38 Facts About Phil Karlson

Later noted as a film noir specialist, Karlson directed 99 River Street, Kansas City Confidential and Hell's Island, all with actor John Payne, in the early 1950s.

Phil Karlson attended Marshall High School and studied painting at Chicago's Art Institute.

Phil Karlson tried to make a living as a song and dance man but was unsuccessful.

Phil Karlson took a part-time job at Universal Pictures "washing toilets and dishes and whatever the hell they gave me" according to Karlson.

Phil Karlson got a job at Universal Pictures, doing a variety of jobs.

Phil Karlson worked as assistant director on Destry Rides Again and My Pal, the King with Tom Mix; The Countess of Monte Cristo and Cheating Cheaters with Fay Wray; I Like It That Way ; Romance in the Rain ; and Strange Wives, directed by Richard Thorpe.

Phil Karlson worked on The Mystery of Edwin Drood with Claude Rains; Princess O'Hara ; Alias Mary Dow, for Kurt Neumann; Werewolf of London ; Sing Me a Love Song ; She Gets Her Man ; The Affair of Susan ; Love Before Breakfast, with director Walter Lang; The Girl on the Front Page ; and Top of the Town.

Phil Karlson said that Sam Goldwyn put him under contract intending to use him as a director, but Phil Karlson wound up spending nine months idle.

Phil Karlson asked for a release of his contract and got it.

Phil Karlson did In the Navy with Abbott and Costello for Lubin, and he became friendly with Lou Costello, often pitching him gags.

Phil Karlson worked on It Started with Eve for Henry Koster with the studio's other big star, Deanna Durbin.

Phil Karlson quit Universal in 1940 to enlist in the US Army Air Forces.

Phil Karlson was contacted by Lou Costello, who wanted to produce a film and offered Karlstein the job of directing it.

Phil Karlson made Monogram's low-budget productions look much more expensive by being creative with the staging.

Phil Karlson used light and shadow to add mood to ordinary dialogue scenes, and employed careful camera angles to maximize the size of the limited sets.

Phil Karlson's resourcefulness made him Monogram's choice to launch a new series or invigorate an existing one.

Phil Karlson followed it with Kilroy Was Here, co-starring former child actors Jackie Cooper and Jackie Coogan.

Phil Karlson received acclaim for Black Gold, a story of the plight of the American Indian, based around the true story of the racehorse Black Gold.

Phil Karlson took a year to make that film because he wanted seasonal shots; he says he directed four films while making Black Gold.

Phil Karlson followed this with Rocky with Roddy McDowall.

Phil Karlson went over to Columbia Pictures where he directed two Westerns, Above All Laws and Fury.

Phil Karlson then made Ladies of the Chorus, with Marilyn Monroe in her first substantial role.

Phil Karlson teamed with producer Edward Small for The Iroquois Trail with George Montgomery, based on The Last of the Mohicans.

Phil Karlson started directing Assignment: Paris for Columbia in Paris but was fired by studio head Harry Cohn during filming and replaced by Robert Parrish.

Phil Karlson bounced back with two films for Edward Small starring John Payne that were released through United Artists: Kansas City Confidential and 99 River Street.

Phil Karlson did episodes of The Revlon Mirror Theater and did all episodes of the TV series Waterfront.

Phil Karlson was invited back to Columbia to do a Western They Rode West and a film noir Tight Spot.

Phil Karlson directed episodes of Ford Television Theatre and Studio 57.

Phil Karlson returned to Monogram to make The Phenix City Story, based on the murder of Albert Patterson.

Phil Karlson went back to Columbia for The Brothers Rico, a thriller, and Gunman's Walk, a Western.

Phil Karlson directed The Secret Ways from a novel by Alistair MacLean, although he clashed with star-producer Richard Widmark.

Phil Karlson made a melodrama, The Young Doctors ; an Elvis Presley film, Kid Galahad ; and Rampage, an adventure story with Robert Mitchum.

Phil Karlson directed the pilot for a TV series about Alexander the Great with William Shatner that was not picked up and did uncredited work on Ride the Wild Surf.

Phil Karlson enjoyed a big hit with the first Matt Helm movie with Dean Martin, The Silencers.

Phil Karlson returned to the Matt Helm movies for the fourth and final one, The Wrecking Crew, co-starring Sharon Tate and Elke Sommer.

Phil Karlson made a war movie in Europe with Rock Hudson, Hornets' Nest.

Phil Karlson did a horror movie, Ben, best remembered for its Michael Jackson theme song.

Phil Karlson had a huge success in 1973 with Walking Tall, the fact-based story of a crusading sheriff Buford Pusser in the most corrupt county in Tennessee.