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George Seaton

George Seaton

Writer, director and producer · Died July 28, 1979, aged 68 · South Bend, Indiana, USA

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. George Seaton (April 17, 1911 – July 28, 1979) was an American screenwriter, playwright, film director and producer, and theatre director. Born George Stenius in South Bend, Indiana, Seaton moved to Detroit after graduating from college to work as an actor on radio station WXYZ. John L. Barrett played The Lone Ranger on test broadcasts of the series in early January 1933, but when the program became part of the regular schedule Seaton was cast in the title role. In later years he claimed to have devised the cry "Hi-yo, Silver" because he couldn't whistle for his horse as the script required. Seaton joined Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer as a contract writer in 1933. His first major screen credit was the Marx Brothers comedy A Day at the Races in 1937. In the early 1940s he joined 20th Century Fox, where he remained for the rest of the decade, writing scripts for Moon Over Miami, Coney Island, Charley's Aunt, The Song of Bernadette, and others before making his directorial debut with Diamond Horseshoe in 1945. From this point on he was credited as both screenwriter and director for most of his films, including The Shocking Miss Pilgrim, Miracle on 34th Street, Apartment for Peggy, Chicken Every Sunday, The Big Lift, For Heaven's Sake, Little Boy Lost, The Country Girl, and The Proud and Profane. But Not Goodbye, Seaton's 1944 Broadway debut as a playwright, closed after only 23 performances, although it later was adapted for the 1946 film The Cockeyed Miracle by Karen DeWolf. In 1967 he returned to Broadway to direct the Norman Krasna play Love in E Flat, which was a critical and commercial flop. The musical Here's Love, adapted from his screenplay for Miracle on 34th Street by Meredith Willson, proved to be more successful. Seaton won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay twice, for Miracle on 34th Street (which also earned him the Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay) and The Country Girl, and was nominated for Oscars three additional times. He received The Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award in 1961. Seaton died of cancer in Beverly Hills, California. Description above from the Wikipedia article George Seaton, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
April 17, 1911
Died
July 28, 1979 (aged 68)
From
South Bend, Indiana, USA
Works as
Writer, director and producer
Titles
31 on MovieCove · 53 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 38 days to Oct 27Down 40% in 30 days

What are George Seaton's films like?

Across their 30 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Morality.

Genres

Comedy14 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 71st percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy movies
Drama10 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 61st percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Adventure2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 66th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Adventure 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
37%
Morality
19%
Society
17%
Self
15%
Survival
5%
Ideas
5%
Power
2%
Romantic love11 titles, browse their movies with this themeDuty5 titles, browse their movies with this themeFaith5 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds5 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship4 titles, browse their movies with this themeLoyalty4 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity3 titles, browse their movies with this themeMarriage4 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 30 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 17 · Serious 5 · Dark 8

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

Grounded 18 · Stylized 11 · Heightened 1

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

A split, not a type: Gentle 14 · Charged 12 · Intense 4

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

Steady 20 · Shifting 9 · Whiplash 1

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

Straight-faced 11 · Some laughs 11 · Funny 8

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

A split, not a type: Slow burn 15 · Even-paced 13 · Relentless 2

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

Casual 21 · Engaged 7 · Full focus 2

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

Resolved 28 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Joyful
15
Tense
12
Warm
12
Hopeful
9
Melancholic
9
Other
24

How their films linger

Feel-good13 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful13 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Happy15
  • Bittersweet11
  • Tragic2
  • Ambiguous2

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 George Seaton's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 11 of their 31 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (5).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for George Seaton'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

53 credits, 31 with a MovieCove page; 3 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Airports (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2025)

    Director

  • Miracle on 34th Street(1994)

    Original Film Writer · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • That's Entertainment, Part II(1976)

    Thanks

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Miracle on 34th Street(1973)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films

  • Showdown(1973)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films

  • Airport(1970)

    Director · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • What's So Bad About Feeling Good?(1968)

    Director · Producer · Screenstory

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • 36 Hours(1964)

    Director · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • Twilight of Honor (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)

    Producer

  • The Hook(1963)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • The Counterfeit Traitor(1962)

    Director · Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Mutiny on the Bounty(1962)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all films

  • The Pleasure of His Company(1961)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • The Rat Race(1960)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • Miracle on 34th Street(1959)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • But Not for Me(1959)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • Teacher's Pet(1958)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all films

  • The Tin Star(1957)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • Williamsburg: The Story of a Patriot (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

    Director

  • The Proud and Profane(1956)

    Director · Screenplay · Story

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • The Miracle on 34th Street (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)

    Original Film Writer

  • The Country Girl(1954)

    Director · Producer · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • The Bridges at Toko-Ri(1954)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • Little Boy Lost (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)

    Director · Screenplay

  • The Oscars (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)

    Show 2 episodes · Director · as Self

  • Somebody Loves Me (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    Producer

  • Anything Can Happen (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    Director · Writer

  • Aaron Slick from Punkin Crick (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    Producer

  • Rhubarb(1951)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • For Heaven's Sake (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)

    Director · Writer

  • The Big Lift(1950)

    Director · Writer

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • Chicken Every Sunday (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)

    Director · Writer

  • Apartment for Peggy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)

    Director · Writer

  • Miracle on 34th Street(1947)

    Director · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • The Shocking Miss Pilgrim(1947)

    Director · Writer

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • Junior Miss (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1945)

    Director · Writer

  • Diamond Horseshoe (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1945)

    Director · Screenplay

  • The Eve of St. Mark (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1944)

    Writer

  • The Song of Bernadette(1943)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • Coney Island (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1943)

    Screenplay

  • The Meanest Man in the World (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1943)

    Screenplay

  • The Magnificent Dope (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    Screenplay

  • Ten Gentlemen from West Point(1942)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • Charley's Aunt (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)

    Screenplay

  • Moon Over Miami (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)

    Adaptation

  • That Night in Rio(1941)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • The Doctor Takes a Wife(1940)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • This Thing Called Love(1940)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • A Day at the Races(1937)

    Screenplay · Story

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • Stage Door(1937)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • The Winning Ticket (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    Writer

  • A Night at the Opera(1935)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • Student Tour (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    Story

Career shape

A full career of 48 titles from 1934 to 2025.

Biggest box office

Airport (1970)

$100M worldwide

Highest rated

Miracle on 34th Street (1947)

Midcredits 97th

Most popular right now

Miracle on 34th Street (1994)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Directing23 of 48: 5 only directing, 18 with another role · typical Midcredits score68thWriting32 of 48: 16 only writing, 16 with another role · typical Midcredits score71stProducing13 of 48: 8 only producing, 5 with another role · typical Midcredits score70thOther crew1 of 48: 1 only other crew, 0 with another role

48 titles, 18 with more than one role — writing and directing overlap on 16 of them.

By decade

1930s3 · crew1940s15 · crew1950s17 · crew1960s7 · crew1970s4 · crew1990s1 · crew2020s1 · 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 George Seaton's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 70th percentile, the median of all 31; across their 30 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 67th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

67thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 30

Approval · how many liked their films

70thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 30

Reach · how many have seen their films

58thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 30

Midcredits score across 31 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up12
  • 50th to 74th16
  • 25th to 49th3

Shape of the crowd

19 of their 31 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved6
  • Crowd Pleaser19
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed5

Most divisive · writer

Miracle on 34th Street (1959)

62nd percentile spread · 13% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · director, writer

Miracle on 34th Street (1947)

Midcredits 97th · 86% liked

Reviewers score the dialogue 60/100 and the plot and story 51/100 in their films, across 30 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.

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.

Is George Seaton's work okay for kids?

Across up to 6 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore, sex & nudity, profanity and frightening / intense run lighter than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore6 titles8–39 · median 17 · mildlighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity6 titles5–24 · median 14 · minimallighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity5 titles11–27 · median 15 · mildlighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs6 titles27–39 · median 32 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense5 titles8–37 · median 18 · mildlighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does George Seaton work with?

People who share at least 2 of George Seaton's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; William Perlberg shares the most, 19.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers