Warner Bros. In 1930, Farrow was announced as directing his own story,
First Love, but this did not materialise. He signed to
Warner Bros. in 1936, looking to direct, and was linked with a number of projects, including a
Foreign Legion story and an adaptation of
Edgar Allan Poe's 1842 short story "
The Pit and the Pendulum". Farrow finally made his directorial debut in 1937 with
Men in Exile, a remake of
Safe in Hell (1931). Following this, he accompanied his wife, Maureen O'Sullivan, to Europe, where she was making
A Yank at Oxford (1938), lectured on
Father Damien, about whom Farrow had written a book (published in 1937), and received a papal knighthood. On his return to Hollywood, Farrow resumed working as a
B-picture director for Warner Bros., with
West of Shanghai (1937) with
Boris Karloff and
She Loved a Fireman (1937) with
Dick Foran and
Ann Sheridan. He was reunited with Karloff in
The Invisible Menace (1938), then made
Little Miss Thoroughbred (1938) with
John Litel and Sheridan, the first film for
Peggy Ann Garner. Farrow left his contract for a number of months, ostensibly to finish a book he was writing on the history of the papacy, and also due to disputes over the script for his next film, another starring Kay Francis,
Women in the Wind (1939).
RKO Farrow re-emerged as a contract director for RKO, directing the highly profitable
The Saint Strikes Back (1939), the second in the
"Saint" series and the first to star
George Sanders in the lead. He followed it with
Sorority House (1939), from a script by
Dalton Trumbo and produced by
Robert Sisk. RKO then announced Farrow would direct a film version of the director's book
Damien the Leper produced by Sisk and starring
Joseph Calleia, but it was never made. "I deliberately set out to become the damnedest commercial director in the business", he said later. "The only way to get anywhere in Hollywood is to make money pictures. Then, you can get some measure of respect and authority from the studio bosses, and little by little you get to do more of the things you want to do."
War service Despite his flourishing career and recently having become a father for the first time, Farrow was keen to be involved in
World War II. He went to Vancouver in November 1939 and enlisted in the
Royal Canadian Navy. He went back to RKO to finish
Bill of Divorcement, then joined the navy. RKO promised to hold his job when he returned. Farrow was appointed lieutenant in March 1940, and was assigned to Naval History and the Controller of Information unit. He worked on antisubmarine patrols, and in April 1941, was lrnt to the
Royal Navy and appointed to HMS
Goshawk naval base in Trinidad, and served as assistant to the Senior British Naval Officer, Curaçao. He contracted
typhus fever and returned to Naval Headquarters, Ottawa, in late 1941. He was to direct a Canadian war film starring his wife, Maureen O'Sullivan, while on leave, but this did not happen. Farrow was invalided out of the Royal Canadian Navy with typhus in January 1942 at the rank of commander, but remained in the naval reserve. He was gravely ill when he returned, but was nursed back to health by his wife. His illness meant he was unable to return to active service.
Paramount Farrow resumed his directing career at Paramount, whose head of production,
Buddy de Sylva, had been impressed by
Five Came Back and offered Farrow a contract. For the first time, Farrow was directing nothing but A movies. The association began brilliantly with
Wake Island (1942), which earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Director, and was one of the year's biggest hits. In February 1943, Farrow signed a long-term contract with Paramount. In July 1943, he served as technical consultant for the proposed Royal Canadian Navy show. Shortly after, he made
Calcutta (1947) with Ladd, though it was not released until two years later, to strong box-office receipts.
Two Years Before the Mast, released in 1946, became the tenth-most popular movie of the year. In 1946, Farrow was reportedly writing a biography of
Junípero Serra, but it appears to have never been made. Farrow became an American citizen in July 1947.
Film noir and westerns In 1947, Farrow made one of his most highly regarded films, It was one of his few movies to have a connection to his native Australia.
Freelancer Farrow directed Robert Taylor and Ava Gardner in the
MGM Western,
Ride, Vaquero! (1953), which was a hit. He made two produced by John Wayne for Wayne's company,
Batjac:
Plunder of the Sun (1953), an adventure story with Glenn Ford, and
Hondo (1953) with Wayne, from a story by
Louis L'Amour; the latter especially was popular at the box office. Farrow was the original director of
Around the World in 80 Days (1956), but was fired by producer
Michael Todd shortly after filming commenced, but Farrow remained credited for his contribution to the screenplay, which won an Oscar in 1956.
RKO Farrow signed a three-picture deal with RKO. He only made two of them, neither successful:
Back from Eternity (1956), a remake of
Five Came Back, and
The Unholy Wife (1957), a failed attempt to launch
Diana Dors to US audiences. ==Personal life==