Douglas Shearer
Known For: Sound
Gender: Male
Date of Birth: November 17, 1899
Day of Death: January 6, 1971 (71 years old)
Place of Birth: Westmount, Québec, Canada
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.
1954
Sound Recordist
M-G-M Jubilee Overture
Recording Supervision
Executive Suite
Recording Supervision
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
Recording Supervision
Her Twelve Men
Recording Supervision
Valley of the Kings
Sound
Tennessee Champ
Recording Supervision
The Great Diamond Robbery
Recording Supervision
Rose Marie
Sound
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
1953
Recording Supervision
The Naked Spur
Music Supervisor
Overture to The Merry Wives of Windsor
Recording Supervision
Give a Girl a Break
Recording Supervision
Remains to Be Seen
Recording Supervision
The Girl Who Had Everything
Recording Supervision
Capriccio Italien
Recording Supervision
Easy to Love
Recording Supervision
The Actress
Recording Supervision
The Band Wagon
Sound Supervisor
Dangerous When Wet
Recording Supervision
Dream Wife
Recording Supervision
Young Bess
Recording Supervision
Scandal at Scourie
Recording Supervision
I Love Melvin
Recording Supervision
Small Town Girl
Recording Supervision
Kiss Me Kate
Recording Supervision
Big Leaguer
Recording Supervision
The Story of Three Loves
Sound
Lili
Recording Supervision
Confidentially Connie
Recording Supervision
Battle Circus
Recording Supervision
The Affairs of Dobie Gillis
Recording Supervision
Julius Caesar
Recording Supervision
Take the High Ground!
Recording Supervision
All the Brothers Were Valiant
Recording Supervision
Jeopardy
Sound
The Naked Spur
1952
Recording Supervision
Shadow in the Sky
Recording Supervision
Love Is Better Than Ever
Sound Director
Talk About a Stranger
Recording Supervision
The Belle of New York
Recording Supervision
Everything I Have Is Yours
Recording Supervision
Million Dollar Mermaid
Recording Supervision
The Merry Widow
Sound
The Girl in White
Recording Supervision
Scaramouche
Recording Supervision
Singin' in the Rain
Recording Supervision
Skirts Ahoy!
Recording Supervision
Desperate Search
Recording Supervision
Carbine Williams
Sound
Holiday for Sinners
Recording Supervision
Fearless Fagan
Recording Supervision
The Bad and the Beautiful
Recording Supervision
Glory Alley
Sound
The Wild North
Recording Supervision
Invitation
Recording Supervision
Young Man with Ideas
Sound Recordist
Pat and Mike
1951
Sound
The Painted Hills
Recording Supervision
Cause for Alarm!
Recording Supervision
Westward the Women
Recording Supervision
The Red Badge of Courage
Recording Supervision
The Law and the Lady
Recording Supervision
Royal Wedding
Recording Supervision
An American in Paris
Recording Supervision
Father's Little Dividend
Recording Supervision
Show Boat
Recording Supervision
Kind Lady
Recording Supervision
Callaway Went Thataway
Recording Supervision
The Strip
Recording Supervision
The Tall Target
Recording Supervision
The Great Caruso
Recording Supervision
Angels in the Outfield
Recording Supervision
Too Young to Kiss
Sound
Texas Carnival
Sound Recordist
Quo Vadis
Sound Recordist
Father's Little Dividend
Recording Supervision
Grounds for Marriage
Recording Supervision
Three Guys Named Mike
Recording Supervision
Soldiers Three
Sound Recordist
The Red Badge of Courage
1950
Sound Designer
The Outriders
Sound
Two Weeks with Love
