Arthur Lubin

Biography: A film actor by the mid '20s, Lubin began directing in 1934 and quickly established himself as an efficient maker of low-budget genre films. His strongest work is from the '40s, when he ushered in Universal's comedy duo Abbott and Costello as stars in Buck Privates, In the Navy, Hold That Ghost, Keep 'Em Flying, and Ride 'Em Cowboy; he's also remembered fondly both for his bigger-budget affairs -- the remake The Phantom of the Opera starring Claude Rains; Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves with Maria Montez -- as well as for the low-budget horror tales Black Friday with Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi and The Spider Woman Strikes Back with Gale Sondergaard. Lubin created the successful Francis the Talking Mule comedies in the early '50s, and made an easy transition to television, creating the talking-horse comedy series Mr. Ed. He directed all its episodes, along with numerous other television shows throughout the '60s.