
Arch Heath (July 15, 1890 – January 7, 1945), also known as A. B. Heath and Arch B. Heath, was an American
film director
A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, ...
and
screenwriter
A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based.
...
whose career spanned from the era of
silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized Sound recording and reproduction, recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) ...
s to the 1940s. He helped pioneer the introduction of the
sound film
A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decades passed befo ...
. Many of his early films are now considered
lost.
Heath was born in Brooklyn.
Before starting as a director, Heath played
semi-pro
''Semi-Pro'' is a 2008 American sports comedy film. The film was directed by Kent Alterman in his directorial debut, written by Scot Armstrong, and produced by Jimmy Miller. It stars Will Ferrell, Woody Harrelson, André Benjamin and Maura Tierne ...
baseball. He learned drawing as an office boy for a newspaper, and became a
cartoonist
A cartoonist is a visual artist who specializes in both drawing and writing cartoons (individual images) or comics (sequential images). Cartoonists differ from comics writers or comic book illustrators in that they produce both the literary an ...
for the
sports page
''Sports Page'' was a Canadian sports highlights television program that aired on CKVU-TV Vancouver from September 5, 1977 until August 31, 2001, and later on CHEK-TV Victoria, British Columbia, from September 2, 2001 until September 2, 2005. I ...
, finally succeeding
Herbert Johnson Herbert Johnson may refer to:
* Herbert Fisk Johnson Sr. (1868–1928), second-generation business magnate (S.C. Johnson & Son)
* Herbert Johnson (cartoonist) (1878–1946), American cartoonist
* Herb Johnson (footballer) (1879–1942), Australian ...
at the
Associated Newspapers Syndicate, signing his cartoons "Fields".
He started in movies by creating campaign films for the presidential campaign of
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of P ...
in 1914.
From cartooning he also moved on to movie
animation. He became general manager of production at
Eastern Film Corporation, based in New York City. At Eastern he produced his first
serial ''A Daughter of Uncle Sam'', directed by
James C. Morton
James Carmody Lankton (August 25, 1884 – October 24, 1942), known professionally as James C. Morton, was an American character actor. He appeared in more than 180 films between 1922 and 1942.
Career
Born in Helena, Montana, Morton is bes ...
, in 1918.
He moved to
Pathé Studios in New York. He directed his first serial, ''
The Masked Menace'', in 1927.
In 1930, when the studio moved to Hollywood, Heath was appointed "production manager of all two-reel comedies."
The Heath-directed 1928 film ''Melody of Love'' was "Universal's first 100 percent talkie feature," and "also may have been the first all-talking movie musical."
During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
Heath produced films for the
Signal Corps and the
Office of War Information
The United States Office of War Information (OWI) was a United States government agency created during World War II. The OWI operated from June 1942 until September 1945. Through radio broadcasts, newspapers, posters, photographs, films and other ...
.
He died at home in New York City on January 7, 1945.
The
Screen Writers Guild
The Screen Writers Guild was an organization of Hollywood screenplay authors, formed as a union in 1933. In 1954, it became two different organizations: Writers Guild of America, West and the Writers Guild of America, East.
Founding
Screenwriter ...
created the "Robert Meltzer Award" in honor of Heath, Meltzer and three others for "the writing of an American Film which, in addition to its value as entertainment, most effectively contributes to a better understanding or world problems."
Filmography
Director
* ''Beyond the Great Wall'', 1920, Eastern Productions, as A.B. Heath
* ''On Guard'', 1927,
Pathé
Pathé or Pathé Frères (, styled as PATHÉ!) is the name of various French businesses that were founded and originally run by the Pathé Brothers of France starting in 1896. In the early 1900s, Pathé became the world's largest film equipment ...
, as Arch B. Heath (serial, 10 chapters)
* ''
The Crimson Flash'', 1927,
Pathé
Pathé or Pathé Frères (, styled as PATHÉ!) is the name of various French businesses that were founded and originally run by the Pathé Brothers of France starting in 1896. In the early 1900s, Pathé became the world's largest film equipment ...
, as Arch B. Heath (serial, 10 chapters)
* ''
The Masked Menace'', 1927,
Pathé
Pathé or Pathé Frères (, styled as PATHÉ!) is the name of various French businesses that were founded and originally run by the Pathé Brothers of France starting in 1896. In the early 1900s, Pathé became the world's largest film equipment ...
(serial, 10 chapters)
* ''Came the Dawn'', 1928,
Hal Roach Studios
Hal Roach Studios was an American motion picture and television production studio. Known as ''The Laugh Factory to the World'', it was founded by producer Hal Roach and business partners Dan Linthicum and I.H. Nance as the Rolin Film Company on Ju ...
(with
Leo McCarey
Thomas Leo McCarey (October 3, 1898 – July 5, 1969) was an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. He was involved in nearly 200 films, the most well known today being ''Duck Soup'', '' Make Way for Tomorrow'', '' The Awful T ...
)
* ''
Mark of the Frog'', 1928,
Pathé
Pathé or Pathé Frères (, styled as PATHÉ!) is the name of various French businesses that were founded and originally run by the Pathé Brothers of France starting in 1896. In the early 1900s, Pathé became the world's largest film equipment ...
, (serial, 10 chapters)
* ''
That Night'', 1928,
Hal Roach Studios
Hal Roach Studios was an American motion picture and television production studio. Known as ''The Laugh Factory to the World'', it was founded by producer Hal Roach and business partners Dan Linthicum and I.H. Nance as the Rolin Film Company on Ju ...
