Michael Curtiz Filmography
American films, Warner years: 1926–1953
Last film: The Comancheros, 1961 (John Wayne)
In 1926, Mihály Kertész accepted an offer from Warner Bros. to come to the US and direct films. He arrived that June and anglicized his name to Michael Curtiz. He would remain at Warners for 28 years. During that time he directed 87 films, married screenwriter Bess Meredyth in 1929, and became an American citizen in 1936.
Except where indicated, all of Curtiz’s Warner films survive.
American films, Warner years: 1926–1953
1926
The Third Degree, Dolores Costello and Jason Robards; based on play by Charles Klein; previously filmed in 1913 and 1919
1927
1927 A Million Bid, Dolores Costello, Warner Oland, Malcolm McGregor
1927 The Desired Woman, Irene Rich, William Russell, and William Collier Jr.; screenplay by Darryl F. Zanuck; lost film
1927 Good Time Charley, Helene Costello, Warner Oland, Clyde Cook
1928
1928 Tenderloin, Dolores Costello, Conrad Nagel, George E. Stone; story by “Melville Crossman”; part-talking; lost film
1928 Noah’s Ark, Dolores Costello, George O’Brien, Noah Beery, Guinn Williams, and Myrna Loy; screenplay by Darryl F. Zanuck
1929
Glad Rag Doll Yes With Dolores Costello, Ralph Graves, and Audrey Ferris; all-talking film; lost film [82]
1929 Madonna of Avenue A Yes With Dolores Costello, Grant Withers, Douglas Gerrard; part-talking; lost film
1929 The Gamblers Yes With H. B. Warner, Lois Wilson, Jason Robards; lost film
1929 Hearts in Exile Yes With Dolores Costello, Grant Withers, James Kirkwood; all-talkie; an alternate ending was shot for the film’s European release; lost film
1930
1930 Mammy Yes With Al Jolson, Lois Moran, Louise Dresser, Lowell Sherman; based on an unproduced play by Irving Berlin and James Gleason; part-Technicolor
1930 Under a Texas Moon, Frank Fay, Raquel Torres, Myrna Loy, Noah Beery; filmed in Technicolor
1930 The Matrimonial Bed, Frank Fay, Lilyan Tashman, James Gleason
1930 Bright Lights Yes With Dorothy Mackaill, Frank Fay, Noah Beery; filmed in Technicolor[g]
1930 River’s End Yes With Charles Bickford, Evalyn Knapp, J. Farrell MacDonald; based on a novel by James Oliver Curwood[h]
1930 A Soldier’s Plaything Yes With Lotti Loder, Harry Langdon, Ben Lyon; filmed in the Vitascope wide-screen process, but released in standard 35mm
1931
Dämon des Meers [“Demon of the Sea”], Wilhelm Dieterle; a German-language version of Moby Dick, directed by Lloyd Bacon and starring John Barrymore
1931 God’s Gift to Women Yes With Frank Fay, Laura La Plante, Joan Blondell
1931 The Mad Genius Yes With John Barrymore, Marian Marsh, Charles Butterworth, Boris Karloff
1932
1932 The Woman from Monte Carlo Yes With Lil Dagover, Walter Huston, Warren William
1932 Alias the Doctor Yes With Richard Barthelmess, Marian Marsh, Norman Foster; previously filmed by Curtiz as The Charlatan (1917) and Nameless (1923)
1932 The Strange Love of Molly Louvain, Ann Dvorak, Lee Tracy, Richard Cromwell
1932 Doctor X Yes With Lionel Atwill, Fay Wray, Lee Tracy; filmed in Technicolor[j] [101]
1932 The Cabin in the Cotton, Richard Barthelmess, Dorothy Jordan, Bette Davis; based on a novel by Harry Harrison Kroll[k]
1932 20,000 Years in Sing Sing, Spencer Tracy, Bette Davis; based on the book by Lewis E. Lawes
1933
1933 Mystery of the Wax Museum, Lionel Atwill, Fay Wray, Glenda Farrell, Frank McHugh; filmed in Technicolor[m]
1933 The Keyhole, Kay Francis, George Brent, Glenda Farrell
1933 Private Detective 62, William Powell, Margaret Lindsay, Ruth Donnelly
1933 The Mayor of Hell, Directed by Archie Mayo; with James Cagney, Madge Evans, Arthur Byron; Curtiz directed ten hours of retakes on this film
1933 Goodbye Again Yes With Warren William, Joan Blondell, Genevieve Tobin[n]
1933 The Kennel Murder Case Yes With William Powell (as Philo Vance), Mary Astor, Eugene Pallette; based on the novel by S. S. Van Dine
1933 Female, Ruth Chatterton, George Brent, Lois Wilson; originally begun with William Dieterle directing; William A. Wellman took over for awhile when Dieterle became ill, then Curtiz took over when Wellman was assigned to directed College Coach [110]
1934
1934 Mandalay, Kay Francis, Ricardo Cortez, Warner Oland
1934 Jimmy the Gent Yes With James Cagney, Bette Davis, Allen Jenkins
1934 The Key, William Powell, Edna Best, Colin Clive
1934 British Agent, Leslie Howard, Kay Francis, William Gargan; based on a book by R. H. Bruce Lockhart
1935
1935 Black Fury, Paul Muni, Karen Morley, William Gargan; based on a short story by Michael Musmanno
1935 The Case of the Curious Bride, Warren William (as Perry Mason), Margaret Lindsay, Donald Woods, Claire Dodd; based on novel by Erle Stanley Gardner; Errol Flynn has small role
1935 Go Into Your Dance Yes Directed by Archie Mayo; with Al Jolson, Ruby Keeler, Glenda Farrell; Curtiz directed six scenes in this film along with some retakes
1935 Front Page Woman, Bette Davis, George Brent, Roscoe Karns; based on a short story by Richard Macaulay
1935 Little Big Shot, Sybil Jason, Glenda Farrell, Robert Armstrong, Edward Everett Horton
1935 Captain Blood, Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Lionel Atwill, Basil Rathbone, Guy Kibbee; based on the novel Captain Blood: His Odyssey by Rafael Sabatini[o]
1936
1936 The Walking Dead, With Boris Karloff, Ricardo Cortez, Edmund Gwenn, Marguerite Churchill
1936 Anthony Adverse, Directed by Mervyn LeRoy; with Fredric March, Olivia de Havilland, Donald Woods, Claude Rains, Gale Sondergaard; based on the novel by Hervey Allen; Curtiz directed the opening sequence
1936 The Charge of the Light Brigade, Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Patric Knowles; based on the poem by Alfred, Lord Tennyson
1937
1937 Black Legion, Directed by Archie Mayo; with Humphrey Bogart, Dick Foran, Erin O’Brien-Moore; Curtiz directed some scenes two months after principal production had ended
1937 Stolen Holiday, Kay Francis, Claude Rains, Ian Hunter
1937 Marked Woman, Directed by Lloyd Bacon; Bette Davis, Humphrey Bogart, Lola Lane; Curtiz finished this film when Bacon went on his honeymoon
1937 Mountain Justice, Josephine Hutchinson, George Brent, Guy Kibbee; loosely based on true story of Edith Maxwell
1937 Kid Galahad Yes With Edward G. Robinson, Bette Davis, Humphrey Bogart, Wayne Morris, Harry Carey; based on a story by Francis Wallace[p] [
1937 The Perfect Specimen, Errol Flynn, Joan Blondell, Hugh Herbert
1938
1938 Gold Is Where You Find It, George Brent, Olivia de Havilland, Claude Rains, Tim Holt; based on a novel by Clements Ripley; filmed in Technicolor
1938 The Adventures of Robin Hood Yes Co-directed with William Keighley; with Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Basil Rathbone, Claude Rains, Alan Hale, Eugene Pallette, Patric Knowles; Curtiz replaced Keighley as the film’s director; filmed in Technicolor[q]
1938 Four’s a Crowd, Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Rosalind Russell, Patric Knowles
1938 Four Daughters, Claude Rains, Jeffrey Lynn, John Garfield; based on a short story by Fannie Hurst[r]
1938 Angels with Dirty Faces Yes With James Cagney, Pat O’Brien, Humphrey Bogart, Ann Sheridan[s]
1939
1939 Blackwell’s Island Yes Directed by William McGann; with John Garfield, Rosemary Lane, Dick Purcell; Curtiz directed some retakes and added some scenes
1939 Dodge City, Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Ann Sheridan; filmed in Technicolor
1939 Sons of Liberty, Short film; with Claude Rains, Gale Sondergaard; filmed in Technicolor
1939 Daughters Courageous, John Garfield, Claude Rains, Jeffrey Lynn
1939 The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex Yes With Bette Davis, Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Donald Crisp, Alan Hale, Vincent Price; based on play Elizabeth the Queen by Maxwell Anderson; filmed in Technicolor
1939 Four Wives, Priscilla Lane, Rosemary Lane, Lola Lane, Claude Rains; a sequel to Four Daughters
1940
Virginia City, With Errol Flynn, Miriam Hopkins, Randolph Scott, Humphrey Bogart, Alan Hale, Guinn “Big Boy” Williams; released in sepia
1940 The Sea Hawk Yes With Errol Flynn, Brenda Marshall, Claude Rains, Henry Daniell, Alan Hale, Flora Robson; released with a sepia sequence
1940 Santa Fe Trail, Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Raymond Massey, Ronald Reagan, Alan Hale, Guinn “Big Boy” Williams; released in sepia
1941
1941 The Sea Wolf, Edward G. Robinson, Ida Lupino, John Garfield, Alexander Knox, Barry Fitzgerald; based on the novel by Jack London
1941 Dive Bomber, With Errol Flynn, Fred MacMurray, Ralph Bellamy, Alexis Smith; filmed in Technicolor
1942
1942 Captains of the Clouds Yes With James Cagney, Dennis Morgan, Brenda Marshall, Alan Hale; filmed in Technicolor on location in Canada
1942 Yankee Doodle Dandy Yes With James Cagney (as George M. Cohan), Joan Leslie, Walter Huston
1942 Casablanca, Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henreid, Claude Rains, Conrad Veidt, Sydney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre, S. Z. Sakall, Dooley Wilson; based on the unproduced play Everybody Comes to Rick’s by Murray Burnett and Joan Alison
1943
1943 Mission to Moscow, Walter Huston, Ann Harding, Oscar Homolka; based on the book by Joseph E. Davies
1943 This Is the Army Yes With George Murphy, Joan Leslie, Ronald Reagan; songs by Irving Berlin; filmed in Technicolor
1944
1944 Passage to Marseille, Humphrey Bogart, Claude Rains, Michèle Morgan, Philip Dorn, Sydney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre; based on the novel Men Without Country by Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall
1944 Janie Yes With Robert Hutton, Edward Arnold, Ann Harding, Joyce Reynolds; based on the play by Josephine Bentham and Herschel V. Williams, Jr.[t]
1945
Roughly Speaking Yes Yes With Rosalind Russell, Jack Carson, Robert Hutton, Alan Hale; Curtiz has a one-line bit part in the film[u]
1945 Mildred Pierce Yes With Joan Crawford, Jack Carson, Zachary Scott, Ann Blyth, Eve Arden; based on the novel by James M. Cain
1946
1946 Night and Day, Cary Grant (as Cole Porter), Alexis Smith, Monty Woolley; filmed in Technicolor
1947
1947 Life with Father Yes With William Powell, Irene Dunne, Elizabeth Taylor, Edmund Gwenn, Jimmy Lydon, ZaSu Pitts; based on the play by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse; filmed in Technicolor[v]
1947
1947 The Unsuspected, Michael Curtiz Production; Joan Caulfield, Claude Rains, Audrey Totter, Constance Bennett, Hurd Hatfield; based on a story by Charlotte Armstrong [15]
1948
1948 Romance on the High Seas Yes Yes A Michael Curtiz Production; with Jack Carson, Janis Paige, Don DeFore, Doris Day, Oscar Levant, S. Z. Sakall; filmed in Technicolor; Doris Day’s film debut [16]
1949
1949 My Dream Is Yours Yes Yes A Michael Curtiz Production; with Jack Carson, Doris Day, Lee Bowman; cartoon sequence with Bugs Bunny and Tweety; Technicolor
1949 Flamingo Road, A Michael Curtiz Production; with Joan Crawford, Zachary Scott, Sydney Greenstreet; based on the play by Sally and Robert Wilder[w]
1949 The Lady Takes a Sailor, Jane Wyman, Dennis Morgan, Eve Arden
1949 It’s a Great Feeling Yes Directed by David Butler; with Dennis Morgan, Doris Day, Jack Carson; Curtiz makes a cameo appearance as himself; filmed in Technicolor
1950
1950 Young Man with a Horn, Kirk Douglas, Lauren Bacall, Doris Day, Hoagy Carmichael, Juano Hernandez; loosely based on life of Bix Beiderbecke
1950 Bright Leaf Yes With Gary Cooper, Lauren Bacall, Patricia Neal; based on a novel by Foster Fitzsimmons
1950 The Breaking Point Yes With John Garfield, Patricia Neal, Phyllis Thaxter, Juano Hernandez; based on the novel To Have and Have Not by Ernest Hemingway[x]
1951
Force of Arms, William Holden, Nancy Olson, Frank Lovejoy
1951
1951 Jim Thorpe – All-American Yes With Burt Lancaster (as Jim Thorpe), Charles Bickford, Steve Cochran, Phyllis Thaxter
