Directing

Hal Yates

Born — Died

1899-07-26 — 1969-08-01

Place of birth

Chicago, Illinois, USA

Known for

Directing

Credits

40 titles

Known for

Variety Time poster
10.0

Jack Parr hosts a variety program of comedic sketches.

Variety Time

1948

No artwork available
8.0

All Parts is a silent comedy short

All Parts

1928

A Pair of Tights poster
7.8

Two girls are invited by one of the girls boyfriend's tight boss for dinner. On the way they stop for a cheap ice cream. But swinging doors, ventilators, cops and a brat make it nearly impossible to get the ice cream even close to the car where the rest is waiting.

A Pair of Tights

1929

General Spanky poster
5.8

Orphaned shoeshine boy Spanky is working on a Mississippi riverboat during the Civil War. There he befriends young runaway slave Buckwheat. After wronging a vicious gambler, Spanky and Buckwheat are forced to jump ship. Finding solace at a nearby house, the two are picked by Marshall Valiant for an important mission. This inspires Spanky to organize the local kids to form a small army of their own.

General Spanky

1936

No artwork available
7.0

Leon (Leon Errol) keeps making solo trips to Buffalo and his wife Dorothy (Dorothy Granger) suspicions that some hanky-panky is involved. The next time Leon shuffles off to Buffalo, Dorothy follows on the same airplane disguised as a beautiful-but-poor widow from the south. Dorothy, in disguise, quickly gets more of Leon's attention on the plane than she ever got at home. The plane is grounded short of Buffalo, and the ever-gallant Leon steps up to take care of the poor widow's hotel bill, but has to register her as his wife in order to do so. Dorothy reveals who she is, but Leon wiggles out of the situation in his usual wormy fashion.

Sweet Cheat

1949

One Hour Married poster
8.0

A newly-married woman disguises herself as a doughboy in order to stay close to her husband.

One Hour Married

1927

Behind the camera

Variety Time poster
10.0

Jack Parr hosts a variety program of comedic sketches.

Variety Time

1948

Variety Time poster
10.0

Jack Parr hosts a variety program of comedic sketches.

Variety Time

1948

No artwork available
8.0

All Parts is a silent comedy short

All Parts

1928

A Pair of Tights poster
7.8

Two girls are invited by one of the girls boyfriend's tight boss for dinner. On the way they stop for a cheap ice cream. But swinging doors, ventilators, cops and a brat make it nearly impossible to get the ice cream even close to the car where the rest is waiting.

A Pair of Tights

1929

General Spanky poster
5.8

Orphaned shoeshine boy Spanky is working on a Mississippi riverboat during the Civil War. There he befriends young runaway slave Buckwheat. After wronging a vicious gambler, Spanky and Buckwheat are forced to jump ship. Finding solace at a nearby house, the two are picked by Marshall Valiant for an important mission. This inspires Spanky to organize the local kids to form a small army of their own.

General Spanky

1936

No artwork available
7.0

Leon (Leon Errol) keeps making solo trips to Buffalo and his wife Dorothy (Dorothy Granger) suspicions that some hanky-panky is involved. The next time Leon shuffles off to Buffalo, Dorothy follows on the same airplane disguised as a beautiful-but-poor widow from the south. Dorothy, in disguise, quickly gets more of Leon's attention on the plane than she ever got at home. The plane is grounded short of Buffalo, and the ever-gallant Leon steps up to take care of the poor widow's hotel bill, but has to register her as his wife in order to do so. Dorothy reveals who she is, but Leon wiggles out of the situation in his usual wormy fashion.

Sweet Cheat

1949

One Hour Married poster
8.0

A newly-married woman disguises herself as a doughboy in order to stay close to her husband.

One Hour Married

1927

No artwork available
7.0

Edgar's landlord wants to sell the house Edgar is renting. He has to come up with the money in two weeks or the landlord will sell it out from under him.

It's Your Move

1945

No artwork available
7.0

Edgar's landlord wants to sell the house Edgar is renting. He has to come up with the money in two weeks or the landlord will sell it out from under him.

It's Your Move

1945

Spooky Wooky poster
10.0

Leon manages to get a new house in the country cheap, and the whole family finds out that a mysterious death occurred in it. No one but Leon wants to live there, and so, a wacky plan is conceived to make Leon change his mind about moving.

Spooky Wooky

1950

No artwork available
9.0

Edgar is so anxious to get brother out of the house that when a prospective fiancée arrives on the scene, Edgar reluctantly pays for an engagement ring.

Feather Your Nest

1944

Beware of Redheads poster
7.0

A beautiful redhead (Myrna Dell) comes knocking on Leon's door demanding the return of a compact dropped accidently in his pocket while they were dancing. But his wife (Dorothy Granger) has already discovered the compact and thinks Leon bought it as a gift for her. And then, to no great surprise, the redhead's jealous husband makes an appearance. Leon, before he is cleared of any hanky-panky with the redhead, nets two black eyes.

