Dallas M. Fitzgerald (August 13, 1876 – May 9, 1940) was an American motion picture director and producer, primarily in the silent era. He is also known as the writer of the Frank Buck

film serial A serial film, film serial (or just serial), movie serial, or chapter play, is a motion picture form popular during the first half of the 20th century, consisting of a series of short subjects exhibited in consecutive order at one theater, ge ...

Jungle Menace ''Jungle Menace'' (1937) is the first serial released by Columbia Pictures. Based on the success of Republic Pictures's 1936 serial ''Darkest Africa'', starring real-life animal trainer Clyde Beatty, Columbia made this exotic jungle serial ...

''.

Early life

Fitzgerald born in

La Grange, Kentucky La Grange is a home rule-class city in Oldham County, Kentucky, in the United States. The population was 10,067 at the time of the 2020 U.S. census. It is the seat of its county. A unique feature of the city is the CSX Transportation street-ru ...

to William Fitzgerald, a traveling salesman, and Jasie Fitzgerald.

Career

Fitzgerald was a director of low-budget films. He began acting in films in 1916. He was hired by Greater Pictures Corp. in 1917. He directed mostly action melodramas believing, according to a 1921 interview, that the "public likes pictures made outdoors."Hans J. Wollstein. Dallas M. Fitzgerald. Allmovie.com
/ref> In the late 1920s, Fitzgerald became a producer of the films ''

Wilful Youth ''Wilful Youth'' is a 1927 American silent drama film directed by Dallas M. Fitzgerald and starring Edna Murphy, Kenneth Harlan and Jack Richardson. It is based on the story "Whispering Pines" by Edith Sessions Tupper. Cast * Edna Murphy as ...

'' (1927) and ''

Golden Shackles ''Golden Shackles'' is a 1928 American silent drama film directed by Dallas M. Fitzgerald and starring Grant Withers, Priscilla Bonner and LeRoy Mason. Cast * Grant Withers as Frank Fordyce * Priscilla Bonner as Lucy Weston * LeRoy Mason ...

'' (1928) through low-budget

Peerless Pictures Peerless Pictures, originally Peerless Features, was an early film studio in the United States. Jules Brulatour was a co-founder. The Peerless studio was built in 1914 on Linwood Avenue in Fort Lee, New Jersey, when the town was the center of Amer ...

, which had been founded by

Jules Brulatour Pierre Ernest Jules Brulatour (April 7, 1870 – October 26, 1946) was a pioneering executive figure in American silent cinema. Beginning as American distribution representative for Lumiere Brothers raw film stock in 1907, he joined producer ...

. In the sound era, Fitzgerald wrote screenplays for such serials as ''The Black Coin'' (1936), ''The Clutching Hand'' (1936), and ''

The Great Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok ''The Great Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok'' (1938) is a Columbia Pictures movie serial. It was the fourth of the 57 serials released by Columbia and the studio's first Western serial. The serial was the first to be produced by Columbia person ...

'' (1938). He died in Los Angeles in 1940.

Partial filmography

*''The Open Door'' (1919) *''Chains of Evidence'' (1920) (*note:Library of Congress) * '' The Price of Redemption'' (1920) * ''

Blackmail Blackmail is a criminal act of coercion using a threat. As a criminal offense, blackmail is defined in various ways in common law jurisdictions. In the United States, blackmail is generally defined as a crime of information, involving a thr ...

'' (1920) *''

Cinderella's Twin ''Cinderella's Twin'' is a lost 1920 silent film comedy directed by Dallas M. Fitzgerald and starring Viola Dana. It was produced and distributed by Metro Pictures to poor audience reception. Plot Cast *Viola Dana as Connie McGill *Wallace ...

'' (1920) *''

The Off-Shore Pirate ''The Off-Shore Pirate'' is a 1921 American silent romantic comedy film produced and released by Metro Pictures and directed by Dallas Fitzgerald. The film was based on the short story " The Offshore Pirate" by F. Scott Fitzgerald, of no rela ...

'' (1921) *'' Puppets of Fate'' (1921) (*note:Cinemateca Brasileira-São Paulo) *'' Life's Darn Funny'' (1921) *'' Big Game'' (1921) *''

The Match-Breaker ''The Match-Breaker'' is a lost 1921 American silent romantic comedy film produced and distributed by Metro Pictures. It was directed by Dallas M. Fitzgerald and starred Viola Dana. Plot Cast *Viola Dana as Jane Morgan * Jack Perrin as Tho ...

'' (1921) *''

The Infamous Miss Revell ''The Infamous Miss Revell'' is a lost 1921 American silent mystery film directed by Dallas M. Fitzgerald and starring Alice Lake. It was produced and released by Metro Pictures. Plot Cast *Alice Lake as Julien Revell/Paula Revell *Cullen La ...

