Jack Manning (actor)
Encyclopedia
Jack Manning was an American
film
, television
and theater character actor
, teacher
and stage director.
, on June 3, 1916. He developed an interest in acting while he was a student at the University of Cincinnati
, where he earned his bachelor's degree
in economics
in 1938. During his college years, Manning appeared in students musicals and plays, as well as on WLW
radio. He changed his professional name to Jack Manning early in his acting career, after he was advised that "Jack Marks" was too short to appear on a theater marquee
or sign.
in 1941. He soon found a job on "The Aldrich Family
" radio show, where he played one of Henry Aldrich
's friends. As a member of the NYC Theatre Guild on the Air, Manning appeared in a number radio dramas broadcast from the city. He lent his voice and talents to such classic radio serials as One Man's Family
, The Goldbergs
, The Green Hornet
and The Shadow
.
He made his Broadway debut in the comedy
Junior Miss
in 1941. Manning ultimately appeared in more than 20 separate Broadway theatre
plays and musicals during his career. Notably, Manning starred as Rodrigo in Othello
opposite Paul Robeson
, José Ferrer
and Uta Hagen
, from 1943 until 1945. He also appeared in Harriet
, a stage drama about the life of Harriet Beecher Stowe
, in 1943, co-starrng with Helen Hayes
. His other Broadway credits includedMan and Superman
in 1947, Billy Budd
in 1951, The Tender Trap in 1954, Say Darling in 1958 and Alice In Wonderland. Manning also appeared in the original Broadway cast of the musical, Do I Hear a Waltz?
, as Mr. McIlhenny in 1965. Do I Hear a Waltz? was co-written Arthur Laurents
, Richard Rodgers
and Stephen Sondheim
.
Moving to television, Manning performed a one-man show of Hamlet
on the DuMont Network
in 1953. His show took place over the course of two weeks in 15 minute long segments. Jack Gould
, a television critic for the New York Times, praised Manning's performance calling him, "inventive, versatile
and, above all, natural." Gould also noted of Manning at the time that, "He knows his Shakespeare and truly catches the meaning of the lines." Manning also appeared in a number of early variety television shows including Armstrong Circle Theatre
, Robert Montgomery Presents
and the Philco Television Playhouse.
Manning became a producer
for the Helen Hayes Repertory Company, a traveling theater troupe founded in 1964 by his former Harriet co-star, Helen Hayes
. Manning would direct all of the company's traveling stage productions, which starred Helen Hayes, including a tour of The Circle, which was written by W. Somerset Maugham
.
Manning and his wife, Francie, who were married in 1967, moved to the South Bay, Los Angeles
region in 1970. The couple resided in both Hermosa Beach and Manhattan Beach
before settling in Rancho Palos Verdes in 1980.
He continued to appear in Los Angeles television, film and theater productions throughout the 1970s. He was cast in a recurring role as the character Dean Rutherford on The Paper Chase
from 1978 to 1979. He was also cast in guest parts on The Mary Tyler Moore Show
, Kojak
, Here's Lucy
, The Waltons
and Studio One. On stage, Manning appeared in productions in the Ahmanson Theatre
, the Shubert Theater and the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion
.
Manning's film credits included Walk East on Beacon in 1952, Where's Poppa?
in 1970, The Owl and the Pussycat
in 1970, The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid
in 1972, and The Great Waldo Pepper
in 1975.
teacher or a stage director. He taught acting at his own studios, first in New York City and then in Los Angeles. In New York, Manning taught students at the HB Studio
in the city's Greenwich Village
neighborhood. He also taught at several universities nationwide.
Jack Manning died at his home in Rancho Palos Verdes home on August 31, 2009, at the age of 93. He was survived by his second wife, Frances "Francie" Ann Smith, whom he married 1967. The couple had two children together, a son, Colin, and daughter, Brook Manning. He was also survived by his daughter from his first marriage, Gale Nichols. His first marriage to Virginia Schuchardt ended in divorce
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
film
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...
, television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
and theater character actor
Character actor
A character actor is one who predominantly plays unusual or eccentric characters. The Oxford English Dictionary defines a character actor as "an actor who specializes in character parts", defining character part in turn as "an acting role displaying pronounced or unusual characteristics or...
, teacher
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
and stage director.
Early life
Manning was born as Jack Wilson Marks Cincinnati, OhioCincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
, on June 3, 1916. He developed an interest in acting while he was a student at the University of Cincinnati
University of Cincinnati
The University of Cincinnati is a comprehensive public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio, and a part of the University System of Ohio....
, where he earned his bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
in 1938. During his college years, Manning appeared in students musicals and plays, as well as on WLW
WLW
WLW is a clear channel talk radio station located in Cincinnati, Ohio, run by Clear Channel Communications. The station broadcasts locally on 700 kHz AM...
radio. He changed his professional name to Jack Manning early in his acting career, after he was advised that "Jack Marks" was too short to appear on a theater marquee
Marquee (sign)
A marquee is most commonly a structure placed over the entrance to a hotel or theatre. It has signage stating either the name of the establishment or, in the case of theatres, the play or movie and the artist appearing at that venue...
or sign.
