Allan Dwan
Encyclopedia
Allan Dwan was a pioneering Canadian
-born American motion picture
director
, producer and screenwriter.
, Ontario
, Canada
, Dwan moved with his family to the United States when he was 11 years old. At the University of Notre Dame, he trained as an engineer and began working for a lighting company in Chicago
. However, he had a strong interest in the fledgling motion picture industry and when Essanay Studios
offered him the opportunity to become a scriptwriter, he took the job. At that time, some of the East Coast
movie makers began to spend winters in California
where the climate allowed them to continue productions requiring warm weather. Soon, a number of movie companies worked there year-round and, in 1911, Dwan began working part time in Hollywood. While still in New York
, in 1917 he was the founding president of the East Coast chapter of the Motion Picture Directors Association
.
from August, 1911 to July, 1912. Flying A was one of the first motion pictures studios in California history. On August 12, 2011, a plaque was unveiled on the Wolff building at Third Ave and La Mesa Bl commemorating Dwan and the Flying A Studios origins in La Mesa, California
.
After making a series of westerns and comedies, Dwan directed fellow Canadian Mary Pickford
in several very successful movies as well as her husband, Douglas Fairbanks
, notably in the acclaimed 1922 Robin Hood
.
Following the introduction of the talkies
, in 1937 he directed child-star Shirley Temple
in Heidi
and Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm
the following year.
Dwan also helped launch the career of two other very successful Hollywood directors, Victor Fleming
, who went on to direct the The Wizard of Oz (1939 film)
and Gone with the Wind (film)
, and Marshall Neilan
, who became an actor, director, writer and producer.
Over his long and successful career spanning over 50 years, he directed over 400 motion pictures, many of them highly acclaimed, such as the 1949 box office smash, Sands of Iwo Jima
. He directed his last movie in 1961.
He died in Los Angeles at the age of ninety-six, and is interred in the San Fernando Mission Cemetery
, Mission Hills
, California
.
Allan Dwan has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
at 6263 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
-born American motion picture
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
, producer and screenwriter.
Early life
Born Joseph Aloysius Dwan in TorontoToronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Dwan moved with his family to the United States when he was 11 years old. At the University of Notre Dame, he trained as an engineer and began working for a lighting company in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. However, he had a strong interest in the fledgling motion picture industry and when Essanay Studios
Essanay Studios
The Essanay Film Manufacturing Company was an American motion picture studio. It is best known today for its series of Charlie Chaplin comedies of 1915.-Founding:...
offered him the opportunity to become a scriptwriter, he took the job. At that time, some of the East Coast
East Coast of the United States
The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, refers to the easternmost coastal states in the United States, which touch the Atlantic Ocean and stretch up to Canada. The term includes the U.S...
movie makers began to spend winters in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
where the climate allowed them to continue productions requiring warm weather. Soon, a number of movie companies worked there year-round and, in 1911, Dwan began working part time in Hollywood. While still in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, in 1917 he was the founding president of the East Coast chapter of the Motion Picture Directors Association
Motion Picture Directors Association
The Motion Picture Directors Association was an American non-profit fraternal organization formed by twenty-six film directors on June 18, 1915 in Los Angeles, California.Its articles of incorporation stated as that the organization existed to:...
.
Career
Dwan operated Flying A Studios in La Mesa, CaliforniaLa Mesa, California
La Mesa is a city in San Diego County, California. The population was 57,065 at the 2010 census, up from 54,749 at the 2000 census. It was founded in 1869 and officially incorporated as a city on February 16, 1912. Its official flower is the bougainvillea....
from August, 1911 to July, 1912. Flying A was one of the first motion pictures studios in California history. On August 12, 2011, a plaque was unveiled on the Wolff building at Third Ave and La Mesa Bl commemorating Dwan and the Flying A Studios origins in La Mesa, California
La Mesa, California
La Mesa is a city in San Diego County, California. The population was 57,065 at the 2010 census, up from 54,749 at the 2000 census. It was founded in 1869 and officially incorporated as a city on February 16, 1912. Its official flower is the bougainvillea....
.
After making a series of westerns and comedies, Dwan directed fellow Canadian Mary Pickford
Mary Pickford
Mary Pickford was a Canadian-born motion picture actress, co-founder of the film studio United Artists and one of the original 36 founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences...
in several very successful movies as well as her husband, Douglas Fairbanks
Douglas Fairbanks
Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. was an American actor, screenwriter, director and producer. He was best known for his swashbuckling roles in silent films such as The Thief of Bagdad, Robin Hood, and The Mark of Zorro....
, notably in the acclaimed 1922 Robin Hood
Robin Hood (1922 film)
Robin Hood is the first motion picture ever to have a Hollywood premiere, held at Grauman's Egyptian Theatre on October 18, 1922. The movie's full title, under which it was copyrighted, is Douglas Fairbanks in Robin Hood, as shown in the illustration at right...
.
Following the introduction of the talkies
Sound film
A sound film is a motion picture with 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, but decades would pass before sound motion pictures were made commercially...
, in 1937 he directed child-star Shirley Temple
Shirley Temple
Shirley Temple Black , born Shirley Jane Temple, is an American film and television actress, singer, dancer, autobiographer, and former U.S. Ambassador to Ghana and Czechoslovakia...
in Heidi
Heidi
Heidi is a Swiss work of fiction, published in two parts as Heidi's years of learning and travel and Heidi makes use of what she has learned.It is a novel about the events in the life of a young girl in her grandfather's care, in the Swiss Alps...
and Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm
Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm (1938 film)
Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm is a 1938 American musical film directed by Allan Dwan and starring Shirley Temple, Randolph Scott, and Bill Robinson. The screenplay by Don Ettlinger and Karl Tunberg is loosely based on Kate Douglas Wiggin's novel Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm...
the following year.
Dwan also helped launch the career of two other very successful Hollywood directors, Victor Fleming
Victor Fleming
Victor Lonzo Fleming was an American film director, cinematographer, and producer. His most popular films were The Wizard of Oz , and Gone with the Wind , for which he won an Academy Award for Best Director.-Life and career:Fleming was born in La Canada, California, the son of Elizabeth Evaleen ...
, who went on to direct the The Wizard of Oz (1939 film)
The Wizard of Oz (1939 film)
The Wizard of Oz is a 1939 American musical fantasy film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was directed primarily by Victor Fleming. Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson and Edgar Allan Woolf received credit for the screenplay, but there were uncredited contributions by others. The lyrics for the songs...
and Gone with the Wind (film)
Gone with the Wind (film)
Gone with the Wind is a 1939 American historical epic film adapted from Margaret Mitchell's Pulitzer-winning 1936 novel of the same name. It was produced by David O. Selznick and directed by Victor Fleming from a screenplay by Sidney Howard...
, and Marshall Neilan
Marshall Neilan
Marshall Ambrose Neilan was an American motion picture actor, screenwriter, film director, and producer.-Early life:...
, who became an actor, director, writer and producer.
Over his long and successful career spanning over 50 years, he directed over 400 motion pictures, many of them highly acclaimed, such as the 1949 box office smash, Sands of Iwo Jima
Sands of Iwo Jima
Sands of Iwo Jima is a 1949 war film that follows a group of United States Marines from training to the Battle of Iwo Jima during World War II. It stars John Wayne, John Agar, Adele Mara and Forrest Tucker. The movie was written by Harry Brown and James Edward Grant and directed by Allan Dwan...
. He directed his last movie in 1961.
He died in Los Angeles at the age of ninety-six, and is interred in the San Fernando Mission Cemetery
San Fernando Mission Cemetery
The San Fernando Mission Cemetery is a Catholic cemetery located at 11160 Stranwood Avenue in the Mission Hills community of the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles, California, near the San Fernando Mission....
, Mission Hills
Mission Hills, California
Mission Hills is a census-designated place in Santa Barbara County, California, a short distance north of Lompoc on Highway 1. The population was 3,576 at the 2010 census, up from 3,142 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
Allan Dwan has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Hollywood Walk of Fame
The Hollywood Walk of Fame consists of more than 2,400 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along fifteen blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, California...
at 6263 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood.
Selected films
As a director:- The Gold Lust (1911)
- The Restless SpiritThe Restless SpiritThe Restless Spirit is a 1913 silent drama film directed by Allan Dwan and featuring Lon Chaney, Sr. in an uncredited role. The film is now considered to be lost.-Cast:* J. Warren Kerrigan - Husband* Pauline Bush - Wife* Jessalyn Van Trump - Woman...
(1913) - Back to LifeBack to Life (1913 film)Back to Life is a 1913 silent drama film directed by Allan Dwan and featuring Lon Chaney, Sr. The film is now considered to be lost.-Cast:* Pauline Bush - The Wife* J. Warren Kerrigan - Destiny's Victim* William Worthington - The Gambler...
(1913) - Bloodhounds of the NorthBloodhounds of the NorthBloodhounds of the North is a 1913 silent drama film directed by Allan Dwan and featuring Lon Chaney, Sr. The film is now considered to be lost.-Cast:* Murdock MacQuarrie - Mountie* Pauline Bush - Embezzler's Daughter* William Lloyd - The Embezzler...
