Evening star., 1943-02-06
w. 5. Van Dyke Dies
Director Of Many
Popular Films
His Pictures Included
"Troder Horn 'Torzon'
And Thin Man Series
By the Associated Press.

O&S GAeAA 11AAALO. Sdlll :. req. o.
Death has removed from the motion
picture industry one Of its outstand-
ing directors, Woodbridge Strong
Van Dyke. II, who devoted most Of
his So years to the show business.
Fond of adventures that took him
to far corners Of the globe, the di-
rector Of many of the Tarzan, DR..
Kildare, Andy Hardy and Thin Man
series and numerous other popular
films. died In the quiet of his Brent
wood home after a lingering illness.
He recently had been retired, be-
cause Of his health. from active duty
with the Marine Corps Reserve. in
which he held a majors commission
Born in San Diego.
Born in San Diego. Mr.. Van Dyke
began his stage career as a child.
wrote plays. travelled extensively
and started his motion picture
career with David w. Griffith.
Among his better known pictures
were Trader Horn" Naughty
Marietta" Rose Marie and Il
Married an Angel"
Mr.. Van Dyke was a cousin of
Henry Van Dyke. philosopher, writer
and former American Ambassador to
The Hague
Survivors include his widow. the
former Ruth Mannix, and three
children. Barbara Laura. 7; Wood
bridge S.. III, 6, and Winston
Stuart, 8.
The coroner ordered an AUTOPSY
for today to determine the exact
cause Of death.
Funeral Monday.
Funeral services will be held Mon
day in the Christian Science Church
followed by burial in Glendale.
Mr.. Van Dyke was the son of
Judge w. S. Van Dyke. The Judge
died nine days before Woody was
born. His mother, Laura winston
Van Dyke, who had been in amateur
theatricals, decided to 60 on the
stage.
Despite the protests of other Van
Dykes. Laura Van Dyke and her son
played in towns throughout the
West and Middle West in such tear
jerkers as Ruth, the Blind Girl, "
and Uncle Toms Cabin" When
Woody was S years old he scored a
hit as the blind heroine In Morosco's
Grand Opera House In San Fran
cisco. He made many ascensions as
Little Eva.
Was Newsboy and Miner.
BY the time he was Is. Woody
was playing romantic leads opposite
his mother, who was SO. When the
company was stranded Woody
turned to other occupations, and at
various times he was q newsboy, a
railroad switchman, a miner and a
lumberjack. He also joined the In
ternatfonal Workers Of the World,
the Wobblies."
A stubborn donkey indirectly led
him to Hollywood. Mr.. Van Dykes
company was presenting Michael
Strogoh" In small town in Mich
igan, and the donkey. necessary to
the production, baked at the opera
house door. A native giant, Walter
Long. capitalized on his strength for
permission to play in the show.
A short time later Mr.. Long went
to the Aim capital and eventually
Mr.. Van Dykes. company landed
there. Mr.. Long, having had a
TASTE Of Aims, urged Mr.. Van Dkye
to desert the boards for celluloid.
Mr.. Van Dyke. needing money, got
a job as handyman for Mr.. Grifnth,
who was making Intolerance. This
was In 1915.
When the Intolerance" company
disbanded. Van Dyke drew on his
knowledge Of COW towns to write
three horse operas which he directed
for the old Essanay productions.
Later he directed Tim Mccoy and
other Western heroes, earning a
reputation for producing the quick
est "quickies" in the business.
The fortunes of Mr.. Van Dyke, who
"yessired" nobody, fuctuated. In
1928, when his star was swinging
low, he got a chance to trail along
on White Shadows in the South
Seas" The director, baf1led by Poly
nesian vagaries, gave up, and Van
Dyke was catapulted into command.
White Shadows" was a boxoffice
success, Mr.. Van Dyke was the man
who could do what could not be done.
Metro Goldwyn-M Mayer sent him to
Africa to film Trader Horn" the
experience which provided Mr. Van
Dyke material for his humorous and
entertaining book, "Horning Into
Africa" Then he made Eskimo" "
with native actors in Alaska.
With virtuosity, he turned to
sophisticated comedies CThe Prize
Fighter and the Lady'D, mysteries
c"The Thin Man,, musical COM
edies C"Naughty Marietta') and
melodrama ("San FranciscoD. These
he directed from his special chair
upholstered with the skin of a lion
he shot in Africa.
Always in 4 Hurry.
He was a happy-go lucky 6-footer
with craving close se-cropped hair
always in hurry. working OF
playing.
While he was directing "The
Painted VEIL" Van Dyke addressed
Greta Carlo as Kid; he spanked
Lupe Velez while they were making
Laughing Boy" and years before,
in 1924. when making Daredevil
Jack" with Jack Dempsey, Mr.. Van
Dyke jammed six-shooter into
the champs midri1 just as a gun
exploded behind Dempsey and a
flash light went off in his face.
Mr.. Van Dyke joined practically
every organization that extended q
bid. He was a member of the
Masons and Elks, numerous other
lodges and scientific and exploring
societies. He was a practitioner of
Christian Science.
While ON location, especially in
Africa, Mr.. Van Dyke had his share
of narrow escapes. When asked about
them he shrugged and said: "Ad-
venture is nine-tenths hokum and
hard beds" After he was mustered
out OF the marines. in which he had