Biographies of Paramount Players and Directors (1936)

79. LEO Mc CAREY (paramount Dirsctor) Leo McCarey has been described by Charles Laughton as "not only a great dirsctor, but in my opinion, the greatest comic mind now living". That is high praise, but McCarey has attained it only after many years in the film industry. The director is a native Californian, born in Los Angeles some 37 years ago. The McCarey s are among southern California* s best-kncm families. Leo* s father, "Uncle Tom" McCarey, was for many years the leading boxing and sports promoter on the Pacific Coast. He staged many famous fights in the early part of the century at Vernon and Naud Junction. The elder McCarey is still one of tho best loved characters in Los Angeles. Leo was oducated at Los Angeles high school and the University of Southern California. Since American football wasn»t a favorite sport in those days, he played rugby. And he became one of the best amateur boxers on the Coast. When he completed his law studies at the University of southern California McCarey went to San Francisco, 77here he entered the offices of Rufus Thayer, attorney for the Jacklin mining interests. Later in search of adventure, and in order to learn something about mining, he put in a year with pick and shovel in the Jacklin Montana mines. He soon discovered that he didnTt want to stick to law or mining so he returned to Los Angeles. For a time, he tried song-writing, but except for one song, "Why Do You Sit on Your Patio?", he had no real success in this field So he decided to turn to motion pictures. At first McCarey was advised to become an actor, since he is a handsome, robust chap. But he turned down the idea. He wanted to write and direct. Finally, he got a job as assistant to Tod Browning at Universal. And later, when ha discovered that his mind ran toward comedy, he joined Hal Roach as a gag man and writer. He scored so strongly with that astute producer, who