(1913) - The LieThe Lie (1914 film)The Lie is a 1914 American silent drama film directed by Allan Dwan and featuring Lon Chaney, Sr. The film is now considered to be lost. -Cast:* Murdock MacQuarrie as Auld MacGregor* Pauline Bush as Mac's Daughter* William Lloyd as Mac's Brother...
(1914) - The Honor of the MountedThe Honor of the MountedThe Honor of the Mounted is a 1914 silent drama film directed by Allan Dwan and featuring Lon Chaney, Sr. The film is now considered to be lost.-Cast:* Murdock MacQuarrie - Mountie* Pauline Bush - Marie Laquox* Lon Chaney, Sr. - Jacques Laquox...
(1914) - Remember Mary Magdelen (1914)
- Discord and HarmonyDiscord and HarmonyDiscord and Harmony is a 1914 silent drama film directed by Allan Dwan and featuring Lon Chaney, Sr. The film is now considered to be lost.-Cast:* Murdock MacQuarrie - The Composer* Pauline Bush - The Girl* Allan Forrest - The Artist...
(1914) - The Embezzler (1914)
- The Lamb, the Woman, the WolfThe Lamb, the Woman, the WolfThe Lamb, the Woman, the Wolf is a 1914 silent drama film directed by Allan Dwan and featuring Lon Chaney, Sr. The film is now considered to be lost.-Cast:* Murdock MacQuarrie - The Lamb* Pauline Bush - The Woman* Lon Chaney, Sr. - The Wolf...
(1914) - The End of the FeudThe End of the FeudThe End of the Feud was a 1914 silent drama film directed by Allan Dwan and featuring Lon Chaney, Sr. The film is now considered to be lost.-Cast:* Murdock MacQuarrie - Hen Dawson* Pauline Bush - June* Lon Chaney, Sr. - Wood Dawson...
(1914) - The Tragedy of Whispering CreekThe Tragedy of Whispering CreekThe Tragedy of Whispering Creek is a 1914 silent Western film directed by Allan Dwan and featuring Lon Chaney, Sr. The film is now considered to be lost.-Cast:* Murdock MacQuarrie - The Stranger* Pauline Bush - The Orphan...
(1914) - The Unlawful TradeThe Unlawful TradeThe Unlawful Trade is a 1914 silent drama film directed by Allan Dwan and featuring Lon Chaney, Sr. The film is now considered to be lost.-Cast:* Pauline Bush - Amy Tate* William Lloyd - Old Tate* George Cooper - Young Tate...
(1914) - The Forbidden RoomThe Forbidden RoomThe Forbidden Room is a 1914 silent drama film directed by Allan Dwan and featuring Lon Chaney, Sr. The film is now considered to be lost.-Cast:* Murdock MacQuarrie - Dr. James Gibson* Pauline Bush - Gibson's sister / niece...
(1914) - The Hopes of Blind AlleyThe Hopes of Blind AlleyThe Hopes of Blind Alley is a 1914 silent drama film directed by Allan Dwan and featuring Lon Chaney, Sr. The film is now considered to be lost.-Cast:* Pauline Bush - Pauline* Murdock MacQuarrie - Jean Basse* William C. Dowlan - Unsuccessful Artist...
(1914) - RichelieuRichelieu (film)Richelieu is a 1914 silent drama film directed by Allan Dwan and featuring Lon Chaney, Sr. The film is now considered to be lost. It is based on a play written by Edward George Bulwer-Lytton.-Cast:* Murdock MacQuarrie - Cardinal Richelieu* William C...
(1914) - WildflowerWildflower (1914 film)Wildflower was a 1914 American silent romantic drama film produced by Adolph Zukor and directed by Allan Dwan. It starred stage actress Marguerite Clark in her first motion picture. Clark would be one of the few stage stars to go on to superstardom in silent pictures...
(1914) - A Small Town GirlA Small Town GirlA Small Town Girl is a 1915 silent drama film directed by Allan Dwan and featuring Lon Chaney, Sr. The film is now considered to be lost.-Cast:* Pauline Bush - Ruth* William Lloyd - Hotel Proprietor* Lon Chaney, Sr. - The Procurer...
(1915) - David Harum (1915)
- A Girl of YesterdayA Girl of YesterdayA Girl of Yesterday is a 1915 film produced by Adolph Zukor's Famous Players company and released by Paramount Pictures. It was directed by Allan Dwan and starred Mary Pickford. Pickford at last played a mature woman more or less her own age. The picture costarred Frances Marion, soon to be a...
