John Clein (1907–?) was an American film producer and film director, and was active in the United States and Britain. He produced and directed the 1939 film ''
Keep Punching'', whose cast was entirely composed of
African-Americans
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...
; Clein himself was
light-skinned.
Biography
Clein was born in 1907 in
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...
,
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...
.
He received plaudits for his casting efforts.
Clein made headlines in 1948 when he was kidnapped and forced to sign a contract for a dancer and an extra.
Filmography
Director
*''
Keep Punching'' (1939)
Producer
*''
Hearts of Humanity'' (1932)
[
*'']Two Hearts in Harmony
''Two Hearts in Harmony'' is a 1935 British comedy drama film directed by William Beaudine and starring Bernice Claire, George Curzon and Enid Stamp-Taylor.
Plot
A singer becomes the governess to the son of a widowed aristocrat.
Cast
* Berni ...
'' (1935)[
*'']The Mill on the Floss
''The Mill on the Floss'' is a novel by English author George Eliot, pen name of Mary Ann Evans, first published in three volumes on 4 April 1860 by William Blackwood and Sons. The first American edition was published by Harper & Brothers, Pub ...
'' (1936)
*'' Keep Punching'' (1939)[
*'' Passport to Shame'' (1958)
*'' Dr. Crippen'' (1962)
]
Other roles
*'' Before I Wake'', a.k.a. ''Shadow of Fear'' (1956) – credited as "Liaison"[
]
Theater
*''Devils Galore'' (1945)
*''Swan Song'' (1946), producer, released as Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre,Although ''theater'' is generally the spelling for this common noun in the United States (see American and British English spelling differences#-re, -er, American and British English spelling differences), many of the List of ...
References
External links
*
1907 births
Date of death unknown
{{more cats, date=May 2025
Mass media people from Pittsburgh
Film producers from Pennsylvania
Film directors from Pennsylvania