Beware of Redheads

1945

The Lion's Whiskers poster
10.0

Billy works at a film studio where lots of things keep going wrong. First, while filming, the camera man and director nearly get dropped off a building. This stunt is funny and rather realistic. Second, Billy looks in a keyhole at what he THINKS is a lady taking a bath--and she's soon joined by a man!

The Lion's Whiskers

1925

Wise Guys Prefer Brunettes poster
5.7

The crotchety dean of Pinkham University blames the "bad behavior of the school's female students on a dress shop owned by Helene, and informs her he's shutting her shop down. Meanwhile, her boyfriend Napoleon has invented a plaster that restores youth. The dean accidentally sits on the plaster and reverts back to his younger days when he himself used to chase college girls. Complications ensue.

Wise Guys Prefer Brunettes

1926

I'll Take Milk poster
6.5

Rita informs Leon that, as a lark, he stole a valuable necklace at a dinner party the night before and she will return it, but Leon remembers nothing about it. Just then, as Leon is taking the necklace out of his pocket, Mrs. Errol arrives with Barbara, her cousin and Barbara's fiancee. Mrs. Errol decides to give the necklace to Barbara as a wedding present. Leon tells Rita he will retrieve the necklace and return it to her that night. That Leon ends up getting chased by a guard dog and accused by Dorothy of philandering and Rita is a crook is a foregone conclusion.

I'll Take Milk

1946

No artwork available
8.0

Leon (Leon Errol) wants to spend quiet evenings at home but his wife, Dorothy (Dorothy Granger) wants to go dancing. Leon's twin brother berates him for not taking his wife out, so Leon aks her out but she thinks it is his twin that takes her. Leon carries out the deception and this leads to the usual Errol complications.

Let's Go Stepping

—

Wife Tamers poster
7.0

Mr. Barry has a huge argument with his wife, and to make her jealous, he asks his valet to set him up with a pretty girl who is stranded in their neighborhood. He takes her out to dinner, but to his disgust he discovers that she lacks even one ounce of class and her table manners are frightening. Soon enough, Barrymore is reunited with his wife.

Wife Tamers

1926

Backstage Follies poster
3.3

Faced with a police raid ordered by Errol's wife, turned Reform League president, the manager of the local burleque theatre sends one of the girls over to get friendly with Errol.

Backstage Follies

1948

He Forgot to Remember poster
7.0

Leon (Leon Errol) and his friend Harry (Harry Harvey) tell their wives they are going on a fishing trip, but end up doing a bit of partying. Leon comes home and, to avoid answering questions, pretends to have amnesia. Mrs. Errol (Dorothy Granger) does not pretend to believe him.

He Forgot to Remember

1944

Thundering Fleas poster
6.0

The kids from Our Gang have to attend a wedding, and they bring along their flea collection--which gets loose.

Thundering Fleas

1926

Madame Mystery poster
6.5

A female secret agent has gotten ahold of a new type of explosive gas. She has to avoid the efforts of two men who are trying to steal it. They succeed in doing so, but the gas turns out to be not quite what they expected.

Madame Mystery

1926

Niagara Falls poster
6.7

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

Niagara Falls

1941

The Newlywed's Boarder poster
NR

Comedy film short

The Newlywed's Boarder

1950

It Shouldn't Happen to a Dog poster
8.0

Leon suspects something between his wife (Dorothy Granger) - talk about the pot calling the kettle black - and the milkman, who are actually talking about getting rid of the dog. Leon hires a detective. An escaped convict enters the house, knocks out Leon and ties him up in a sheet. The milkman picks up the sheet thinking it is the dog. Mrs. Errol realizes the mistake just before Leon is dropped off the pier.

It Shouldn't Happen to a Dog

1945

Hats Off poster
6.6

Stan and Ollie are salesmen attempting to sell a washing machine; they fail constantly after several near misses. One would-be sale has them carrying the machine up a large flight of steps, only to find out that a young lady wants them to post a letter for her. The boys later get into an argument knocking off each other's hats, which eventually involves scores of others. A police van eventually carts all those involved away except Stan and Ollie, who afterwards try to find their own headgear amongst the hundreds of others lying on the street.

Hats Off

1927

Sailors, Beware! poster
6.9

A con artist and a midget dressed as her infant son, are unmasked aboard a ship by a steward.

Sailors, Beware!