'' (1921) *'' Playing with Fire'' (1921) *''

The Guttersnipe ''The Guttersnipe'' is a 1922 American romance film directed by Dallas M. Fitzgerald and written by Wallace C. Clifton. The film stars Gladys Walton, Walter Perry, Kate Price, Jack Perrin, Sidney Franklin, and Carmen Phillips. The film was re ...

'' (1922) *''

Her Accidental Husband ''Her Accidental Husband'' is a 1923 American silent romance film directed by Dallas M. Fitzgerald and starring Miriam Cooper, Forrest Stanley, and Mitchell Lewis. It was released by the CBC Film Sales Corporation, which would later become Co ...

'' (1923) (*note:Cinematheque Quebecoise-Montreal) * '' After the Ball'' (1924) *''

Passionate Youth ''Passionate Youth'' is a 1925 American silent drama film directed by Dallas M. Fitzgerald and starring Beverly Bayne, Frank Mayo, and Pauline Garon. Plot As described in a film magazine reviews, Mary and John Rand have graduated from law sc ...

'' (1925) (*note:Cinemateca Brasileira, BFI Nat.l Film & TV) *''

Tessie "Tessie" is both the longtime anthem of Major League Baseball (MLB)'s Boston Red Sox and a 2004 song by the punk rock group Dropkick Murphys. The original "Tessie" was from the 1902 Broadway musical ''The Silver Slipper''. The newer song, writte ...

'' (1925) *''

My Lady of Whims ''My Lady of Whims'' is a 1925 American silent comedy film directed by Dallas M. Fitzgerald. The film was originally seven reels, but a shortened five reel version survives. This film starred Clara Bow at age 20. The ending scene from the fil ...

'' (1925) * '' The Princess on Broadway'' (1927) (*note:BFI Nat'l. Film & TV, incomplete) * ''

Woman's Law ''Woman's Law'' is a 1927 American silent drama film directed by Dallas M. Fitzgerald and starring Pat O'Malley, Lillian Rich, and Audrey Ferris.Munden p. 922 Cast * Pat O'Malley as Trooper Bucky O'Hare * Lillian Rich Lillian Rose Ric ...

'' (1927) * ''

The Rose of Kildare ''The Rose of Kildare'' is a 1927 American silent romance film directed by Dallas M. Fitzgerald and starring Helene Chadwick, Pat O'Malley and Henry B. Walthall. An Irish singer arrives at the gold mining town of Kimberley in South Africa, w ...

'' (1927) *''

Out of the Past ''Out of the Past'' (billed in the United Kingdom as ''Build My Gallows High'') is a 1947 American film noir directed by Jacques Tourneur and starring Robert Mitchum, Jane Greer, and Kirk Douglas. The film was adapted by Geoffrey Homes (Daniel ...

'' (1927) (*note:Bois d'Arcy) *''

Web of Fate ''Web of Fate'' is a 1927 American silent drama film directed by Dallas M. Fitzgerald and starring Lillian Rich, Henry Sedley and Eugene Strong.Langman & Finn p.296 Cast * Lillian Rich as Gloria Gunther / Beverly Townsend * Henry Sedley as Li ...

'' (1927) (*note:Library of Congress, BFI) *''

'' (1927) * ''

'' (1928) (*note:Library of Congress) *'' The Girl He Didn't Buy'' (1928) (*note:1 reel survives in foreign archive) *''

The Lookout Girl ''The Lookout Girl'' is a surviving 1928 silent film mystery directed by Dallas M. Fitzgerald and starring Jacqueline Logan. Cast *Jacqueline Logan - Dixie Evans *Ian Keith - Dean Richardson *William H. Tooker - Dr. *Lee Moran - Pete Mowbray *G ...

'' (1928) (*note:LoC Catalog has no holdings,...but the film is out on DVD) *'' Jazzland'' (1928) * ''

Maizie ''Maizie'' is a 1933 American drama film directed by Dallas M. Fitzgerald and starring Dorothy Lee, Lee Moran and John Darrow.Brotherton & Okuda p.162 It was shot at studios in Fort Lee in New Jersey. Cast * Dorothy Lee as Mazie * Lee Mora ...

'' (1933)

Work with Frank Buck

In 1937, Fitzgerald was a writer of the Frank Buck serial ''

''.

References

External links

* 1876 births 1940 deaths American male screenwriters People from La Grange, Kentucky Film directors from Kentucky Screenwriters from Kentucky Film producers from Kentucky 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American screenwriters {{LouisvilleMSA-stub