Eugene Forde started out on stage as one of producer David Belasco's stable of juvenile actors. He gave up the theatre at the ripe old age of nine to complete his education, but returned to thesping in silent films. Again leaving show business for "civilian life," Forde came back to Hollywood in 1926 as a writer and director at Fox Studios. His handling of Fox's moneymaking Tom Mix features assured Forde a niche at the studio for the next 20 years. Forde was one of the busiest members of 20th Century-Fox's "B" unit of the 1930s and 1940s, rapidly churning out nearly two dozen programmers, including several entries in the "Charlie Chan" and "Michael Shayne" series. Eugene Forde chose to retire when Fox executive Sol M. Wurtzel closed down the "B" division in 1947.
by Hal Erickson
biography
