George Waggner
George Waggner (September 7, 1894 - December 11, 1984) was an American film director, producer and actor.
Born in New York City, he made his film debut as Yousayef in The Sheik (1921). He later went on to appearances in Western films. The first film he directed was Western Trails (1938).
In the 1960s, he directed episodes of the television series Maverick, Batman, The Green Hornet, and The Man from U.N.C.L.E.. He directed John Wayne and Oliver Hardy wearing coonskin caps in The Fighting Kentuckian (1949), in which his daughter, Shy Waggner, appeared in a cameo. His career in film declined in the 1950s, due to the popularity of television, and he eventually moved to television late in the decade.
He directed Red Nightmare, a Cold War propaganda film produced by the Department of Defense and narrated by Jack Webb. Waggner wrote the film Queen of the Yukon based on a story by Jack London.
Personal life
Waggner's wife was Danny Shannon. The couple had only one child, Shy, born in 1924, and two grandchildren, Sherry and Robert.
Filmography
Director
- Western Trails (1938)
- Prairie Justice (1938)
- Mystery Plane (1939)
- The Phantom Stage (1939)
- Drums of the Desert (1940)
- Man Made Monster (1941)
- Horror Island (1941)
- The Wolf Man (1941)
- South of Tahiti (1941)
- The Climax (1944)
- The Fighting Kentuckian (1949)
- Operation Pacific (1951)
- Red Nightmare aka Freedom and You and The Commies Are Coming, the Commies Are Coming (1957)
Waggner also directed the following films/episodes made for television
- The Sword of Villon (1956)
- Destination Nightmare (1958)
- Jack the Ripper (1958)
- The Veil (1958)
Writer
- Gorilla Ship (1932)
- Air Devils (1938)
- Oklahoma Terror (1939)
- The Fatal Hour (1940)
- Queen of the Yukon (1940)
- Phantom of Chinatown (1940)
- Drums of the Desert (1940)
- Man Made Monster (1941)
- The Climax (1944)
- The Fighting Kentuckian (1949)
- Operation Pacific (1951)
- Pawnee (1957)
Producer
- Badlands of Dakota (1941)
- The Wolf Man (1941)
- The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942)
- Sin Town (1942)
- Invisible Agent (1942)
- Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943)
- Phantom of the Opera (1943)
- Cobra Woman (1944)
- The Climax (1944)
Actor
- The Sheik (1921)
- The Iron Horse (1924)
- Love's Blindness (1926)