John Ronald Smight (March 9, 1925 – September 1, 2003) was an American theatre and film director. His film credits include ''

Harper Harper may refer to: Names * Harper (name), a surname and given name Places ;in Canada *Harper Islands, Nunavut *Harper, Prince Edward Island ;In the United States *Harper, former name of Costa Mesa, California in Orange County * Harper, Illi ...

'' (1966), '' No Way to Treat a Lady'' (1968), '' Airport 1975'' (1974), '' Midway'' (1976), and '' Fast Break'' (1979).

Biography

Smight was born in

Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origi ...

and went to Cretin High School with future actor Peter Graves. He joined the Army Air Forces, flying missions in the Pacific during World War II, before earning his degree at the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public land-grant research university in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. ...

. He then sought work as an actor. He worked as a radio actor and had a bit part in a stage production of '' Anna Lucasta''. He became stage manager for TV's ''The Good Egg of the Week'' and then assistant director on '' The Colgate Comedy Hour'' and '' The Dennis Day Show''. He said a big break was working on '' Visit to a Small Planet'' with

Cyril Ritchard Cyril Joseph Trimnell-Ritchard (1 December 1898 – 18 December 1977), known professionally as Cyril Ritchard, was an Australian stage, screen and television actor, and director. He is best remembered today for his performance as Captain Hook in ...

. In 1959, he won an Emmy for his direction of the hour-long play ''Eddie'', which starred

Mickey Rooney Mickey Rooney (born Joseph Yule Jr.; other pseudonym Mickey Maguire; September 23, 1920 – April 6, 2014) was an American actor. In a career spanning nine decades, he appeared in more than 300 films and was among the last surviving stars of the ...

. He directed the 1960 Broadway play ''

The 49th Cousin ''The 49th Cousin'' is a play by Florence Lowe and Caroline Francke. The work premiered on Broadway at the Ambassador Theatre on 27 October 1960 and closed after 102 performances on January 21, 1961.Volume 42 - Page 303 The production was dire ...

''. He directed episodes for ''

The Twilight Zone ''The Twilight Zone'' is an American media franchise based on the anthology television series created by Rod Serling. The episodes are in various genres, including fantasy, science fiction, absurdism, dystopian fiction, suspense, horror, sup ...

'' and '' The Alfred Hitchcock Hour''. Smight's first feature film was ''

I'd Rather Be Rich ''I'd Rather Be Rich'' is a 1964 romantic comedy film with musical aspects directed by Jack Smight, produced by Ross Hunter and starring Sandra Dee. The film focuses on a dying man who wishes to meet his granddaughter's fiancé, but he is unavaila ...

'' (1964), a remake of '' It Started with Eve'' (1941). Smight said "it was not a particularly good script but it opened up a whole new life for me."Hollywood Kind to TV Directors Los Angeles Times 17 May 1966: c9. Smight then signed a contract with Warners to make six films at one a year. He produced and directed ''

The Third Day ''The Third Day'' is a 1965 suspense thriller film directed by Jack Smight and starring George Peppard and Elizabeth Ashley. It was based on a novel by Joseph Hayes. Plot Steve Mallory has been involved in a car crash, and it appears he has k ...

'' (1965) and then directed the

Paul Newman Paul Leonard Newman (January 26, 1925 – September 26, 2008) was an American actor, film director, race car driver, philanthropist, and entrepreneur. He was the recipient of numerous awards, including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, three ...

starring vehicle ''

'' (1966), a big hit. He followed that with the British action comedy,

Kaleidescope A kaleidoscope () is an optical instrument with two or more reflecting surfaces (or mirrors) tilted to each other at an angle, so that one or more (parts of) objects on one end of these mirrors are shown as a regular symmetrical pattern when v ...

with

Warren Beatty Henry Warren Beatty (né Beaty; born March 30, 1937) is an American actor and filmmaker, whose career spans over six decades. He was nominated for 15 Academy Awards, including four for Best Actor, four for Best Picture, two for Best Director, ...

. In 1966 he signed a three-picture deal with the Mirisch Brothers and bought the rights to the novel ''The Illustrated Man''.MOVIE CALL SHEET: Jack Smight Signs Contract Los Angeles Times 12 Dec 1966: D25. In 1968, he directed the cult classic comedic thriller '' No Way to Treat a Lady'', starring

Rod Steiger Rodney Stephen Steiger (; April 14, 1925July 9, 2002, aged 77) was an American actor, noted for his portrayal of offbeat, often volatile and crazed characters. Cited as "one of Hollywood's most charismatic and dynamic stars," he is closely assoc ...

and

George Segal George Segal Jr. (February 13, 1934 – March 23, 2021) was an American actor. He became popular in the 1960s and 1970s for playing both dramatic and comedic roles. After first rising to prominence with roles in acclaimed films such as ''Ship o ...

. Other notable films directed by Smight include '' Airport 1975'' (1974) and '' Midway'' (1976). Smight's last film was a US-Swiss co-production, '' The Favorite'' (1989), also known as La Nuit du serail. Smight died of cancer in Los Angeles in 2003.

Filmography

Film

Television

Television Series Television Films

Awards & Nominations

References

External links

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Obituary-Jack Smight
The Guardian {{DEFAULTSORT:Smight, Jack Artists from Minneapolis 1925 births 2003 deaths Deaths from cancer in California Film directors from Minnesota Film producers from Minnesota