George Sidney
About
Biography
Filmography
Family & Companions
Notes
Not to be confused with the character actor of the same name.
Sidney was the 36th member of the Directors Guild of America and served as its president for 16 years (1950-1966).
Biography
The son of a producer and MGM executive, and a mother who was one of the Mooney Sisters in vaudeville, George Sidney worked his way up from messenger boy to director of numerous MGM musical hits--at one point 15 consecutive box office winners. Though his artistry is not as renowned as Vincente Minnelli, Stanley Donen and Busby Berkeley, Sidney can lay claim to having directed such classic musicals as "Anchors Aweigh" (1945) "The Harvey Girls" (1946), the 1951 remake of "Show Boat" and "Bye Bye Birdie" (1962).
Sidney actually broke into show business as a five-year old, playing sidekick to Tom Mix in the silent film "The Littlest Cowboy" (1921). But he did not pursue acting as a child. Instead, at age 18, Sidney went to work at MGM, first as a messenger boy, then as a sound technician and film editor. Still a teenager, he graduated to directing "Our Gang" comedies, and, at the age of 20, was put in charge of directing all of MGM's screen tests. He was also directing short films, including "Third Dimensional Murder" (1937), which experimented with the 3-D technique (which would later be in vogue during the 1950s), as well as the back to back Oscar-winners "Quicker'n a Wink" (1940) and "Of Pups and Puzzles" (1941).
In 1941, Sidney was handed his first feature film directing assignment, "Free and Easy," a lackluster Robert Cummings vehicle. He went on to direct Esther Williams in her first starring vehicle, "Bathing Beauties" (1944), and helped pioneer the combination of live action and animation in "Anchors Aweigh" (1945), notably in the now classic sequence in which Gene Kelly dances with a cartoon Jerry the Mouse. The animated character was created by the animation team of Joseph Barbera and William Hanna and the film marked the start of a long association between Sidney and the duo which would later include a five-year (1961-66) stint as president of the independent Hanna-Barbera Productions.
Sidney helped to consolidate the stardom of Judy Garland with "The Harvey Girls" (1946) and he had a success with an all-star version of "The Three Musketeers" (1948) Among his other notable features are "Annie Get Your Gun" (1950), with Betty Hutton in the title role, the 1951 color remake of "Show Boat" and "Kiss Me Kate" (1953) which teamed Kathryn Grayson and Howard Keel and provided Ann Miller with one of her best screen roles. Late in the 50s, with MGM collapsing with the end of the studio system and lavish musicals a thing of the part, Sidney moved to Columbia as a producer as well as director. He served in both capacities on the middling biopic "Jeanne Eagels" (1957), with a miscast Kim Novak in the title role. He fared better with the screen version of the hit Broadway musical "Bye Bye Birdie" (1962), with Ann-Margret, Janet Leigh and Dick Van Dyke. Sidney's screen directing career ended with the unsuccessful musical "Half of Sixpence" (1968).
Sidney had occasionally worked on the small screen, including producing the 1964 Academy Awards telecast. He earned an Emmy nomination for directing and producing the United Nations-inspired film "Who Has Seen the Wind?" (ABC, 1965), in which the audience follows a refugee family as it seeks to reach America on a steamer. Still alive and nimble long after many of his contemporaries were not, Sidney participated in American Movie Classics' "Unscripted Hollywood" chat programs, sharing recollections with other stars, such as Betty Garrett and June Allyson. He and his second wife also hosted a local Los Angeles cable show devoted to films, "Reel to Reel."
Filmography
Director (Feature Film)
Cast (Feature Film)
Producer (Feature Film)
Production Companies (Feature Film)
Misc. Crew (Feature Film)
Cast (Special)
Director (Short)
Life Events
1921
As five year old, co-starred with Tom Mix in "The Littlest Cowboy", a silent feature
1933
Joined MGM as messenger boy
1935
Began directing "Our Gang" comedies
1936
Became director of MGM screen tests
1937
Directed experimental 3-D short, "Third Dimensional Murder"
1940
Directed Oscar-winning short film "Quicker'n a Wink"
1941
Helmed Oscar-winning short film "Of Pups and Puzzles"
1941
Made feature film directorial debut with "Free and Easy"
1945
Directed classic musical "Anchors Aweigh"
1951
Directed remake of "Show Boat"
1953
Directed third Oscar-winning short film, "The Merry Wives of Windsor Overture"
1957
Began producing with "Jeanne Eagels"; also directed
1961
Served as president of Hanna-Barbera Productions
1964
Produced the 36th Annual Academy Awards telecast
1965
Received Emmy nomination for "Who Has Seen the Wind?"
1968
Produced and directed final film, "Half a Sixpence"
1995
Interviewed about his MGM years on American Movie Classics' "Unscripted Hollywood"
Photo Collections
Videos
Movie Clip
Trailer
Family
Companions
Bibliography
Notes
Not to be confused with the character actor of the same name.
Sidney was the 36th member of the Directors Guild of America and served as its president for 16 years (1950-1966).
