Irving Caminsky (October 9, 1888 – April 18, 1959) was an American movie actor and director.
Career
Born in New York City, Cummings started his acting career at age 16 in ''
Diplomacy
Diplomacy comprises spoken or written communication by representatives of states (such as leaders and diplomats) intended to influence events in the international system.Ronald Peter Barston, ''Modern diplomacy'', Pearson Education, 2006, p. ...
''. His Broadway, performances included ''In the Long Run'' (1909) and ''Object -- Matrimony'' (1916).
Acting in the Proctor Stock Company, Cummings appeared with Lillian Russell and other actresses.
He entered into movies in 1909, acting with the P. A. Powers company in Mount Vernon, New York, and quickly became a popular leading man. Few of the films he made as an actor are easily available, except for Buster Keaton's first feature film, ''
The Saphead
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...
'' (1920), in which Cummings plays a crooked stockbroker and Fred Niblo's film Sex (1920), one of the first films to depict a new phenomenon in 1920s America, the
Flapper
Flappers were a subculture of young Western women in the 1920s who wore short skirts (knee height was considered short during that period), bobbed their hair, listened to jazz, and flaunted their disdain for what was then considered acceptab ...
. Both films are readily available on home video, as well as '' The Round-Up'' (1920), a Western drama starring Roscoe Arbuckle (with the famous tagline "Nobody loves a fat man") and featuring Wallace Beery. Around that time, he started to direct action movies and occasional
comedies
Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term origin ...
.
In 1934, Cummings directed ''
Grand Canary
Gran Canaria (, ; ), also Grand Canary Island, is the third-largest and second-most-populous island of the Canary Islands, an archipelago off the Atlantic coast of Northwest Africa which is part of Spain. the island had a population of that co ...
'', and in 1929, he was nominated for an
Academy Award
The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
for his direction of ''
In Old Arizona
''In Old Arizona'' is a 1928 American pre-Code Western film directed by Raoul Walsh and Irving Cummings, nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Picture. The film, which was based on the character of the Cisco Kid in the 1907 story " ...
''.
Cummings was known for the big splashy 1930s Technicolor musicals with popular leading ladies such as Betty Grable,
Alice Faye
Alice Faye (born Alice Jeanne Leppert; May 5, 1915 – May 9, 1998) was an American actress and singer. A musical star of 20th Century-Fox in the 1930s and 1940s, Faye starred in such films as ''On the Avenue'' (1937) and ''Alexander's Ragtime B ...
20th Century Fox
20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Disn ...
.
Personal life and death
Cummings was married to Ruth Sinclair, and they had a son, screenwriter and producer Irving Cummings Jr.
On April 18, 1959, Cummings died at Cedars of Lebanon Hospital of a heart attack in Hollywood, California, at age 70.
Recognition
Cummings has a star at 6816 Hollywood Boulevard on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. It was dedicated on February 8, 1960. In 1943, as part of the 50th anniversary of the birth of the motion picture industry, Cummings was awarded the Thomas A. Edison Foundation Gold Medal for outstanding achievement in the arts and sciences.
Wrath of Love
''Wrath of Love'' is a 1917 American silent drama film directed by James Vincent and starring Virginia Pearson, Louise Bates and Irving Cummings.Solomon p.241
Cast
* Virginia Pearson as Roma Winnet
* Louise Bates as Ethel Clarke
* Irving Cu ...
The Struggle Everlasting
''The Struggle Everlasting'' is a 1918 American silent allegorical drama film directed by James Kirkwood, Sr. and starring stage star Florence Reed. It is based on a 1907 play, ''The Struggle Everlasting'', by Edward Milton Royle.
Cast
*Florenc ...
'' (1918)
* ''
The Heart of a Girl
''The Heart of a Girl'' is a lost 1918 American silent drama film directed by John G. Adolfi and starring Barbara Castleton, Irving Cummings and Charles Wellesley.Spehr p.187
Cast
* Barbara Castleton as Betty Lansing
* Irving Cummings as Br ...
