Early career After the war, Garnett entered the film industry as a gagwriter, primarily for
Mack Sennett and
Hal Roach, but also for
Fatty Arbuckle,
Mabel Normand, and
Chester Conklin. For Roach, Garnett wrote ''Don't Park There
(1924); He co-wrote Broken Chains (1922) for Sam Goldwyn; The Hottentot (1922) for Thomas Ince; and That's My Baby'' (1926) for
William Beaudine. Garnett directed some shorts, such as
Fast Black (1924),
Riders of the Kitchen Range (1925), and
All Wool (1925), and wrote the comedy shorts
Honeymoon Hardships (1925),
Hold Tight (1925),
Three Wise Goofs (1925),
No Sleep on the Deep (1925),
Salute (1925),
On the Links (1925), ''Who's Your Friend'' (1925), and co-wrote
Frank Capra's
The Strong Man (1926) and
Edward Sedgwick's
There You Are! (1926). For
Cecil B. De Mille, he wrote
The Cruise of the Jasper B (1926),
Rubber Tires (1927),
The Wise Wife (1927),
Turkish Delight (1927),
Directing Garnett directed and wrote
Celebrity (1928), his first feature as director; and
Prestige (1931). Pathé merged with
RKO in 1928; under the new name, Garnett directed
Oh, Yeah! (1929),
Her Man (1930) starring
Helen Twelvetrees, With
Universal Studios, Garnett worked on
The Penalty of Fame (1932),
S.O.S. Iceberg (1933), and
Destination Unknown (1933). With
Paramount Studios, he directed the successful
One Way Passage (1932). Garnett enjoyed further success in 1935 after moving to
MGM and directing
China Seas (1935). With Columbia Studios, he made ''
She Couldn't Take It'' (1935). In 1935, Garnett announced the creation of his own production company and subsequently left on a year-long cruise on his yacht. The
Athene carried a small number of people, including Garnett's friends
Polly Ann Young and
Regis Toomey, and his wife Helga. During his trip, he shot footage of the outdoors for his future productions. and signed with
20th Century Fox, where he made
Professional Soldier (1936),
Love Is News (1937), and
Slave Ship (1937). He also worked on
Stand-In (1937) for
Walter Wanger. on the set of
Seven Sinners (1940) Garnett's first film as a producer as well as a director was
Joy of Living (1938) at RKO. He continued working with Wanger, producing and directing three of his films in the late 1930s:
Trade Winds (1938),
Eternally Yours (1939), and
Slightly Honorable (1939). He provided a story for Columbia Studios'
Cafe Hostess (1940) and directed Universal's
Seven Sinners (1940), which starred
Marlene Dietrich and
John Wayne. He produced but not direct RKO's
Unexpected Uncle (1941) and
Weekend for Three (1941), and directed their 1942 film
My Favorite Spy. He also directed
United Artists'
Cheers for Miss Bishop (1941) and Columbia's
The Boy from Stalingrad (1942). At
MGM, Garnett directed
The Cross of Lorraine (1943) and
Bataan (1943), followed by
Since You Went Away (1944) and
See Here, Private Hargrove (1944). He had some big hits with two
Greer Garson films,
Mrs. Parkington (1944) and
The Valley of Decision (1945), then made his best-known film
The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946), starring
John Garfield and
Lana Turner. For RKO, then under the ownership of
Howard Hughes, Garnett directed
The Racket (1951) and
One Minute to Zero (1952). Garnett travelled to England and Spain to make
The Black Knight (1954), then worked on the documentary
Seven Wonders of the World (1956). In 1960, he directed
A Terrible Beauty in Ireland.
Television Garnett started directing television shows in the late 1950s with He began working in TV with
Four Star Theatre Alcoa Theatre,
Goodyear Theatre,
Overland Trail,
The Loretta Young Show, and
The Untouchables. Other shows he worked on included
The Deputy,
Whispering Smith,
87th Precinct,
The Tall Man, ''
Please Don't Eat the Daisies, The Beachcomber, The Loner, The Legend of Jesse James, He also directed Wagon Train, Naked City, Death Valley Days, Rawhide, Bonanza, Frontier Circus, and Gunsmoke. In 1942, he created the NBC Red comedy-detective radio program Three Sheets to the Wind'' (1942), which starred John Wayne as Dan O'Brien, an American private eye posing as a drunk on a luxury liner sailing from England in 1939, and Helga Moray, which ran for six months at 11:30pm Sunday nights. The show was intended by Garnett to be the pilot for a film, though the film was never made. A demonstration episode of the radio show with
Brian Donlevy in the leading role exists. Wayne, not Donlevy, played the role throughout the series run on
NBC. He published his autobiography,
Light Your Torches and Pull Up Your Tights, in 1973 and was writing a textbook at the time of his death. His star on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame was unveiled in February 1960. ==Personal life==