Career
Following granduation, Manning moved to New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in 1941. He soon found a job on "The Aldrich Family
The Aldrich Family
The Aldrich Family, a popular radio teenage situation comedy , was also presented in films, television and comic books. In the radio series' well-remembered weekly opening exchange, awkward teen Henry's mother called, "Hen-reeeeeeeeeeeee! Hen-ree Al-drich!", and he responded with a breaking...
" radio show, where he played one of Henry Aldrich
Henry Aldrich
Henry Aldrich was an English theologian and philosopher.-Life:Aldrich was educated at Westminster School under Dr Richard Busby. In 1662, he entered Christ Church, Oxford, and in 1689 was made Dean in succession to the Roman Catholic John Massey, who had fled to the Continent. In 1692, he...
's friends. As a member of the NYC Theatre Guild on the Air, Manning appeared in a number radio dramas broadcast from the city. He lent his voice and talents to such classic radio serials as One Man's Family
One Man's Family
One Man's Family, is a long-running American radio soap opera. It was heard for almost three decades, from 1932 to 1959. Created by Carlton E. Morse, it was the longest-running uninterrupted serial in the history of American radio...
, The Goldbergs
The Goldbergs
The Goldbergs is a comedy-drama broadcast from 1929 to 1946 on American radio, and from 1949 to 1956 on American television. It was adapted into a 1948 play, Me and Molly, and a 1973 Broadway musical, Molly.-Radio:...
, The Green Hornet
The Green Hornet
The Green Hornet is an American radio and television masked vigilante created by George W. Trendle and Fran Striker, with input from radio director James Jewell, in 1936. Since his radio debut in the 1930s, the Green Hornet has appeared in numerous serialized dramas in a wide variety of media...
and The Shadow
The Shadow
The Shadow is a collection of serialized dramas, originally in pulp magazines, then on 1930s radio and then in a wide variety of media, that follow the exploits of the title character, a crime-fighting vigilante in the pulps, which carried over to the airwaves as a "wealthy, young man about town"...
.
He made his Broadway debut in the comedy
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
Junior Miss
Junior Miss
Junior Miss is a collection of semi-autobiographical stories by Sally Benson first published in The New Yorker. Between 1929 and the end of 1941, the prolific Benson published 99 stories in The New Yorker, some under her pseudonym of Esther Evarts...
in 1941. Manning ultimately appeared in more than 20 separate Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
plays and musicals during his career. Notably, Manning starred as Rodrigo in Othello
Othello
The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1603, and based on the Italian short story "Un Capitano Moro" by Cinthio, a disciple of Boccaccio, first published in 1565...
opposite Paul Robeson
Paul Robeson
Paul Leroy Robeson was an American concert singer , recording artist, actor, athlete, scholar who was an advocate for the Civil Rights Movement in the first half of the twentieth century...
, José Ferrer
José Ferrer
José Vicente Ferrer de Otero y Cintrón , best known as José Ferrer, was a Puerto Rican actor, as well as a theater and film director...
and Uta Hagen
Uta Hagen
Uta Thyra Hagen was a German-born American actress and drama teacher. She originated the role of Martha in the 1963 Broadway premiere of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? by Edward Albee...
, from 1943 until 1945. He also appeared in Harriet
Harriet
Harriet was a Galápagos tortoise who had an estimated age of 175 years at the time of her death in Australia...
, a stage drama about the life of Harriet Beecher Stowe
Harriet Beecher Stowe
Harriet Beecher Stowe was an American abolitionist and author. Her novel Uncle Tom's Cabin was a depiction of life for African-Americans under slavery; it reached millions as a novel and play, and became influential in the United States and United Kingdom...
, in 1943, co-starrng with Helen Hayes
Helen Hayes
Helen Hayes Brown was an American actress whose career spanned almost 70 years. She eventually garnered the nickname "First Lady of the American Theatre" and was one of twelve people who have won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony Award...
. His other Broadway credits includedMan and Superman
Man and Superman
Man and Superman is a four-act drama, written by George Bernard Shaw in 1903. The series was written in response to calls for Shaw to write a play based on the Don Juan theme. Man and Superman opened at The Royal Court Theatre in London on 23 May 1905, but with the omission of the 3rd Act...
in 1947, Billy Budd
Billy Budd
Billy Budd is a short novel by Herman Melville.Billy Budd can also refer to:*Billy Budd , a 1962 film produced, directed, and co-written by Peter Ustinov, based on Melville's novel...
in 1951, The Tender Trap in 1954, Say Darling in 1958 and Alice In Wonderland. Manning also appeared in the original Broadway cast of the musical, Do I Hear a Waltz?
Do I Hear a Waltz?
Do I Hear a Waltz? is a musical with a book by Arthur Laurents, music by Richard Rodgers, and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. It was adapted from Laurents' 1952 play The Time of the Cuckoo, which was the basis for the 1955 film Summertime starring Katharine Hepburn.-Background:Laurents originally...
, as Mr. McIlhenny in 1965. Do I Hear a Waltz? was co-written Arthur Laurents
Arthur Laurents
Arthur Laurents was an American playwright, stage director and screenwriter.After writing scripts for radio shows after college and then training films for the U.S...
