From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Richard Whorf (June 4, 1906 – December 14, 1966) was an American actor, author, director, and designer. Richard was born in Winthrop, Massachusetts to Harry and Sarah (Lee) Whorf. Richards's older brother was the well-known American linguist, Benjamin Lee Whorf. Whorf began his acting career on the Boston stage as a teenager then moving to Broadway when he was 21. Early on, he was in a production of Taming of the Shrew at the Globe Theatre in New York City. He moved to Hollywood and became a contract player in movies of the 1930s and 1940s before becoming a director in 1944. He appeared in Christmas Holiday (1944), Blues in the Night (1941), Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942), and Keeper of the Flame (1942). He directed a number of television programs in the 1950s and 1960s, the best known being the CBS hit comedy The Beverly Hillbillies. He also directed the short-lived 1959 syndicated adventure series, Border Patrol, and the 1964-65 television series, Mickey. Whorf directed the unsuccessful 1961 stage comedy, Julia, Jake and Uncle Joe. Whorf's hobby was painting - he sold his first painting at age 15 for US$100. Many of his small town landscape paintings reflected his American worldview and seemed to be inspired by painters like Grant Wood and Norman Rockwell. In the 17 March 1963 TV Channels syndicated rotogravure newspaper magazine, his painting career was profiled and his studio photographed. For the article, he told a reporter, "Who says that a man has to do one thing? Description above from the Wikipedia article Richard Whorf, licensed under CC-BY-SA,full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
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Biography from TMDB.
- June 4, 1906
- December 14, 1966 (aged 60)
- Winthrop, Massachusetts, USA
- Director and actor, also producer
- 21 on MovieCove · 49 credits in all
What are Richard Whorf's films like?
Across their 13 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Bonds.
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 0 · Wry 0 · Earnest 12
A split, not a type: Light 6 · Serious 3 · Dark 4
Grounded 9 · Stylized 4 · Heightened 0
A split, not a type: Gentle 7 · Charged 4 · Intense 2
Steady 7 · Shifting 6 · Whiplash 0
A split, not a type: Straight-faced 7 · Some laughs 4 · Funny 2
Slow burn 7 · Even-paced 6 · Relentless 0
Casual 8 · Engaged 5 · Full focus 0
Easy watch 8 · Affecting 4 · Heavy 1
Resolved 11 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 0
Roles they play
Usually the Ally: 3 of 7 analyzed roles.
Show the 7 rolesHide the roles
- Heroas Leo Powell in Blues in the Night (1941)
- Allyas Jigger Pine in Blues in the Night (1941)
- Allyas Clive Kerndon in Keeper of the Flame (1942)
- Heraldas Sam Harris in Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)
- Allyas François in The Cross of Lorraine (1943)
- Mentoras Carl Troxell in Chain Lightning (1950)
- Heraldas Carl Troxell in Chain Lightning (1950)
Moods and endings
- Happy8
- Bittersweet4
- Ambiguous1
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 Whorf's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 12 of their 21 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (8).
- Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955) · director · free
- The Rifleman (1958) · actor · free
- Four Star Playhouse (1952) · actor · free
- The Beverly Hillbillies (1962) · director · free
- Tate (1960) · director · free
- Till the Clouds Roll By (1946) · director · free
- Midnight (1934) · actor · free
- The Groom Wore Spurs (1951) · director · free
- Best TV Ever, show their 3 titles on Best TV Ever
- Dove Channel, show their 3 titles on Dove Channel
- Great American Pure Flix, show their 3 titles on Great American Pure Flix
- Cineverse, show their 2 titles on Cineverse
- Shout! TV, show their 2 titles on Shout! TV
- Howdy, show their title on Howdy
- IndieFlix, show their title on IndieFlix
Subscription and free streaming for Richard Whorf'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
49 credits, 21 with a MovieCove page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.
