American producer William LeBaron left New York University with dreams of becoming a playright. This dream came to fruition, after which LeBaron signed on as managing editor of Collier's magazine. His instinctive sense of what constituted a good story enabled LeBaron to take charge of the East Coast branch of Famous Players/Lasky Studios in 1924. LeBaron had an overriding fascination with low comedians, especially W.C. Fields, whom LeBaron insisted upon starring in silent films even though Fields was hardly big box office at the time. In 1928, LeBaron moved to FBO Studios, which later evolved into RKO Radio, the company where LeBaron served as vice president in charge of production from 1929 to 1932. Again, his fondness for comedians surfaced, this time resulting in the signing of Bert Wheeler and Robert Woolsey, who for a while were RKO's biggest moneymakers. A disagreement with the RKO brass led LeBaron back to Famous Players, which was now formally known as Paramount Pictures. Once more, LeBaron foisted W.C. Fields upon the public, this time with more success; he also nurtured the screen career of Mae West, whose first starring film She Done Him Wrong literally saved Paramount from bankruptcy. With the departure of Ernst Lubitsch, LeBaron became Paramount's chief of production in 1936. Five years later, he set up an independent unit at 20th Century-Fox; one of his first efforts was to engage the services of (you guessed it) W.C. Fields for an all-star picture called Tales of Manhattan (1942). But the Fields footage was cut from the final release print, so LeBaron turned his attentions to brassy musicals starring such favorites as Betty Grable and Carmen Miranda. William LeBaron's final production, released through United Artists, was Carnegie Hall (1947).
| Title | Year | Editors' Rating | User Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Carnegie Hall
Producer |
1947 | |||
|
Don Juan Quilligan
Producer |
1945 | |||
|
Greenwich Village
Producer |
1944 | |||
|
Pin-Up Girl
Producer |
1944 | |||
|
Sweet and Lowdown
Producer |
1944 | |||
|
Stormy Weather
Producer |
1943 | |||
|
The Gang's All Here
Producer |
1943 | |||
|
Wintertime
Producer |
1943 | |||
|
Footlight Serenade
Producer |
1942 | |||
|
Iceland
Producer |
1942 | |||
|
Orchestra Wives
Producer |
1942 | |||
|
Song of the Islands
Producer |
1942 | |||
|
Springtime in the Rockies
Producer |
1942 | |||
|
Kiss the Boys Goodbye
Producer |
1941 | |||
|
Las Vegas Nights
Producer |
1941 | |||
|
Weekend in Havana
Producer |
1941 | |||
|
Golden Gloves
Executive Producer |
1940 | |||
|
Northwest Mounted Police
Executive Producer |
1940 | |||
|
Rhythm on the River
Producer |
1940 | |||
|
Television Spy
Producer |
1939 | |||
|
Union Pacific
Executive Producer |
1939 | |||
|
Give Us This Night
Producer |
1936 | |||
|
Klondike Annie
Producer |
1936 | |||
|
Poppy
Producer |
1936 | |||
|
Rose of the Rancho
Producer |
1936 | |||
|
The General Died at Dawn
Producer |
1936 | |||
|
All the King's Horses
Producer |
1935 | |||
|
Baby Face Harrington
Play Author |
1935 | |||
|
Coronado
Producer |
1935 | |||
|
Goin' to Town
Producer |
1935 | |||
|
Here Comes Cookie
Producer |
1935 | |||
|
Rumba
Producer |
1935 | |||
|
The Man on the Flying Trapeze
Producer |
1935 | |||
|
Belle of the Nineties
Producer |
1934 | |||
|
It's a Gift
Producer |
1934 | |||
|
The Lemon Drop Kid
Producer |
1934 | |||
|
The Old-Fashioned Way
Producer |
1934 | |||
|
You're Telling Me
Producer |
1934 | |||
|
I'm No Angel
Producer |
1933 | |||
|
She Done Him Wrong
Producer |
1933 | |||
|
Terror Aboard
Producer |
1933 | |||
|
Too Much Harmony
Producer |
1933 | |||
|
Girl Crazy
Producer |
1932 | |||
|
Ladies of the Jury
Producer |
1932 | |||
|
Night After Night
Producer |
1932 | |||
|
Roar of the Dragon
Producer |
1932 | |||
|
Are These Our Children?
Producer |
1931 | |||
|
Bachelor Apartment
Producer |
1931 | |||
|
Caught Plastered
Producer |
1931 | |||
|
Consolation Marriage
Producer |
1931 | |||
|
Everything's Rosie
Producer |
1931 | |||
|
Friends and Lovers
Producer |
1931 | |||
|
Kept Husbands
Producer |
1931 | |||
|
Laugh and Get Rich
Producer |
1931 | |||
|
Peach O' Reno
Producer |
1931 | |||
|
The Gay Diplomat
Producer |
1931 | |||
|
The Public Defender
Producer |
1931 | |||
|
The Royal Bed
Producer |
1931 | |||
|
The Woman Between
Producer |
1931 | |||
|
Transgression
Producer |
1931 | |||
|
Traveling Husbands
Producer |
1931 | |||
|
Beau Bandit
Producer |
1930 | |||
|
Cimarron
Producer |
1930 | |||
|
Conspiracy
Producer |
1930 | |||
|
Danger Lights
Producer |
1930 | |||
|
Dixiana
Producer |
1930 | |||
|
Framed
Producer |
1930 | |||
|
Girl of the Port
Producer |
1930 | |||
|
Half-Shot at Sunrise
Producer |
1930 | |||
|
Hook, Line and Sinker
Producer |
1930 | |||
|
Inside the Lines
Producer |
1930 | |||
|
Lawful Larceny
Producer |
1930 | |||
|
Leathernecking
Associate Producer |
1930 | |||
|
Lovin' the Ladies
Play Author, Producer |
1930 | |||
|
Midnight Mystery
Producer |
1930 | |||
|
The Case of Sergeant Grischa
Producer |
1930 | |||
|
The Cuckoos
Producer |
1930 | |||
|
The Fall Guy
Producer |
1930 | |||
|
The Pay Off
Producer |
1930 | |||
|
The Silver Horde
Producer |
1930 | |||
|
Half-Marriage
Producer |
1929 | |||
|
Jazz Heaven
Producer |
1929 | |||
|
Night Parade
Producer |
1929 | |||
|
Rio Rita
Producer |
1929 | |||
|
Side Street
Producer |
1929 | |||
|
Street Girl
Producer |
1929 | |||
|
The Delightful Rogue
Producer |
1929 | |||
|
The Vagabond Lover
Producer |
1929 | |||
|
The Very Idea
Director, Play Author, Producer, Screenwriter |
1929 | |||
|
Stocks and Blondes
Producer |
1928 | |||
|
The Perfect Crime
Screenwriter |
1928 | |||
|
Young Whirlwind
Producer |
1928 | |||
|
Love's Greatest Mistake
Associate Producer |
1927 | |||
|
New York
Associate Producer |
1927 | |||
|
Paradise for Two
Supervisor/Manager |
1927 | |||
|
Dancing Mothers
Associate Producer |
1926 | |||
|
Popular Sin
Associate Producer |
1926 | |||
|
The Ace of Cads
Producer |
1926 | |||
|
Tin Gods
Associate Producer |
1926 | |||
|
Night Life of New York
Editor |
1925 | |||
|
Manhandled
Editor |
1924 | |||
|
Nobody's Money
Play Author |
1923 |
