Skip to main content
Norman Taurog
Director 1899 - 1981

Norman Taurog

Chicago, Illinois, USA

Norman Rae Taurog (February 23, 1899 - April 7, 1981) was an American film director and screenwriter. Between 1920 and 1968, Taurog directed over 140 films, and directed Elvis Presley in nine films, more movies than any other director. He won the 1931 Academy Award for Best... Read full bio →

Directed Films

Every film this person directed

37 titles
Speedway

Speedway

Norman Taurog 1968 1h 34m 4.5

A race car driver tries to outrun the beautiful tax auditor out to settle his account.

Live a Little, Love a Little

Live a Little, Love a Little

Norman Taurog 1968 1h 29m 5.0

Photographer Greg Nolan moonlights in two full-time jobs to pay the rent, but has trouble finding time to do them both without his bosses finding out.

Double Trouble

Double Trouble

Norman Taurog 1967 1h 31m 5.0

When singer Guy Lambert goes on tour in Europe, he is pursued by two beautiful women, bumbling jewel thieves, and a mysterious killer.

Spinout

Spinout

Norman Taurog 1966 1h 33m 4.0

Band singer/race driver Mike McCoy must choose between marrying a beautiful rich girl and driving her father's car in a prestigious race.

Tickle Me

Tickle Me

Norman Taurog 1965 1h 30m 5.0

A singing rodeo rider gets hired at an expensive all-female dude ranch/beauty spa and falls for a pretty fitness trainer who's under constant threat from a gang who wants her late grandfather's cache of gold that's hidden in a ghost town.

Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine

Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine

Norman Taurog 1965 1h 28m 5.0

In this campy spy movie spoof Dr. Goldfoot (Vincent Price) has invented an army of bikini-clad robots who are programmed to seek out wealthy men and charm them into signing over their assets. Secret agent Craig Gamble (Frankie Avalon) and millionaire Todd Armstrong set out to foil his fiendish plot.

It Happened at the World's Fair

It Happened at the World's Fair

Norman Taurog 1963 1h 45m 5.0

Mike and Danny hitch a ride to the World's Fair in Seattle after the sheriff seizes their crop duster biplane to cover Danny's gambling debts. Mike looks after the driver's 7 y.o. niece at the fair, where he meets a cute nurse.

Girls! Girls! Girls!

Girls! Girls! Girls!

Norman Taurog 1962 1h 39m 3.5

When he finds out his boss is retiring to Arizona, a sailor has to find a way to buy the Westwind, a boat that he and his father built. He is also caught between two women: insensitive club singer Robin and sweet Laurel.

Blue Hawaii

Blue Hawaii

Norman Taurog 1961 1h 42m 4.0

Chad Gates has just gotten out of the Army, and is happy to be back in Hawaii with his surf-board, his beach buddies, and his girlfriend.

All Hands on Deck

All Hands on Deck

Norman Taurog 1961 1h 40m

The admiral is coming, so a sailor (Pat Boone) and his buddy (Buddy Hackett) hide their girlfriend (Barbara Eden) and pet turkey.

Visit to a Small Planet

Visit to a Small Planet

Norman Taurog 1960 1h 25m

The weirdest alien of the galaxy pays a visit to Earth... Jerry Lewis is Kreton, a childish alien who, against his teacher's will leaves his planet to visit the Earth, and lands in the backyard of a famous television journalist who doesn't believe in UFOs and aliens.

G.I. Blues

G.I. Blues

Norman Taurog 1960 1h 44m 4.5

Stationed in West Germany, soldier Tulsa McLean hopes to open a nightclub once he's discharged. Although he may lack the capital for such a venture, a chance to raise the cash comes his way through a friendly wager. Local dancer Lili is a notorious ice queen, and Tulsa bets everything he has that a friend of his can earn her affections.

Pardners

Pardners

Norman Taurog 1956 1h 28m 6.0

Rich momma's boy Wade Kingsley Jr. an Eastern dude, tries to follow in his murdered father's footsteps by returning to the West to partner up with Slim Moseley Jr.,the son of his father's former partner.

Bundle of Joy

Bundle of Joy

Norman Taurog 1956 1h 38m 6.0

After finding a baby outside an orphanage, a salesgirl receives sympathy from those around her, including her boss' son, as they all assume the baby is hers.

Living It Up

Living It Up

Norman Taurog 1954 1h 34m 6.0

Homer Flagg is a railroad worker in the small New Mexico town of Desert Hole. One day, he finds an abandoned automobile at an old atomic proving ground. His doctor and best friend, Steve Harris, diagnoses him with radiation poisoning and gives Homer three weeks to live.

The Caddy

The Caddy

Norman Taurog 1953 1h 35m 6.0

Although the son of a skilled golfer and an outstanding player in his own right, Harvey Miller is too nervous to play in front of a gallery, so he acts as coach and caddy for Joe Anthony, his girlfriend's brother.

Room for One More

Room for One More

Norman Taurog 1952 1h 38m 4.0

Anne and "Poppy" Rose have three quirky kids. Anne has a generous heart and the belief in the innocence of children. To the unhappy surprise of her husband she takes in the orphan Jane, a problem child who already tried to kill herself once.

Jumping Jacks

Jumping Jacks

Norman Taurog 1952 1h 36m 5.0

Nightclub entertainer Hap Smith has a new act since his former partner Chick Allen joined the army. With his lovely new female partner, Hap now plays a clownish parody of a soldier.

