Jack Conway (filmmaker)

For other people with the same name, see Jack Conway (disambiguation).
Jack Conway
Born Hugh Ryan Conway
(1887-07-17)July 17, 1887
Graceville, Minnesota, US
Died October 11, 1952(1952-10-11) (aged 65)
Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation Actor, director, producer
Years active 1909–1948

Jack Ryan Conway (July 17, 1887 – October 11, 1952) was a film director and film producer, as well as an actor of many films in the first half of the 20th century.

Biography

Early life

Born as Hugh Ryan Conway, on July 17, 1887, in Graceville, Minnesota, USA.

Career

Conway started out as an actor, joining a repertory theater group straight out of high school. He then moved into films and, in 1911, became a member of D.W. Griffith's stock company, appearing primarily in westerns. Four years later, he made his mark as a director and gained valuable experience at Universal(1916–17 and 1921–23), before moving on to MGM in 1925. He remained there until 1948, often helming prestige assignments featuring the studio's top male star, Clark Gable: Boom Town (1940), Honky Tonk (1941), The Hucksters (1947) – all solid box office hits.

Conway was one of a team of MGM contract directors, who forsook any pretense to a specific individual style in favor of working within the strictures set forth by studio management. A thoroughly competent craftsman, he delivered commercially successful entertainments, on time, and within budget. Conway may not have achieved fame as a creative genius, but the majority of his films remain eminently entertaining to this day.

In his most famous film, A Tale of Two Cities (1935), he utilized 17,000 extras for the Paris mob scenes alone. This spectacular adaptation of the Dickens classic is still regarded by many as the definitive screen version. Another popular hit was the sophisticated all-star comedy Libeled Lady (1936), with the New York Times reviewer commenting on Conway's "agile direction". Conway also directed Viva Villa!, a hit MGM film starring Wallace Beery that was nominated for four Academy Awards.

Private life

His first marriage was to silent film actress Viola Barry. Together, they had two children, including a daughter, the writer Rosemary Conway. His second marriage was to Virginia Bushman, daughter of silent screen star Francis X. Bushman. They had two children, as well, including the actor Pat Conway. They resided in Pacific Palisades, California, in a house designed by architect Allen Siple (1900–1973).[1] A street in Pacific Palisades, Jacon Way, is named for Conway.

Filmography

Director
  • Trimmed in Scarlet (1923)
  • The Prisoner (1923)
  • Quicksands (1923)
  • Another Man's Shoes (1922)
  • The Long Chance (1922)
  • Don't Shoot (1922)
  • Step on It! (1922)
  • Across the Deadline (1922)
  • A Daughter of the Law (1921)
  • The Millionaire (1921)
  • The Rage of Paris (1921)
  • The Kiss (1921)
  • The Servant in the House (1921)
  • The Killer (1921)
  • The Lure of the Orient (1921)
  • The Spenders (1921)
  • The U.P. Trail (1920)
  • The Dwelling Place of Light (1920)
  • Riders of the Dawn (1920)
  • The Money Changers (1920)
  • Lombardi, Ltd. (1919)
  • A Diplomatic Mission (1918)
  • Desert Law (1918)
  • Her Decision (1918)
  • Little Red Decides (1918)
  • You Can't Believe Everything (1918)
  • Because of a Woman (1917)
  • Bond of Fear (1917)
  • The Charmer (1917)
  • Come Through (1917)
  • A Jewel in Pawn (1917)
  • Polly Redhead (1917)
  • The Little Orphan (1917)
  • Her Soul's Inspiration (1917)
  • The Mainspring (1916)
  • The Measure of a Man (1916)
  • The Doctor's Decision (1916)
  • The Torment (1916)
  • The Social Buccaneer (1916)
  • The Beckoning Trail (1916)
  • The Silent Battle (1916)
  • Bitter Sweet (1916)
  • Judgment of the Guilty (1916)
  • The Penitentes (1915)
  • The Wrong Prescription (1914)
  • The Struggle (1913/III)
  • When Sherman Marched to the Sea (1913)
  • The Old Armchair (1913)
  • In the Long Run (1912)
  • House of Pride (1912)
  • His Only Son (1912)
  • Her Indian Hero (1912)

Actor

  • Roof Tops of Manhattan (1935)
  • The Killer (1921)
  • A Royal Democrat (1919)
  • Restless Souls (1919)
  • The Little Orphan (1917)
  • Macbeth (1916)
  • Bitter Sweet (1916)
  • Big Jim's Heart (1915)
  • Added Fuel (1915)
  • Captain Macklin (1915)
  • The Outcast (1915)
  • What Might Have Been (1915)
  • The Wrong Prescription (1914)
  • The Wireless Voice (1914)
  • Burning Daylight: The Adventures of 'Burning Daylight' in Alaska (1914)
  • Valley of the Moon (1914)
  • The Chechako (1914)
  • The Old Maid (1914)
  • The Claim Jumper (1913)
  • In the End (1913)
  • Patsy's Luck (1913)
  • The Trail of the Lonesome Mine (1913)
  • Good-for-Nothing Jack (1913)
  • The Struggle (1913)
  • Soldiers Three (1913)
  • Birds of Prey (1913)
  • When Sherman Marched to the Sea (1913)
  • Brought to Bay (1913)
  • A Child of War (1913)
  • Will o' the Wisp (1913)
  • The Twelfth Juror (1913)
  • When Lincoln Paid (1913)
  • The Old Armchair (1913)
  • The Civilian (1912)
  • His Only Son (1912)
  • The Boomerang (1912)
  • Sundered Ties (1912)
  • Uncle Bill (1912)
  • The Alibi (1912)
  • How Steve Made Good (1912)
  • The Obligation (1912)
  • The Soldier Brothers of Susanna (1912)
  • The Undoing of Slim Bill (1912)
  • The Bugler of Battery B (1912)
  • A Gentleman of Fortune (1912)
  • Hard Luck Bill (1912)
  • The Land of Might (1912)
  • The Squatter's Child (1912)
  • The Mountain Daisy (1912)
  • The Scalawag (1912)
  • The Sheriff's Round-Up (1912)
  • The Counting of Time (1912)
  • The Thespian Bandit (1912)
  • The Everlasting Judy (1912)
  • The Post Telegrapher (1912)
  • The Little Nugget (1912)
  • The Love Trail (1912)
  • Her Indian Hero (1912)
  • Two Men and the Law (1912)
  • Across the Sierras (1912)
  • A Pair of Jacks (1912)
  • The Fighting Chance (1912)
  • The Battle of the Red Men (1912)
  • The Empty Water Keg (1912)
  • George Warrington's Escape (1911)
  • A Painter's Idyl (1911)
  • Coals of Fire (1911)
  • John Oakhurst, Gambler (1911)
  • Arizona Bill (1911)
  • The Voyager: A Tale of Old Canada (1911)
  • Kit Carson's Wooing (1911)
  • The Totem Mark (1911)
  • The Sheriff of Tuolomne (1911)
  • Her Indian Mother (1910)
  • The Indian Scout's Vengeance (1910)
  • The Old Soldier's Story (1909)

Producer

References

  1. ↑ Pacific Coast Architecture Database
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