'' (1918)
* ''
The Interloper
''The Interloper'' is a lost 1918 silent feature film directed by Oscar Apfel and starring Kitty Gordon.
Cast
*Kitty Gordon - Jane Cameron
* Irving Cummings - Paul Whitney
*Warren Cook - Whitney Pere
*Isabel Berwin - Mrs. Whitney
*June Blackman ...
Her Code of Honor
''Her Code of Honor'' is a 1919 American silent drama film directed by John M. Stahl and starring Florence Reed. Its alternate title was ''The Call of the Heart''. A print of it is held by the British Film Institute's National Film and Televisi ...
Some Bride
''Some Bride'' is a 1919 American silent comedy film directed by Henry Otto and produced and distributed by Metro Pictures. It stars Viola Dana.
Plot
As described in a film magazine, Patricia Morley (Dana) is a pretty, young bride whose flirtati ...
'' (1919)
* ''
Secret Service
A secret service is a government agency, intelligence agency, or the activities of a government agency, concerned with the gathering of intelligence data. The tasks and powers of a secret service can vary greatly from one country to another. Fo ...
What Every Woman Learns
''What Every Woman Learns'' is a 1919 American silent drama film directed by Fred Niblo.
Plot
Amy (Bennett) is married to a cad but visits another man who loves her and helps her endure her marriage. After a confrontation and struggle betwe ...
The Thirteenth Commandment
''The Thirteenth Commandment'' is a 1920 American silent drama film directed by Robert G. Vignola and written by Alice Eyton. The film stars Ethel Clayton, Charles Meredith, Monte Blue, Anna Q. Nilsson, Irving Cummings and Winter Hall. It is ...
The Saphead
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...
Old Dad
''Old Dad'' is a 1920 American drama film directed by Lloyd Ingraham and written by J. Grubb Alexander. It is based on the 1919 novel ''Old Dad'' by Eleanor Hallowell Abbott. The film stars Mildred Harris, John St. Polis, Myrtle Stedman, Irv ...
Girls' Dormitory
''Girls' Dormitory'' is a 1936 American romance film directed by Irving Cummings based upon the 1934 play ''Mature'' by Ladislas Fodor, and adapted for the screen by Gene Markey.
Plot
Set in the fictional Montreaux School for Girls in Switzerlan ...
Paid Back
''Paid Back'' is a 1922 American silent melodrama film, directed by Irving Cummings. It stars Gladys Brockwell, Mahlon Hamilton, and Stuart Holmes, and was released on August 28, 1922.
Cast list
* Gladys Brockwell as Carol Gordon
* Mahlon Ham ...
'' (1922)
* ''
Environment
Environment most often refers to:
__NOTOC__
* Natural environment, all living and non-living things occurring naturally
* Biophysical environment, the physical and biological factors along with their chemical interactions that affect an organism or ...
Stolen Secrets
''Stolen Secrets'' is a 1924 American silent mystery film directed by Irving Cummings and written by Rex Taylor. The film stars Herbert Rawlinson, Kathleen Myers, Edwards Davis, Henry Herbert, Arthur Stuart Hull, and William Conklin. The fi ...
'' (1924)
* ''
In Every Woman's Life
''In Every Woman's Life'' is a 1924 American drama film directed by Irving Cummings and written by Albert S. Le Vino. It is based on the 1920 novel ''Belonging'' by Olive Wadsley. The film stars Virginia Valli, Lloyd Hughes, Marc McDermott, G ...
The Rose of Paris
''The Rose of Paris'' is a 1924 American drama film directed by Irving Cummings and written by Melville W. Brown
Melville W. Brown (March 10, 1887 – January 31, 1938) was an American film director, screenwriter and occasional actor. He beg ...
Romance of the Underworld
''Romance of the Underworld'' is a 1928 American silent drama film produced and distributed by Fox Film Corporation. Directed by Irving Cummings and starring Mary Astor, it was based upon a stage play called ''A Romance of the Underworld'' by P ...
