A prominent director for Universal Pictures in the 1940s and 1950s, he is perhaps best known today as the man who gave Clint Eastwood his first contract in film.

He was interested in acting at an early age, appearing in local Sunday school productions, with the encouragement of his mother, who died when Lubin was six.

He managed the music and drama clubs at high school and said a key influence was playing the title role in The Vicar of Wakefield.

[2] He joined the San Diego Stock Company at $12 a week; the director was John Griffith Wray and the actors including Harold Lloyd.

He briefly served in the navy in World War One and attended Page Military Academy and Carnegie Tech, where he studied drama and made money by shifting scenery and props.

[3] In New York, Lubin managed to get work on stage in such plays as The Red Poppy, Anything Might Happen and My Aunt from Ypsilanti.

In 1925 he and some friends were charged with obscenity by the Los Angeles police for putting on a production of Eugene O'Neill's Desire Under the Elms.

[9] He later worked on Broadway, including Jealousy, where he replaced John Halliday opposite Fay Bainter.

"[3] His films as an actor included The Woman on the Jury (1924), His People (1925), Bardelys the Magnificent (1926) with John Gilbert for King Vidor, Millionaires (1926), Afraid to Love (1927), The Wedding March (1928), The Bushranger (1928), Eyes of the Underworld (1929) and Times Square (1929), an early talking picture.

"[11] Lubin returned to New York gaining a job casting and directing with the firm of Crosby Graige and Selwyn.

[10] He produced When the Bough Breaks with Pauline Frederick, One Man with Paul Muni and another play with Lenore Ulric.

In June 1932, Lubin returned to Hollywood to work for William Le Baron at Paramount as an associate producer.

[13] Lubin began directing Little Theatre in his spare time, including productions of Lilliom, and got reputation for doing "outstanding work".

In August 1935, Variety wrote about Republic, "under such fast production methods and with the limited budget [around $50,000 a film], training here is perfect for a jump into the big league.

[22] After Midnight Intruder (1938) with Louis Hayward, Lubin went over to Warner Bros., for The Beloved Brat (1938) then returned to Universal: Prison Break (1938), Secrets of a Nurse (1938), Newsboys' Home (1938), Risky Business (1939), Big Town Czar (1939), Mickey the Kid (1939), Call a Messenger (1939, with The Little Tough Guys), and The Big Guy (1939).

Lubin said "possibly one of the reasons I was used so much at Universal was my very wonderful early training as a director under Trem Carr.

He went back to Republic to make Gangs of Chicago (1940) then returned to Universal: Meet the Wildcat (1940), I'm Nobody's Sweetheart Now (1940), Who Killed Aunt Maggie?

Lubin's career received a big break when he was assigned to direct the first Abbott and Costello star vehicle, Buck Privates (1941).

[26] Variety said "Lubin, who was considered just another camera flagger, is now the leader of the entire topflight group of directors with respect to getting coin into the box office.

[28] However Lubin says after the fifth film he asked if he could work on other movies: They came on the set late, they didn't know their lines, and I think they were beginning to get tired of one another.

[29]In January 1942, Lubin was assigned to an expensive war film, Eagle Squadron (1942), which was a massive hit.

In 1942, The New York Times published a profile on the director which commented: On the set, Lubin is personally intense, but an easy boss to his casts.

Holding a pow-wow before rehearsing a scene, he will frequently sit cross legged on the floor with the players seated about him.

He pantomimed all the parts[6]Lubin made White Savage (1943) with Maria Montez, Jon Hall and Sabu, then was given his largest ever budget when he replaced Henry Koster on Phantom of the Opera (1943) with Claude Rains.

He bought the rights to a series of books about Francis the Talking Mule and set up the project as a film at Universal.

Francis (1950) was a big hit, leading to a series of films directed by Lubin, in which the director had a percentage of the profits.

[37] Eastwood was given another support role in two films Lubin made for his own company released through RKO, The First Traveling Saleslady (1956) and Escapade in Japan (1957).

He directed episodic TV shows like Bronco (1958), New Comedy Showcase, Maverick (1959), Bonanza (1960), and The Addams Family (1965).

[43] He directed the occasional feature, such as The Thief of Baghdad (1961), The Incredible Mr. Limpet (1964, with Don Knotts) and Hold On!

[9] Hospital worker and serial killer Efren Saldivar allegedly told people he killed dozens of sick and elderly patients; there was some fear that Lubin was one of these.