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Frank Tuttle
Frank Tuttle
Frank Tuttle
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Frank Wright Tuttle (August 6, 1892 – January 6, 1963) was a Hollywood film director and writer who directed films from 1922 (The Cradle Buster) to 1959 (Island of Lost Women).

Key Information

Biography

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“Frank Tuttle was a director of some skill who showed occasional flashes of talent, but for the greater part of his career he buried himself in irredeemable studio assignments...a long string of routine films, mainly for Paramount Pictures, leaves the impression that Tuttle was a hack with no personal style and no particular skill at grabbing the more interesting assignments...Tuttle, in fact, never lost his youthful zeal and even after years of racing through projects like Waikiki Wedding (1937) and College Holiday (1936) still maintained hopes of creating something not merely artistic but ‘meaningful,’ rather like the fictional director in Preston Sturges’ Sullivan’s Travels (1941) ... But Tuttle had neither the talent nor the clout to achieve his aims [and] he soon returned to the practically anonymous production of studio potboilers.”—Film historian Richard Koszarski in Hollywood Directors: 1914-1940 (1976)[1]

Frank Tuttle was educated at Yale University, where he edited campus humor magazine The Yale Record.[2]

After graduation, he worked in New York City in the advertising department of the Metropolitan Music Bureau.[2] He later moved to Hollywood, where he became a film director for Paramount. His films are largely in the comedy, in the first part of his career,[3] and film noir genres, later.[4][5]

In 1947, his career ground to a temporary halt with the onset of the first of the House Un-American Activities Committee hearings on Communist infiltration of the movie industry. Tuttle had joined the American Communist Party in 1937 in reaction to Hitler's rise to power. Unable to find work in the United States, he moved to France, where he made Gunman in the Streets (1950) starring Simone Signoret and Dane Clark. In 1951, after a decade as a member of the Communist Party, Tuttle gave 36 names to the HUAC.[6][7]

Death

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Tuttle died in Hollywood, California, on January 6, 1963, aged 70. He was survived by his three children.[8]

Selected filmography

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References

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Frank Tuttle

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Frank Tuttle was an American film director known for his prolific Hollywood career that spanned the silent film era through the late 1950s, during which he helmed approximately 75 features across various genres. He began as a publicist and continuity writer at Paramount Pictures before making his directorial debut in 1922 with The Cradle Buster, quickly establishing himself with light comedies and dramas. His work includes several films starring Clara Bow in the mid-1920s, such as Mantrap and Kid Boots, as well as the influential film noir This Gun for Hire (1942), which launched Alan Ladd to stardom alongside Veronica Lake. Born in 1892, Tuttle attended Yale University, where he developed an interest in theater and writing that led him to Hollywood. His directing credits reflect versatility, ranging from early Paramount silents to later sound films including The Glass Key (1935) and Suspense (1946), though his career was disrupted during the Hollywood blacklist era; after his cooperative testimony before the House Un-American Activities Committee in 1951—where, having previously been a member of the Communist Party, he identified individuals linked to the Communist Party—he resumed working sporadically into the late 1950s, with his final film Island of Lost Women released in 1959. He died in 1963.

Early life

Birth and education

Frank Wright Tuttle was born on August 6, 1892, in New York City. He attended Yale University, where he edited the campus humor magazine The Yale Record. While a student there, he collaborated with classmate Charles Andrew Merz on a dramatization of Sir Walter Scott's Quentin Durward, which became the first play written by undergraduates to be presented by the university's dramatic association. He graduated from Yale University.

Pre-film career

After graduating from Yale University, Frank Tuttle began his professional career in New York City with a focus on literary and publicity work. He served as assistant editor of Vanity Fair magazine, where he edited the dramatic pages. In 1917, he took on the role of press agent for the Metropolitan Musical Bureau, handling publicity and advertising for a roster of noted artists. During World War I, he served on the Committee on Public Information under novelist Ernest Poole. In 1919, Tuttle was hired by Paramount as a continuity writer. His first film credit was as screenwriter on The Kentuckians (1921).