In Old Arizona
''In Old Arizona'' is a 1928 American pre-Code Western film directed by Raoul Walsh and Irving Cummings, nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Picture. The film, which was based on the character of the Cisco Kid in the 1907 story " ...
On the Level
''On the Level'' is the eighth studio album by English rock band Status Quo. It features Francis Rossi, Richard Parfitt, Alan Lancaster and John Coghlan. The album's cover art features band members in an Ames room, and on the original vinyl rel ...
A Holy Terror
''A Holy Terror'' is a 1931 American pre-Code Western movie starring George O'Brien, Sally Eilers, Rita La Roy, and Humphrey Bogart. The film is an adaptation by Ralph Block, Alfred A. Cohn, and Myron C. Fagan of the novel ''Trailin'!'' by ...
The Night Club Lady
''The Night Club Lady'' is a 1932 American pre-Code mystery film directed by Irving Cummings and starring Adolphe Menjou, Mayo Methot and Richard 'Skeets' Gallagher.Backer p.187 It was followed by a sequel '' The Circus Queen Murder'' in 1933 w ...
'' (1932)
* ''
Man Against Woman
''Man Against Woman'' is a 1932 American pre-Code crime film directed by Irving Cummings and starring Jack Holt, Lillian Miles (in her first starring role) and Walter Connolly. The film was originally known as ''Plainclothes Man''.
Synopsis
T ...
The Woman I Stole
''The Woman I Stole'' is a 1933 American pre-Code adventure film directed by Irving Cummings, starring Jack Holt, Fay Wray and Donald Cook. It is based on the novel ''Tampico'' by Joseph Hergesheimer, with the setting shifted from Mexico to Nor ...
Grand Canary
Gran Canaria (, ; ), also Grand Canary Island, is the third-largest and second-most-populous island of the Canary Islands, an archipelago off the Atlantic coast of Northwest Africa which is part of Spain. the island had a population of that co ...
Curly Top
Curly Top is a 1935 American musical romantic comedy film starring Shirley Temple, John Boles and Rochelle Hudson.
Plot
A bachelor wants to adopt an orphan, but she refuses to leave behind her older sister, so he adopts them both. The man eventu ...
Girls' Dormitory
''Girls' Dormitory'' is a 1936 American romance film directed by Irving Cummings based upon the 1934 play ''Mature'' by Ladislas Fodor, and adapted for the screen by Gene Markey.
Plot
Set in the fictional Montreaux School for Girls in Switzerlan ...
Merry-Go-Round of 1938
''Merry-Go-Round of 1938'' is a 1937 American comedy film directed by Irving Cummings and written by Monte Brice and A. Dorian Otvos. The film stars Bert Lahr, Jimmy Savo, Billy House, Alice Brady, Mischa Auer, Joy Hodges, Louise Fazenda, John ' ...
The Story of Alexander Graham Bell
''The Story of Alexander Graham Bell'' is a somewhat fictionalized 1939 biographical film of the famous inventor. It was filmed in black-and-white and released by Twentieth Century-Fox. The film stars Don Ameche as Bell and Loretta Young as Mab ...
That Night in Rio
''That Night in Rio'' is a 1941 Technicolor American musical comedy film directed by Irving Cummings and starring Alice Faye, Don Ameche (in a dual role as an American entertainer and an aristocratic businessman he is asked to impersonate tempora ...
Louisiana Purchase
The Louisiana Purchase (french: Vente de la Louisiane, translation=Sale of Louisiana) was the acquisition of the territory of Louisiana by the United States from the French First Republic in 1803. In return for fifteen million dollars, or ap ...
Sweet Rosie O'Grady
''Sweet Rosie O'Grady'' is a 1943 Technicolor musical film about an American singer who attempts to better herself by marrying an English duke, but is harassed by a reporter. Directed by Irving Cummings, it stars Betty Grable and Robert Young.
...
Double Dynamite
''Double Dynamite'' is a 1951 American musical comedy film directed by Irving Cummings and starring Jane Russell, Groucho Marx, and Frank Sinatra. The film was written by Leo Rosten (story), Melville Shavelson (screenplay), Mannie Manheim ( ...