George Seaton top ten

Random thought - a filmmaker who no one really talks about or even cares about today... despite winning two Oscars... George Seaton. A writer who moved into directing and producing. So for no reason other than procrastination a George Seaton top ten

1) Miracle on 34th Street (1947) - classic movie, with a dash of cynicism that ensures it still holds up

2) 36 Hours (1964) - very good war time thriller, one of Rod Taylor's best movies

3) Airport (1970) - big all star disaster movie with outrageous interior design

4) The Song of Bernadette (1943) - Seaton wrote but didn't direct this, a very good 1943 dramatisation (note those qualifiers) of a full on story

5) Coney Island (1943) - one of the most fun Betty Grable musicals

6) The Country Girl (1954) - there's a lot of Acting - Bing Crosby drunk! Grace Kelly without make up! Bill Holden shouting! But the drama is good, the language evocative

7) Teacher's Pet (1958) - Clark Gable and Doris Day, plus Gig Young does a drunk scene that's funny provided you don't remember in real life he was an alcoholic who then shot his wife and himself

8) The Day at the Races (1937) - Seaton was one of the writers on this, which has some of the Marx Brothers best routines. Try to ignore the "spiritual" numbers.

9) The Bridges at Toko Ri (1954) - he produced this rather than directing of writing. A very fine film, surprisingly downbeat.

10) The Rat Race (1960) - Seaton produced this charming Tony Curtis-Debbie Reynolds rom com.

I admit I was scrambling a little at the end to make up this list, maybe it's not that much of a shock he's not remembered so well...