Douglas Shearer
Douglas Graham Shearer (November 17, 1899 – January 5, 1971) was a Canadian-American pioneering sound designer and recording director who played a key role in the advancement of sound technology for motion pictures. He won seven Academy Awards for his work. In 2008, he was inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame. Douglas began his journey into cinema by studying experimental electricity at Northern Electric Company before joining MGM in 1925. Initially exploring lighting and cameras, he pivoted to sound when the era of sound pictures emerged in 1928. He pioneered synchronizing musical soundtracks with film scenes, notably in the groundbreaking "The Broadway Melody," which won the 1929 Oscar for Best Picture. As head of MGM's sound department until his retirement, Shearer revolutionized sound recording, winning an Academy Award for Best Sound Recording for "The Big House." His groundbreaking work at MGM significantly enhanced the technical aspects of filmmaking. His legacy was recognized even in death, receiving a front-page obituary in The New York Times—an honour typically reserved for industry giants and heads of state.
Cast
Crew
Lady in the Lake
Sound Director
The Story of Three Loves
Recording Supervision
Mokey
Sound Director
Lili
Sound
Pride and Prejudice
Recording Supervision
Up Goes Maisie
Sound Director
The Champ
Recording Supervision
Hide-Out
Sound Director
Lady Be Good
Sound Director
Father's Little Dividend
Recording Supervision, Sound Recordist
Good News
Recording Supervision
Congo Maisie
Sound Director
Mrs. Parkington
Sound Director
Naughty Marietta
Sound Director
Kismet
Sound Director
The Arnelo Affair
Sound
Children of Pleasure
Sound Director
A Tale of Two Cities
Sound Director
The Harvey Girls
Recording Supervision
Show Boat
Recording Supervision
Duchess of Idaho
Recording Supervision
Battleground
Recording Supervision
Skirts Ahoy!
Recording Supervision
The Hoodlum Saint
Recording Supervision
Sweethearts
Sound Director
The Human Comedy
Recording Supervision
Confidentially Connie
Recording Supervision
Battle Circus
Recording Supervision
Main Street After Dark
Recording Supervision
The Feminine Touch
Recording Supervision
We Who Are Young
Recording Supervision
The Devil-Doll
Recording Supervision
Thunder Afloat
Sound Director
The Winning Ticket
Recording Supervision
Johnny Eager
Recording Supervision
Dulcy
Recording Supervision
Sequoia
Recording Supervision
Bad Bascomb
Recording Supervision
Rationing
Recording Supervision
The Longest Night
Recording Supervision
Gentle Annie
Recording Supervision
Fast Company
Sound Director
Kim
Recording Supervision
Married Before Breakfast
Sound Director
Beg, Borrow or Steal
Sound Director
Living in a Big Way
Sound
Desperate Search
Recording Supervision
Sinner Take All
Sound Director
Vacation from Love
Sound Director
Sworn Enemy
Recording Supervision
A Family Affair
Sound Director
You're Only Young Once
Sound Director
Week-End at the Waldorf
Recording Supervision
Judge Hardy's Children
Sound Director
Love Finds Andy Hardy
Sound Director
Out West with the Hardys
Sound Director
The Hardys Ride High
Sound Director
The Cuban Love Song
Recording Supervision
Fast and Furious
Sound Director
Andy Hardy Gets Spring Fever
Sound Director
Judge Hardy and Son
Sound Director
Andy Hardy Meets Debutante
Sound Director
Tell No Tales
Sound Director
Cairo
Sound Director
That Forsyte Woman
Recording Supervision
Andy Hardy's Blonde Trouble
Sound Director
Andy Hardy's Private Secretary
Sound Director
Love Laughs at Andy Hardy
Sound Director
The Unfinished Dance
Sound Director
Life Begins for Andy Hardy
Sound Director
The Courtship of Andy Hardy
Sound Director
Fearless Fagan
Recording Supervision
An American Romance
Recording Supervision
Andy Hardy's Double Life
Sound Director
The Outriders
Sound Designer, Sound Recordist
Tennessee Champ
Sound
Kind Lady
Recording Supervision
Three Live Ghosts
Sound Director
Mad Holiday
Recording Supervision
When Ladies Meet
Sound Director
Calling Dr. Kildare
Sound Director
Carbine Williams
Recording Supervision
To Please a Lady
Recording Supervision
Thousands Cheer
Recording Supervision
A New Romance of Celluloid: The Miracle of Sound
Director
Father of the Bride
Recording Supervision
Henry Goes Arizona
Sound Director
The Voice of the City
Sound Engineer
Calm Yourself
Sound Director
