Leslie Goodwins
Leslie Goodwins (17 September 1899 – 8 January 1969) was an English film director and screenwriter. He directed nearly 100 films between 1926 and 1967, notably 27 features and shorts with Leon Errol, including the Mexican Spitfire series. His 1936 film Dummy Ache was nominated for an Academy Award in 1936 for Best Short Subject (Two-Reel).
Also recorded as Les Goodwins
Leslie Goodwins

RKO Pictures · Original text: eBay card) · Public domain
- Name
- Leslie Goodwins
- Born
- 17 September 1899
- Birthplace
- London, England
- Died
- 8 January 1969
- Place of death
- Hollywood, California, US
- Occupation
- Film director, screenwriter
- Nationality
- United Kingdom · United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
- Languages
- English
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Leslie Goodwins (17 September 1899 – 8 January 1969) was an English film director and screenwriter. He directed nearly 100 films between 1926 and 1967, notably 27 features and shorts with Leon Errol, including the Mexican Spitfire series. His 1936 film Dummy Ache was nominated for an Academy Award in 1936 for Best Short Subject (Two-Reel).
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wikidata · Q3236698 · wikipedia · Leslie Goodwins
In this article
Biography
Biography
Dummy Ache was preserved by the Academy Film Archive and the Library of Congress in 2013. His 1937 film Should Wives Work? (starring Errol) was also nominated for an Academy Award in the same category. He was born in London, England and he died in Hollywood, California. Goodwins began his screen career in the waning years of silent films, as a gag writer and then director. He directed comedy stars Snub Pollard and Ben Turpin for the low-budget Weiss Brothers studio. In 1936 producer Maurice Conn hired Goodwins to direct features for Ambassador Pictures starring Pinky Tomlin or Frankie Darro. That same year he joined the two-reel comedy unit at RKO Radio Pictures, two of his early efforts earning Academy Award nominations. Goodwins became a fixture at RKO, equally adept at action and mystery stories but specializing in comedy. He remained with the short-subject division while working on feature films, notably the popular Mexican Spitfire comedies. He remained with RKO through 1951. In 1950 Goodwins entered the new field of television, directing Jackie Gleason in The Life of Riley. The director's long experience with budget productions made him an ideal choice for fast-paced television production, and he was involved in several hit shows including Topper, The Cisco Kid, My Favorite Martian, F Troop, and Gilligan's Island.
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Leslie Goodwins • Born — 17 September 1899 • Birthplace — London, England • Died — 8 January 1969 • Place of death — Hollywood, California, US • Occupation — Film director, screenwriter • Years Active — 1926–1967
Partial filmography
Partial filmography
• With Love and Kisses (1936) • Headline Crasher (1936) • Robin Hood, Jr. (1936) • Dummy Ache (1936) short subject • Deep South (1937) short subject • Should Wives Work? (1937) short subject • The Devil Diamond (1937) • Young Dynamite (1937) • The Girl from Mexico (1939) • Way Down South (1939) co-director • Men Against the Sky (1940) • Let's Make Music (1941) • Parachute Battalion (1941) • Rookies in Burma (1943) • Ladies' Day (1943) • Silver Skates (1943) • The Mummy's Curse (1944) • Murder in the Blue Room (1944) • Vacation in Reno (1946) • Dragnet (1947) • The Lone Wolf in London (1947) • Gold Fever (1952) • Fireman Save My Child (1954) • Paris Follies of 1956 (1955) • The Go-Getter (1956)
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London.
Birth place
Hollywood.
Death place
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reference work
- “Leslie Goodwins”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q3236698: Leslie Goodwins
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The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 16 August 2026.
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