Frank McDonald

Directing

Frank McDonald

Born November 9, 1899 · Baltimore, Maryland, USA

Died March 8, 1980 · aged 80

A former railroad worker, Frank McDonald came to Hollywood after a career on the stage as an actor/producer/director. At first hired as a dialogue director, McDonald turned out some scripts and in the mid-'30s began directing. Working for almost every studio in Hollywood at one time or another, he did a lot of work for Republic, grinding out Gene Autry and Roy Rogers westerns, and at the Pine/Thom…

Known For

RingsideRingside · 1949
Ringside
5.01949
MovieDrama
Joe O'Hara finds out he has a damaged optic nerve just before a boxing match for the title. He needs the money badly, so he doesn't delay the fight. The opponent discovers Joe's weakness and pounds on his eyes, causing him to go blind.
The Ghost of Crossbone CanyonThe Ghost of Crossbone Canyon · 1952
The Ghost of Crossbone Canyon
9.01952
MovieWestern
Two episodes of the TV series "Wild Bill Hickok" edited together and released as a feature.
Her Husband's SecretaryHer Husband's Secretary · 1937
Her Husband's Secretary
6.01937
MovieDrama
A businessman buys trouble when he hires his wife"s best friend as his secretary.
Isle of FuryIsle of Fury · 1936
Isle of Fury
5.41936
MovieAdventureDrama
An island pearl merchant and his new wife make room for a mysterious shipwrecked man.
Gunfight at Comanche CreekGunfight at Comanche Creek · 1963
Gunfight at Comanche Creek
5.91963
MovieWestern
Comanche Creek, Colorado, 1875: Prisoner Jack Mason is broken out of jail by a gang of strangers. They use him in a robbery, then when the dead-or-alive reward is high enough, they shoot him and collect. The National Detective Agency, now knowing the gang's methods, arranges to have agent Bob Gifford jailed in Comanche Creek for train robbery. The gang takes the bait (not before Gifford catches the eye of lovely saloon-keeper Abbie). But how will the bait get off the hook?
Forgotten GirlsForgotten Girls · 1940
Forgotten Girls
5.61940
MovieCrimeDrama
A disillusioned factory worker is charged with the attempted murder of her mother's lover.
Treachery Rides the RangeTreachery Rides the Range · 1936
Treachery Rides the Range
4.01936
MovieMusicWestern
The Indians need the Buffalo to survive and the Government has promised to keep the herds free from hunters. But Carter, of Carter and Barton, just signed a big contract for furs and Buffalo meat so they want the herds. The only way they can get them is to rile the Indians up enough to go on the warpath and break the treaty. After the trouble starts, the Indians get the Colonel's daughter and hold her prisoner. Written by Tony Fontana
Snow DogSnow Dog · 1950
Snow Dog
7.51950
MovieWesternAdventure
The third installment in low-budget producer Lindsley Parson's "Chinook" series, Snow Dog was ostensibly based on pulp writer James Oliver Curwood's 1915 short-story "The Tentacles of the North," which was also the working title. Kirby Grant again played Rod McDonald of the Canadian Royal Mounted, and once again the vehicle was stolen by his canine sidekick, the white malamute Chinook. This time, Rod and Chinook are tracking a mysterious white wolf, thought to have killed several of the local traders.

Filmography

Sort
Get SmartGet Smart · 1965
Get Smart
8.01965
SeriesComedySci-Fi & Fantasy
Get Smart is an American comedy television series that satirizes the secret agent genre. Created by Mel Brooks with Buck Henry, the show stars Don Adams, Barbara Feldon, and Edward Platt. Henry said they created the show by request of Daniel Melnick, who was a partner, along with Leonard Stern and David Susskind, of the show's production company, Talent Associates, to capitalize on "the two biggest things in the entertainment world today"—James Bond and Inspector Clouseau. Brooks said: "It's an insane combination of James Bond and Mel Brooks comedy." This is the only Mel Brooks production to feature a laugh track. The success of the show eventually spawned the follow-up films The Nude Bomb and Get Smart, Again!, as well as a 1995 revival series and a 2008 film remake. In 2010, TV Guide ranked Get Smart's opening title sequence at No. 2 on its list of TV's Top 10 Credits Sequences, as selected by readers.

Director

Four Star PlayhouseFour Star Playhouse · 1952
Four Star Playhouse
6.81952
SeriesDramaComedy
Four Star Playhouse is an American television anthology series that ran from 1952 to 1956, sponsored in its first bi-weekly season by The Singer Company; Bristol-Myers became an alternate sponsor when it became a weekly series in the fall of 1953. The original premise was that Charles Boyer, Ida Lupino, David Niven, and Dick Powell would take turns starring in episodes. However, several other performers took the lead from time to time, including Ronald Colman and Joan Fontaine. Blake Edwards was among the writers and directors who contributed to the series. Edwards created the recurring character of illegal gambling house operator Willie Dante for Dick Powell to play on this series. The character was later revamped and spun off in his own series starring Howard Duff, then-husband of Lupino. The pilot for Meet McGraw, starring Frank Lovejoy, aired here, as did another episode in which Lovejoy recreated his role of Chicago newspaper reporter Randy Stone, from the radio drama Nightbeat.

Director