Hollywood career

Entry into film and silent era

Frank Tuttle entered the film industry in 1919 when he was hired by Walter Wanger as a continuity writer for Paramount Pictures. His first film credit was writing the scenario for The Kentuckians (1921), followed by similar work on The Conquest of Canaan (1921). Tuttle transitioned to directing with his debut on The Cradle Buster (1922), a comedy he also wrote and which starred Glenn Hunter under Tuttle's short-lived independent Film Guild production company. He directed several additional films for the Film Guild, including Second Fiddle (1923), Youthful Cheaters (1923), Puritan Passions (1923), and Grit (1924). After the group disbanded, Tuttle directed two shorts in Yale University's "Chronicles of America" series before returning to Paramount as a director, beginning with Dangerous Money (1924). Under a long-term contract with Paramount Pictures, Tuttle became a prolific director of light comedies and star vehicles during the silent era, contributing significantly to the studio's output in the 1920s. Notable examples of his work include The Manicure Girl (1925), The Lucky Devil (1925), Lovers in Quarantine (1925), The American Venus (1926), The Untamed Lady (1926) starring Gloria Swanson, Kid Boots (1926) starring Eddie Cantor and Clara Bow, Love 'Em and Leave 'Em (1926) starring Louise Brooks, Blind Alleys (1927), and Time to Love (1927). He expressed particular fondness for Kid Boots among his films up to that point. Tuttle's silent-era efforts helped establish him as a key figure at Paramount, where he specialized in directing films that showcased emerging and established stars. His prolific silent output formed the foundation for his later career at the studio.

Paramount sound era and 1930s work

Frank Tuttle was a prolific contract director at Paramount Pictures during the transition to sound films and throughout the 1930s, where he specialized in light entertainment, including comedies and musicals that defined the studio's escapist output during the Great Depression. As a reliable studio hand, he directed numerous features, often featuring major Paramount stars and emphasizing routine, crowd-pleasing assignments rather than auteur-driven projects. Among his notable early sound-era works was the multi-director all-star revue Paramount on Parade (1930), which showcased the studio's roster of performers in a series of musical and comedic sketches. In 1932, Tuttle helmed The Big Broadcast, an early musical revue that prominently featured Bing Crosby in one of his first major screen appearances, helping establish the singer as a film star. He collaborated again with Eddie Cantor on Roman Scandals (1933), a fantasy musical comedy that transported the star to ancient Rome in a series of humorous adventures. Tuttle's mid-1930s output included The Glass Key (1935), an adaptation of Dashiell Hammett's hard-boiled novel starring George Raft, which blended crime elements with Paramount's polished style. He reunited with Bing Crosby for Waikiki Wedding (1937), a romantic musical comedy set in Hawaii that capitalized on the crooner's popularity and included memorable songs. Throughout the decade, Tuttle frequently worked with recurring stars such as Bing Crosby, Eddie Cantor, and Cary Grant, contributing to Paramount's steady stream of lighthearted fare.

