Norman Z. McLeod(1895-1964)
- Director
- Additional Crew
- Writer
Norman Z. McLeod was one of Hollywood's leading early comedy directors.
Born in Grayling, Michigan, he came from a family that had no
connections to show business (his father was a clergyman). He was
educated at the University of Washington and spent two years as a
fighter pilot in the US Army in France during World War I. He actually
started out in the film business as an animator, but learned the comedy
trade at the Christie Film Co., which specialized in comedy shorts. His
first successful full-length film was Taking a Chance (1928) for Fox. He was one of
Paramount's top directors when he shot two early films with The Marx Brothers, Monkey Business (1931) and Horse Feathers (1932), both considered among the team's best. Other
memorable work from McLeod includes It's a Gift (1934) with W.C. Fields, Topper (1937) with
Cary Grant and the Danny Kaye comedy The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (1947).