(1915) - The Pretty Sister of JoseThe Pretty Sister of Jose (1915 film)The Pretty Sister of Jose is a silent film from 1915 produced by Daniel Frohman and distributed by Adolph Zukor's Famous Players film company. It was directed by Allan Dwan and starred Marguerite Clark and Jack Pickford, the brother of Clark's industry rival...
(1915) - Manhattan Madness (1916)
- Fairbanks Fine Arts (1916)
- Fairbanks Fragments (1916–1918) also screenwriter
- Accusing EvidenceAccusing EvidenceAccusing Evidence is a 1916 silent Western film directed by Allan Dwan and starring Lon Chaney, Sr....
(1916) - An Innocent MagdaleneAn Innocent MagdaleneAn Innocent Magdalene is a 1916 silent drama film directed by Allan Dwan.-Cast:* Lillian Gish - Dorothy Raleigh* Spottiswoode Aitken - Col. Raleigh* Sam De Grasse - Forbes Stewart* Mary Alden - The Woman* Seymour Hastings - The Preacher...
(1916) - Headin' SouthHeadin' SouthHeadin' South is a comedy film directed by Allan Dwan and starring Douglas Fairbanks. A lost film.-Cast:* Douglas Fairbanks - Headin' South* Frank Campeau - Spanish Joe* Katherine MacDonald - The Girl* Jim Mason - His Aide...
(1918) - Mr. Fix-ItMr. Fix-It (1918 film)Mr. Fix-It is a silent film comedy starring Douglas Fairbanks, Marjorie Daw, and Wanda Hawley, directed by Allan Dwan at Artcraft Pictures, and released by Paramount Pictures.-Preservation status:...
(1918) - Robin HoodRobin Hood (1922 film)Robin Hood is the first motion picture ever to have a Hollywood premiere, held at Grauman's Egyptian Theatre on October 18, 1922. The movie's full title, under which it was copyrighted, is Douglas Fairbanks in Robin Hood, as shown in the illustration at right...
(1922) - Stage StruckStage Struck (1925 film)Stage Struck is a silent comedy film starring Gloria Swanson, Lawrence Gray, Gertrude Astor, and Ford Sterling. The film was directed by Allan Dwan, and released by Paramount Pictures with sequences filmed in the early two-color Technicolor. The film, including its Technicolor sequences was...
(1925) - The Joy GirlThe Joy GirlThe Joy Girl is an American silent comedy film starring Olive Borden, and based on the novel of the same name by May Edginton.-Plot:...
(1927) - The Iron MaskThe Iron MaskThe Iron Mask is a part-talkie film adaptation of the last section of the novel The Vicomte de Bragelonne by Alexandre Dumas, père, which is itself based on the French legend of The Man in the Iron Mask...
(1929) - Tide of EmpireTide of EmpireTide of Empire is an American western film directed by Allan Dwan. The film stars Renee Adoree and Tom Keene. The film was originally slated to star Joan Crawford in the female lead, but the final filming had Renee Adoree instead of Crawford...
(1929)
- Counsel's OpinionCounsel's OpinionCounsel's Opinion is a 1933 British romantic comedy film starring Henry Kendall and Binnie Barnes. It was one of three films directed in Britain in the early 1930s by Canadian-American Allan Dwan and was an early production from Alexander Korda's London Films...
(1933) - HeidiHeidi (1937 film)Heidi is a 1937 American dramatic film directed by Allan Dwan. The screenplay by Julien Josephson and Walter Ferris was based on the 1880 children's story of the same name by Swiss author Johanna Spyri. The film is about an orphan named Heidi who is taken from her grandfather to live as a...
(1937) - Rebecca of Sunnybrook FarmRebecca of Sunnybrook FarmRebecca of Sunnybrook Farm is a classic American 1903 children's novel by Kate Douglas Wiggin that tells the story of Rebecca Rowena Randall and her two stern aunts in the village of Riverboro, Maine. Rebecca's joy for life inspires her aunts, but she faces many trials in her young life, gaining...
(1938) - The Three MusketeersThe Three Musketeers (film)The Three Musketeers, the novel by author Alexandre Dumas, père, has been the subject of numerous films and cartoons:-Films:*The Three Musketeers, a 1903 French production about which virtually nothing is known...
(1939) - The Gorilla (1939)
- Young PeopleYoung People (film)Young People is a 1940 film directed by Allan Dwan. It stars Shirley Temple and Jack Oakie.-Cast:*Shirley Temple as Wendy Ballantine*Jack Oakie as Joe Ballentine*Charlotte Greenwood as Kit Ballentine*Arleen Whelan as Judith...