1927

No artwork available
7.5

There is movement afoot in Edgar Kennedy's house, where he lives with his wife Florence, and reluctantly with Florence's mother and brother. Without Edgar's consent, Florence, mother and brother have decided that Edgar will temporarily move in with brother, while mother will temporarily move in with Florence, giving mother's room to her visiting brother, Wilbur. Uncle Wilbur, an entrepreneur, promises to set brother up in one of his companies, making Edgar's dream come true of getting brother out of his house. But chain smoking Uncle Wilbur vows to renege on his promise unless Edgar can get him some cigarettes after he himself runs out. Edgar may have some problems as there is a cigarette shortage, every smoker clamoring for what few supplies there are. If Edgar can't get cigarettes, he may have to resort to Plan B, which may not be as easy as he imagines. Regardless, lazy brother may do whatever he can to thwart Edgar's plans if only to remain unemployed and in Edgar's house.

What, No Cigarettes

1945

No artwork available
9.0

Newlyweds Bob and Suzi have landlord troubles when Suzi's mother arrives on a visit and brings her dog and dogs are forbidden in their apartment house and they face eviction. Mother leaves and all is well. Bob's boss (Donald MacBride) tells Bob he will promote him to sales manager if Bob takes care of his unruly police dog while he is out of town. Nothing ventured, nothing gained thinks Bob until the irate landlord shows up again. But Bob's boss takes care of that problem by buying the property and saying Bob and Suzi can keep all the dogs they want.

Newlyweds' House Guest

1952

No artwork available
5.5

Slim Harris is proud of his new job as a canary salesman, and visits his fiancée, Peggy, at her office. While there , one of the birds flies into the office of a lawyer, A. J. Corbett, across the hall and, while attempting to catch the bird, Corbett hies Slim as a process server. His first assignment is to serve papers on Bertram Fairweather, owner of a Turkish-bath. Fairweather does not wish to be served, so there is a chase all around the salon.

Lost in a Turkish Bath

1953

No artwork available
9.0

Edgar Kennedy, never the one to spend money on a project when he can do it himself and spend twice the money with disastrous results, forgoes hiring a builder to add a new room on the family abode, and contracts himself and family members to do the job. Edgar, doing any job is a recipe for failure, and when his ditsy wife, daffy brother-in-law and domineering mother-in-law are part of the construction crew, failure turns to catastrophe.

I'll Build It Myself

1946

Do or Diet poster
8.0

Edgar's boss gives him a few days off as a reward for being promoted. His wife, Florence, mother-in-law and brother-in-law, think he has been fired for being too fat and, over his fruitless objections, put him on a strenuous reducing program that nearly kills him.

Do or Diet

1947

Do or Diet poster
8.0

Edgar's boss gives him a few days off as a reward for being promoted. His wife, Florence, mother-in-law and brother-in-law, think he has been fired for being too fat and, over his fruitless objections, put him on a strenuous reducing program that nearly kills him.

Do or Diet

1947

Follow That Blonde poster
9.0

Comedic mixups are inevitable when Leon Errol borrows a car.

Follow That Blonde

1946

You Drive Me Crazy poster
9.0

Edgar’s day goes from bad to catastrophic after he lends his brother-in-law his car — mistake number one. When the car breaks down, Edgar borrows his neighbor’s car to fetch it — mistake number two — and wrecks it almost immediately. Panicked, he rushes to "Miracle Sam - The Used Car Man" to buy a replacement (racking up a whole new set of mistakes) and drives off without insurance. Meanwhile, Brother has somehow gotten Edgar’s original car running... just in time for the inevitable two-car smash-up. Classic Edgar Kennedy chaos, for anyone who knows what’s coming.

You Drive Me Crazy

1945

Oil's Well That Ends Well poster
8.0

Leon Errol needs to keep his guests apart at dinner.

Oil's Well That Ends Well

1949

Nobody's Baby poster
6.0

Kitty Reily and Lena Marchetti meet each other at an amateur Radio Show. Kitty quickly learns to greatly dislike incompetent Lena. They keep running into each other until Kitty resigns to being friends with Lena when they become hospital nurses and share a dorm room.

Nobody's Baby

1937

Anything Once! poster
6.8

ANYTHING ONCE! is a Cinderella story. Mabel works in a tailor shop, pressing clothes and dreaming of a better life. We're told that she's taken a lot of bumps in life and doesn't know where the next bump is coming from, which sounds uncomfortably close to the leading lady's real-life situation. Her boss is Jimmy Finlayson, but instead of playing the expected sourpuss Finn is quite benign here, and doesn't even punish Mabel when she accidentally sets his toupee on fire.

Anything Once!

1927

Wandering Papas poster
5.4

A cook for bridge constructors is told to collect food for dinner-Ritz style trout, Palmer house rabbit and a 15cm frosted cake. He sets off into the wide open spaces to collect the food, coming into contact with a mad hermit, who hates anybody seeing his daughter, before returning to cook dinner.

Wandering Papas

1926

Footlight Varieties poster
3.3

A compilation of scenes and acts from various comedy and musical shorts over the years.

Footlight Varieties

1951

Footlight Varieties poster
3.3

A compilation of scenes and acts from various comedy and musical shorts over the years.

Footlight Varieties

1951