
Directing
Arthur Lubin
Born 1898-07-25 · Los Angeles, California, USA
Arthur Lubin (July 25, 1898 – May 12, 1995) was an American film director and producer who directed several Abbott & Costello films and created the TV series Mr. Ed. Arthur Lubin was born Arthur William Lubovsky in Los Angeles, California in 1898. Lubin created his own film and music studio, Lubin Studios, in the 1920s, where he acted in silent films in the later half of the decade. Lubin directed the Abbott and Costello movies Buck Privates (1941), In the Navy (1941), Hold That Ghost (1941), Keep 'Em Flying (1942) and Ride 'Em Cowboy (1942). His most successful film at the box office was probably Phantom of the Opera (1943). Another may be Rhubarb (1951) about a cat that inherits a baseball team by proxy. Lubin also directed the "Francis the Talking Mule" series and brought the idea to TV as the series Mr. Ed. He was the first producer to give a contract to Clint Eastwood. Lubin also directed episodic TV shows like Bronco (1958), Maverick (1959), Bonanza (1960), Mister Ed (1961) and The Addams Family (1965). Lubin's last work was the TV series called Little Lulu (1978). Lubin's career ended in the late 1970s, and he lived the rest of his life with his life partner Frank Burford[citation needed] and died in Glendale, California of an unspecified cause on May 12, 1995 at age 96.
Acting credits
The two sons of a poor Russian-Jewish pushcart peddler on New York's Lower East Side are causing their father grief. As Morris and Sammy stray from traditions cherished by their parents, each generation learns to accept change to preserve the family as a source of love and respect.
His People
1925
An Australian Bandit Story
The Bushranger
1928
7.1Against the backdrop of Vienna's hidebound caste system, aristocrat and army officer Nicki is attracted to peasant Mitzi, although he knows it cannot last. Acquiescing to familial pressure, he ultimately gives her up to marry the more socially acceptable – albeit crippled – heiress Cecelia. Mitzi, for her part, is heartbroken and must resign herself to marrying churlish butcher Schani Eberle.
The Wedding March
1928
9.0When Sir Reginald Belsize's uncle dies he leaves him a fortune on condition that he give up his current unsuitable lover Helen and marry someone else within twenty four hours. Helen agrees to this so long as the woman he picks is less attractive than she is. The woman he picks is however beautiful and cultured and he quickly falls in love with her.
Afraid to Love
1927
7.4Rafael Sabatini's story of the swashbuckling era and of Bardeleys, the handsome courtier who could win any woman he set his mind to...and was not above boasting about it to all who would listen.
Bardelys the Magnificent
1926
9.0John Hueston, a wealthy newspaper publisher, plans to publish an exposé of a criminal gang but is silenced by a bullet. Pat Doran, rich sportsman, is consoling Hueston's daughter at her home when members of the gang break into the house in an effort to put their hands on the incriminating evidence accumulated by Florence's father. Pat chases the crooks off and follows them to their hideout; they capture him, and he is imprisoned on a deserted island. Pat escapes, rounds up the gang, and wins Florence's love.
Eyes of the Underworld
1929
9.0Meyer Rubens and his wife, Esther, own a pressing-shop in New York's Lower East Side. Esther wants to move on up to the Upper West Side. She has a rich sister, Reba, who persuades Meyer to invest in the worthless oil stock sold by her husband. The stock proves to be not worthless and Meyer and Esther become overnight millionaires. But Reba thinks Meyer, who has no taste for high society, is holding her sister back socially, so she devises some schemes that involve catching Meyer in a compromising situation with other women, so her sister can file for a divorce.
Millionaires
1926
7.0Vivid tale of love in Tin Pan Alley.
Times Square
1929
Behind the camera
6.8Two bumbling service station attendants are left as the sole beneficiaries in a gangster's will. Their trip to claim their fortune is sidetracked when they are stranded in a haunted house along with several other strangers.
Hold That Ghost
1941
5.5Fictionalized account of events leading up the famous nude ride (alas, her hair covers everything) of the militant Saxon lady.
Lady Godiva of Coventry
1955
6.0University professor George Kingsley is struck by gangsters while crossing the street, leaving him with brain damage and one of the gangsters, Cannon, paralyzed. Kingsley's friend Dr. Sovac attends to both men, and when Cannon offers him a reward for aiding his recovery, Kovac transplants part of Cannon's brain into the dying Kingsley's skull, creating a dual personality.
Black Friday
1940
6.2Orphaned as a young child and adopted by a band of notorious thieves, now-grown Ali Baba sets out to avenge his father’s murder, reclaim the royal throne, and rescue his beloved Amara from the iron fist of his treacherous enemy.
Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves
1944
6.2Milquetoast Henry Limpet experiences his fondest wish and is transformed into a fish. As a talking fish he assists the US Navy in hunting German submarines during World War II.
