Toledo union journal. [volume] (Toledo, Ohio) 1942-current, 1943-11-26
w ant TO Be
A Director

ago Metro Goldwyn-M Mayer stu
dio executive looked up to find
himself confronted with a youth in
his late teens, who stood six feet
tall, weighed 210 pounds.
What can | do for you?" the
studio executive asked.
81 want to be a director"
The executive was properly ap-
palled, Of course.
There are three hundred and
sixty departments in this studio y
he explained, "and you'd have to
spend at least three years in each
of them"
Where do l start-and when >"
asked the boy. "I'm young!"
And that's how George Sidney,
son of veteran show producer L. K.
Sidney, also with Metro Goldwyn-
Mayer, and third generation of
theatrical family, got into pictures.
He started as messenger at SIS
week. Today he is a director,
and he's not yet 30. Thousands
Cheer" starring Kathryn Gray
ton, is his latest picture. He also
directed pilot No. 5" and Pacific
Rendezvous" In 1910 and 1941,
he won the Academy Award for
his short subjects, "Quicker'n a
Wink" and Pups and Puzzles"
Two consecutive awards in this
field is record.
George, again on his own initia-
tive as when he applied for his
first studio job, made his stage
debut at the age of one-and-a-ha
years at Jamaica, Long Island. He
crawled into vaudeville act, put
ting an astonished actor to the
task of making it appear, with the
gurgling tot under his arm, that
it all was part of the act.
Georges uncle, George Sidney,
Sr., was an actor in "Welcome
Stranger" on the stage, and on the
screen in the "Cohens and Kellys'
series. His mother was one Of
the remembered Mooney Sisters.
His father, one-time managing di-
rector of radio station WIN, was
in charge of production of all stage
shows for Loew's chain of motion
picture theatres before he went to
Hollywood and M-G-M as pro-
ducer-executive. His mat ternalI
grandfather, Henry Mooney, an at
torney, was also producer of tent
shows which toured the South.
So young George had plenty of
background, from a theatrical stage
point
In his middle teens, he and a
cousin operated 14-wagon circus;
later he was straight man to
vaudeville comedian. In Denver. at |
Z, he made his film debut, wearing
chaps, spurs and sombrero, with
Tom Mix. Also, in Denver. living
in an apartment over the Isis
Theatre-one of four his father
managed-George spent every
night for several years watching
motion picture shows, learning to
play musical instruments with the
orchestra, and getting onto rou-
tines of all the vaudeville acts
which played there.
AS a studio messenger, George
met everyone on the lot. He even
invented errands that took him d.
rectly to the biggest producers, di-
rectors, stars, actors and techni-
clans. When a boy operating
sound boom failed to show up one
day, George took the boom over,
promoting himself to the sound de-
partment. From there he went to
the cutting rooms, then became an
assistant director, and later a test
ing director.
As testing director, he met Lii
ian Burns, Metro -Goldwyn Mayer
1ramatic coach, who is now his
wife. She coached, he directed the
lopefuls, including such screen per-
of today, as Judy Gar
and, Rosalind Russell, Robert Tay-
or, Lana Turner, Red Shelton,
Donna Reed, Eleanor Powell, Kath-
yn Grayson, Van Heflin, Rise
stevens, and Ruth Hussey.
He believes it important for an
-ctor or actress to be "just a little
different" in appearance-to bear
ONE distinguishing facial feature
which isn't common, or some identi-
ying mannerism. "The most ap-
reciated actor or actress may seem
0 be recognizable type" but
lmost invariably, he or she will
ave some mannerism or method
yhich is sharply invididualistic.
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