Recording Supervision
Stars in My Crown
Recording Supervision
The Asphalt Jungle
Recording Supervision
Three Little Words
Recording Supervision
King Solomon's Mines
Recording Supervision
Crisis
Recording Supervision
Duchess of Idaho
Recording Supervision
To Please a Lady
Recording Supervision
Kim
Recording Supervision
Father of the Bride
Sound
Nancy Goes to Rio
Recording Supervision
The Magnificent Yankee
Recording Supervision
Right Cross
Recording Supervision
Pagan Love Song
Recording Supervision
The Reformer and the Redhead
Recording Supervision
Annie Get Your Gun
Recording Supervision
The Yellow Cab Man
Recording Supervision
Black Hand
Recording Supervision
Please Believe Me
Recording Supervision
Shadow on the Wall
Recording Supervision
The Big Hangover
Sound Recordist
Stars in My Crown
Recording Supervision
Summer Stock
1949
Sound Director
Take Me Out to the Ball Game
Sound Director
On the Town
Recording Supervision
Tension
Recording Supervision
Madame Bovary
Recording Supervision
Neptune's Daughter
Recording Supervision
The Barkleys of Broadway
Recording Supervision
The Stratton Story
Sound Director
The Secret Garden
Recording Supervision
On the Town
Recording Supervision
Challenge to Lassie
Recording Supervision
Battleground
Recording Supervision
That Forsyte Woman
Recording Supervision
In the Good Old Summertime
Recording Supervision
Adam's Rib
Sound Recordist
Adam's Rib
Recording Supervision
The Great Sinner
1948
1947
Sound Director
Killer McCoy
Sound Director
The Romance of Rosy Ridge
Sound
The Sea of Grass
Sound Director
Dark Delusion
Sound
Cynthia
Sound Director
Song of Love
Recording Supervision
Song of the Thin Man
Recording Supervision
Green Dolphin Street
Sound Director
Undercover Maisie
Sound
Living in a Big Way
Sound Director
The Unfinished Dance
Recording Supervision
Good News
Sound
The Arnelo Affair
Sound Director
Desire Me
Sound Director
The Hucksters
1946
Recording Supervision
The Postman Always Rings Twice
Recording Supervision
Two Sisters from Boston
Sound Director
Undercurrent
Sound Director
The Secret Heart
Recording Supervision
The Yearling
Sound Director
Lady in the Lake
Sound Director
Up Goes Maisie
Recording Supervision
The Harvey Girls
Recording Supervision
The Hoodlum Saint
Recording Supervision
Bad Bascomb
Sound Director
Love Laughs at Andy Hardy
Sound Director
Two Smart People
Recording Supervision
Courage of Lassie
Sound Director
The Postman Always Rings Twice
1945
Actor Douglas Shearer (uncredited)
The Great Morgan
Recording Supervision
Week-End at the Waldorf
Recording Supervision
The Hidden Eye
Recording Supervision
The Picture of Dorian Gray
Recording Supervision
Thrill of a Romance
Recording Supervision
Ziegfeld Follies
Recording Supervision
Main Street After Dark
Recording Supervision
Son of Lassie
Recording Supervision
Dangerous Partners
Sound Director
Twice Blessed
Recording Supervision
She Went to the Races
1944
Recording Supervision
An American Romance
Sound Designer
Gaslight
Sound Director
The Canterville Ghost
Sound Director
The White Cliffs of Dover
Recording Supervision
Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo
Recording Supervision
Meet Me in St. Louis
Recording Supervision
The Thin Man Goes Home
Sound Director
Maisie Goes to Reno
Sound Director
Mrs. Parkington
Sound Director
Kismet
Recording Supervision
Rationing
Recording Supervision
Gentle Annie