Paradise for Three
Sound Director
Kid Glove Killer
Sound Director
Guilty Hands
Sound Director
Married Bachelor
Sound Director
The Affairs of Dobie Gillis
Recording Supervision
I'll Wait for You
Sound Director
Big City
Sound
Three Loves Has Nancy
Sound Director
The Girl Downstairs
Sound Director
Julia Misbehaves
Sound
Summer Holiday
Sound
The Idle Rich
Sound Engineer
Dynamite
Sound Recordist
The Last of Mrs. Cheyney
Sound Recordist
The Thirteenth Chair
Sound Recordist
Their Own Desire
Sound Recordist
Anna Christie
Sound Recordist
Not So Dumb
Sound Recordist
This Mad World
Sound Engineer
Let Us Be Gay
Sound Director
The Florodora Girl
Sound Director
The Lady of Scandal
Sound Director
Our Blushing Brides
Sound Director
Romance
Sound Director
A Lady's Morals
Sound Director
Strangers May Kiss
Sound Director
Dance, Fools, Dance
Sound Director
Paid
Sound Director
The Bachelor Father
Sound Director
A Free Soul
Sound Director
New Moon
Sound Director
Laughing Sinners
Sound Director
Susan Lenox (Her Fall and Rise)
Sound Director
Five and Ten
Sound Director
The Man in Possession
Sound Director
The Sin of Madelon Claudet
Sound Director
This Modern Age
Sound Director
The Squaw Man
Sound Director
The Guardsman
Sound Director
The Great Lover
Sound Director
Private Lives
Sound Director
Anna Christie
Sound Engineer
Possessed
Sound Director
Emma
Sound Director
Flying High
Sound Director
Lovers Courageous
Sound Director
Mata Hari
Sound Director
Arsène Lupin
Sound Director
The Wet Parade
Sound Director
Test Pilot
Sound Director
But the Flesh Is Weak
Sound Director
The Great Waltz
Sound Director
Huddle
Sound Director
Grand Hotel
Sound Director
Letty Lynton
Sound Director
As You Desire Me
Sound Director
Red-Headed Woman
Sound Director
The Washington Masquerade
Sound Director
Unashamed
Sound Director
The Mask of Fu Manchu
Sound Director
Strange Interlude
Sound Director
Blondie of the Follies
Sound Director
Smilin' Through
Sound Director
Red Dust
Sound Director
Rasputin and the Empress
Sound Director
Men Must Fight
Sound Director
Today We Live
Sound Director
Nancy Goes to Rio
Sound
Payment Deferred
Sound Director
The Son-Daughter
Sound Director
Gabriel Over the White House
Sound Director
The White Sister
Sound Director
When Ladies Meet
Sound Director
Looking Forward
Sound Director
Made on Broadway
Sound Director
Peg o' My Heart
Sound Director
Hold Your Man
Sound Director
The Barbarian
Sound Director
Midnight Mary
Sound Director
Storm at Daybreak
Sound Director
The Stranger's Return
Sound Director
Another Language
Sound Director
Dinner at Eight
Sound Director
Turn Back the Clock
Sound Director
Dancing Lady
Sound Director
Penthouse
Sound Director
Beauty for Sale
Sound Director
The Solitaire Man
Sound Director
Should Ladies Behave
Sound Director
Bombshell
Sound Director
Stage Mother
Sound Director
Going Hollywood
Sound Director
Queen Christina
Sound Director
The Women in His Life
Sound Director
Riptide
Sound Director
Sadie McKee
Sound Director
The Mystery of Mr. X
Sound Director
The Cat and the Fiddle
Sound Director
Men in White
Sound Director
Paris Interlude
Sound Director
Hollywood Party
Sound Director
Operator 13
Sound Director
The Barretts of Wimpole Street
Sound Director
The Girl from Missouri
Sound Director
The Reformer and the Redhead
Recording Supervision
The Night Is Young
Sound Recordist
Julius Caesar
Recording Supervision
My Dear Miss Aldrich
Sound Director
Bathing Beauty
Recording Supervision
The Bishop Misbehaves
Sound Director
The Golden Fleecing
Sound Director
Woman Wanted
Sound Director
Suzy
Sound Director
Arsène Lupin Returns
Sound Director
The Women Men Marry
Recording Supervision
The Strip
Recording Supervision
Treasure Island
Sound Director
Holiday for Sinners
Sound
See Here, Private Hargrove
Sound Director
Two Smart People
Sound Director
The Bad and the Beautiful
Recording Supervision
Courage of Lassie
Recording Supervision
Twice Blessed
Sound Director
Music for Millions
Sound Director
Son of Lassie
Recording Supervision
The Tall Target
Recording Supervision
Challenge to Lassie
Recording Supervision
Tarzan and His Mate
Recording Supervision
Tarzan's Secret Treasure
Recording Supervision
Tarzan's New York Adventure
Recording Supervision
Blonde Inspiration
Sound Director
The Postman Always Rings Twice
Sound Director, Recording Supervision
Tarzan Escapes
Recording Supervision
Tarzan Finds a Son!