(with
Leo McCarey
Thomas Leo McCarey (October 3, 1898 – July 5, 1969) was an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. He was involved in nearly 200 films, the most well known today being ''Duck Soup'', '' Make Way for Tomorrow'', '' The Awful T ...
)
* ''
Melody of Love'', 1928,
Universal
Universal is the adjective for universe.
Universal may also refer to:
Companies
* NBCUniversal, a media and entertainment company
** Universal Animation Studios, an American Animation studio, and a subsidiary of NBCUniversal
** Universal TV, a ...
* ''
Modern Love Modern Love may refer to:
Film
* ''Modern Love'' (1918 film), a silent film starring Mae Murray
* ''Modern Love'' (1929 film), a part-talking film distributed by Universal Pictures
* ''Modern Love'' (1990 film), a film by Robby Benson
* ''Mod ...
'', 1929,
Universal
Universal is the adjective for universe.
Universal may also refer to:
Companies
* NBCUniversal, a media and entertainment company
** Universal Animation Studios, an American Animation studio, and a subsidiary of NBCUniversal
** Universal TV, a ...
(part-talkie)
* ''Chills and Fever'', 1930,
Pathé
Pathé or Pathé Frères (, styled as PATHÉ!) is the name of various French businesses that were founded and originally run by the Pathé Brothers of France starting in 1896. In the early 1900s, Pathé became the world's largest film equipment ...
, as Arch B. Heath—writer and director
* ''Doctor's Orders'', 1930,
Hal Roach Studios
Hal Roach Studios was an American motion picture and television production studio. Known as ''The Laugh Factory to the World'', it was founded by producer Hal Roach and business partners Dan Linthicum and I.H. Nance as the Rolin Film Company on Ju ...
* ''Dangerous Youth'', 1930,
Pathé
Pathé or Pathé Frères (, styled as PATHÉ!) is the name of various French businesses that were founded and originally run by the Pathé Brothers of France starting in 1896. In the early 1900s, Pathé became the world's largest film equipment ...
, as Arch B. Heath
* ''Against the Rules'', 1931, RKO Pathé Pictures, as Arch B. Heath—writer and director
Writer
* ''
The Scarlet West'', 1925,
First National Pictures
First National Pictures was an American motion picture production and distribution company. It was founded in 1917 as First National Exhibitors' Circuit, Inc., an association of independent theatre owners in the United States, and became the count ...
, as A.B. Heath
* ''
It Can Be Done'', 1929,
Universal
Universal is the adjective for universe.
Universal may also refer to:
Companies
* NBCUniversal, a media and entertainment company
** Universal Animation Studios, an American Animation studio, and a subsidiary of NBCUniversal
** Universal TV, a ...
, as A.B. Heath
* ''Ride 'em Cowboy'', 1930,
Pathé
Pathé or Pathé Frères (, styled as PATHÉ!) is the name of various French businesses that were founded and originally run by the Pathé Brothers of France starting in 1896. In the early 1900s, Pathé became the world's largest film equipment ...
, as Arch B. Heath—writer and director
* ''Chills and Fever'', 1930,
Pathé
Pathé or Pathé Frères (, styled as PATHÉ!) is the name of various French businesses that were founded and originally run by the Pathé Brothers of France starting in 1896. In the early 1900s, Pathé became the world's largest film equipment ...
, as Arch B. Heath—writer and director
* ''
Hearts and Hoofs'', 1930, Pathé, (short, as Arch B. Heath)
* ''
Against the Rules
''Against The Rules'' is the fifth album by Russian singer-songwriter Dima Bilan, after winning the Eurovision Song Contest in 2008. It was released in 2009 in Russia and all over Europe.
The album is the English version of his recently release ...
'', 1931, RKO Pathé Pictures, (short, as Arch B. Heath)
*''
The Adventures of Captain Marvel'', 1941,
Republic (serial, 12 chapters)
*''
White Eagle White Eagle(s) may refer to:
History and politics
* Coat of arms of Poland, a white eagle
* Crusade of Romanianism, or White Eagles, a 1930s far-right movement in Romania
* Task Force White Eagle, a Polish military unit during the War in Afghanist ...
'', 1941,
Columbia
Columbia may refer to:
* Columbia (personification), the historical female national personification of the United States, and a poetic name for America
Places North America Natural features
* Columbia Plateau, a geologic and geographic region in ...
(serial, 15 chapters)
* ''
Against the Rules
''Against The Rules'' is the fifth album by Russian singer-songwriter Dima Bilan, after winning the Eurovision Song Contest in 2008. It was released in 2009 in Russia and all over Europe.
The album is the English version of his recently release ...
'', 1931, RKO Pathé Pictures, (short, as Arch B. Heath)
Other
*''
Show Boat
''Show Boat'' is a musical theatre, musical with music by Jerome Kern and book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. It is based on Edna Ferber's best-selling 1926 Show Boat (novel), novel of the same name. The musical follows the lives of the pe ...
'', 1929,
Universal
Universal is the adjective for universe.
Universal may also refer to:
Companies
* NBCUniversal, a media and entertainment company
** Universal Animation Studios, an American Animation studio, and a subsidiary of NBCUniversal
** Universal TV, a ...
(sound supervision,prologue directed by Arch Heath)
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Heath, Arch
1890 births
1945 deaths
American film directors
American male screenwriters
People of the United States Office of War Information
20th-century American male writers
20th-century American screenwriters