Early life Seaton was born George Edward Stenius in
South Bend, Indiana, of Swedish descent, the son of Olga (Berglund) and Charles Stenius, who was a chef and restaurant manager. He was baptized as Roman Catholic. He grew up in a Detroit Jewish neighborhood, and described himself as a "
Shabas goy". He went on to learn Hebrew in an
Orthodox Jewish yeshiva and was even
bar mitzvahed. Seaton attended
Exeter Academy and was meant to go to Yale but instead auditioned for Jesse Bonstelle's drama school in Detroit. She hired him for her stock company at $15 a week.
Acting Seaton worked in stock and on radio. He worked 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.
Writing at MGM Seaton wrote several plays, one of which was read by an executive at MGM who offered him a contract.
Columbia and 20th Century Fox Seaton went to Columbia where he was credited on the scripts for
The Doctor Takes a Wife (1940),
This Thing Called Love (1940) and
Bedtime Story (1941). At Columbia, Seaton first met
William Perlberg. and ''
Charley's Aunt'' (1941), with Jack Benny. Seaton co-wrote a historical war film,
Ten Gentlemen from West Point (1942), then did the comedies
The Magnificent Dope (1942) with Ameche and Henry Fonda, and
The Meanest Man in the World (1943) with Jack Benny. Seaton wrote
The Song of Bernadette (1943), which was a big success. It was produced by
William Perlberg who would have an important influence on Seaton's career. Seaton followed it with the Betty Grable musical
Coney Island (1943). He also wrote
The Eve of St. Mark (1944).
But Not Goodbye, Seaton's 1944
Broadway debut as a playwright, closed after only 23 performances, although it later was adapted for the 1946 MGM film
The Cockeyed Miracle by Karen DeWolf.
Directing Seaton's success as a writer paved the way for his work as a director. His first film was
Diamond Horseshoe (1945) with Grable, which he also wrote. It was produced by
William Perlberg, who would go on to produce all of Seaton's films. The film was very successful. Seaton did some uncredited directing on
Where Do We Go from Here? (1945) then wrote and directed
Junior Miss (1945), based on a popular play, with
Peggy Ann Garner. Seaton wrote and directed
The Shocking Miss Pilgrim (1947) with Grable. He followed it with
Miracle on 34th Street (1947), which quickly became acknowledged as a classic. Seaton won an Oscar for his screenplay. Seaton wrote and directed a 1950 drama about the
Berlin Airlift with
Montgomery Clift,
The Big Lift.
Perlberg-Seaton productions In November 1950, Seaton and Perlberg signed a multi-million dollar contract with Paramount for six years. Seaton was to write and direct films, and they would also produce films from others. They produced, but did not write or direct, the comedy
Rhubarb (1951),
Aaron Slick from Punkin Crick (1952), and
Somebody Loves Me (1952) with
Betty Hutton. Seaton's first film as writer director for Paramount was
Anything Can Happen (1952), a comedy with
José Ferrer. Seaton made two films with
Bing Crosby.
Little Boy Lost (1953) was not a success but
The Country Girl (1954), based on the play by
Clifford Odets was a notable triumph. Grace Kelly earned an Oscar for Best Actress and Seaton won an Oscar for his screenplay. Seaton and Perlberg produced
The Bridges at Toko-Ri (1954), directed by Mark Robson, with Holden and Kelly. It was a huge hit. Seaton wrote and directed
The Proud and Profane (1956) with William Holden and
Deborah Kerr, which was a box office disappointment. He directed a short film
Williamsburg: The Story of a Patriot (1957) and produced
The Tin Star (1957), directed by
Anthony Mann. Seaton and Perlberg were borrowed by Paramount to direct and produce a comedy with
Clark Gable and
Doris Day, ''
Teacher's Pet'' (1958). In April 1958, Seaton announced he and Perlberg would produce six more films for Paramount. The first of these were
But Not for Me (1959) and
The Rat Race (1960), directed by
Robert Mulligan. Seaton worked as director on
The Pleasure of His Company (1961) with Fred Astaire and
Debbie Reynolds. He wrote and directed
The Counterfeit Traitor (1962) with Holden. They ended to follow it with
The Hook then
Night Without End adapted by
Eric Ambler from an
Alistair MacLean novel. Perlberg-Seaton Productions moved to MGM where Seaton directed
Kirk Douglas in
The Hook (1963), a
Korean War drama. Seaton was an uncredited producer on
Twilight of Honor (1963) and directed some additional scenes on
Mutiny on the Bounty (1963). Seaton announced he would make a film version of the play
Merrily We Roll Along, but the film was never made. Seaton wrote and directed
36 Hours (1964), a war time thriller based on a story by
Roald Dahl.
Industry leadership Seaton served as president of the
Writers Guild of America West from 1948 to 1949. In 1955, he was elected president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences served three terms, 1955–1958. Seaton directed the
28th Academy Awards in 1956. In 1968, Seaton won the
Valentine Davies Award "given to the Writers Guild of America West member whose contributions...have brought dignity and honor to writers everywhere."
Broadway In May 1965, Seaton announced the end of his partnership with Perlberg. He returned to Broadway to direct
Above William. (1965) He then directed 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.
Universal Seaton went to Universal in the mid-60s where he signed a three-picture contract. The first film was the comedy ''
What's So Bad About Feeling Good? (1968), which Seaton produced and directed as well as writing with Robert Pirosh, with whom he had cowritten A Day at the Races'' (1937). Seaton disliked writing, producing and directing. "It's too much work," he said. Seaton then had the biggest hit of his career with the all-star
Airport (1970), which Seaton adapted from the novel by
Arthur Hailey. It was produced by
Ross Hunter. Seaton's script earned him an Oscar nomination. Seaton's last film as director was his third for Universal
Showdown (1973), which he also produced. He announced he was looking for another film to make but none eventuated.
Personal life In 1936, Seaton married
Phyllis Loughton Seaton, a Broadway stage manager who became a successful acting coach and was the first female mayor of
Beverly Hills in 1973. They had two children. Seaton's papers are in the Wisconsin Historical Society Archives, Wisconsin Center for Film and Theater Research. ==Partial filmography==