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Irving Pichel

As an actor, Irving Pichel had the privilege of working at the turn of the 1930s in Hollywood, before the Hays Code clamped down a layer of censorship on early talkies. Titles such as "Two Kinds of Women," "Wild Girl," and "The Cheat" were just some of his output during this time. As a director, Pichel cranked out films at a typical Golden Age B-movie clip. He is best remembered for the 1950 science-fiction film "Destination Moon," one of the American film industry's first serious attempts to put forth a convincing intergalactic tale. Pichel worked on the project with legendary special effects man Lee Zavitz, leading to an Oscar in that category. The movie was also honored at the Berlin International Film Festival with a Bronze Bear for Best Crime or Adventure. Pichel would have probably continued to make movies at the rate of at least one a year, but he died only a week after completing his 1954 Biblical tale "Day of Triumph." Among the other films that busy actor-director Pichel guided are the 1948 Fred MacMurray drama, "The Miracle of the Bells," and the all-star-cast-laden 1944 production of "And Now Tomorrow."