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David Butler

David Butler

Director, actor and writer, also producer · Died June 14, 1979, aged 84 · San Francisco, California, USA

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia David Butler (December 17, 1894 – June 14, 1979) was an American actor, film director, film producer, screenwriter, and television director. Butler was born in San Francisco, California. His mother was an actress and his father was a theater stage manager. His first acting roles were playing extras in stage plays. He later appeared in two D. W. Griffith films, The Girl Who Stayed Home and The Greatest Thing in Life. He also appeared in the 1927 Academy-Award winning film 7th Heaven. The same year, Butler made his directorial debut with High School Hero, a comedy for Fox. During Butler's nine-year tenure at Fox, he directed over thirty films, including four Shirley Temple vehicles. Butler's last film for Fox, Kentucky, won Walter Brennan an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Butler worked with Bing Crosby in Road to Morocco and If I Had My Way. He directed many films starring Doris Day, among them It's a Great Feeling, Tea for Two, By the Light of the Silvery Moon, Lullaby of Broadway, April in Paris, and Calamity Jane. During the late '50s and 1960s, Butler directed primarily television episodes, mainly for Leave It to Beaver and Wagon Train. For his contributions to the film industry, Butler was inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960 with a motion pictures star located at 6561 Hollywood Boulevard.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
December 16, 1894
Died
June 14, 1979 (aged 84)
From
San Francisco, California, USA
Works as
Director, actor and writer, also producer
Titles
41 on MovieCove · 130 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Down 13% in 30 days

What are David Butler's films like?

Across their 36 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.

Genres

Comedy24 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 60th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy movies
Drama6 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 44th percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Adventure3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 72nd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Adventure movies
Musical2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 31st percentile
: browse their Musical movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
48%
Self
19%
Society
12%
Morality
10%
Power
6%
Survival
5%
Ideas
1%
Romantic love17 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds11 titles, browse their movies with this themeAmbition7 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity5 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity4 titles, browse their movies with this themeLoyalty3 titles, browse their movies with this themeSelf-worth5 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship3 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 36 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 33 · Serious 2 · Dark 1

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 15 · Stylized 19 · Heightened 2

Gentle: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their gentle movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 30 · Charged 5 · Intense 1

Steady: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their steady movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 31 · Shifting 5 · Whiplash 0

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 4 · Some laughs 17 · Funny 15

Slow burn: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their slow burn movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 22 · Even-paced 14 · Relentless 0

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 34 · Engaged 2 · Full focus 0

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 36 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0

Roles they play

3 analyzed roles
Hero
1 of 3
Ally
1 of 3
Threshold guardian
1 of 3

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Joyful
24
Warm
17
Romantic
15
Hopeful
12
Absurd
9
Other
15

How their films linger

Feel-good32 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun22 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful11 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 4 with a twist

  • Happy31
  • Bittersweet4
  • Ambiguous1

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch David Butler's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 11 of their 41 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for David Butler's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

130 credits, 41 with a MovieCove page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.

  • Edgar Floats (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

    Set Costumer

  • C'mon, Let's Live a Little (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)

    Director

  • Camp Runamuck (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • Daniel Boone (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

  • The Patty Duke Show(1963)

    Show 3 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all shows

  • The Right Approach (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)

    Director

  • Overland Trail (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • The Twilight Zone(1959)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all shows

  • The Deputy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    Show 13 episodes · Director

  • 77 Sunset Strip (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • Leave It to Beaver(1957)

    Show 55 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all shows

  • M Squad (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • The Girl He Left Behind(1956)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films

  • Prima Donna (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)

    Director · as Self - Introduction

  • Glory (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)

    Director

  • Screen Director's Playhouse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • Jump Into Hell(1955)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 22nd percentile of all films

  • King Richard and the Crusaders(1954)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films

  • The Command(1954)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • Calamity Jane(1953)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • By the Light of the Silvery Moon(1953)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • April in Paris(1952)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films

  • Where's Charley? (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    Director

  • Painting the Clouds with Sunshine(1951)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films

  • Schlitz Playhouse of Stars (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • Lullaby of Broadway(1951)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • Tea for Two(1950)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • The Daughter of Rosie O'Grady (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)

    Director

  • The Story of Seabiscuit(1949)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • It's a Great Feeling(1949)

    Director · as David Butler (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • Look for the Silver Lining (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)

    Director

  • John Loves Mary(1949)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • Two Guys from Texas(1948)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films

  • My Wild Irish Rose (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1947)

    Director

  • The Time, the Place and the Girl(1946)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films

  • Two Guys from Milwaukee(1946)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films

  • San Antonio (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1945)

    Director

  • The Princess and the Pirate(1944)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • Shine on Harvest Moon(1944)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • Thank Your Lucky Stars(1943)

    Director · as Self (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • They Got Me Covered(1943)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • Road to Morocco(1942)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • Playmates(1941)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films

  • Caught in the Draft(1941)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • You'll Find Out(1940)

    Director · Producer · Story

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • If I Had My Way(1940)

    Director · Producer · Story

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films

  • That's Right – You're Wrong (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    Director · Producer · Story

  • East Side of Heaven(1939)

    Director · Producer · Story

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • Kentucky(1938)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • Straight, Place and Show (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    Director

  • Kentucky Moonshine (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    Director

  • You're a Sweetheart (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    Director

  • Ali Baba Goes to Town(1937)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • Pigskin Parade(1936)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films

  • White Fang (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    Director

  • Captain January(1936)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • The Littlest Rebel(1935)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • Doubting Thomas (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    Director

  • The Little Colonel(1935)

    Director · Writer

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films

  • Bright Eyes(1934)

    Director · Story

    Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all films

  • Have a Heart (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    Director · Story

