Jack O'Connell (May 2, 1923 – July 20, 2019) was an American filmmaker, actor & songwriter particularly noted for producing '' Greenwich Village Story'' (1963), ''Revolution'' (1968) and ''

Swedish Fly Girls ''Swedish Fly Girls'' is a 1971 Danish drama film, also known as ''Christa''. The English title is misleading, since the lead character, Christa, is Danish rather than Swedish. Plot Christa is a 23-year old Danish single mother, who as a stewardes ...

'' (1971).

Background

O'Connell was born in Boston, Massachusetts on May 2, 1923. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

he spent 3 years as a part of the

US Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...

, including 19 months of which were spent in Europe working in signal intelligence behind the German lines. Following the war, he graduated with an BA from

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...

in 1947, and an MBA from

Harvard Business School Harvard Business School (HBS) is the graduate school, graduate business school of Harvard University, a Private university, private Ivy League research university. Located in Allston, Massachusetts, HBS owns Harvard Business Publishing, which p ...

(Advertising and Marketing major) in 1949. Subsequently, O'Connell spent ten years working in advertising on

Madison Avenue Madison Avenue is a north-south avenue in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, New York, that carries northbound one-way traffic. It runs from Madison Square (at 23rd Street) to meet the southbound Harlem River Drive at 142nd Stree ...

, creating print advertising, poster advertising, and film

commercials A television advertisement (also called a commercial, spot, break, advert, or ad) is a span of television programming produced and paid for by an organization. It conveys a message promoting, and aiming to market, a product, service or idea. ...

for national and regional clients.

Filmmaker

O'Connell first involvement in film came with working on the Italian films ''

L'Avventura ''L'Avventura'' () is a 1960 drama film directed by Michelangelo Antonioni. Developed from a story by Antonioni with co-writers Elio Bartolini and Tonino Guerra, the film is about the disappearance of a young woman ( Lea Massari) during a boat ...

'' and ''

La Dolce Vita ''La Dolce Vita'' (; Italian for 'the sweet life' or 'the good life'Kezich, 203) is a 1960 satirical comedy-drama film directed by Federico Fellini and written by Fellini, Ennio Flaiano, Tullio Pinelli, and Brunello Rondi. The film stars M ...

'', both in 1960. O'Connell was noted for making films about the post-beat and hippie movements in San Francisco in the 1960s. O'Connell co-wrote some of the music for his films, such as ''Revolution'' played by Mother Earth in the film of the same name. This film also featured

Country Joe and the Fish Country Joe and the Fish was an American psychedelic rock band formed in Berkeley, California, in 1965. The band was among the influential groups in the San Francisco music scene during the mid-to-late 1960s. Much of the band's music was writ ...

Quicksilver Messenger Service Quicksilver Messenger Service is an American psychedelic rock band formed in 1965 in San Francisco. The band achieved wide popularity in the San Francisco Bay Area and, through their recordings, with psychedelic rock enthusiasts around the globe, ...

and

Steve Miller Band The Steve Miller Band is an American rock music, rock band formed in San Francisco, California in 1966. The band is led by Steve Miller (musician), Steve Miller on guitar and lead vocals. The group had a string of mid- to late-1970s hit singles ...

. In 1996, O'Connell released a revised version of ''Revolution'' labelled ''Hippie Revolution'', including interviews conducted in 1986 with people from the original version of the film, now speaking in hindsight about their experiences.

Filmography

References

External links

* American advertising executives Film directors from Massachusetts United States Army personnel of World War II Harvard Business School alumni Princeton University alumni 1923 births 2019 deaths Mass media people from Boston Place of death missing {{US-film-director-1920s-stub