From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia David "Dave" Swift (July 27, 1919 – December 31, 2001) was an American screenwriter, animator, director, and producer. He is best known for writing the screenplay for the 1967 film How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. Swift also worked as an animator and filmmaker at The Walt Disney Studios where he adapted the story of Pollyanna for the screen and wrote and directed The Parent Trap (1961).
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Biography from TMDB.
- July 27, 1919
- December 31, 2001 (aged 82)
- Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
- Writer, director and producer
- 17 on MovieCove · 44 credits in all
What are David Swift's films like?
Across their 9 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.
Genres
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
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 1 · Wry 0 · Earnest 8
Light 9 · Serious 0 · Dark 0
Grounded 4 · Stylized 4 · Heightened 1
Gentle 5 · Charged 4 · Intense 0
Steady 8 · Shifting 1 · Whiplash 0
Straight-faced 0 · Some laughs 4 · Funny 5
Slow burn 4 · Even-paced 5 · Relentless 0
Casual 8 · Engaged 1 · Full focus 0
Easy watch 9 · Affecting 0 · Heavy 0
Resolved 9 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0
Moods and endings
- Happy9
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 Swift's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 14 of their 17 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.
Subscription and free streaming for David Swift'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
44 credits, 17 with a MovieCove page; 2 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
The Parent Trap(1998)
Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films
The Storyteller(1987)
Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all shows
The Hugga Bunch (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)
Winston Churchill: The Wilderness Years (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)
Foolin' Around(1980)
Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films
Gossip from the Forest (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)
$weepstake$ (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)
Candleshoe(1977)
Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films
The Love Boat(1977)
Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all shows
Eight Is Enough(1977)
Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all shows
Barney Miller(1975)
Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all shows
Arnie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)
Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films
Camp Runamuck (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)
Şeker Gibi Kızlar (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)
Good Neighbor Sam(1964)
Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films
Hamlet at Elsinore (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)
Under the Yum Yum Tree(1963)
Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films
Grindl (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)
Love Is a Ball(1963)
Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films
The Interns (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)
The Parent Trap(1961)
Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films
Pollyanna(1960)
Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films
The Third Man (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)
Rawhide (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)
The Rifleman(1958)
Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all shows
No Time at All (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)
Alcoa Theatre (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)
Wagon Train(1957)
Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all shows
Playhouse 90 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)
Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all showsNorby (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)
The Wonderful World of Disney (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)
Climax! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)
General Electric Theater (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)
The Ford Television Theatre (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)
Mister Peepers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)
Goodyear Television Playhouse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)
Studio One (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)
The Philco Television Playhouse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)
So You Want to Be a Detective (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)
So You Want to Be a Gambler (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)
The Nifty Nineties (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)
Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films
Career shape
A full career of 44 titles from 1938 to 1998.
Biggest box office
The Parent Trap (1998)
Highest rated
Pollyanna (1960)
Most popular right now
The Parent Trap (1998)
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 Swift's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 76th percentile, the median of all 10; across their 9 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 75th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up9
- 50th to 74th3
- 25th to 49th4
- Below 25th1
Shape of the crowd
7 of their 17 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved6
- Crowd Pleaser7
- Mixed4
Reviewers score the dialogue 58/100 and the plot and story 47/100 in their films, across 9 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 David Swift's work okay for kids?
Across a limited sample of up to 3 MovieCove titles with content scores.
Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted.
Who does David Swift work with?
People who share at least 2 of David Swift's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Erich Kästner shares the most, 2.
Writers
- Erich KästnerShared titles: The Parent Trap (1998), The Parent Trap (1961)See all 2 shared titles with Erich Kästner
Actors
- Joanna BarnesShared titles: The Parent Trap (1998), The Parent Trap (1961)See all 2 shared titles with Joanna Barnes
- Jack LemmonShared titles: Good Neighbor Sam (1964), Under the Yum Yum Tree (1963)See all 2 shared titles with Jack Lemmon
- Hayley MillsShared titles: The Parent Trap (1961), Pollyanna (1960)See all 2 shared titles with Hayley Mills
Composers and editors
- Charles NelsonShared titles: Good Neighbor Sam (1964), Under the Yum Yum Tree (1963)See all 2 shared titles with Charles Nelson
- Frank De VolShared titles: Good Neighbor Sam (1964), Under the Yum Yum Tree (1963)See all 2 shared titles with Frank De Vol
- Paul J. SmithShared titles: The Parent Trap (1961), Pollyanna (1960)See all 2 shared titles with Paul J. Smith
Producers
- George GolitzenShared titles: The Parent Trap (1961), Pollyanna (1960)See all 2 shared titles with George Golitzen
- Walt DisneyShared titles: The Parent Trap (1961), Pollyanna (1960)See all 2 shared titles with Walt Disney