  • Handy Andy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    Director

  • Bottoms Up (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    Director · Screenplay · Story

  • My Weakness (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    Director

  • Hold Me Tight (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    Director

  • Handle with Care (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    Director · Story

  • Down To Earth (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    Director

  • Business and Pleasure (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    Director

  • Delicious (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    Director

  • A Connecticut Yankee(1931)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films

  • Just Imagine (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1930)

    Director

  • High Society Blues (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1930)

    Director · Story

  • Sunny Side Up (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1929)

    Director · Producer

  • Salute (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1929)

    as Navy Coach

  • Chasing Through Europe (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1929)

    Director

  • Masked Emotions (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1929)

    Director

  • Fox Movietone Follies of 1929 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1929)

    Director · Writer

  • Prep and Pep (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1928)

    Director

  • Win That Girl (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1928)

    Director

  • News Parade (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1928)

    Director · Story

  • The Rush Hour (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1927)

    as William Finch

  • Should Second Husbands Come First? (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1927)

    as The Widow's Older Son

  • High School Hero (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1927)

    Director · Story

  • 7th Heaven (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1927)

    as Gobin

  • Nobody's Widow (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1927)

    as Ned Stevens

  • The Quarterback (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1926)

    as 'Lumpy' Goggins

  • Womanpower (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1926)

    as Mallory

  • The Blue Eagle (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1926)

    as Nick 'Dizzy' Galvani

  • Oh, Baby! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1926)

    Actor

  • The Sap (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1926)

    as Vance

  • The Plastic Age (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1925)

    as James Henley

  • Wages for Wives (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1925)

    as Chester Logan

  • The People vs. Nancy Preston (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1925)

    as Bill Preston

  • The Phantom Express (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1925)

    as Jack Warren

  • The Man on the Box (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1925)

    as Bob's Brother-in-Law

  • Havoc (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1925)

    as Smithy

  • His Majesty, Bunker Bean (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1925)

    as Bud Matthews

  • Tracked in the Snow Country (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1925)

    as Terry Moulton

  • Code of the West (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1925)

    as Bid Hatfield

  • The Narrow Street (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1925)

    as Ray Wyeth

  • The Arizona Express (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1924)

    as Steve Butler

  • Hoodman Blind (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1923)

    as Jack Yeulette

  • The Temple of Venus (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1923)

    as Nat Harper

  • Cause for Divorce (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1923)

    as Tom Parker

  • Desire (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1923)

    as Jerry Ryan

  • Mary of the Movies (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1923)

    as David Butler (uncredited)

  • Poor Men's Wives (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1923)

    as Jim Maherne

  • The Fog (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1923)

    as Si Plumb

  • The Hero (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1923)

    as Bill Walters

  • Conquering the Woman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1922)

    as Larry Saunders

  • The Village Blacksmith (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1922)

    as Bill Hammond

  • According to Hoyle (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1922)

    as "Boxcar" Simmons

  • The Wise Kid (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1922)

    as Freddie Smith

  • The Sky Pilot(1921)

    as Bill Hendricks

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films

  • The County Fair(1920)

    as Joel Bartlett

    Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films

  • Fickle Women (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1920)

    as Calvin Price

  • Don't Ever Marry (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1920)

    as Bill Fielding

  • The Triflers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1920)

    Actor

  • The Pointing Finger (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1919)

    Actor

  • Bonnie, Bonnie Lassie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1919)

    as David

  • The Other Half (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1919)

    as Cpl. Jimmy

  • A Petal on the Current (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1919)

    as Ed Kinealy

  • Nugget Nell (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1919)

    as Big Hearted Jim

  • Better Times (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1919)

    as Peter Van Alstyne

  • The Unpainted Woman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1919)

    as Charley Holt

  • The Girl Who Stayed at Home (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1919)

    as Johann August Kant

  • The Greatest Thing in Life (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1918)

    as Mr. Le Bebe

  • Intolerance(1916)

    as Babylonian Soldier (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • The Birth of a Nation(1915)

    as Northern Soldier / Confederate Soldier (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films

Career shape

A full career of 130 titles from 1915 to 2010.

Biggest box office

Calamity Jane (1953)

$9.2K worldwide

Highest rated

Bright Eyes (1934)

Midcredits 84th

Most popular right now

The Princess and the Pirate (1944)

Film career

  • 1927Screen debut· 7th Heaven

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting50 of 130: 49 only acting, 1 with another role · typical Midcredits score42ndDirecting80 of 130: 66 only directing, 14 with another role · typical Midcredits score55thWriting12 of 130: 0 only writing, 12 with another roleProducing4 of 130: 0 only producing, 4 with another roleOther crew1 of 130: 1 only other crew, 0 with another role

130 titles, 14 with more than one role — directing and acting overlap on 1 of them.

By decade

1910s11 · acting1920s46 · 38 acting · 8 crew1930s26 · crew1940s18 · 1 acting · 18 crew1950s21 · crew1960s7 · crew2010s1 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do David Butler's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 54th percentile, the median of all 38; across their 36 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 54th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

54thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 36

Approval · how many liked their films

51stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 36

Reach · how many have seen their films

42ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 36

Midcredits score across 41 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up8
  • 50th to 74th15
  • 25th to 49th15
  • Below 25th3

Shape of the crowd

23 of their 41 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved1
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser23
  • Broadly Agreed4
  • Mixed12

Most divisive · actor

The Birth of a Nation (1915)

82nd percentile spread · 24% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · director

The Twilight Zone (1959)

Midcredits 97th · 89% liked

Reviewers score the atmosphere 59/100 and the pacing 51/100 in their films, across 36 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Who does David Butler work with?

People who share at least 2 of David Butler's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Irene Morra shares the most, 29.

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers