John Paterson McGowan (February 24, 1880 – March 26, 1952) was a pioneering Hollywood

actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

and director and occasionally a

screenwriter A screenwriter (also called scriptwriter, scribe, or scenarist) is a person who practices the craft of writing for visual mass media, known as screenwriting. These can include short films, feature-length films, television programs, television ...

and producer. McGowan remains the only Australian to have been made a life member of the Screen Directors Guild (now Directors Guild of America).

Biography

Born in the then-bustling railway centre of Terowie in

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...

, McGowan grew up in

Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...

(Islington) and

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

(Eveleigh, now Redfern, and Newtown). He was a capable horseman and served in the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War (, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, Transvaal War, Anglo–Boer War, or South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer republics (the South African Republic and ...

with Montmorency's Scouts as a special dispatch rider. From South Africa McGowan was recruited to take part in a Boer War exhibit in the US at the 1904 World's Fair. He then began working in live

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a Stage (theatre), stage. The performe ...

, and in 1910 joined Kalem Studios in

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. That year McGowan made his first film appearance in '' A Lad from Old Ireland'' as part of the crew that traveled to Ireland to do the first American film shot on location outside of the United States. His horseback riding ability enabled him to do many of Kalem's riding stunts. McGowan directed and often acted in the first 33 episodes of Kalem's 1914

adventure film The adventure film is a broad genre of film. Some early genre studies found it no different than the Western film or argued that adventure could encompass all Hollywood genres. Commonality was found among historians Brian Taves and Ian Cameron in ...

series, '' The Hazards of Helen'', which eventually ran to 54 episodes, some still with McGowan's participation. With other contributors, the series ran on to 119 episodes in all. While filming he began a relationship with Helen Holmes, the film's star, and the two married. They left Kalem to set up their own production company, Signal Films, which successfully made mainly railroad melodrama serials and features but lost out when their distributor (Mutual) failed. The collaboration ended when they divorced in 1925. There was an adopted daughter, Kaye. McGowan successfully made the transition from

silent film A silent film is a film without synchronized 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) or key lines of dialogue may, w ...

to talkies. While never a major star, in a busy career that spanned four decades he is credited with acting in 232 films—mostly strong roles like sheriff or villain—writing 26 screenplays and directing 242 productions. In 1932 he directed a young

John Wayne Marion Robert Morrison (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), known professionally as John Wayne, was an American actor. Nicknamed "Duke", he became a Pop icon, popular icon through his starring roles in films which were produced during Hollywood' ...

in the 12-episode rail vs airplane serial '' The Hurricane Express'' for the independent Mascot Pictures. McGowan had a strong role in the Gene Autry picture ''Guns and Guitars'' but only the sidekick actors were noted on the poster From 1938 to 1951, as Executive Secretary of the Screen Directors Guild, he fought to secure recognition for the director within the studio systems of the film and emerging television industry. McGowan died in 1952 in Hollywood and was interred in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in

Glendale, California Glendale is a city located primarily in the Verdugo Mountains region, with a small portion in the San Fernando Valley, of Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is located about north of downtown Los Angeles. As of 2024, Glendale ha ...

. McGowan's career was celebrated in the town of his birth with the Terowie Days of Rail and Screen 2002–2010. The adventurous, stunt-filled partnership with Helen Holmes has been celebrated in the inventive bio-tribute, 'Stunt Love', which was presented at the Adelaide Film Festival in February 2011 and at Museum of Modern Art, New York, in April 2011.

Selected filmography

Director

*'' Tragedy of the Desert'' (1912) *'' The Hazards of Helen'' (1914 - 1915) *'' The Voice in the Fog'' (1915) *'' Blackbirds'' (1915) *'' Elmo the Mighty'' (1919) *'' Elmo the Fearless'' (1920) *'' Do or Die'' (1921) * '' Tiger True'' (1921) *'' Below the Deadline'' (1921) * '' Hills of Missing Men'' (1922) *'' Perils of the Yukon'' (1922) *'' Stormy Seas'' (1923) * '' One Million in Jewels'' (1923) * '' Red Blood'' (1925) * '' Blood and Steel'' (1925) *'' Mistaken Orders'' (1925) * '' Barriers of the Law'' (1925) * '' Riding Romance'' (1925) * '' Duped'' (1925) * '' Fighting Luck'' (1925) *'' The Fear Fighter'' (1925) * '' The Texas Terror'' (1925) * '' The Lure of the Track'' (1925) *'' Crack o' Dawn'' (1925) *'' Outwitted'' (1925) *'' Señor Daredevil'' (1926) *'' Crossed Signals'' (1926) * '' The Road Agent'' (1926) * '' Unseen Enemies'' (1926) *'' The Brown Derby'' (1926) *'' Danger Quest'' (1926) *'' The Lost Trail'' (1926) *'' Arizona Nights'' (1927) *'' The Lost Limited'' (1927) *'' Thunderbolt's Tracks'' (1927) *''Tarzan and the Golden Lion'' (1927) *'' The Red Raiders'' (1927) *'' The Slaver'' (1927) *'' Aflame in the Sky'' (1927) *'' The Chinatown Mystery'' (1928, serial) *'' Trailin' Back'' (1928) *'' Arizona Days'' (1928) *'' Trail Riders'' (1928) *'' On the Divide'' (1928) *'' West of Santa Fe'' (1928) *''

Manhattan Cowboy ''Manhattan Cowboy'' is a 1928 American silent film, silent Western (genre), Western film directed by J.P. McGowan and starring Bob Custer, Lafe McKee and Mary Mayberry.McGowan p.169 Cast * Bob Custer as Jack Steel * Lafe McKee as John Steel ...

'' (1928) *'' Lightnin' Shot'' (1928) *'' The Devil's Tower'' (1928) *'' Two Outlaws'' (1928) *'' Mystery Valley'' (1928) *'' Devil Dogs'' (1928) *'' Silent Trail'' (1928) *'' Texas Tommy'' (1928) *'' Law of the Mounted'' (1928) *'' The Painted Trail'' (1928) *'' The Black Ace'' (1928) * '' An Oklahoma Cowboy'' (1929) * '' Bad Men's Money'' (1929) * '' Wyoming Tornado'' (1929) * '' The Cowboy and the Outlaw'' (1929) * '' Riders of the Storm'' (1929) * '' Captain Cowboy'' (1929) * '' The Oklahoma Kid'' (1929) * '' Headin' Westward'' (1929) *'' The Clean Up'' (1929) *'' The Man from Nevada'' (1929) *'' Below the Deadline'' (1929) *'' Beyond the Law'' (1930) * '' Breezy Bill'' (1930) * '' Call of the Desert'' (1930) * '' The Canyon of Missing Men'' (1930) * '' Code of Honor'' (1930) *'' Quick Trigger Lee'' (1931) *'' Riders of the North'' (1931) *'' Headin' for Trouble'' (1931) *'' So This Is Arizona'' (1931) *'' The Cyclone Kid'' (1931) *'' A Son of the Plains'' (1931) *'' The Man from New Mexico'' (1932) *'' The Scarlet Brand'' (1932) *'' Tangled Fortunes'' (1932) * '' Mark of the Spur'' (1932) * '' Lawless Valley'' (1932) *'' The Hurricane Express'' (1932) *'' Human Targets'' (1932) *'' Deadwood Pass'' (1933) * '' War of the Range'' (1933) *'' When a Man Rides Alone'' (1933) *'' No More Women'' (1934) * '' The Outlaw Tamer'' (1935) *'' Stampede'' (1936) *'' Heart of the Rockies'' (1937) * ''Silent Sinclair'' (1937)

Actor

*'' Whispering Smith'' (1908) - George McCloud *'' From the Manger to the Cross'' (1912) - Wise Man 1 *'' The Hazards of Helen'' (1914, Serial) - Train Controller / Benton / Rand - Yeggman / Dan Haddon - Cowboy / Brandt - Cashier / Blake - Lineman / Rand - Fireman / Lockwood - Flagman / Warren - Railman / Thomas - Wiretapper Chief / Trow - Wrecking Crewman * '' Cold Steel'' (1921) * '' Hills of Missing Men'' (1922) * '' One Million in Jewels'' (1923) * '' The Patent Leather Pug'' (1925) * '' Red Blood'' (1925) * '' Fighting Luck'' (1925) * '' Barriers of the Law'' (1925) * '' Riding Romance'' (1925) * '' Makers of Men'' (1925) *'' Moran of the Mounted'' (1926) * '' The Royal American'' (1927) * '' The Devil's Tower'' (1928) * '' The Code of the Scarlet'' (1928) * '' Dugan of the Dugouts'' (1928) * '' An Oklahoma Cowboy'' (1929) * '' Señor Americano'' (1929) * '' The Cowboy and the Outlaw'' (1929) * '' Bad Men's Money'' (1929) * '' Wyoming Tornado'' (1929) * '' The Oklahoma Kid'' (1929) * '' Headin' Westward'' (1929) * '' Breezy Bill'' (1930) * '' When Lightning Strikes'' (1934) * '' The Outlaw Tamer'' (1935) *'' Fury and the Woman'' (1936)

References

External links