Born in
St. Louis, Missouri, Morse began his career as a film editor in 1927, and early in his career was credited as
Terrell Morse, and later
Terry Morse. Although he continued working as an editor throughout his career, he also directed films, starting with
The Adventures of Jane Arden in 1939. Most of his career was spent at
Warner Bros., and was usually within the crime melodrama genre, although he also directed some comedies. He was unhappy with the movies he was given to direct and went independent. By this time, Morse had gained a solid reputation as a "film doctor," whose sharp editing skills helped to improve some movies. He was therefore asked to edit and direct new scenes in
Godzilla, King of the Monsters!, spliced into the original film. At the time, the re-editing was so effective that American audiences were convinced that
Raymond Burr had actually gone to Japan to shoot the picture. It became the most famous film he was involved with. His son, Terry Morse Jr. followed him into filmmaking, and is a
film producer and director. Morse died in
Newhall, California. ==Selected filmography==