Skip to content
MovieCove
Richard Thorpe

Richard Thorpe

Director, also producer · Died May 1, 1991, aged 95 · Hutchinson, Kansas, USA

Richard Thorpe (February 24, 1896 - May 1, 1991) was an American film director. Born Rollo Smolt Thorpe in Hutchinson, Kansas, he began his entertainment career performing in vaudeville and onstage. In 1921 he began in motion pictures as an actor and directed his first silent film in 1923. He went on to direct more than one hundred and eighty films. The first full length motion picture he directed for MGM was Last of the Pagans (1935) starring Ray Mala. After directing The Last Challenge in 1967, he retired from the film industry. He died in Palm Springs, California in 1991. Thorpe is also known as the original director of The Wizard of Oz. He was fired after two weeks of shooting, because it was felt that his scenes did not have the right air of fantasy about them. Thorpe notoriously gave Judy Garland a blonde wig and cutesy "baby-doll" makeup that made her look like a girl in her late teens rather than an innocent Kansas farm girl of about thirteen. Both makeup and wig were discarded at the suggestion of George Cukor, who was brought in temporarily. Stills from Thorpe's work on the film survive today. For his contribution to the motion picture industry, Thorpe has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6101 Hollywood Blvd. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Read more

Biography from TMDB.

Born
February 24, 1896
Died
May 1, 1991 (aged 95)
From
Hutchinson, Kansas, USA
Works as
Director, also producer
Titles
56 on MovieCove · 157 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26

What are Richard Thorpe's films like?

Across their 54 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Morality.

Genres

Comedy22 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 44th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Drama11 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 57th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Action8 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 67th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Action movies
Adventure5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 69th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Adventure movies
Biography3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 75th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Biography movies
Crime2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 21st percentile
: browse their Crime movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
44%
Morality
25%
Self
16%
Survival
5%
Society
5%
Power
5%
Ideas
1%
Romantic love26 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds14 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception7 titles, browse their movies with this themeDuty7 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship6 titles, browse their movies with this themeAmbition6 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice6 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose4 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 54 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 32 · Serious 18 · Dark 4

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 27 · Stylized 23 · Heightened 4

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

A split, not a type: Gentle 26 · Charged 25 · Intense 3

Steady: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their steady movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 33 · Shifting 19 · Whiplash 2

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 19 · Some laughs 26 · Funny 9

Slow burn: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their slow burn movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 29 · Even-paced 25 · Relentless 0

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 41 · Engaged 12 · Full focus 1

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 50 · Open-ended 4 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
24
Warm
23
Romantic
25
Joyful
19
Thrilling
12
Other
37

How their films linger

Feel-good34 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun18 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful17 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet15 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 2 with a twist

  • Happy35
  • Bittersweet13
  • Tragic4
  • Ambiguous2

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Richard Thorpe's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 9 of their 56 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (5).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Richard Thorpe's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

157 credits, 56 with a MovieCove page.

  • That's Entertainment, Part II(1976)

    Thanks

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • The Scorpio Letters (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)

    Director · Producer

  • The Last Challenge(1967)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • That Funny Feeling(1965)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • The Truth About Spring(1965)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

  • The Golden Head (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)

    Director

  • Fun in Acapulco(1963)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films

  • Follow the Boys(1963)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 16th percentile of all films

  • How the West Was Won(1962)

    Special Guest Director

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • The Horizontal Lieutenant(1962)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films

  • The Honeymoon Machine(1961)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • The Tartars (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)

    Director

  • The House of the Seven Hawks (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    Director

  • Killers of Kilimanjaro (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    Director

  • Tip on a Dead Jockey(1957)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films

  • Ten Thousand Bedrooms(1957)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films

  • Jailhouse Rock(1957)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • Quentin Durward(1955)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films

  • The Prodigal (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)

    Director

  • Bedevilled(1955)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 6th percentile of all films

  • Athena(1954)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

  • The Student Prince(1954)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • Knights of the Round Table(1953)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • All the Brothers Were Valiant(1953)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • The Girl Who Had Everything(1953)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films

  • The Prisoner of Zenda(1952)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • Ivanhoe(1952)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • Carbine Williams(1952)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films

  • It's a Big Country: An American Anthology(1951)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films

  • The Unknown Man (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)

    Director

  • The Great Caruso(1951)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • Vengeance Valley(1951)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films

  • Three Little Words(1950)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films

  • Black Hand (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)

    Director

  • Malaya(1949)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • Challenge to Lassie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)

    Director

  • The Sun Comes Up(1949)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • Big Jack (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)

    Director

  • A Date with Judy(1948)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • On an Island with You(1948)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • This Time for Keeps (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1947)

    Director

  • Fiesta(1947)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films

  • What Next, Corporal Hargrove?(1945)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 17th percentile of all films

  • Her Highness and the Bellboy(1945)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • Thrill of a Romance(1945)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • The Thin Man Goes Home(1944)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Two Girls and a Sailor(1944)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • Cry 'Havoc'(1943)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • Above Suspicion(1943)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • Three Hearts for Julia(1943)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 28th percentile of all films

  • White Cargo (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    Director

  • Apache Trail (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    Director

  • Tarzan's New York Adventure(1942)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

  • Joe Smith, American (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    Director

  • Tarzan's Secret Treasure(1941)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • Barnacle Bill (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)

    Director

  • The Bad Man (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)

    Director

  • Rage in Heaven(1941)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • Wyoming (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)

    Director

  • 20 Mule Team (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)

    Director

  • The Earl of Chicago(1940)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • Tarzan Finds a Son!(1939)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn(1939)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • Three Loves Has Nancy(1938)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • The Crowd Roars (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    Director

  • The Toy Wife (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    Director

  • The First Hundred Years(1937)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

  • Love Is a Headache(1938)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • Man-Proof (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    Director

  • The Young in Heart(1938)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • Double Wedding(1937)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

  • Lest We Forget (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    Director

  • Night Must Fall(1937)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Dangerous Number (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    Director

  • Tarzan Escapes(1936)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • The Voice of Bugle Ann (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    Director

  • Last of the Pagans (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    Director

  • Secret of the Chateau (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    Director

  • Strange Wives (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    Director

  • Cheating Cheaters(1934)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Green Eyes(1934)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all films

  • City Park (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    Director

  • Stolen Sweets (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    Director

  • The Quitter (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    Director

  • Murder on the Campus (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    Director

  • Rainbow Over Broadway (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    Director

  • A Man of Sentiment (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    Director

  • Notorious But Nice (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    Director

  • Strange People (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    Director

  • I Have Lived (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    Director

  • Forgotten (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    Director

  • The Secrets of Wu Sin (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    Director

  • Women Won't Tell (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    Director

  • Slightly Married (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    Director

  • The King Murder (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    Director

  • Thrill of Youth (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    Director

  • Beauty Parlor(1932)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • The Midnight Lady (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    Director

  • Escapade (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    Director

  • Probation (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    Director

  • Murder at Dawn (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    Director

  • Cross-Examination (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    Director

  • The Devil Plays (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    Director · Editor

  • Forgotten Women (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    Director

  • Neck and Neck (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    Director

  • Grief Street (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    Director · Editor

  • The Sky Spider (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    Director

  • Wild Horse(1931)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films

  • The Lady from Nowhere (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    Director · Editor

  • The Lawless Woman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    Director

  • King of the Wild (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    Director

  • The Utah Kid (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1930)

    Director

  • Under Montana Skies (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1930)

    Director

  • The Thoroughbred (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1930)

    Director

  • Wings of Adventure (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1930)

    Director

  • The Dude Wrangler (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1930)

    Director

  • The Lone Defender (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1930)

    Director

  • The King of the Kongo (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1929)

    Director

  • Border Romance (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1929)

    Director

  • The Bachelor Girl (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1929)

    Director

  • The Fatal Warning (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1929)

    Director

  • The Shady Lady (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1928)

    Story

  • The Flyin' Buckaroo (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1928)

    Director · Writer

  • The Vanishing West (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1928)

    Director

  • Vultures of the Sea (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1928)

    Director

  • The Valley Of Hunted Men (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1928)

    Director · Writer

  • The Ballyhoo Buster (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1928)

    Director · Writer

  • The Desert of the Lost (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1927)

    Director · Writer

  • Roarin' Broncs (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1927)

    Director · Writer

  • The Obligin' Buckaroo (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1927)

    Director · Writer

  • The Soda Water Cowboy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1927)

    Director

  • Skedaddle Gold (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1927)

    Director · Writer

  • The Meddlin' Stranger (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1927)

    Director

  • The Ridin' Rowdy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1927)

    Director · Writer

  • Tearin' Into Trouble (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1927)

    Director

  • Between Dangers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1927)

    Director · Writer

  • Josselyn's Wife (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1926)

    Director

  • College Days (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1926)

    Director

  • The Interferin' Gent (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1926)

    Director

  • Twisted Triggers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1926)

    Director

  • Double Daring (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1926)

    Director · Writer

  • Easy Going (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1926)

    Director

  • Ridin' Rivals (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1926)

    Director

  • The Fighting Cheat (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1926)

    Director

  • The Roaring Rider (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1926)

    Director

  • The Desert Demon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1925)

    Director

  • Tearin' Loose (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1925)

    Director · Writer

  • Red Clay (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1925)

    Scenario Writer

  • On the Go (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1925)

    Director · Writer

  • Thundering Romance (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1924)

    Director

  • Flames of Desire (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1924)

    as Dick Langton

  • Bringin' Home the Bacon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1924)

    Director

  • Hard-Hittin' Hamilton (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1924)

    Director

  • Fast and Fearless (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1924)

    Director

  • Three O'Clock in the Morning (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1923)

    as Clayton Webster

  • Burn 'Em Up Barnes (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1921)

    as Stephen Thompson

  • The Bonanza Buckaroo (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Director

Career shape

A full career of 155 titles, 154 of them dated from 1921 to 1976.

Biggest box office

Tarzan's New York Adventure (1942)

$5.9M worldwide

Highest rated

The Thin Man Goes Home (1944)

Midcredits 89th

Most popular right now

Jailhouse Rock (1957)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting3 of 155: 3 only acting, 0 with another roleDirecting148 of 155: 131 only directing, 17 with another role · typical Midcredits score55thWriting14 of 155: 2 only writing, 12 with another roleProducing2 of 155: 0 only producing, 2 with another roleEditing3 of 155: 0 only editing, 3 with another roleOther crew2 of 155: 2 only other crew, 0 with another role

155 titles, 17 with more than one role — directing and writing overlap on 12 of them.

By decade

1920s39 · 3 acting · 36 crew1930s55 · crew1940s26 · crew1950s22 · crew1960s11 · crew1970s1 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do Richard Thorpe's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 57th percentile, the median of all 56; across their 54 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 56th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

56thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 54

Approval · how many liked their films

54thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 54

Reach · how many have seen their films

48thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 54

Midcredits score across 56 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up10
  • 50th to 74th21
  • 25th to 49th21
  • Below 25th4

Shape of the crowd

31 of their 56 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Divisive1
  • Crowd Pleaser31
  • Broadly Agreed11
  • Mixed13

Most divisive · director

Cheating Cheaters (1934)

90th percentile spread · 34% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · director

The Thin Man Goes Home (1944)

Midcredits 89th · 80% liked

Reviewers score the atmosphere 63/100 and the pacing 47/100 in their films, across 53 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Who does Richard Thorpe work with?

People who share at least 2 of Richard Thorpe's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Joe Pasternak shares the most, 10.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles