J.P. McGowan

Acting · Directing · Writing

Born February 23, 1880, Terowie, Australia

From Wikipedia John Paterson McGowan (February 24, 1880 – March 26, 1952) was a pioneering Hollywood actor and director and occasionally a screenwriter and producer. J. P. McGowan, as he was usually known, remains the only Australian to have been made a life member of the Screen Directors Guild (now Directors Guild of America). Born in the then-bustling railway centre of Terowie in South Australia, McGowan grew up in Adelaide (Islington) and Sydney. He was a capable horseman and served in the Second Boer War with Montmorency's Scouts as a special dispatch rider. McGowan directed and often acted in the first 33 episodes of Kalem's 1914 adventure film series, The Hazards of Helen, which eventually ran to 54 episodes, some still with McGowan's participation. 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 a series of railroad melodramas 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 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 in the 12-episode rail vs airplane serial The Hurricane Express for the independent Mascot Pictures. 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. J.P. McGowan died in 1952 in Hollywood and was interred in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California.

Filmography

• 1956Savage Fury — Ship's Captain
• 1951The Lady and the Bandit — Old Man
• 1939Code of the Fearless — Undetermined Minor Role
• 1939Stagecoach — Bit Part (uncredited)
• 1938Hunted Men — Cop
• 1938Kidnapped — Clansman
• 1938The Buccaneer — Jailer
• 1938The Great Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok — Scudder
• 1938Where the West Begins — Director
• 1937Borderland — El Rio Sheriff
• 1937Empty Holsters — U.S. Marshal Billy O'Neill
• 1937Heart of the Rockies — Ed Dawson
• 1937Hit the Saddle — Rance McGowan
• 1937Jungle Jim — Ship Captain J.S. Robinson
• 1937Prairie Thunder — Col. Stanton
• 1937Roaring Six Guns — Director
• 1937Rough Riding Rhythm — Pete Hobart, Director
• 1937She Had to Eat — Police Sergeant (uncredited)
• 1937Slave Ship — Helmsman
• 1937What Price Vengeance — Writer
• 1936Fury and the Woman — Anderson
• 1936Guns and Guitars — Dave Morgan
• 1936Ride 'Em Cowboy — Jim Howard
• 1936Robin Hood of El Dorado — Danglong
• 1936Secret Patrol — Blacksmith Barstow, Screenplay
• 1936Silverspurs — Webb Allison
• 1936Sinner Take All — Police Officer Murphy (uncredited)
• 1936Stampede — Matt Stevens
• 1936The Accusing Finger — Inner Guard
• 1936The Prisoner of Shark Island — Ship's Captain (uncredited)
• 1936The Three Mesquiteers — Brack Canfield
• 1935Bar 20 Rides Again — Buck Peters
• 1935Border Brigands — Inspector Winston - RCMP
• 1935Diamond Jim — Engineer
• 1935East of Java — Sergeant, Rescue Party
• 1935Les Misérables — Javert's Plainclothesman
• 1935Mississippi — Dealer (uncredited)
• 1935Murder in the Fleet — Chief of Police (Uncredited)
• 1935Rustlers of Red Dog — Capt. Trent [Chs. 3-4]
• 1935The Call of the Savage — Freighter Captain
• 1935The Lone Bandit — Director
• 1935The Outlaw Tamer — Sheriff Jim Porter, Director
• 1935The Silent Code — Commissioner
• 1935Whispering Smith Speaks — Caboose Passenger (uncredited)
• 1934No More Women — Captain of The Hawk
• 1934The Red Rider — Scotty McKee
• 1934Wagon Wheels — Couch
• 1934When Lightning Strikes — Lafe Broderick
• 1933Deadwood Pass — Director
• 1933Drum Taps — Director, Screenplay
• 1933Somewhere in Sonora — Monte Black
• 1933War of the Range — Director
• 1933When a Man Rides Alone — Director
• 1932Flaming Gold — Mack
• 1932Human Targets — Director
• 1932Lawless Valley — Big Mike Carter, aka El Lobo, aka Texas Rand, Director
• 1932Mark of the Spur — Director
• 1932Tangled Fortunes — Director
• 1932The Hurricane Express — Director, Screenplay
• 1932The Scarlet Brand — Director
• 1931Headin' for Trouble — Director
• 1931Quick Trigger Lee — Brings note / Director
• 1931Riders of the North — Director
• 1931Shotgun Pass — Director