1940s film noir and crime films

In the 1940s, Frank Tuttle directed several films that embraced darker themes, contributing to the crime genre and the early development of film noir with a distinctive ironic style that often treated serious subjects with a surprisingly light, almost cartoonish touch. His most significant and critically noted work from this period was This Gun for Hire (1942), widely regarded as one of the defining titles of film noir for its taut plotting, shadowy atmosphere, and influence on the genre's evolution. Directed by Tuttle from a screenplay by Albert Maltz and W.R. Burnett (adapted from Graham Greene's novel), the film starred Alan Ladd as the stoic assassin Philip Raven, Veronica Lake as nightclub performer Ellen Graham, Robert Preston, and Laird Cregar. It marked Ladd's breakthrough to stardom, propelling him from supporting roles to leading man status. Tuttle also provided an uncredited contribution to the writing. Tuttle continued in the crime vein with Lucky Jordan (1942), a gangster comedy-drama that reunited him with Alan Ladd, now cast as a racketeer attempting to dodge military service after being drafted. During the wartime years, Tuttle's output incorporated suspense and intrigue in films addressing conflict and espionage. Hostages (1943) dramatized the plight of Czechoslovakian civilians held by the Nazis following a resistance killing, featuring an ensemble including Luise Rainer, Arturo de Córdova, William Bendix, and Paul Lukas. The following year, The Hour Before the Dawn (1944) centered on a Nazi agent's infiltration of England through marriage to a pacifist, starring Franchot Tone and Veronica Lake. These pictures reflected Tuttle's shift toward more personal and shadowed material amid the broader wartime context. Tuttle continued directing varied genres into the mid-1940s, including the comedy Don Juan Quilligan (1945), the biopic The Great John L. (1945), the thriller Suspense (1946), and the drama Swell Guy (1946). His Hollywood directing career faced increasing limitations starting in 1947 due to political scrutiny.

1950s later films and international work

In the early 1950s, Frank Tuttle directed the French-American film noir Gunman in the Streets (1950), shot on location in Paris and starring Dane Clark and Simone Signoret. The production was released as Traqué in France and later aired in the United States under the title Time Running Out. After returning to the United States, Tuttle directed The Magic Face (1951), a drama co-produced with Austria. His directing career was limited following 1951, with only a handful of feature films completed during the decade. He resumed Hollywood work with Hell on Frisco Bay (1955), a crime drama starring Alan Ladd and Edward G. Robinson. The following year, he directed A Cry in the Night (1956), a thriller featuring Natalie Wood in a prominent role. Tuttle's final feature film was the low-budget adventure Island of Lost Women (1959). During the 1950s, he also directed occasional television projects, including episodes of General Electric Theater (1954–1955), an episode of Screen Directors Playhouse (1956), and the TV movie Box 13 (1956).

Political involvement

Communist Party membership

Frank Tuttle joined the Communist Party USA in 1937, motivated by his personal anti-Nazi feelings and the apparent public indifference to Adolf Hitler's rise to power. He stated that these concerns led him to become involved with the party and its militant activities at the time. Tuttle remained a member of the Communist Party for approximately ten years before leaving in 1947. He later explained that he quit because the party's line had grown too violent for his views. During his membership, Tuttle hosted some Communist Party meetings and get-togethers in his New York City home, including one attended by party leader V.J. Jerome.

HUAC testimony and consequences

**Frank Tuttle appeared before the House Un-American Activities Committee on May 24, 1951, where he cooperated fully with investigators examining Communist influence in Hollywood. He testified that he had been a member of the Communist Party from 1937 until 1947, explaining that he left because the party's line had become "too violent" for his taste. During his testimony, Tuttle named 36 individuals in the film industry as former or current Communist Party members, including director Jules Dassin among others. By cooperating and providing names, Tuttle avoided inclusion on the formal Hollywood blacklist that affected many who refused to testify or name others. His career had already faced significant disruption beginning in 1947 amid the initial HUAC investigations into Hollywood, which limited his opportunities for work in the United States and prompted his relocation to France in the late 1940s. Following his 1951 testimony, Tuttle was able to resume directing in Hollywood, though his American career never fully regained its pre-war momentum.

Personal life and death

Family and interests

Frank Tuttle was survived by his three children, including his daughter Fredrika, with whom he maintained extensive personal correspondence through numerous handwritten letters during his later years. Details about his spouse and extended family remain limited in available records, and no major non-professional interests or hobbies are documented in primary sources.

Death

Frank Tuttle died on January 6, 1963, in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, at the age of 70. The cause of his death was not disclosed. He was interred at Westwood Memorial Park in Westwood, Los Angeles County, California. He was survived by his three daughters.
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