The Stooge

The Stooge

Norman Taurog 1951 1h 40m 6.0

Bill Miller is an unsuccessful Broadway performer until his handlers convince him to enhance his act with a stooge—Ted Rogers, a guy positioned in the audience to be the butt of Bill's jokes. After Ted begins to steal the show, Bill's girlfriend and his pals advise him to make Ted an equal partner.

Rich, Young and Pretty

Rich, Young and Pretty

Norman Taurog 1951 1h 35m

A rancher's daughter visits Paris to meet her mother and find love.

The Toast of New Orleans

The Toast of New Orleans

Norman Taurog 1950 1h 37m 5.0

Snooty opera singer meets a rough-and-tumble fisherman in the Louisiana bayous, but this fisherman can sing! Her agent lures him away to New Orleans to teach him to sing opera, but comes to regret this rash decision when the singers fall in love.

That Midnight Kiss

That Midnight Kiss

Norman Taurog 1949 1h 36m 5.0

Opera singer Prudence Budell, overhears truck driver Johnny Donnetti singing opera, and persuades her opera company to give him a chance in her new opera. They fall in love, but on meeting his colleague Mary while visiting Johnny's work, Prudence becomes convinced Johnny is in love with her.

Words and Music

Words and Music

Norman Taurog 1948 2h 1m 6.0

Musical biography chronicling the songwriting partnership of Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart.

Presenting Lily Mars

Presenting Lily Mars

Norman Taurog 1943 1h 44m 6.0

Small-town Indiana girl Lily Mars dreams to be a stage actress. She begs visiting Broadway producer John Thornway for a role but he dismisses her as an amateur. She follows him to New York and worms her way into his show, and his heart.

Girl Crazy

Girl Crazy

Norman Taurog, Busby Berkeley 1943 1h 39m 5.0

A philandering young playboy is sent to college somewhere in the American West, and organizes a show, together with his sweetheart, to save the college from closure due to falling enrollments.

A Yank at Eton

A Yank at Eton

Norman Taurog 1942 1h 28m 6.0

During World War II, an American boy named Timothy Dennis is unwillingly sent to Eton College in the UK where he is frequently confused by the many differences between the two cultures.

Men of Boys Town

Men of Boys Town

Norman Taurog 1941 1h 46m 6.0

Father Flanagan raises funds, helps a disabled boy, and saves an older boy from reform school.

Young Tom Edison

Young Tom Edison

Norman Taurog 1940 1h 26m 6.0

Inventor Thomas Edison's boyhood is chronicled and shows him as a lad whose early inventions and scientific experiments usually end up causing disastrous results. As a result, the towns folk all think Tom is crazy, and creating a strained relationship between Tom and his father.

Little Nellie Kelly

Little Nellie Kelly

Norman Taurog 1940 1h 39m 6.0

Irish Nellie marries Jerry despite her father's objections. They move to NY, followed by her dad. Jerry becomes a cop. After Nellie dies in childbirth, Jerry and his father-in-law clash while raising her namesake daughter.

Broadway Melody of 1940

Broadway Melody of 1940

Norman Taurog 1940 1h 42m 6.0

Johnny Brett and King Shaw are an unsuccessful dance team in New York. A producer discovers Brent as the new partner for Clare Bennett, but Brett, who thinks he is one of the people they lent money to gives him the name of his partner.

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

Norman Taurog 1938 1h 31m 8.5

An orphan in 1850 Missouri gets into a variety of scrapes, including a murder mystery. Entertaining David O. Selznick production of Mark Twain classic with more slapstick than Twain may have had in mind. Cave sequence with Injun Joe is unforgettable.

Boys Town

Boys Town

Norman Taurog 1938 1h 36m 6.0

Against all odds Father Flanagan starts "Boys' Town" after hearing a convict's story. Whitey Marsh comes there. He runs away but, hungry, returns. He runs away again but, when friend Pee Wee is hit by a car, returns. He runs away and joins his brother's gang. Flanagan and the boys capture the crooks and the reward saves the town.

Rhythm on the Range

Rhythm on the Range

Norman Taurog 1936 1h 27m 6.0

Cowboy Jeff Larabee returns from the east and meets Doris Halloway, a young girl, that he regards as a vagabond, till he learns that she's the owner of the farm where he works. He tries to win her heart, but without success, until she is endangered by gangsters

The Big Broadcast of 1936

The Big Broadcast of 1936

Norman Taurog 1935 1h 38m

Two-bit radio station owner Spud Miller doubles as the station's sole announcer. On the verge of bankruptcy, Spud is receptive to the wacky notions of George and Gracie, who've just invented a television device that can pick up and transmit any signal, any time, anywhere.

We're Not Dressing

We're Not Dressing

Norman Taurog 1934 1h 14m

Beautiful high society type Doris Worthington is entertaining guests on her yacht in the Pacific when it hits a reef and sinks. She makes her way to an island with the help of singing sailor Stephen Jones.

If I Had a Million

If I Had a Million

Ernst Lubitsch, Norman Z. McLeod 1932 1h 28m 7.5

A dying tycoon gives million-dollar windfalls to eight people picked from the city directory.

Skippy

Skippy

Norman Taurog 1931 1h 25m

Skippy, the mischievous son of a wealthy doctor, meets Sooky in poverty-ridden Shantytown, and together they try to save Sooky's pet from a cruel dogcatcher.

Discussion

Loading the discussion…