David Butler was born on December 17, 1894 in San Francisco, California, USA. He was a director and actor, known for Leave It to Beaver (1957), Calamity Jane (1953) and Road to Morocco (1942). He died on June 14, 1979 in Arcadia, California.
Calamity Jane, Road to Morocco, The Little Colonel, Bright Eyes, King Richard and the Crusaders, Tea for Two, The Littlest Rebel, It's a Great Feeling, April in Paris, By the Light of the Silvery Moon, Just Imagine, Lullaby of Broadway, The Princess and the Pirate, Captain January, Thank Your Lucky ...
[about The Command (1954)] That picture was made as a filler, and it grossed more money than any other picture that year at Warner Bros.
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[about C'mon, Let's Live a Little (1967)] I don't even want to talk about that. I tried to do a favor for somebody, and we made it so fast that I don't know what happened . . . They ran short of money to finish the picture. I never got paid a quarter for it.
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[about Painting the Clouds with Sunshine (1951)] That was the worst of the whole bunch I made. I thought it was terrible, and I think the audience agreed with me.
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[about his career] I made friends, like buddies, with my crew, with my cutters, with my actors and actresses. I didn't want to have any feeling that I was the big boss and they were nothing. I think that by doing that I was able to last as long as I did.
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Fact
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Became manager of the Morosco Theatre in Los Angeles in 1923.
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The son of a stage director, Butler was educated at Lowell High school, then attended Hitchcock Military Academy and Stanford University. He began in the film business as an actor in 1910, appearing in films by top directors like D.W. Griffith, Frank Borzage and John Ford. He helmed his first picture in 1927, and, over the next three decades acquired a reputation as a solid, dependable studio director, displaying a particular penchant for turning out light comedies and musicals. Butler spent the first phase of his career (1927-38) at Fox, where he handled popular family fare with stars like Will Rogers and Shirley Temple. The second phase took place at Warner Brothers (1943-44; 1946-56), where he enjoyed his biggest successes directing Bob Hopecomedies (Road to Morocco (1942), The Princess and the Pirate (1944)) and Doris Day musicals (Tea for Two (1950), Lullaby of Broadway (1951), Calamity Jane (1953)).
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Directed 2 actors to Oscar nominations: Stuart Erwin (Best Supporting Actor, Pigskin Parade (1936)) and Walter Brennan (Best Supporting Actor, Kentucky (1938)). Brennan won an Oscar for his performance in Butler's film.
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A survivor of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, which happened when he was 11 years old. He said the quake shook the city so violently and for so long that he remembered his father saying, "I think this is the end. Get down and pray". He and his family escaped uninjured.
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