The Incredible Mr. Limpet
1964
6.4Popular crooner Russ Raymond abandons his career at its peak and joins the Navy using an alias, Tommy Halstead. However, Dorothy Roberts, a reporter, discovers his identity and follows him in the hopes of photographing him and revealing his identity to the world. Aboard the Alabama, Tommy meets up with Smoky and Pomeroy, who help hide him from Dorothy, who hatches numerous schemes in an attempt to photograph Tommy/Russ being a sailor.
In the Navy
1941
6.2Following a tragic accident that leaves him disfigured, crazed composer Erique Claudin transformed into a masked phantom who schemes to make beautiful young soprano Christine Dubois the star of the opera and wreak revenge on those who stole his music.
Phantom of the Opera
1943
6.8Petty con artists Slicker Smith and Herbie Brown mistakenly join the Army evading the cops. The cop chasing them winds up as their drill instructor. A rich young man and his former working class chauffeur are not only in the same unit, they're vying for a pretty girl who seems attracted to both.
Buck Privates
1941
5.8During World War II, a junior American Army officer, Lt. Peter Stirling, gets sent to the psychiatric ward whenever he insists that an Army mule named Francis speaks to him.
Francis
1950
6.3Story of a tuna fisherman who has been wrongfully convicted of a murder he did not commit. His exemplary behavior in prison ensures that he is up for early parole. He realizes, however, that his movements will be limited, and he will be unable to join and wed his beloved. The only solution is to escape and hunt down the real killer, himself.
Prison Break
1938
7.0A Victorian-era murder mystery about a parlour maid who discovers that her employer may have killed his first wife.
Footsteps in the Fog
1955
8.4The Baxters are a typical happy American family trying to live on too little money. Mrs. Polly Baxter acquires two mysterious trees that got into a nursery shipment by mistake. They turn out to be money trees. After initial problems, Polly decides to spend the money.
It Grows on Trees
1952
6.6A gambling hall owner relocates from New Orleans to Chicago and entertains his patrons with hot jazz by Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday, Woody Herman, and others.
New Orleans
1947
8.0A man is given the choice between having fabulous wealth or saving an innocent man from the death penalty.
The Big Guy
1939
6.1After surviving a murder attempt, an auto magnate goes into hiding so his wife can pay for the crime.
Impact
1949
5.7Francis the talking mule gets his owner in and out of trouble while he is taking basic training at West Point.
Francis Goes to West Point
1952
5.5When Karim impersonates a prince Osman, he steals the heart of Amina the Sultans daughter. The real prince intends to get Amina back by giving her a love potion. But his plan backfires and Amina becomes deathly ill. Karim must make it through 7 doors to retrieve the only thing that can save his love-a mystical blue rose. A timeless, enchanting story!
The Thief of Baghdad
1961
6.5Aesop of fable fame poses as an old man and woos away a princess who wants a king for his gold.
Night in Paradise
1946
6.0Two peanut vendors at a rodeo show get in trouble with their boss and hide out on a railroad train heading west. They get jobs as cowboys on a dude ranch, despite the fact that neither of them knows anything about cowboys, horses, or anything else.
Ride 'Em Cowboy
1941
5.0Marine Sergeant James O'Hearn is being tried at the San Diego Marine base for desertion, theft, scandalous conduct and destruction of property in time of war. He refuses to testify or plead guilty or not guilty to the charges. Showgirl Ginger Martin takes the stand against his protest. She testifies O'Hearn won't talk because he is protecting the name of his pal, Marine Private Davey White. Ginger tells how she, broke and stranded, met the two marines in Shanghai two weeks before Pearl Harbor.
South Sea Woman
1953
5.6At the turn of the century Rose and ex-showbiz friend Molly get involved in selling steel. When they come unstuck with corsets they embark on the even more hazardous project of selling barbed wire to highly suspicious Texas cowboys.
The First Traveling Saleslady
1956
5.6At the turn of the century Rose and ex-showbiz friend Molly get involved in selling steel. When they come unstuck with corsets they embark on the even more hazardous project of selling barbed wire to highly suspicious Texas cowboys.
The First Traveling Saleslady
1956
5.8Rich, eccentric T.J. Banner adopts a feral cat who becomes an affectionate pet he names Rhubarb. Then T.J. dies, leaving to Rhubarb most of his money and a pro baseball team, the Brooklyn Loons. When the team protests, publicist Eric Yeager convinces them Rhubarb is good luck. But Eric's fiancée Polly seems to be allergic to cats, and the team's success may mean new hazards for Rhubarb.
Rhubarb
1951
6.2When a barnstorming stunt pilot decides to join the air corps, his two goofball assistants decide to go with him. Since the two are Abbott & Costello, the air corps doesn't know what it's in for.
Keep 'Em Flying
1941