Sidney Lanfield

Sidney Lanfield (April 20, 1898 – June 20, 1972) was an American film director known for directing romances and light comedy films and later television programs.

The one-time jazz musician and vaudevillian star started his first directing job for the Fox Film Corporation in 1930; he went on to direct a number of films for 20th Century Fox. In 1941, he directed the Fred Astaire film You'll Never Get Rich for Columbia Pictures, then moved to Paramount Pictures. There Lanfield worked on a number of film comedies. He is probably best remembered for directing actor Bob Hope in a number of films including My Favorite Blonde (1942), Let's Face It (1943), Where There's Life (1947), and The Lemon Drop Kid (1951). Lanfield's most profitable film, however, was the first teaming of Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce as Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson in 1939's The Hound of the Baskervilles.

In the early 1950s the reputedly strict taskmaster-director moved to television where his vaudeville and comic background in films were put to use in television comedies including Where's Raymond?, McHale's Navy and The Addams Family.

Lanfield was married to film actress Shirley Mason from 1927 until his death in 1972. He is interred in the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles. Lanfield was also known as Sidney Landfield.

Birth and Death Data: Born April 20, 1898 (Chicago), Died June 20, 1972 (Marina del Rey)

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1919 - 1928

Roles Represented in DAHR: composer

Notes: Also seen as Sidney Landfield.

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Columbia 78523 10-in. 6/23/1919 The alcoholic blues Louisiana Five Jazz/dance band composer  
Brunswick LAE57 10-in. Jan. 1928 Ella Cinders Herb Wiedoeft Orchestra ; Leon Lucas Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo composer  

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Lanfield, Sidney," accessed November 1, 2024, https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/105361.

Lanfield, Sidney. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 1, 2024, from https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/105361.

"Lanfield, Sidney." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 1 November 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/105361

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