• 1931So This Is Arizona — Director
• 1931The Cyclone Kid — Director
• 1930Beyond the Law — Director
• 1930Breezy Bill — Sheriff, Director
• 1930Canyon Hawks — Director
• 1930Covered Wagon Trails — Director
• 1930Near the Rainbow's End — Director
• 1930O'Malley Rides Alone — Angus McGregor, Director, Producer
• 1930The Call of the Desert — Director
• 1930The Canyon of Missing Men — Slug Sagel, Director
• 1930The Code of Honor — Director
• 1930The Hunted Men — Director
• 1930The Man from Nowhere — Director
• 1930The Oklahoma Sheriff — Director
• 1930The Parting of the Trails — Director
• 1930Under Texas Skies — Director
• 1930Western Honor — Director
• 1929'Neath Western Skies — Dugan, Director, Producer
• 1929A Texas Cowboy — Brute Kettle, Director
• 1929Bad Men's Money — Sheriff Bud Jennings, Director, Screenplay, Story
• 1929Below the Deadline — Taggart, Director
• 1929Captain Cowboy — Director, Writer
• 1929Code of the West — Director
• 1929Headin' Westward — Sneezer Clark, Director
• 1929Pioneers of the West — Tom Dorgan, Director, Adaptation, Producer
• 1929Plunging Hoofs — Jim Wales
• 1929Riders of the Rio Grande — Director
• 1929Señor Americano — Maddox
• 1929The Cowboy and the Outlaw — Pepper Hardcastle, Director
• 1929The Fighting Terror — Director
• 1929The Invaders — Director
• 1929The Last Roundup — Hash, Director
• 1929The Law of the Plains — Seagrue, Director
• 1929The Lawless Legion — Matson
• 1929The Man from Nevada — Director, Producer
• 1929The Oklahoma Kid — Director
• 1928Arizona Days — Ed Hicks, Director
• 1928Dugan of the Dugouts — Capt. von Brinken, Writer
• 1928Manhattan Cowboy — Director
• 1928Mystery Valley — Director, Writer
• 1928Painted Trail — Director
• 1928Ships of the Night — Motilla
• 1928The Black Ace
• 1928The Chinatown Mystery — Director
• 1928The Code of the Scarlet — Blake
• 1928The Devil’s Tower — George Stilwell, Director
• 1928The Lightnin’ Shot — Director, Writer
• 1928The Old Code — Raoul de Valle
• 1928Trail Raiders — Director, Writer
• 1928Trailin’ Back — Director, Writer
• 1928Two Outlaws — Abner Whitcomb
• 1927Arizona Nights — Jeff Decker
• 1927Gun Gospel — Bill Brogan
• 1927Red Signals — Jim Twyler, Director
• 1927Tarzan and the Golden Lion — Director
• 1927The Lost Limited — Thomas Webber, Director
• 1927The Outlaw Dog — Director
• 1927The Red Raiders — Captain Ortwell
• 1927The Royal American — Capt. Burke
• 1927The Slaver — ’Iron' Larsen
• 1927Thunderbolt's Tracks — Director
• 1927When a Dog Loves — Director
• 1926Crack O' Dawn — Earle Thorpe Sr.
• 1926Crossed Signals — Director
• 1926Moran of the Mounted — Sgt. Churchill
• 1926Perils of the Rail — Barker's Accomplice at Smelter Junction, Director
• 1926Senor Daredevil — Jesse Wilks
• 1926The Brown Derby — Writer
• 1926The Lost Express — Train Engineer, Director
• 1925A Desperate Chance — Director
• 1925Ambushed — Director
• 1925Barriers of the Law — Steve Redding, Director
• 1925Cold Nerve — Director
• 1925Duped — 'Hard Rock' Ralston, Director
• 1925Mistaken Orders — Director
• 1925Outwitted — Tiger McGuire, Writer, Director
• 1925Peggy of the Secret Service — Director
• 1925Red Blood — Eagle Custer, Director
• 1925The Ace of Clubs — Director
• 1925The Bandit Tamer — Director
• 1925The Fast Freight — Director, Scenario Writer
• 1925The Fighting Sheriff — Director
• 1925The Patent Leather Pug — James Curtis
• 1925The Road Agent — Director
• 1925Webs of Steel — Director
• 1924A Desperate Adventure — Director
• 1924A Two Fisted Tenderfoot — Stephen Lawlor, Director
• 1924Baffled — Jack Norton, Director
• 1924Courage — Director
• 1924Crossed Trails — 'Pepper' Baldwin, Director
• 1924The Whipping Boss — Livingston, Director
• 1923Stormy Seas — Capt. Morgan, Director
• 1922Captain Kidd — Director
• 1922Hills of Missing Men — Capt. Brandt / The Dragon, Director, Writer
• 1922Perils of the Yukon — Director
• 1921Below the Deadline — Director
• 1921Cold Steel — Steele Weir
• 1921Do or Die — Capt. Alvarez / Satan, Director
• 1921Tiger True — Director
• 1920Elmo the Fearless — Director
• 1920King of the Circus — Director
• 1920The Vanishing Dagger — Director
• 1919Elmo, the Mighty — Director
• 1919The Red Glove — Director
• 1918The Lure of the Circus — Director
• 1917The Hazards of Helen — Various roles, Director
• 1917The Lost Express — Director, Writer, Producer
• 1917The Railroad Raiders — Thomas Desmond, Director, Editor, Producer
• 1916A Lass of the Lumberlands — Director, Producer
• 1916Judith of the Cumberlands — Director, Producer
• 1916Medicine Bend — Whispering Smith, Director
• 1916The Diamond Runners — Director, Scenario Writer
• 1916The Manager of the B & A — Director
• 1916Whispering Smith — Whispering Smith, Director
• 1915A Deed of Daring — Director
• 1915A Desperate Leap — Director
• 1915A Life in the Balance — Director
• 1915A Race for a Crossing — Director
• 1915A Railroader's Bravery — Thomas - the Chief of the Gang, Director
• 1915A Wild Ride — Director
• 1915Blackbirds — Director
• 1915In Danger's Path — Director
• 1915Near Eternity — Director
• 1915The Box Car Trap — Director
• 1915The Broken Circuit — Director
• 1915The Broken Rail — Trow - of the Working Crew
• 1915The Broken Train — Warren - Railroad Employee, Director
• 1915The Death Train — Director
• 1915The Engineer's Peril — Director
• 1915The Fast Mail's Danger — Director
• 1915The Fate of Number One — Director
• 1915The Girl Engineer — Director
• 1915The Girl Telegrapher's Peril — Blake - a Lineman, Director
• 1915The Girl and the Game — Spike, Director, Writer
• 1915The Girl at Lone Point — Director
• 1915The Girl on the Engine — Director
• 1915The Girl on the Trestle — Director
• 1915The Hazards of Helen Ep26: The Wild Engine — Director
• 1915The Human Chain — Director
• 1915The Leap from the Water Tower — Rand - the Fireman, Director
• 1915The Little Engineer — Director
• 1915The Mettle of Jerry McGuire — Jerry McGuire, Director
• 1915The Midnight Limited — Director
• 1915The Open Drawbridge — Director
• 1915The Pay Train — Director
• 1915The Railroad Raiders of '62 — Lockwood - the old one-armed Flagman, Director
• 1915When Rogues Fall Out — Director
• 1914A String of Pearls — Director
• 1914Helen's Sacrifice — Benton, Director
• 1914His Nemesis — Mammoth - Manning's Business Rival, Director, Writer
• 1914Kaintucky Bill — Kaintucky Bill - a Moonshiner, Director
• 1914The Black Diamond Express — Dan Haddon - a Cowboy, Director
• 1914The Car of Death — Director
• 1914The Escape on the Limited — Brandt - a Defaulting Cashier, Director
• 1914The Flaw in the Alibi — Director
• 1914The Flying Freight's Captive — Rand - a Yeggman, Director
• 1914The Girl at the Throttle — Director
• 1914The Lost Mail Sack — Director
• 1914The Operator at Black Rock — Director
• 1914The Plot at the Railroad Cut — Director
• 1914The Stolen Engine — Director
• 1913A Sawmill Hazard — Director
• 1913The Pursuit of the Smugglers — Director
• 1913The Wives of Jamestown — The O’Rourke
• 1912An Arabian Tragedy
• 1912Captured by Bedouins — Lt. Greig
• 1912Dust of the Desert — Sheik Mohammad
• 1912Far from Erin's Isle
• 1912From the Manger to the Cross — Wise Man 1
• 1912His Mother — John Foster
• 1912Ireland, the Oppressed — Lord Kilhannack
• 1912The Grit of the Girl Telegrapher — Director
• 1912The Little Gluers — Valentine Hay
• 1912The Mayor from Ireland — Shamus Foley
• 1912The Poacher's Pardon — Mr. Wallace - the Gamekeeper
• 1912The Shaughraun — Corry Kinchela
• 1912Tragedy of the Desert — The Arab Sheik
• 1912Vagabonds — Big Jim
• 1912Winning a Widow
• 1911A Sawmill Hero
• 1911By a Woman's Wit
• 1911Railroad Raiders of '62 — Federal Officer
• 1911Rory O'More — Commander of the English troops
• 1911Slim Jim's Last Chance — The Rancher
• 1911The Colleen Bawn — Hardress Cregan
• 1911The Fiddler’s Requiem — Dolores' father
• 1911The Fishermaid of Ballydavid — Policeman
• 1911The Special Messenger — Royal
• 1911When the Dead Return — Jacques
• 1910The Lad from Old Ireland — Election Agent
• 1910When Lovers Part
• Danger Quest — Col. Spiffy