Mervyn LeRoy Trailers
You Must Remember This: The Warner Bros. Story Trailer42nd Street: From Book to Screen to Stage TrailerThe Wonderful Wizard of Oz: 50 Years of Magic Trailer
Mervyn LeRoy was an American film director, producer, and sometime actor.
LeRoy worked in costumes, processing labs and as a camera assistant until he became a gag writer and actor in silent films, including The Ten Commandments in 1923. LeRoy credits Ten Commandments director, Cecil B. DeMille, for inspiring him to become a director: "As the top director of the era, DeMille had been the magnet that had drawn me to his set as often as I could go." LeRoy also credits DeMille for teaching him the directing techniques required to make his own films.
His first directing job was with First National Pictures on 1927's No Place to Go. LeRoy ended up working at Warner Bros. after they took control of First National. When his movies made lots of money without costing too much, he became well received in the movie business. He directed two key films which launched Edward G. Robinson into major stardom, the Oscar-nominated critique of tabloid journalism Five Star Final, and the classic gangster film Little Caesar, which made his mark. From that point forward, LeRoy would be responsible for a diverse variety of films as a director and producer. The following year's I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang was also nominated for the Academy Award for Outstanding Production as was his Anthony Adverse.
In 1938 he was chosen as head of production at MGM, where he was responsible for the decision to make The Wizard of Oz. He was responsible for discovering Clark Gable, Loretta Young, Robert Mitchum, and Lana Turner. His 1941 film Blossoms in the Dust was nominated for the Academy Award for Outstanding Motion Picture. His first big hit as a director with MGM was 1942's Random Harvest which was their biggest of the season earning worldwide rentals of $8 million and for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Directing. The film was also nominated for the Academy Award for Outstanding Motion Picture. He hit big again two years later with Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo with rentals of $6 million.
In 1951, he scored his biggest hit with Quo Vadis earning worldwide rentals of $21 million as well as a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Motion Picture. In the early 1950s, LeRoy directed such musicals as Lovely to Look At, Million Dollar Mermaid, Latin Lovers and Rose Marie.
He returned to Warner Brothers in 1955, where he took over from John Ford as director on Mister Roberts, another big hit, which was also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Motion Picture. He also directed films for Warners such as The Bad Seed, No Time for Sergeants, The FBI Story, and Gypsy.
He received an honorary Oscar in 1946 for The House I Live In, "for tolerance short subject", and the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award in 1976. A total of eight movies Mervyn LeRoy directed or co-directed were nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars, one of the highest numbers among all directors.
Most Popular Mervyn LeRoy Trailers
Total trailers found: 103
21 August 1939
Young Dorothy finds herself in a magical world where she makes friends with a lion, a scarecrow and a tin man as they make their way along the yellow brick road to talk with the Wizard and ask for the things they miss most in their lives.
26 March 1932
A poor New York plumber's wife and children hope to move "uptown" from their lower East Side neighborhood after he sells his new invention.
17 May 1940
On the eve of World War II, a British officer revisits Waterloo Bridge and recalls the young man he was at the beginning of World War I and the young ballerina he met just before he left for the front.
23 May 1941
This short starts out as a documentary. In a dramatization, Eadward Muybridge's photographic experiments prove that when a horse gallops, there are times when all four of the animal's feet are off the ground.
25 February 1983
Out-takes (mostly from Warner Bros.), promotional shorts, movie premieres, public service pleas, wardrobe tests, documentary material, and archival footage make up this star-studded voyeuristic look at the Golden age of Hollywood during the 30s, 40, and 50.
21 November 1936
A meek salesman with an uncanny ability to pick horses is virtually kidnapped by a trio of gamblers.
27 October 1934
Society heiress Joan Bradford rebels against her mother's choice of a future husband by masquerading as a working class girl and dating a window washer.
12 September 1956
Air Force Colonel Kenneth Penmark and his wife, Christine, adore their daughter Rhoda, despite her secret tendency for selfishness.
27 November 1931
John is a timid student who works at the University Book Store. He is studying to be a botanist and has a secret crush on the lovely Julia.
10 March 1949
Four sisters come of age in America in the aftermath of the Civil War.
08 November 1951
After fierce Roman commander Marcus Vinicius becomes infatuated with beautiful Christian hostage Lygia, he begins to question the tyrannical leadership of the despotic emperor Nero.
26 August 1928
On the eve of her wedding Lady Kay Rutfield runs off aboard her sloop. A storm carries her out to sea and she is rescued by a passing rumrunner bound for the Long Island Sound.
30 June 1929
Dee is a naive chorus girl living in a boarding house full of low-paid actors. Dee and Billy are in love and he helps her to move from chorus girl to star.
21 March 2006
Making-of documentary about the 1933 musical, 42nd Street.
16 December 1923
Returning from World War I, Glenn Kilbourne travels to Arizona to regain his health. He meets a local girl, Flo Hutler, who helps him recover.
03 March 1954
Rose Marie Lemaitre, an orphan living in the Canadian wilderness, falls in love with her guardian, Mike Malone, an officer of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
15 April 1923
Elinor "Swifty" Forbes and her younger sister Marjory are the carefree daughters of wealthy J. D. Forbes.
09 November 1932
A World War I veteran’s dreams of becoming a master architect evaporate in the cold light of economic realities.