Recording Supervision
Washington Melodrama
Recording Supervision
Manhattan Melodrama
Sound Director
Biography of a Bachelor Girl
Sound Recordist
Rendezvous
Sound Recordist
Three Godfathers
Recording Supervision
Parlor, Bedroom and Bath
Recording Supervision
Callaway Went Thataway
Recording Supervision
Honolulu
Sound Re-Recording Mixer
Lord Byron of Broadway
Sound Recordist
Min and Bill
Sound
Kathleen
Sound Director
The Big House
Sound
Downstairs
Sound
Dangerous Partners
Recording Supervision
Whipsaw
Recording Supervision, Sound Director
Annie Get Your Gun
Recording Supervision
The bitter fruit
Sound Recordist
Captains Courageous
Sound
Tortilla Flat
Sound
A Guy Named Joe
Sound
Reunion in Vienna
Sound
Passion Flower
Sound Director
The Magnificent Yankee
Recording Supervision
Tarzan the Ape Man
Sound
Babes in Arms
Sound
Man-Proof
Sound
Fury
Sound Recordist, Sound Director
The People Vs. Dr. Kildare
Sound Director
Take the High Ground!
Recording Supervision
China Seas
Sound
The Great Diamond Robbery
Recording Supervision
Flesh
Sound
Hell Divers
Sound
Libeled Lady
Recording Supervision, Sound Director
Boys Town
Recording Supervision
All the Brothers Were Valiant
Recording Supervision
She Went to the Races
Recording Supervision
Nick Carter, Master Detective
Sound
Broadway Serenade
Sound Recordist
Miracles for Sale
Sound Recordist
Sporting Blood
Recording Supervision
The Kid From Texas
Recording Supervision
Tough Guy
Sound Recordist
Petticoat Fever
Sound Recordist
Sporting Blood
Sound Recordist
Rose Marie
Sound Recordist
Riffraff
Sound Recordist
The Voice of Bugle Ann
Sound Recordist
Last of the Pagans
Sound Recordist
Wife vs. Secretary
Sound Recordist
Moonlight Murder
Sound Recordist
Robin Hood of El Dorado
Sound Recordist
Ninotchka
Recording Supervision, Sound Director
A Woman's Face
Sound
David Copperfield
Sound Director
The Painted Hills
Sound
In the Good Old Summertime
Recording Supervision
Glory Alley
Recording Supervision
Love Crazy
Sound Director, Recording Supervision
The Last of Mrs. Cheyney
Sound
Rose Marie
Recording Supervision
Age of Indiscretion
Sound Recordist
The Big House
Sound
Desire Me
Sound Director
The Casino Murder Case
Recording Supervision
Two Weeks with Love
Sound
Calling Dr. Gillespie
Recording Supervision
Dr. Kildare Goes Home
Recording Supervision
Polly of the Circus
Sound
The Secret of Dr. Kildare
Recording Supervision
Dr. Gillespie's New Assistant
Recording Supervision
The Broadway Melody
Sound Recordist, Recording Supervision
Young Dr. Kildare
Recording Supervision
Dr. Kildare's Victory
Recording Supervision
Quo Vadis
Sound Recordist
Dr. Kildare's Strange Case
Recording Supervision
M-G-M Jubilee Overture
Sound Recordist
The Romance of Celluloid
Director
The Wild North
Sound
The Naked Spur
Recording Supervision, Sound
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
Sound, Recording Supervision
The Yellow Cab Man
Recording Supervision
Black Hand
Recording Supervision
Shadow on the Wall
Recording Supervision
Please Believe Me
Recording Supervision
The Big Hangover
Recording Supervision
Grounds for Marriage
Recording Supervision
Three Guys Named Mike
Recording Supervision
Soldiers Three
Recording Supervision
Invitation
Recording Supervision
Young Man with Ideas
Recording Supervision
Stars in My Crown
Recording Supervision
Pat and Mike
Sound Recordist
Right Cross
Recording Supervision
The Good Earth
Recording Supervision
Overture to The Merry Wives of Windsor
Music Supervisor
The Pirate
Recording Supervision
The Great Sinner
Recording Supervision
Summer Stock
Recording Supervision
Jeopardy
Recording Supervision
The Red Badge of Courage
Sound Recordist, Recording Supervision
The Great Caruso
Recording Supervision
The Hucksters
Sound Director
Marie Antoinette
Sound
Killer McCoy
Sound Director
Love Is a Headache
Recording Supervision
Reducing
Recording Supervision
6,000 Enemies
Recording Supervision
New Morals for Old
Recording Supervision
Trouble for Two
Recording Supervision
Stronger Than Desire
Recording Supervision
The First Hundred Years
Recording Supervision
The Earl of Chicago
Recording Supervision
Angels in the Outfield
Recording Supervision
Panama Hattie
Camera Operator
The Gay Bride
Recording Supervision
Politics
Recording Supervision
Adam's Rib
Sound Recordist, Recording Supervision
The Ship from Shanghai
Sound Engineer
Navy Blue and Gold
Recording Supervision
The Hidden Eye
Recording Supervision
War Nurse
Sound Director
The Man from Down Under
Recording Supervision
Of Human Hearts
Sound Director
They Gave Him a Gun
Sound Director
The Romance of Rosy Ridge
Sound Director
The Unguarded Hour
Sound Director
Swing Fever
Sound Director
They All Come Out
Sound Director
Times Square Lady
Sound Director
They Learned About Women
Sound Director
Cabin in the Sky
Sound Director
Too Hot to Handle
Recording Supervision
Shadow in the Sky
Recording Supervision
Strange Cargo
Sound Director
Take Me Out to the Ball Game
Sound Director
Executive Suite
Recording Supervision
Three Comrades
Sound Director
Waterloo Bridge
Sound Director
Nazi Agent
Sound Director
The Thin Man
Sound Director
The Shop Around the Corner
Sound Director
Mutiny on the Bounty
Sound Director
The Secret of Madame Blanche
Sound Director
The Canterville Ghost
Sound Director
Easter Parade
Sound Director, Sound Recordist
On the Town
Sound Director, Recording Supervision
The Women
Sound Director
A Night at the Opera
Sound Director
Northwest Passage
Sound Director
The Sea of Grass
Sound
The Asphalt Jungle
Recording Supervision
On Borrowed Time
Recording Supervision
After the Thin Man
Recording Supervision
Kind Lady
Recording Supervision
Madam Satan
Sound Recordist
Pagan Love Song
Recording Supervision
The Picture of Dorian Gray
Recording Supervision
Night Must Fall
Recording Supervision
The Nuisance
Recording Supervision
Tension
Recording Supervision
Madame Bovary
Recording Supervision
Too Young to Kiss
Recording Supervision
The Philadelphia Story
Recording Supervision
The Divorcee
Sound Director
Dangerous When Wet
Recording Supervision
Night Court
Sound Recordist
Boom Town
Sound Recordist
Dramatic School
Sound Recordist
Give a Girl a Break
Recording Supervision
Mrs. Miniver
Recording Supervision
Comrade X
Sound Director
Two Sisters from Boston
Recording Supervision
Chained
Sound Director
Faithless
Sound Director
Undercurrent
Sound Director
The Unholy Night
Sound Recordist
What Every Woman Knows
Recording Supervision
Joe and Ethel Turp Call on the President
Recording Supervision
Madame X
Sound Director
Remains to Be Seen
Recording Supervision
Night Flight
Sound
Grand Central Murder
Recording Supervision
Bataan
Recording Supervision
Whistling in the Dark
Sound Director
The White Cliffs of Dover
Sound Director
Born to Dance
Sound
Fingers at the Window
Sound Director
The Secret Heart
Sound Director
The Chaser
Sound Director
Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo
Recording Supervision
Broadway Melody of 1936
Recording Supervision
Three Little Words
Recording Supervision
A Date with Judy
Recording Supervision
Love Is Better Than Ever
Recording Supervision
Kongo
Sound Recordist
Westward the Women
Recording Supervision
Cause for Alarm!
Recording Supervision
The Girl Who Had Everything
Recording Supervision
Dark Delusion
Sound Director
Talk About a Stranger
Sound Director
Thrill of a Romance
Recording Supervision
The Belle of New York
Recording Supervision
Conquest
Sound Director
The Bride Wore Red
Sound Director
Double Wedding
Sound Director
No More Ladies
Sound Director
The Passionate Plumber
Recording Supervision
Whistling in the Dark
Recording Supervision
Two-Faced Woman
Sound
I Live My Life
Sound Director
The Ice Follies of 1939
Sound Director
Forsaking All Others
Sound Director
The Shining Hour
Sound Director
Fast Workers
Sound Director
Above Suspicion
Sound Director
Mannequin
Sound Director
Absolute Quiet
Sound Director
Everything I Have Is Yours
Recording Supervision
Public Hero Number 1
Sound
So This Is College
Sound Engineer
Murder in the Fleet
Sound Director
Cynthia
Sound
Eyes in the Night
Sound Director
Susan and God
Sound Director
Small Town Girl
Recording Supervision
I Love You Again
Recording Supervision
Reckless
Recording Supervision
Broadway Melody of 1938
Recording Supervision
Capriccio Italien
Recording Supervision
Young Bess
Recording Supervision
The Merry Widow
Recording Supervision
Her Twelve Men
Recording Supervision
Easy to Love
Recording Supervision
Dream Wife
Recording Supervision
The Band Wagon
Recording Supervision
The Girl in White
Sound
Her Cardboard Lover
Recording Supervision
Valley of the Kings
Recording Supervision
Million Dollar Mermaid
Recording Supervision
King Solomon's Mines
Recording Supervision
Scandal at Scourie
Recording Supervision
The Actress
Recording Supervision
I Love Melvin
Recording Supervision
Royal Wedding
Recording Supervision
Camille
Sound Director
San Francisco
Sound Director
The Barkleys of Broadway
Recording Supervision
The Three Musketeers
Recording Supervision
The Great Ziegfeld
Sound Director
Freaks
Recording Supervision
Crisis
Recording Supervision
Scaramouche
Recording Supervision
The Law and the Lady
Recording Supervision
The Thirteenth Chair
Sound Director
The Show-Off
Sound Director
Song of Love
Sound Director
Blossoms in the Dust
Sound Director
The Stratton Story
Recording Supervision
Another Thin Man
Sound Director
Romeo and Juliet
Sound Director
Neptune's Daughter
Recording Supervision
The Garden Murder Case
Sound Director
The Secret Garden
Sound Director
At the Circus
Recording Supervision
Go West
Recording Supervision
A Day at the Races
Sound Director
Mad Love
Sound Director
An American in Paris
Recording Supervision
Singin' in the Rain
Recording Supervision
Parnell
Sound Recordist
Meet Me in St. Louis
Recording Supervision
Ziegfeld Follies
Recording Supervision
Kiss Me Kate
Recording Supervision
Shadow of the Thin Man
Recording Supervision
The Thin Man Goes Home
Recording Supervision
Song of the Thin Man
Recording Supervision
Idiot's Delight
Recording Supervision
Gold Rush Maisie
Sound Director
Maisie Was a Lady
Sound Director
For Me and My Gal
Sound Director
Maisie Gets Her Man
Sound Director
Maisie
Sound Director
Maisie Goes to Reno
Sound Director
Swing Shift Maisie
Sound Director
Spring Madness
Recording Supervision
Green Dolphin Street
Recording Supervision
The Yearling
Recording Supervision
Undercover Maisie
Sound Director
Rage in Heaven
Recording Supervision
Big Leaguer
Recording Supervision
Come Live with Me
Recording Supervision
Ziegfeld Girl
Recording Supervision
Baby Face Harrington
Recording Supervision
Si l'empereur savait ça
Sound Engineer
Fast and Loose
Sound Director
Till the Clouds Roll By
Sound Director
The Wizard of Oz
Sound Director
Trader Horn
Recording Supervision
Ride, Vaquero!
Recording Supervision
West of Broadway
Sound Director
Devil's Doorway
Sound Supervisor
Border Incident
Sound Supervisor
Act of Violence
Sound Director
Wonder of Women
Sound Engineer
Montana Moon
Sound Director
Honky Tonk
Recording Supervision
Intruder in the Dust
Sound Recordist
Gaslight
Sound
Texas Carnival
Recording Supervision
Casanova wider Willen
Sound
Mystery Street
Recording Supervision
The Wild Man of Borneo
Recording Supervision