in-law where his girlfriend is waiting for him. But her father is still upset with Bob. Written by Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Watch the Birdie

1935

Double Exposure poster
7.4

An aspiring photographer and his bumbling assistant go to great lengths to take a picture of a beautiful actress whose wealthy husband does not want her photographed.

Double Exposure

1935

No artwork available
10.0

Edgar Kennedy's hunting trip with his single buddies is kiboshed when his wife, Vivien, has made other arrangements for their vacation time. One of Edgar's friends thinks he has a way for Edgar to go hunting with them. He should pretend to join the National Guard, who are holding a two week camp. In reality, Edgar will have only rented a uniform to convince Vivien that he has joined. Two things may threaten Edgar's plan. First, Vivien, regardless of if she trusts her husband or not, may want to see him off at the train station, which would force him onto the train going to the guard camp. And second, if he can fool Vivien that he is joining the National Guard, he may have also convinced the National Guard that he has joined for real. But in carrying out his plan, Edgar may get into even bigger trouble.

Drafted in the Depot

1940

Taking the Count poster
8.0

Now that they're engaged, Ann wants Joe to retire from the ring, seeing as how he's the heavyweight champ. Ann's mother, who doesn't want her daughter marrying "beneath" the wealthy family's standing, to set Ann up with a European count. What the mother doesn't know is that the "count" is after the family's money more than he is Ann.

Taking the Count

1937

The Knockout poster
4.8

When Mickey accidentally knocks out a local boxing champ, he is forced to take the fighter's place in a bout.

The Knockout

1932

Freddie Rich and His Orchestra poster
6.4

A musical short subject in which band leader Freddie Rich conducts three musical numbers with his orchestra, with solos by Nan Wynn with the Three Symphonettes. In the midst of the radio broadcast on which the band is performing, a gangly guitarist named Joe Sodja interrupts and asks to perform.

Freddie Rich and His Orchestra

1938

Rushin' Art poster
7.0

An expert on Russian art apparently doesn't know as much about it as he thinks he does.

Rushin' Art

1936

On the Wagon poster
10.0

Henry and Elmer stay out all night, then fear returning home because of their formidable mother-in-law.

On the Wagon

1935

Double Talk poster
6.5

Orphanage manager Dr. Bergen tries to get a rich woman to adopt Charlie McCarthy.

Double Talk

1937

Here's Howe poster
9.0

Heavyweight champion Joe Palooka (Robert Norton) and his manager/trainer Knobby Walsh (Shemp Howard), are eating a poor farmer out of house and holdings while Joe prepares for a championship bout at Madison Square Garden. The farmer sends the local sheriff to collect from Knobby.

Here's Howe

1936

At Home poster
4.0

No synopsis available yet.

At Home

1939

A Neckin' Party poster
7.0

Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy travel to Mexico and enrage a jealous boyfriend.

A Neckin' Party

1937

The Blonde Bomber poster
7.0

The Palooka gang is out of money again, and Knobby and Johnny try to raise some quick cash by selling phony watches. Their first sale is their last, when a burly customer realizes he's been had. Next stop, Joe, Knobby and Punchy load up at a local diner, and Knobby has a scheme to skip out on the bill. Of course, the diner owner turns out to be their watch customer, and the boys make a hasty exit with the manager's waitress girlfriend in tow. Knobby books Palooka into a local vaudeville house to put on some exhibition bouts. Of course, their friend from the diner is in the audience, with a bag of rotten tomatoes, and he's more than willing to come on stage when Knobby asks for a volunteer to box with Joe.

The Blonde Bomber

1936