27 May 1933
When all Broadway shows are shut down during the Depression, a trio of desperate showgirls scheme to bilk a repugnant high society man of his money to keep their show going.
28 April 1928
Farmboy Harold moves to the city and there attends high school. Soon he is very popular, his spirited nature causing much excitement on the campus.
10 July 1955
Mr. Roberts is a Navy officer who's yearning for battle but is stuck in the backwaters of World War II on a non-commissioned ship run by the bullying Captain Morton.
01 November 1962
Gypsy's mother Rose dreams of a life in show business for her daughters, but Louise becomes a huge burlesque star.
30 October 1927
Starry-eyed heiress Mary Astor yearns for a "cave man" who will treat her rough and make her like it.
15 November 1944
In the wake of Pearl Harbor, a young lieutenant leaves his expectant wife to volunteer for a secret bombing mission which will take the war to the Japanese homeland.
08 June 1935
An American oil company representative risks sacrificing his marriage for his career in the rural lands of China.
15 April 1936
Narrated documentary of the making of Anthony Adverse (1936), featuring many clips from the actual film.
25 January 1931
A small-time hood shoots his way to the top, but how long can he stay there?
07 March 1931
A bootlegger falls apart when his wife leaves him.
31 October 1947
A war widow falls in love with the man who informed her of her husband's death.
16 April 1938
An incognito Hollywood star in Paris meets a penniless nobleman who follows her to London.
01 August 1931
Jack's father lowers the boom when his irresponsible rich-kid ends up in jail after a night of debauchery.
05 May 1929
An uptight society aunt sends her too sexy niece to college so she can land a man.
05 July 1958
Georgia farm boy Will Stockdale is about to bust with pride. He’s been drafted. Will’s ready. But is Uncle Sam ready for Will?
04 December 1952
After overcoming polio, Annette Kellerman achieves fame and creates a scandal when her one-piece bathing suit is considered indecent.
31 July 1940
This 1940 presentation features highlights of earlier (1928 onward) Oscar ceremonies including Shirley Temple and Walt Disney, plus acceptance speeches for films released in 1939 with recipients and presenters including Vivien Leigh, Judy Garland, Hattie McDaniel and more, with host Bob Hope.
16 August 1982
An all-star tribute to Natalie Wood by some of her friends and co-workers.
01 October 1959
A dedicated FBI agent recalls the agency's battles against the Klan, organized crime and Communist spies.
01 October 1988
This documentary revisits the making of Gone with the Wind via archival footage, screen tests, insightful interviews and rare film footage.
09 December 1941
A charming racketeer seduces the DA's stepdaughter for revenge, then falls in love.
09 December 1938
Aspiring actress Louise Muban attends the prestigious Paris School of Drama during the day and works at a dreary factory assembling gas meters at night.
01 March 1934
Olga runs an isolated gas station and restaurant in the stifling hot American desert with her discontented younger sister Myra.
26 August 1936
Based on the novel by Hervey Allen, this expansive drama follows the many adventures of the eponymous hero, Anthony Adverse.
11 August 1937
A country bumpkin becomes a singing sensation on the radio.
27 March 1937
A destitute, bored monarch falls in love with a chorus girl.
16 December 1943
Poor physics student Marie is studying at the Sorbonne in 1890s Paris. One of the few women studying in her field, Marie encounters skepticism concerning her abilities, but is eventually offered a research placement in Pierre Curie's lab.
04 August 1933
Tugboat, the Narcissus, is owned and captained by Annie Brennan, and among her crew are her alcoholic but good-natured husband, Terry, and her conscientious son, Alec.
22 December 1949
A vain businessman puts strains on his happy marriage to a rich, beautiful socialite by allowing himself to be seduced by a former girlfriend.
18 September 1932
An Indiana boy comes into an inheritance and moves to New York City, living it up with his girlfriend until he gets in over his head and someone gets killed.
28 January 1933
A hustling public relations man promotes a series of fads.
29 October 1932
Although Vivian Revere is seemingly the most successful of a trio of reunited schoolmates, she throws it away by descending into a life of debauchery and drugs.
13 March 1987
Documentary about James Stewart's long career as an actor and positive personal life.
13 May 1946
Kit Madden is traveling to Hollywood, where her best-selling novel is to be filmed. Aboard the train, she encounters Marines Rusty and Dink, who don't know she is the author of the famous book, and who don't think much of the ideas it proposes.
30 October 1937
Celebrated 18th-century British actor David Garrick receives an invitation from the Comédie-Française in Paris, but they mistakenly hear that he plans to give them acting lessons.
29 April 1948
Self-absorbed Dr. Lee Johnson enlists with the Army medical corps during World War II, more out of a feeling that it's "the thing to do" rather than deep-seated patriotism.
15 August 1941
Edna marries Texan Sam Gladney, operator of a wheat mill. They have a son, who is killed when very young.
21 January 1951
A Traveltalk style documentary look at Rome.
16 November 1935
A blackmailer preys on an actress who is trying to protect her daughter from her past.
10 January 1932
Gar Evans is a con artist, who pretends to be the owner of a "Golden Gate Artificial Rubber Company", and he is looking for investors.
18 October 1961
A crusty, eccentric priest recruits three reluctant convicts to help him rescue a children's leper colony from a Pacific island menaced by a smoldering volcano.
09 November 1945
Frank Sinatra teaches a group of young boys a lesson in religious tolerance.