(1940) - Look Who's LaughingLook Who's LaughingLook Who's Laughing is a 1941 film about a radio personality who plans to build an airplane plant in a small town. This film precedes its sequel Here We Go Again.-Cast:* Edgar Bergen - Himself* Charlie McCarthy - Himself* Jim Jordan - Fibber McGee...
(1941) also producer - Friendly EnemiesFriendly EnemiesFriendly Enemies is a 1942 American drama film starring Charles Winninger, Charles Ruggles, James Craig, and Nancy Kelly. The film was directed by Allan Dwan, adapted from a play by Aaron Hoffman and Samuel Shipman...
(1942) - Around the World (1943) also producer
- Up in Mabel's RoomUp in Mabel's RoomUp in Mabel's Room is a 1944 film directed by Allan Dwan based on the play by Wilson Collison. It stars Marjorie Reynolds and Jack Oakie. It was nominated for an Academy Award in 1945. Remake of a 1926 silent film.-Cast:...
(1944) - Abroad With Two Yanks (1944)
- Getting Gertie's Garter (1945) also screenwriter
- Brewster's MillionsBrewster's Millions (1945 film)Brewster's Millions is one of a number of adaptations of the novel of the same name by George Barr McCutcheon. An ex-serviceman, played by Dennis O'Keefe, receives an unusual inheritance....
(1945) - Driftwood (1947)
- Calendar GirlCalendar Girl (1947 film)Calendar Girl is a 1947 American musical comedy film directed by Allan Dwan. The film is also known as Star Dust and Sweet Music...
(1947) - Northwest Outpost (1947) also associate producer
- Sands of Iwo JimaSands of Iwo JimaSands of Iwo Jima is a 1949 war film that follows a group of United States Marines from training to the Battle of Iwo Jima during World War II. It stars John Wayne, John Agar, Adele Mara and Forrest Tucker. The movie was written by Harry Brown and James Edward Grant and directed by Allan Dwan...
(1949) - I Dream of Jeanie (1952)
- Montana BelleMontana BelleMontana Belle is a 1952 western film directed by Allan Dwan and starring Jane Russell. The story is a fictionalised biography of Montana outlaw Belle Starr.-Plot:...
(1952) - Silver LodeSilver Lode (1954 film)Silver Lode is a color 1954 western film directed by Allan Dwan.The film, with a similar plot to High Noon, tells the story of Dan Ballard and Rose Evans who are about to be married when Marshal Fred McCarty and his deputies ride into town looking for Ballard...
(1954) - Passion (1954)
- Cattle Queen of MontanaCattle Queen of MontanaCattle Queen of Montana is a 1954 American Western film starring Barbara Stanwyck and Ronald Reagan. The supporting cast includes Jack Elam, Chubby Johnson, and Morris Ankrum, and the movie was directed by Allan Dwan.-Plot:...
(1954) - Tennessee's PartnerTennessee's PartnerTennessee's Partner is a Western film starring Ronald Reagan in what Peter Bogdanovich calls his "most likeable performance." It co-starred John Payne as Tennessee....
(1955) - Pearl of the South Pacific (1955)
- Escape to Burma (1955)
- Slightly Scarlet (1956)
- Hold Back the NightHold Back the NightHold Back the Night is a 1956 Korean War war film based on the 1951 novel by Pat Frank, who had been a war correspondent in Korea. The film was directed by Allan Dwan; his third film with John Payne.-Plot:...
(1956) - The Restless BreedThe Restless BreedThe Restless Breed is a 1957 western film, directed by Allan Dwan and starring Scott Brady and Anne Bancroft.-Cast:*Scott Brady *Anne Bancroft *Jay C. Flippen *Jim Davis *Rhys Williams The Restless Breed is a 1957 western film, directed by Allan Dwan and starring Scott Brady and Anne...
(1957) - The River's EdgeThe River's EdgeThe River's Edge is a 1957 adventure, crime, and drama DeLuxe CinemaScope film directed by Allan Dwan. Based on the unpublished short story The Higher Mountain by Harold Jacob Smith.It starred Anthony Quinn, Debra Paget and Ray Milland...
(1957) - Enchanted IslandEnchanted Island (film)Enchanted Island is a 1958 adventure film distributed by Warner Bros. It was directed by Allan Dwan, produced by Benedict Bogeaus and written by Harold Jacob Smith, James Leicester and Al Stillman, based on the novel "Typee" by Herman Melville...
(1958)
Further reading
- Foster, Charles, Stardust and Shadows: Canadians in Early Hollywood (2000) ISBN 1-55002-348-9