The Wild Wild West (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)
Mona McCluskey (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)
Branded (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)
Mickey (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)
Petticoat Junction(1963)
Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all showsVacation Playhouse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)
The Beverly Hillbillies(1962)
Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all shows
Father of the Bride (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)
My Three Sons (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)
Outlaws (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)
The Barbara Stanwyck Show (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)
Tate(1960)
Midcredits score: 52nd percentile of all shows
Law of the Plainsman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)
Johnny Staccato (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)
Rawhide (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)
The Ann Sothern Show (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)
The Rifleman(1958)
Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all shows
Bombers B-52(1957)
Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films
Perry Mason(1957)
Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all shows
Wagon Train(1957)
Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all shows
Have Gun, Will Travel (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)
Richard Diamond, Private Detective (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)
Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films
The Burning Hills(1956)
Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all shows
Gunsmoke (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)
Four Star Playhouse(1952)
Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all shows
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)
The Groom Wore Spurs(1951)
Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all films
Champagne for Caesar(1950)
Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films
Chain Lightning(1950)
Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films
Luxury Liner (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)
Love from a Stranger (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1947)
It Happened in Brooklyn(1947)
Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films
Till the Clouds Roll By(1946)
Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films
The Sailor Takes a Wife (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1945)
The Hidden Eye (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1945)
Blonde Fever (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1944)
Christmas Holiday (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1944)
The Impostor (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1944)
The Cross of Lorraine(1943)
Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films
For God and Country (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1943)
Keeper of the Flame(1942)
Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films
Assignment in Brittany (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1943)
March On, America! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)
Juke Girl (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)
Yankee Doodle Dandy(1942)
Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films
Blues in the Night(1941)
Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films
Midnight(1934)
Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films
Career shape
A full career of 49 titles from 1934 to 1965.
Biggest box office
Keeper of the Flame (1942)
Highest rated
Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)
Most popular right now
Chain Lightning (1950)
Film career
- 1934Screen debut· Midnight
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. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30.
How do Richard Whorf's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 59th percentile, the median of all 13; across their 13 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 61st percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up5
- 50th to 74th10
- 25th to 49th4
- Below 25th2
Shape of the crowd
None of their 21 titles divides audiences: 12 are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved4
- Crowd Pleaser12
- Broadly Agreed5
Reviewers score the atmosphere 60/100 and the pacing 45/100 in their films, across 13 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 Whorf work with?
People who share at least 2 of Richard Whorf's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Stuart Heisler shares the most, 2.
Directors
- Stuart HeislerShared titles: The Burning Hills (1956), Chain Lightning (1950)See all 2 shared titles with Stuart Heisler
Writers
- Irving WallaceShared titles: Bombers B-52 (1957), The Burning Hills (1956)See all 2 shared titles with Irving Wallace
Actors
- Natalie WoodShared titles: Bombers B-52 (1957), The Burning Hills (1956)See all 2 shared titles with Natalie Wood
- Jack CarsonShared titles: The Groom Wore Spurs (1951), Blues in the Night (1941)See all 2 shared titles with Jack Carson
- James BrownShared titles: The Groom Wore Spurs (1951), Chain Lightning (1950)See all 2 shared titles with James Brown
- Humphrey BogartShared titles: Chain Lightning (1950), Midnight (1934)See all 2 shared titles with Humphrey Bogart
Composers, cinematographers and editors
- Clarence KolsterShared titles: Shoot-Out at Medicine Bend (1957), The Burning Hills (1956)See all 2 shared titles with Clarence Kolster
- Thomas ReillyShared titles: Bombers B-52 (1957), Chain Lightning (1950)See all 2 shared titles with Thomas Reilly
- David ButtolphShared titles: The Burning Hills (1956), Chain Lightning (1950)See all 2 shared titles with David Buttolph
- Ernest HallerShared titles: Chain Lightning (1950), Blues in the Night (1941)See all 2 shared titles with Ernest Haller