Sound Director
Andy Hardy's Blonde Trouble
Recording Supervision
Bathing Beauty
Sound Director
See Here, Private Hargrove
Sound Director
Music for Millions
1943
1942
Sound
Tortilla Flat
Camera Operator
Panama Hattie
Sound Director
Nazi Agent
Recording Supervision
Mrs. Miniver
Recording Supervision
Grand Central Murder
Sound Director
Fingers at the Window
Sound Director
Eyes in the Night
Recording Supervision
Her Cardboard Lover
Sound Director
For Me and My Gal
Sound Director
Maisie Gets Her Man
Sound Director
Mokey
Sound Director
The Courtship of Andy Hardy
Sound Director
Andy Hardy's Double Life
Sound Director
Kid Glove Killer
Recording Supervision
Tarzan's New York Adventure
Sound Director
Cairo
Recording Supervision
Dr. Kildare's Victory
Recording Supervision
Calling Dr. Gillespie
Recording Supervision
Dr. Gillespie's New Assistant
1941
Sound
A Woman's Face
Recording Supervision
Whistling in the Dark
Sound
Two-Faced Woman
Sound Director
Ziegfeld Girl
Sound Director
Blossoms in the Dust
Recording Supervision
Shadow of the Thin Man
Sound Director
Maisie Was a Lady
Recording Supervision
Love Crazy
Recording Supervision
Rage in Heaven
Sound Director
Lady Be Good
Recording Supervision
The Feminine Touch
Sound Director
Andy Hardy's Private Secretary
Sound Director
Life Begins for Andy Hardy
Sound Director
When Ladies Meet
Sound Director
Married Bachelor
Sound Director
I'll Wait for You
Recording Supervision
Tarzan's Secret Treasure
Recording Supervision
Washington Melodrama
Sound Director
Kathleen
Sound Director
The People Vs. Dr. Kildare
Recording Supervision
Johnny Eager
Sound Director
Blonde Inspiration
Sound Director
Love Crazy
1940
Actor Self
A New Romance of Celluloid: The Miracle of Sound
Director
A New Romance of Celluloid: The Miracle of Sound
Recording Supervision
Sporting Blood
Recording Supervision
The Earl of Chicago
Sound Director
Strange Cargo
Sound Director
Waterloo Bridge
Sound Director
Northwest Passage
Sound Director
The Shop Around the Corner
Recording Supervision
The Philadelphia Story
Sound Recordist
Boom Town
Sound Director
Comrade X
Sound Director
Susan and God
Recording Supervision
I Love You Again
Recording Supervision
Go West
Sound Director
Gold Rush Maisie
Recording Supervision
Pride and Prejudice
Sound Director
Congo Maisie
Recording Supervision
We Who Are Young
Recording Supervision
Dulcy
Sound Director
Andy Hardy Meets Debutante
Sound Director
The Golden Fleecing
Recording Supervision
Dr. Kildare's Strange Case
Recording Supervision
Dr. Kildare Goes Home
1939
Sound
Babes in Arms
Sound
Nick Carter, Master Detective
Sound Recordist
Miracles for Sale
Sound Recordist
Broadway Serenade
Recording Supervision
The Kid From Texas
Recording Supervision
6,000 Enemies
Recording Supervision
Stronger Than Desire
Sound Director
They All Come Out
Sound Director
The Women
Recording Supervision
On Borrowed Time
Recording Supervision
Joe and Ethel Turp Call on the President
Sound Director
The Ice Follies of 1939
Sound Director
Another Thin Man
Recording Supervision
At the Circus
Recording Supervision
Idiot's Delight
Sound Director
Maisie
Sound Director
Thunder Afloat
Sound Director
The Hardys Ride High
Sound Director
Andy Hardy Gets Spring Fever
Sound Director
Judge Hardy and Son
Sound Director
Fast and Furious
Sound Director
Tell No Tales
Sound Director
Calling Dr. Kildare
Recording Supervision
Tarzan Finds a Son!
Sound Supervisor
The Wizard of Oz
Sound Designer
The Wizard of Oz
Sound Director
Henry Goes Arizona
Recording Supervision
Ninotchka
Sound Director
Ninotchka
Recording Supervision
The Secret of Dr. Kildare
Sound Re-Recording Mixer
Honolulu
1938
Sound Director
Test Pilot
Sound Director
The Great Waltz
Sound
Man-Proof
Sound
Marie Antoinette
Recording Supervision
Love Is a Headache
Recording Supervision
The First Hundred Years
Recording Supervision
Too Hot to Handle
Sound Director
Three Comrades
Sound Recordist
Dramatic School
Sound Director
The Chaser
Sound Director
The Shining Hour
Sound Director
Mannequin
Recording Supervision
Spring Madness
Sound Director
Fast Company
Sound Director
Vacation from Love
Sound Director
Judge Hardy's Children
Sound Director
Love Finds Andy Hardy
Sound Director
Out West with the Hardys
Sound Director
Paradise for Three
Sound Director
Three Loves Has Nancy
Sound Director
The Girl Downstairs
Sound Director
Arsène Lupin Returns
Sound Director
Sweethearts
Recording Supervision
Boys Town
Recording Supervision
Young Dr. Kildare
Sound Director
Of Human Hearts
1937
Sound
Captains Courageous
Sound
The Last of Mrs. Cheyney
Director
The Romance of Celluloid
Recording Supervision
Navy Blue and Gold
Sound Director
They Gave Him a Gun
Recording Supervision
Night Must Fall
Sound Director
Madame X
Sound Director
Conquest
Sound Director
The Bride Wore Red
Sound Director
Double Wedding
Recording Supervision
Broadway Melody of 1938
Sound Director
The Thirteenth Chair
Sound Director
A Day at the Races
Sound Recordist
Parnell
Sound Director
Married Before Breakfast
Sound Director
Beg, Borrow or Steal
Sound Director
A Family Affair
Sound Director
You're Only Young Once
Sound Director
My Dear Miss Aldrich
Recording Supervision
The Good Earth
Recording Supervision
The Women Men Marry
1936
Sound Recordist
Fury
Sound Recordist
Rose Marie
Sound Recordist
Riffraff
Sound Recordist
Tough Guy
Sound Recordist
Petticoat Fever
Sound Recordist
Moonlight Murder
Sound Recordist
Robin Hood of El Dorado
Sound Recordist
Wife vs. Secretary
Sound Recordist
The Voice of Bugle Ann
Recording Supervision
Trouble for Two
Sound Director
The Unguarded Hour
Recording Supervision
After the Thin Man
Sound
Born to Dance
Sound Director
Absolute Quiet
Sound Director
Camille
Sound Director
Romeo and Juliet
Sound Director
San Francisco
Sound Director
Fury
Sound Director
The Great Ziegfeld
Sound Director
The Garden Murder Case
Recording Supervision
The Devil-Doll
Recording Supervision
The Longest Night
Sound Director
Sinner Take All
Recording Supervision
Sworn Enemy
Sound Director
Three Live Ghosts
Recording Supervision
Tarzan Escapes
Recording Supervision
Three Godfathers
Recording Supervision
Mad Holiday
Sound Director
Suzy
Recording Supervision
Libeled Lady
Sound Director
Libeled Lady
1935
Recording Supervision
The Winning Ticket
Sound Recordist
The Night Is Young
Sound Recordist
Baby Face Harrington
Sound Recordist
Biography of a Bachelor Girl
Sound Recordist
Rendezvous
Sound
China Seas
Sound Director
David Copperfield
Sound Recordist
Last of the Pagans
Sound Recordist
Age of Indiscretion
Sound Director
Times Square Lady
Sound Director
A Night at the Opera
Sound Director
Mutiny on the Bounty
Recording Supervision
Kind Lady
Recording Supervision
Broadway Melody of 1936
Sound Director
No More Ladies
Sound Director
I Live My Life
Sound
Public Hero Number 1
Sound Director
Murder in the Fleet
Recording Supervision
Reckless
Sound Director
Mad Love
Sound Director
A Tale of Two Cities
Recording Supervision
Sequoia
Sound Director
Calm Yourself
Sound Director
Naughty Marietta
Sound Director
The Bishop Misbehaves
Sound Director
Woman Wanted
Recording Supervision
Whipsaw
Sound Director
Whipsaw
Recording Supervision
The Casino Murder Case
1934
Sound Director
The Cat and the Fiddle
Sound Director
The Mystery of Mr. X
Sound Director
Men in White
Sound Director
Riptide
Sound Director
Sadie McKee
Sound Director
Hollywood Party
Sound Director
Operator 13
Sound Director
Paris Interlude
Sound Director
