He was involved in nearly 200 films, including the critically acclaimed Duck Soup, Make Way for Tomorrow, The Awful Truth, Going My Way, The Bells of St. Mary's, My Son John and An Affair to Remember.
[1] While focusing mainly on screwball comedies during the 1930s, McCarey turned towards producing more socially conscious and overtly religious films during the 1940s, ultimately finding success and acclaim in both genres.
McCarey initially wrote gags for the Our Gang series and other studio stars, then produced and directed shorts including two-reelers with Charley Chase.
While at Roach, McCarey, according to later interviews, cast Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy together[7] and guided development of their onscreen characters, thus creating one of the most enduring comedy teams of all time.
While the story of an elderly couple who have to be separated for economic and family reasons during the Depression was not without humor in its treatment, the results were too unpopular at the box office and the director was let go.
Nonetheless, the film was recognized early on for its importance by being selected for the permanent collection of the recently formed Museum of Modern Art in New York City.
A car accident in 1940 prevented him from directing My Favorite Wife, a kind of follow up to The Awful Truth with the same two stars, so it was turned over to Garson Kanin though McCarey worked on some of the editing.
According to Paul Harrill in Great Directors, McCarey acknowledged that the film is largely based on his aunt, Sister Mary Benedict, who died of typhoid.
"[11] Through most of his career, McCarey's filming method, rooted in the silents, was to drastically alter the story ideas, bits of business, and dialogue in the scripts previously provided to the studios and the actors.
"[12] While this technique was responsible for a certain awkwardness and some rough edges in the finished works, many of McCarey's scenes had a freshness and spontaneity lacking in the typical mainstream Hollywood cinema.
In 1978, Leo McCarey's production records, including scripts, budgets and correspondence were donated to the Charles Feldman Library at the American Film Institute in Beverly Hills.