1951 I’ll See You in My Dreams Yes With Doris Day, Danny Thomas (as Gus Kahn), Frank Lovejoy, Patrice Wymore [166]
1952
She’s Working Her Way Through College Yes Directed by H. Bruce Humberstone; with Virginia Mayo, Ronald Reagan, Gene Nelson; Curtiz took over direction while Humberstone recovered from the flu; filmed in Technicolor [167]
1952 The Story of Will Rogers Yes With Will Rogers Jr. (as his father), Jane Wyman, Carl Benton Reid; filmed in Technicolor [168]
1952 The Jazz Singer Yes With Danny Thomas, Peggy Lee, Mildred Dunnock; based on the play by Samson Raphaelson; filmed in Technicolor[y] [170]
1953 Trouble Along the Way Yes With John Wayne, Donna Reed, Charles Coburn [171]
1954 The Boy from Oklahoma Yes With Will Rogers Jr., Nancy Olson, Lon Chaney Jr.; filmed in WarnerColor [172]
American films – the final years: 1954–1961
In 1954, Curtiz left Warner Bros. and spend the remaining years of his career working for various studios, notably Paramount and 20th Century-Fox.[173] In 1961, during production of his final film, The Comancheros, Curtiz learned that he was suffering from incurable cancer. He died the following year.[174]
American films – the final years: 1954–1961
Year Title Function Notes Ref
Director Other
1954 White Christmas Yes Paramount Pictures; with Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney, Vera-Ellen, Dean Jagger; the most financially successful film of Curtiz’s career; filmed in VistaVision (the first film to use this process) and Technicolor [175]
1954 The Egyptian Yes 20th Century-Fox; with Jean Simmons, Victor Mature, Gene Tierney, Peter Ustinov, Edmund Purdom; based on the novel by Mika Waltari; filmed in CinemaScope and DeLuxe Color [176]
1955 We’re No Angels Yes Paramount Pictures; with Humphrey Bogart, Aldo Ray, Peter Ustinov, Joan Bennett, Basil Rathbone; based on a play by Albert Husson; filmed in VistaVision and Technicolor [177]
1956 The Scarlet Hour Yes Paramount Pictures; with Carol Ohmart, Tom Tryon, Jody Lawrance; filmed in VistaVision [178]
1956 The Vagabond King Yes Paramount Pictures; with Kathryn Grayson, Oreste, Rita Moreno; filmed in VistaVision and Technicolor[z] [179]
1956 The Best Things in Life Are Free Yes 20th Century-Fox; with Gordon MacRae (as Buddy DeSylva), Dan Dailey (as Ray Henderson), Ernest Borgnine (as Lew Brown); filmed in CinemaScope and DeLuxe Color [180]
1957 The Helen Morgan Story Yes Warner Bros.; with Ann Blyth, Paul Newman, Richard Carlson; filmed in CinemaScope [181]
1958 The Proud Rebel Yes Formosa Productions; distributed by Buena Vista; with Alan Ladd, Olivia de Havilland, Dean Jagger, David Ladd; filmed in Technicolor[aa] [182]
1958 King Creole Yes Paramount Pictures; with Elvis Presley, Carolyn Jones, Walter Matthau, Dean Jagger, Dolores Hart, Vic Morrow; based on the novel A Stone for Danny Fisher by Harold Robbins [183]
1959 The Man in the Net Yes The Mirisch Company; released by United Artists; with Alan Ladd, Carolyn Jones, Diane Brewster; based on the novel by Patrick Quentin [184]
1959 The Hangman Yes Paramount Pictures; with Robert Taylor, Tina Louise, Fess Parker; based on the short story “Pull Your Freight” by Luke Short
1960
A Breath of Scandal Yes Paramount Pictures; with Sophia Loren, Maurice Chevalier, John Gavin, Angela Lansbury; based on the play Olympia by Ferenc Molnár; filmed in Technicolor
1960 The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer; with Tony Randall, Patty McCormack, Neville Brand, Andy Devine, Buster Keaton, Eddie Hodges (as Huckleberry Finn); based on the novel by Mark Twain; filmed in CinemaScope and Metrocolor [187]
1961 Francis of Assisi Yes 20th Century-Fox; with Bradford Dillman (as Francis of Assisi), Dolores Hart, Stuart Whitman; based on the book The Joyful Beggar by Louis de Wohl; filmed in CinemaScope and DeLuxe Color
1961
The Comancheros, 20th Century-Fox; with John Wayne, Stuart Whitman, Ina Balin, Lee Marvin; based on a novel by Paul Wellman; John Wayne took over direction when Curtiz was ill; filmed in CinemaScope and DeLuxe Color
