Norman Taurog

The Director Who Never Needed to Be a Star

Norman Taurog won his first and only Oscar before turning thirty-two. He won it in 1931 for the film Skippy. That milestone gave him the record for the youngest winner in the directing category for more than eight decades (filmmaker Damien Chazelle took it away from him in 2017). But Taurog never cared for the myth of the tormented auteur, because he preferred the security of the craftsman.

His training began on vaudeville stages when he was barely a child. That early experience gave him a competitive edge on sets with minors. He knew how to talk to them and how to draw natural performances without breaking the production's pace. In 1931 he had to direct his own nephew, Jackie Cooper, on the shoot that would earn him the golden statuette.

He wasn't a visionary of visual language but an expert at managing egos.

During the 1930s and 1940s, he became the trusted director for major studios looking for immediate profitability. He worked with the most powerful stars at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. In 1938 he directed Men of Steel and got the chemistry between Spencer Tracy and Mickey Rooney to fill theaters across the country. The result was two million dollars in box office earnings for the era, a figure that saved the studio's annual balance sheet.

The Method of Efficiency

Taurog didn't waste time on technical flourishes. His style relied on invisible planning, where the camera always served the dialogue. That speed allowed him to shoot more than 170 films over the course of his career. But his real test came with the musical comedy and mass-appeal cinema.

In 1950 he directed Three Bells and began specializing in lighthearted films that didn't chase awards. He was comfortable within the structure of the major studios because he understood film as a pure entertainment industry. So when television began stealing audiences from the big screen, Taurog turned to projects that guaranteed lines at neighborhood box offices.

And the gamble paid off.

His ability to handle complex productions without going over budget led him to work with the comedy duo of the moment. He directed Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis in five feature films, including Dont Give Us Your Money!, released in 1952. He managed to fit Lewis's creative chaos into Paramount's production schedules without letting the mayhem swallow the shoot.

Elvis and Forced Retirement

The most stable professional relationship of his career was with Elvis Presley. Between 1960 and 1968, Taurog directed nine films for the singer, starting with G.I. Blues. Presley fully trusted him because the director didn't try to turn him into a method actor. He simply shot his songs competently and kept the atmosphere on set relaxed.

But the film industry doesn't forgive physical wear and tear.

In 1961 he made Honolulu, and in 1964 he repeated the formula for success with Las Vegas Nights. These were simple films that worked like long-form music videos before the concept existed. Taurog closed out his time with the King of Rock and Roll in 1968 after completing Live a Little, Love a Little. It was his last job behind the camera.

Shortly after retiring, he began losing his sight irreversibly due to degenerative health problems. He spent his last years on administrative work for the directors' guild and teaching film. He died on April 7, 1981, in Rancho Mirage, California. He was 82 years old and had 180 directing credits listed in his professional profile.