Tommy Atkins (director)
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Tommy Atkins (July 18, 1887 –June 18, 1968) was an American director of the silent and early
sound film A sound film is a Film, motion picture with synchronization, 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, bu ...
eras. Born on July 18, 1887, in
Springfield, Massachusetts Springfield is the most populous city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States, and its county seat. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers: the western Westfield River, the ea ...
, he made his entrance into the film industry as the assistant director to
Ralph Ince Ralph Waldo Ince (January 16, 1887 – April 10, 1937) was an American pioneer film actor, director and screenwriter whose career began near the dawn of the silent film, silent film era. Ralph Ince was the brother of John Ince (actor), John E. I ...
on the 1920 silent film ''Out of the Snows''. Eight years later, he made another film, again as assistant director, for FBO Pictures on another silent film, ''Crooks Can't Win''. He worked as the assistant director on another sixteen films between 1928 and 1934, the most notable of which was 1933's ''
Morning Glory Morning glory (also written as morning-glory) is the common name for over 1,000 species of flowering plants in the family Convolvulaceae, whose taxonomy and systematics remain in flux. These species are distributed across numerous genus, gene ...
'', directed by
Lowell Sherman Lowell Sherman (October 11, 1888 – December 28, 1934) was an American actor and film director. In an unusual practice for the time, he served as both actor and director on several films in the early 1930s. He later turned exclusively to dire ...
and starring
Katharine Hepburn Katharine Houghton Hepburn (May 12, 1907 – June 29, 2003) was an American actress whose Katharine Hepburn on screen and stage, career as a Golden Age of Hollywood, Hollywood leading lady spanned six decades. She was known for her headstrong ...
and
Douglas Fairbanks Jr. Douglas Elton Fairbanks Jr. (December 9, 1909 – May 7, 2000) was an American actor, producer, and decorated naval officer of World War II. He is best-known for starring in such films as '' The Prisoner of Zenda'' (1937), '' Gunga Din'' (1939), ...
In 1934 he directed his first picture, '' The Silver Streak'', which was one of the top money-makers for
RKO Pictures RKO Radio Pictures Inc., commonly known as RKO Pictures or simply RKO, is an American film production and distribution company, historically one of the major film studios, "Big Five" film studios of Cinema of the United States, Hollywood's Clas ...
that year. He directed two more films, the second of which, ''
Hi, Gaucho! ''Hi, Gaucho!'' is a 1935 American comedy film directed by Tommy Atkins (who also wrote the story), from a screenplay by Adele Buffington. Released by RKO Radio Pictures on October 11, 1935, the film stars John Carroll (in his first credited ro ...
'', he also wrote the story for. After ''Hi, Gaucho!'', Atkins left the film industry for the most part, although he did return in 1940 as an associate producer on the Academy Award-nominated
docudrama Docudrama (or documentary drama) is a genre of television show, television and feature film, film, which features Drama (film and television), dramatized Historical reenactment, re-enactments of actual events. It is described as a hybrid of docu ...
''The Fight for Life'', which was directed by
Pare Lorentz Pare Lorentz (December 11, 1905 – March 4, 1992) was an American filmmaker known for his film work about the New Deal. Born Leonard MacTaggart Lorentz in Clarksburg, West Virginia he was educated at Buckhannon-Upshur High School#History, Buck ...
, who also produced the film for the United States Film Service. Atkins died on June 18, 1968, in Los Angeles, California.


Filmography

(Per AFI database) All positions were as assistant director except where noted. *''
Out of the Snows ''Out of the Snows'' is a 1920 American silent drama film directed by Ralph Ince and starring Ince, Zena Keefe and Gladys Coburn. It was filmed on location in Lake Placid, New York, with Whiteface Mountain as a backdrop. Plot A member of th ...
'' (1920) *''
Blockade A blockade is the act of actively preventing a country or region from receiving or sending out food, supplies, weapons, or communications, and sometimes people, by military force. A blockade differs from an embargo or sanction, which are ...
'' (1928) *'' Crooks Can't Win'' (1928) *'' Danger Street'' (1928) *''
Hey Rube! ''Hey Rube!'' is a 1928 American silent drama film directed by George B. Seitz. Plot Cast * Hugh Trevor as String * Gertrude Olmstead as Lutie * Ethlyne Clair as Zelda * Bert Moorhouse as Moffatt (credited as Bert Moorehouse) * Walter McG ...
'' (1928) *'' Hit of the Show'' (1928) *'' The Singapore Mutiny'' (1928) *'' The Silver Horde'' (1930) *''
Three Who Loved ''Three Who Loved'' is a 1931 American Pre-Code drama film directed by George Archainbaud from a screenplay by Beulah Marie Dix based on a story by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Martin Flavin. The film revolves around a love triangle ( Betty C ...
'' (1931) *'' The Runaround'' (1931) *'' Thirteen Women'' (1932) *''
Men of Chance ''Men of Chance'' is a 1931 American pre-Code drama film directed by George Archainbaud, starring Ricardo Cortez, Mary Astor, and John Halliday. Plot A destitute Marthe Preston is in dire straits in Paris until gambler Richard Dorval comes to ...
'' (1932) *'' The Animal Kingdom'' (1932) *'' Song of the Eagle'' (1933) *'' Ann Vickers'' (1933) *''
Christopher Strong ''Christopher Strong'' (also known as ''The Great Desire'' and ''The White Moth'') is a 1933 American pre-Code romantic drama film produced by RKO and directed by Dorothy Arzner. It is a tale of illicit love among the English aristocracy and ...
'' (1933) *'' Midshipman Jack'' (1933) *''
Morning Glory Morning glory (also written as morning-glory) is the common name for over 1,000 species of flowering plants in the family Convolvulaceae, whose taxonomy and systematics remain in flux. These species are distributed across numerous genus, gene ...
'' (1933) *''
Our Betters ''Our Betters'' is a 1933 American pre-Code satirical comedy film directed by George Cukor and starring Constance Bennett, Anita Louise and Gilbert Roland. The screenplay by Jane Murfin and Harry Wagstaff Gribble is based on the 1917 play of ...
'' (1933) *'' Murder on the Blackboard'' (1934) *'' The Silver Streak'' (1934) - director *''
Hi, Gaucho! ''Hi, Gaucho!'' is a 1935 American comedy film directed by Tommy Atkins (who also wrote the story), from a screenplay by Adele Buffington. Released by RKO Radio Pictures on October 11, 1935, the film stars John Carroll (in his first credited ro ...
'' (1935) - director, story *'' Mutiny Ahead'' (1935) - director *''
The Fight for Life ''The Fight for Life'' is a 1940 American medical drama film directed by Pare Lorentz. The film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Score, Best Original Score of a Picture composed by Louis Gruenberg and released by Columbia Pic ...
'' (1940) - associate producer


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Atkins, Tommy 1887 births 1968 deaths Film directors from Massachusetts People from Springfield, Massachusetts