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Sam Taylor

Sam Taylor

Writer, director and producer · Died March 6, 1958, aged 62 · New York City, New York

Sam Taylor (August 13, 1895 – March 6, 1958) was an American film director, screenwriter, and producer, most active in the silent film era. Taylor is best known for his comedic directorial work with Harold Lloyd and Mary Pickford, and also later worked with Laurel and Hardy. He was born in New York City. A notorious cinematic legend over the decades has suggested that Taylor's 1929 adaptation of Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew had the screen credit "additional dialogue by Sam Taylor". However, no extant prints of the film contain this credit, and there is no documentary evidence that it ever existed. Taylor directed eight feature films with Lloyd as star, with a number of them being co-directing with Fred C. Newmeyer. Taylor also directed Pickford in her first "talkie" feature with Coquette (1929), which garnered the latter an Academy Award. Taylor died at the age of 62 in Santa Monica, California.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
August 13, 1895
Died
March 6, 1958 (aged 62)
From
New York City, New York
Works as
Writer, director and producer
Titles
11 on MovieCove · 34 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 39 days to Oct 28Down 27% in 30 days

What are Sam Taylor's films like?

Across their 11 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.

Genres

Comedy7 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 79th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Action2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 93rd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Action 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
43%
Self
31%
Morality
17%
Power
5%
Society
3%
Romantic love5 titles, browse their movies with this themeSelf-worth4 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship3 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception2 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice2 titles, browse their movies with this themeAmbition2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 11 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 11 · Serious 0 · Dark 0

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

A split, not a type: Grounded 7 · Stylized 3 · 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 6 · Charged 5 · Intense 0

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

Steady 5 · Shifting 5 · Whiplash 1

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

Straight-faced 0 · Some laughs 1 · Funny 10

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

Slow burn 4 · Even-paced 5 · 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 9 · Engaged 2 · Full focus 0

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

Resolved 11 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Joyful
8
Absurd
5
Thrilling
4
Hopeful
3
Warm
2
Other
4

How their films linger

Fun9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 2 with a twist

  • Happy9
  • Bittersweet2

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 Sam Taylor's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 9 of their 11 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on The Criterion Channel (8).

Subscription and free streaming for Sam Taylor'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

34 credits, 11 with a MovieCove page.

  • Nothing But Trouble(1944)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • Vagabond Lady (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    Director · Producer

  • The Cat's-Paw(1934)

    Director · Writer

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • Out All Night (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    Director

  • Devil's Lottery (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    Director

  • Ambassador Bill (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    Director

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

    Director

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

    Director · Adaptation

  • Du Barry, Woman of Passion (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1930)

    Director · Adaptation

  • The Taming of the Shrew(1929)

    Director · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

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

    Director · Dialogue · Producer

  • Lady of the Pavements (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1929)

    Writer

  • The Woman Disputed (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1928)

    Director

  • Tempest (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1928)

    Director

  • My Best Girl (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1927)

    Director

  • Exit Smiling(1926)

    Director · Producer · Scenario Writer

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • For Heaven's Sake(1926)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • The Freshman(1925)

    Director · Story

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • Hot Water (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1924)

    Director · Story

  • Girl Shy(1924)

    Director · Story

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • Why Worry?(1923)

    Director · Writer

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Safety Last!(1923)

    Director · Writer

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Dr. Jack(1922)

    Director · Story

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

  • Grandma's Boy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1922)

    Story

  • A Sailor-Made Man (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1921)

    Story · Writer

  • Never Weaken(1921)

    Story

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • I Do (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1921)

    Writer

  • Among Those Present (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1921)

    Writer

  • Now or Never (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1921)

    Scenario Writer

  • Princess Jones (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1921)

    Writer

  • The Midnight Bride (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1920)

    Scenario Writer

  • In Honor's Web (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1919)

    Writer

  • The Gamblers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1919)

    Writer

  • The Wrecked Station (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1917)

    Story

Career shape

A full career of 34 titles from 1917 to 1944.

Highest rated

Safety Last! (1923)

Midcredits 97th

By role

only this rolewith another role
Directing22 of 34: 9 only directing, 13 with another role · typical Midcredits score86thWriting24 of 34: 12 only writing, 12 with another role · typical Midcredits score86thProducing3 of 34: 0 only producing, 3 with another role

34 titles, 13 with more than one role — writing and directing overlap on 12 of them.

By decade

1910s3 · crew1920s22 · crew1930s8 · crew1940s1 · 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 Sam Taylor's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 86th percentile, the median of all 11; across their 11 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 85th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

85thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 11

Approval · how many liked their films

87thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 11

Reach · how many have seen their films

44thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 11

Midcredits score across 11 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up8
  • 50th to 74th3

Shape of the crowd

None of their 11 titles divides audiences: 9 are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved2
  • Crowd Pleaser9

Most loved · director, writer

Safety Last! (1923)

Midcredits 97th · 87% liked

Reviewers score the dialogue 52/100 and the plot and story 50/100 in their films, across 11 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.

Who does Sam Taylor work with?

People who share at least 2 of Sam Taylor's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Harold Lloyd shares the most, 8.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers