From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Woodbridge Strong "W. S." Van Dyke II (Woody) (March 21, 1889 – February 5, 1943) was an American film director and writer who made several successful early sound films, including Tarzan the Ape Man in 1932, The Thin Man in 1934, San Francisco in 1936, and six popular musicals with Nelson Eddy and Jeanette MacDonald. He received two Academy Award nominations for Best Director for The Thin Man and San Francisco, and directed four actors to Oscar nominations: William Powell, Spencer Tracy, Norma Shearer, and Robert Morley. Known as a reliable craftsman who made his films on schedule and under budget, he earned the name "One Take Woody" for his quick and efficient style of filming.
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Biography from TMDB.
- March 21, 1889
- February 5, 1943 (aged 53)
- San Diego, California, USA
- Director, also producer
- 36 on MovieCove · 96 credits in all
What are W.S. Van Dyke's films like?
Across their 33 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Morality.
Genres
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
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 1 · Wry 0 · Earnest 31
Light 23 · Serious 4 · Dark 6
Grounded 14 · Stylized 16 · Heightened 3
A split, not a type: Gentle 17 · Charged 15 · Intense 1
Steady 23 · Shifting 9 · Whiplash 1
Straight-faced 11 · Some laughs 13 · Funny 9
Slow burn 16 · Even-paced 16 · Relentless 1
Casual 26 · Engaged 7 · Full focus 0
Easy watch 21 · Affecting 10 · Heavy 2
Resolved 30 · Open-ended 3 · Ambiguous 0
Moods and endings
- Happy21
- Bittersweet8
- Tragic4
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 W.S. Van Dyke's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 2 of their 36 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.
Subscription and free streaming for W.S. Van Dyke'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
96 credits, 36 with a MovieCove page; 2 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films
Journey for Margaret (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)
Cairo(1942)
Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films
I Married an Angel(1942)
Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films
Dr. Kildare's Victory(1942)
Midcredits score: 52nd percentile of all films
Shadow of the Thin Man(1941)
Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films
The Feminine Touch (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)
Rage in Heaven(1941)
Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films
Bitter Sweet(1940)
Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films
I Love You Again(1940)
Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films
I Take This Woman(1940)
Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films
New Moon(1940)
Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films
Northwest Passage(1940)
Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films
Another Thin Man(1939)
Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films
It's a Wonderful World(1939)
Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films
Stand Up and Fight(1939)
Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films
Sweethearts (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)
Marie Antoinette(1938)
Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films
Rosalie(1937)
Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films
The Prisoner of Zenda(1937)
Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films
They Gave Him a Gun(1937)
Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films
Personal Property (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)
After the Thin Man(1936)
Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films
Love on the Run(1936)
Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films
The Devil Is a Sissy(1936)
Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films
His Brother's Wife(1936)
Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films
San Francisco(1936)
Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films
Rose-Marie(1936)
Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films
I Live My Life(1935)
Midcredits score: 43rd percentile of all films
Broadway Melody of 1936(1935)
Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films
Naughty Marietta(1935)
Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films
Forsaking All Others(1934)
Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films
Hide-Out (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)
The Thin Man(1934)
Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films
Manhattan Melodrama(1934)
Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all films
Laughing Boy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)
Eskimo (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)
Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films
Penthouse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)
Night Court (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)
Tarzan the Ape Man(1932)
Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films
The Cuban Love Song (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)
Guilty Hands (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)
Never the Twain Shall Meet (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)
Trader Horn (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)
The Pagan (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1929)
Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films
The Adventurer (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1928)
Under the Black Eagle (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1928)
Wyoming (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1928)
Spoilers of the West (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1927)
Foreign Devils (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1927)
The Heart of the Yukon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1927)
The Eyes of the Totem (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1927)
California (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1927)
Winners of the Wilderness (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1927)
War Paint (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1926)
The Gentle Cyclone (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1926)
The Desert's Price (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1925)
The Timber Wolf (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1925)
Ranger of the Big Pines (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1925)
Hearts and Spurs (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1925)
The Trail Rider (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1925)
Barriers Burned Away (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1925)
Gold Heels (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1924)
Winner Take All (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1924)
The Beautiful Sinner (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1924)
The Battling Fool (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1924)
Loving Lies (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1924)
Half-a-Dollar Bill (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1924)
Ruth of the Range (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1923)
The Miracle Makers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1923)
The Destroying Angel (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1923)
The Little Girl Next Door (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1923)
The Boss of Camp 4 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1922)
Forget Me Not (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1922)
According to Hoyle (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1922)
White Eagle (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1922)
The Avenging Arrow (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1921)
Double Adventure (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1921)
The Adventures of Daredevil Jack (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1920)
The Hawk's Trail (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1919)
The Forbidden Room (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1919)
The Lady of the Dugout (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1918)
Sadie Goes to Heaven (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1917)
Gift o' Gab (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1917)
Men of the Desert (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1917)
Open Places (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1917)
On Trial (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1917)
The Land of Long Shadows (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1917)
Oliver Twist (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1916)
Intolerance(1916)
Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all filmsOrphan Joyce (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1916)
A Daughter of the City (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1915)
The Birth of a Nation(1915)
Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films
Career shape
A full career of 94 titles from 1915 to 1976.
Biggest box office
Broadway Melody of 1936 (1935)
Highest rated
The Thin Man (1934)
Most popular right now
Tarzan the Ape Man (1932)
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 W.S. Van Dyke's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 69th percentile, the median of all 36; across their 33 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 66th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up13
- 50th to 74th15
- 25th to 49th8
Shape of the crowd
19 of their 36 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved7
- Cult Classic2
- Crowd Pleaser19
- Mixed8
Reviewers score the atmosphere 66/100 and the pacing 49/100 in their films, across 32 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 W.S. Van Dyke work with?
People who share at least 2 of W.S. Van Dyke's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Oliver T. Marsh shares the most, 11.
Directors
- Roy Del RuthShared titles: I Married an Angel (1942), Broadway Melody of 1936 (1935)See all 2 shared titles with Roy Del Ruth
- Jack ConwayShared titles: Northwest Passage (1940), Manhattan Melodrama (1934)See all 2 shared titles with Jack Conway
Writers
- Joseph L. MankiewiczShared titles: Cairo (1942), Love on the Run (1936), Broadway Melody of 1936 (1935), I Live My Life (1935), Forsaking All Others (1934), Manhattan Melodrama (1934)See all 6 shared titles with Joseph L. Mankiewicz
- Albert HackettShared titles: Another Thin Man (1939), After the Thin Man (1936), Rose-Marie (1936), Naughty Marietta (1935), The Thin Man (1934)See all 5 shared titles with Albert Hackett
- Frances GoodrichShared titles: Another Thin Man (1939), After the Thin Man (1936), Rose-Marie (1936), Naughty Marietta (1935), The Thin Man (1934)See all 5 shared titles with Frances Goodrich
- John Lee MahinShared titles: Love on the Run (1936), The Devil Is a Sissy (1936), Naughty Marietta (1935), The Prizefighter and the Lady (1933)See all 4 shared titles with John Lee Mahin
Actors
- Jeanette MacDonaldShared titles: Cairo (1942), I Married an Angel (1942), Bitter Sweet (1940), New Moon (1940), Rose-Marie (1936), San Francisco (1936), Naughty Marietta (1935)See all 7 shared titles with Jeanette MacDonald
- Myrna LoyShared titles: Shadow of the Thin Man (1941), I Love You Again (1940), Another Thin Man (1939), After the Thin Man (1936), Manhattan Melodrama (1934), The Thin Man (1934), The Prizefighter and the Lady (1933)See all 7 shared titles with Myrna Loy
- Nelson EddyShared titles: I Married an Angel (1942), Bitter Sweet (1940), New Moon (1940), Rosalie (1937), Rose-Marie (1936), Naughty Marietta (1935)See all 6 shared titles with Nelson Eddy
- William PowellShared titles: Shadow of the Thin Man (1941), I Love You Again (1940), Another Thin Man (1939), After the Thin Man (1936), Manhattan Melodrama (1934), The Thin Man (1934)See all 6 shared titles with William Powell
Composers, cinematographers and editors
- Oliver T. MarshShared titles: Rage in Heaven (1941), Bitter Sweet (1940), I Love You Again (1940), New Moon (1940), Another Thin Man (1939), It's a Wonderful World (1939), Rosalie (1937), After the Thin Man (1936), His Brother's Wife (1936), Love on the Run (1936), San Francisco (1936)See all 11 shared titles with Oliver T. Marsh
- Herbert StothartShared titles: Cairo (1942), I Married an Angel (1942), Bitter Sweet (1940), New Moon (1940), Northwest Passage (1940), Marie Antoinette (1938), After the Thin Man (1936), Rose-Marie (1936), The Devil Is a Sissy (1936)See all 9 shared titles with Herbert Stothart
- William H. DanielsShared titles: Dr. Kildare's Victory (1942), Shadow of the Thin Man (1941), New Moon (1940), Another Thin Man (1939), Marie Antoinette (1938), Rose-Marie (1936), I Live My Life (1935), Naughty Marietta (1935)See all 8 shared titles with William H. Daniels
- Robert KernShared titles: Shadow of the Thin Man (1941), Marie Antoinette (1938), After the Thin Man (1936), The Thin Man (1934), The Prizefighter and the Lady (1933)See all 5 shared titles with Robert Kern
Producers
- Hunt StrombergShared titles: I Married an Angel (1942), Northwest Passage (1940), Another Thin Man (1939), Marie Antoinette (1938), After the Thin Man (1936), Rose-Marie (1936), Naughty Marietta (1935), The Thin Man (1934), The Prizefighter and the Lady (1933), White Shadows in the South Seas (1928)See all 10 shared titles with Hunt Stromberg
- Bernard H. HymanShared titles: I Take This Woman (1940), San Francisco (1936), I Live My Life (1935), Forsaking All Others (1934), Tarzan the Ape Man (1932)See all 5 shared titles with Bernard H. Hyman
- Lawrence WeingartenShared titles: I Love You Again (1940), I Take This Woman (1940), His Brother's Wife (1936)See all 3 shared titles with Lawrence Weingarten
- Irving ThalbergShared titles: Marie Antoinette (1938), Tarzan the Ape Man (1932), White Shadows in the South Seas (1928)See all 3 shared titles with Irving Thalberg
Mixed roles
- Gottfried ReinhardtShared titles: Rage in Heaven (1941), I Live My Life (1935)See all 2 shared titles with Gottfried Reinhardt