The Girl from Missouri
Sound Director
The Barretts of Wimpole Street
Sound Director
Manhattan Melodrama
Recording Supervision
The Gay Bride
Sound Director
The Thin Man
Sound Director
Chained
Recording Supervision
What Every Woman Knows
Sound Director
Forsaking All Others
Sound Director
The Show-Off
Sound Director
Hide-Out
Recording Supervision
Tarzan and His Mate
Sound Director
Treasure Island
1933
Sound Director
Men Must Fight
Sound Director
Today We Live
Sound Director
The White Sister
Sound Director
Gabriel Over the White House
Sound Director
Looking Forward
Sound Director
The Barbarian
Sound Director
Peg o' My Heart
Sound Director
Made on Broadway
Sound Director
When Ladies Meet
Sound Director
Midnight Mary
Sound Director
Hold Your Man
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
Beauty for Sale
Sound Director
Penthouse
Sound Director
Stage Mother
Sound Director
The Solitaire Man
Sound Director
Bombshell
Sound Director
Dancing Lady
Sound Director
Should Ladies Behave
Sound Director
The Women in His Life
Sound Director
Going Hollywood
Sound Director
Queen Christina
Sound
Reunion in Vienna
Sound Director
The Secret of Madame Blanche
Recording Supervision
The Nuisance
Sound
Night Flight
Sound Director
Whistling in the Dark
Sound Director
Fast Workers
1932
Sound Director
Emma
Sound Director
Lovers Courageous
Sound Director
Arsène Lupin
Sound Director
The Wet Parade
Sound Director
But the Flesh Is Weak
Sound Director
Grand Hotel
Sound Director
Letty Lynton
Sound Director
Huddle
Sound Director
As You Desire Me
Sound Director
Red-Headed Woman
Sound Director
Unashamed
Sound Director
The Washington Masquerade
Sound Director
Strange Interlude
Sound Director
Blondie of the Follies
Sound Director
Smilin' Through
Sound Director
Red Dust
Sound Director
The Mask of Fu Manchu
Sound Director
Payment Deferred
Sound Director
The Son-Daughter
Sound Director
Rasputin and the Empress
Sound
Downstairs
Sound
Tarzan the Ape Man
Sound
Hell Divers
Sound
Flesh
Recording Supervision
New Morals for Old
Sound Recordist
Night Court
Sound Director
Faithless
Sound Recordist
Kongo
Recording Supervision
The Passionate Plumber
Recording Supervision
Freaks
Sound
Polly of the Circus
1931
Recording Supervision
The Cuban Love Song
Sound Director
The Bachelor Father
Sound Director
Dance, Fools, Dance
Sound Director
Strangers May Kiss
Sound Director
Laughing Sinners
Sound Director
A Free Soul
Sound Director
Five and Ten
Sound Director
The Man in Possession
Sound Director
This Modern Age
Sound Director
The Squaw Man
Sound Director
Susan Lenox (Her Fall and Rise)
Sound Director
The Sin of Madelon Claudet
Sound Director
The Guardsman
Sound Director
Flying High
Sound Director
Possessed
Sound Director
Private Lives
Sound Director
Mata Hari
Sound Director
The Great Lover
Sound Recordist
The bitter fruit
Sound Recordist
Sporting Blood
Recording Supervision
Reducing
Recording Supervision
Politics
Sound Director
Guilty Hands
Recording Supervision
Parlor, Bedroom and Bath
Recording Supervision
The Champ
1930
Sound Recordist
Anna Christie
Sound Recordist
Not So Dumb
Sound Engineer
This Mad World
Sound Director
The Lady of Scandal
Sound Director
The Florodora Girl
Sound Director
Let Us Be Gay
Sound Director
Our Blushing Brides
Sound Director
Romance
Sound Director
A Lady's Morals
Sound Director
New Moon
Sound Director
Paid
Sound Engineer
Anna Christie
Sound Recordist
Lord Byron of Broadway
Sound
Min and Bill
Sound
The Big House
Sound Engineer
The Ship from Shanghai
Sound Director
War Nurse
Sound Director
They Learned About Women
Sound Recordist
Madam Satan
Sound Director
The Divorcee
Sound Director
Children of Pleasure
Sound Director
Passion Flower
Sound
The Big House
1929
Sound Engineer
The Voice of the City
Sound Engineer
The Idle Rich
Sound Recordist
The Last of Mrs. Cheyney
Sound Recordist
The Thirteenth Chair
Sound Recordist
Dynamite
Sound Recordist
Their Own Desire
Recording Supervision
The Broadway Melody
Sound Recordist
The Unholy Night
Sound Engineer
So This Is College
Sound Recordist
The Broadway Melody