Jack Conway
1887 - 1952He was born as Hugh Ryan Conway, on July 17, 1887, in Graceville, Minnesota, US.
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.
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The Kiss
Jack Conway
Carmel Myers, George Periolat
At the harvest fiesta, Don Luis Baldarama, owner of one of California's great ranchos, expects to announce the betrothal of his son, Audre, to Isabella Chavez, the daughter of a neighboring don named Miguel Chavez. However, Audre plans to elope with Erolinda Vargas, the daughter of the ranch superintendent. When Audre confesses to Isabella that he loves another, she joyfully admits that she loves someone else, also. Audre and Erolina slip away during a feast and meet at a cabin, but they are surprised by Selistino Vargas, who, believing that his daughter has been dishonored, shoots Audre.
The Kiss
Polly Redhead
Jack Conway
Ella Hall, Gertrude Astor
Aside from the fact that Polly had red hair in abundance, she was not otherwise an exceptional child, save for one thing. She was willing to work and slave, if need be, to keep her baby brother, affectionately termed "The Lump," from being sent to the poor house. So she did housework and prepared breakfasts for John Ruffin, an attorney, and Hon. Gedge-Tompkins. John Ruffin's sister, Lady Osterly, has separated from her husband, and he holds their child. When Lady Osterly calls on Ruffin she is struck with the remarkable resemblance Polly bears to her own child. Ruffin and Lady Osterly formulate a plan to come into possession of her daughter, by using Polly as a substitute.
Polly Redhead
The Millionaire
Jack Conway
Herbert Rawlinson, Bert Roach
Jack Norman is an office clerk who falls in love with co-worker Kate Blair, a stenographer. He gets fired from his job but before this can really sink in, he suddenly inherits 80 million dollars from a financier who once loved his mother. The financier, Glyde, was murdered, so Norman also inherits a load of troubles involving the blackmailers who want to killed him. In his attempt to outwit them, Norman poses as a valet, and has a friend impersonate him.
The Millionaire
The Beckoning Trail
Jack Conway
J. Warren Kerrigan, Maude George
Carter Raymond is a New York playboy who squanders his inherited fortune. All he has left is an abandoned mine in California, so Carter goes West to work it. "Big Jim" Helton and his daughter Mary have been squatters on the mine for years, and "Placer" Murray, from an adjoining camp, has been trying to run them off. When Carter arrives, Mary shoots him, thinking he works for Murray. Mary soon realizes her mistake, and she and her father agree to nurse Carter back to health.
The Beckoning Trail
The Mainspring
Jack Conway
Ben F. Wilson, Francelia Billington
Finding himself penniless, Lawrence Ashmore, whose late father was ruined on the stock exchange, obtains a position as a reporter. Ashmore is assigned to investigate the reported fatal illness of Jesse Craven, one of Wall Street's financial monarchs.
The Mainspring
The Little Orphan
Jack Conway
Ella Hall, Jack Conway
Three bachelor buddies, David Clark (Jack Conway), Dick Porter (Richard LeReno), and Jerry Mathers (George Webb) adopt three Belgian children who have been orphaned by the war. David winds up with Rene Lescere (Ella Hall), who -- much to his dismay -- comes with a pet goat and chicken. But Rene comes to love her foster father and vice versa. In fact, she's determined to find him a wife who will also serve as a foster mom for her.
The Little Orphan
A Tale of Two Cities
Jack Conway
Ronald Colman, Elizabeth Allan
The exciting story of Dr. Manette, who escapes the horrors of the infamous Bastille prison in Paris. The action switches between London and Paris on the eve of the revolution where we witness 'the best of times and the worst of times' - love, hope, the uncaring French Aristocrats and the terror of a revolutionary citizen's army intent on exacting revenge.
A Tale of Two Cities
Libeled Lady
Jack Conway
Jean Harlow, William Powell
When a major newspaper accuses wealthy socialite Connie Allenbury of being a home-wrecker, and she files a multi-million-dollar libel lawsuit, the publication's frazzled head editor, Warren Haggerty, must find a way to turn the tables on her. Soon Haggerty's harried fiancée, Gladys Benton, and his dashing friend Bill Chandler are in on a scheme that aims to discredit Connie, with amusing and unexpected results.
Libeled Lady
Bond of Fear
Jack Conway
Roy Stewart, Belle Bennett
When stern Judge McClure gets into an argument with his younger brother John, a physical fight ensues in which the judge apparently kills John. In fear of the consequences, he runs off to the West and hires guide Cal Nelson to take him far into the desert. Along the way they meet Mary Jackson, and the judge, overcome by heat prostration, babbles out his secret.
Bond of Fear
The Killer
Jack Conway, Howard Hickman
Claire Adams, Jack Conway
Claire Adams as a girl forced to marry the man she suspects killed her father. When she refuses, she is virtually kept a prisoner along with kid-brother Frankie Lee until a handsome stranger (Jack Conway) rescues them.
The Killer
The Social Buccaneer
Jack Conway
J. Warren Kerrigan, Louise Lovely
While working in China for Nathan Goldberg, a New York Jewish importer, Chattfield Bruce comes to admire the Robin Hood philosophy of Wong Lee, who gives to the poor all the food, clothing and money that he steals from the rich. After Chattfield informs Wong Lee of a betrayal among his gang, Wong Lee gives him a ring that is guaranteed to give the wearer the allegiance of any Chinese throughout the world.
The Social Buccaneer
