Tay Garnett

Overview

Following his service as a naval aviator in WW I, Tay Garnett entered films in 1920 as a screenwriter. After a stint as a gag writer for Mack Sennett and Hal Roach he joined Pathe, then the distributor for both competing comedy producers, and in 1928 began directing for that company. Garnett garnered some attention in the early 1930s with such films as One Way Passage (1932) and Her Man (1930), but his best work came in the mid-'30s and early 1940s with such films as China Seas (1935), Slave Ship (1937) and Seven Sinners (1940). His best known film would have to be the John Garfield/Lana Turner vehicle The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946), although his version of A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1949) was a well-deserved critical and commercial success as well. Garnett journeyed to England in the early 1950s for several films, but upon his return made only a few pictures before jumping enthusiastically into television. He resurfaced on the big screen in the early 1970s to shoot a pair of minor outdoor epics in Alaska, then retired. He died of leukemia in 1977.
- IMDb mini biography by: frankfob2@yahoo.com

Often appeared in uncredited cameo roles in films which he directed.
Directed two actresses to Oscar nominations: Greer Garson (Best Actress, Mrs. Parkington (1944); Best Actress, The Valley of Decision (1945)) and Agnes Moorehead (Best Supporting Actress, Mrs. Parkington (1944)).
Biography in: John Wakeman, editor. "World Film Directors, Volume One, 1890-1945". Pages 385-389. New York: The H.W. Wilson Company, 1987.
Wrote autobiography, "Light Up Your Torches and Pull Up Your Tights" (1973).
In a column for the California Eagle (March 12, 1937), Madeline Hunt noted that Garnett was "very considerate" with the Black actors appearing in Slave Ship (1937) and White Hunter (1936). Furthermore, Garnett was understanding when Warner Baxter refused to do a publicity stills session for the latter film because he felt it would be degrading to the other (black) actor in the scene.