I’ll proffer another name that bears repeating:
René Clair
His early french films are more highly regarded than his Hollywood output, but I’m rather fond of his US films, particularly I Married A Witch.
I caught The Ghost Goes West on Hulu recently, and found it very pleasurable.
Re: I Married a Witch – anything with Veronica Lake can’t be all bad.
Thanks for all the suggestions so far :-) – I’ve got a good list of films to look into. I’ve already gotten started, watching the Preston Sturges-scripted and Mitchell Leisen-directed ‘Remember the Night’ (1940), which was a great comedy. I guess Sturges was so unhappy with the cuts to his script that he became a director (no complaints about that!), but you couldn’t tell why by watching it.
Next up, The Bravados by Henry King.
I’ll veer away from Hollywood for a second to make another recommendation.
Usually overshadowed by his career as a director, Vittorio de Sica was an excellent light-comedian during the thirties (I happen to enjoy his screen persona more than the films he directed himself, but that’s just a personal quirk).
Mario Camerini directed three of the best:
What Scoundrels Men Are! (1933)
Mister Max (1937)
Department Store (1939)
they are well worth checking out.
Ransom Stoddard
@Neil
I haven’t had a chance to check out Tol’able David yet. I’ve been meaning to for awhile. If you have the opportunity, I would recommend seeing The Bravados . It’s a flawed, but interesting anti-vengeance western starring Gregory Peck. It’s surprisingly violent for King – perhaps a reaction to other mid-50’s westerns like Anthony Mann’s films and The Searchers. I really think Henry King could get the best Gregory Peck had to offer, and Bravados is no exception as far as that goes.
@Matt
I agree about Brown. I find Intruder In The Dust to be his best sound film. It’s a very bold and unusual study of race relations for it’s time. Juano Hernandez excells as Lucas Beauchamp.