, Richard Rodgers
Richard Rodgers
Richard Charles Rodgers was an American composer of music for more than 900 songs and for 43 Broadway musicals. He also composed music for films and television. He is best known for his songwriting partnerships with the lyricists Lorenz Hart and Oscar Hammerstein II...
and Stephen Sondheim
Stephen Sondheim
Stephen Joshua Sondheim is an American composer and lyricist for stage and film. He is the winner of an Academy Award, multiple Tony Awards including the Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre, multiple Grammy Awards, a Pulitzer Prize and the Laurence Olivier Award...
.
Moving to television, Manning performed a one-man show of Hamlet
Hamlet
The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
on the DuMont Network
DuMont Television Network
The DuMont Television Network, also known as the DuMont Network, DuMont, Du Mont, or Dumont was one of the world's pioneer commercial television networks, rivalling NBC for the distinction of being first overall. It began operation in the United States in 1946. It was owned by DuMont...
in 1953. His show took place over the course of two weeks in 15 minute long segments. Jack Gould
Jack Gould
Jack Gould was an American journalist and critic, who wrote influential commentary about television....
, a television critic for the New York Times, praised Manning's performance calling him, "inventive, versatile
Versatile
Versatile is a Canadian brand of agricultural equipment that has produced augers, swathers and combine harvester.In the 1970s, it was an independent operation, founded by Peter Pakosh and Roy Robinson, that had 70% of the 4WD tractor market and then was later owned by Ford and Fiat's New Holland,...
and, above all, natural." Gould also noted of Manning at the time that, "He knows his Shakespeare and truly catches the meaning of the lines." Manning also appeared in a number of early variety television shows including Armstrong Circle Theatre
Armstrong Circle Theatre
Armstrong Circle Theatre is an American anthology drama television series which ran from 1950 to 1957 on NBC, and then until 1963 on CBS. It alternated weekly with The U.S. Steel Hour.-Synopsis:...
, Robert Montgomery Presents
Robert Montgomery Presents
Robert Montgomery Presents is an American dramatic television series which was produced by NBC from January 30, 1950 until June 24, 1957. The live show had several sponsors during its seven-year run, and the title was altered to feature the sponsor, usually Lucky Strike cigarettes, for example,...
and the Philco Television Playhouse.
Manning became a producer
Theatrical producer
A theatrical producer is the person ultimately responsible for overseeing all aspects of mounting a theatre production. The independent producer will usually be the originator and finder of the script and starts the whole process...
for the Helen Hayes Repertory Company, a traveling theater troupe founded in 1964 by his former Harriet co-star, Helen Hayes
Helen Hayes
Helen Hayes Brown was an American actress whose career spanned almost 70 years. She eventually garnered the nickname "First Lady of the American Theatre" and was one of twelve people who have won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony Award...
. Manning would direct all of the company's traveling stage productions, which starred Helen Hayes, including a tour of The Circle, which was written by W. Somerset Maugham
W. Somerset Maugham
William Somerset Maugham , CH was an English playwright, novelist and short story writer. He was among the most popular writers of his era and, reputedly, the highest paid author during the 1930s.-Childhood and education:...
.
Manning and his wife, Francie, who were married in 1967, moved to the South Bay, Los Angeles
South Bay, Los Angeles
The South Bay is a region of the southwest peninsula of Los Angeles County, California, United States. The name stems from its geographic features stretching along the southern shores of Santa Monica Bay which forms its western border.The picture at right uses the broadest definition of the...
region in 1970. The couple resided in both Hermosa Beach and Manhattan Beach
Manhattan Beach, California
Manhattan Beach is the wealthiest beachfront city located in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, USA. The city is on the Pacific coast, south of El Segundo, and north of Hermosa Beach. Manhattan Beach is the home of both beach and indoor volleyball, and surfing. During the winter, the...
before settling in Rancho Palos Verdes in 1980.
He continued to appear in Los Angeles television, film and theater productions throughout the 1970s. He was cast in a recurring role as the character Dean Rutherford on The Paper Chase
The Paper Chase (TV series)
The Paper Chase is a television series based on a 1970 novel by John Jay Osborn, Jr., as well as a 1973 film based on the novel. It follows the lives of law student James T. Hart and his classmates at Harvard Law School.-Production:...
from 1978 to 1979. He was also cast in guest parts on The Mary Tyler Moore Show
The Mary Tyler Moore Show
The Mary Tyler Moore Show is an American television sitcom created by James L. Brooks and Allan Burns that aired on CBS from 1970 to 1977...
, Kojak
Kojak
Kojak is an American television series starring Telly Savalas as the title character, bald New York City Police Department Detective Lieutenant Theo Kojak. It aired from October 24, 1973, to March 18, 1978, on CBS. It took the time slot of the popular Cannon series, which was moved one hour earlier...
, Here's Lucy
Here's Lucy
Here's Lucy is Lucille Ball's third network television sitcom. It ran on CBS from 1968 to 1974.-Background:Though The Lucy Show was still hugely popular during the previous season, finishing in the top five of the Nielsen Ratings , Ball opted to end that series at the end of that season and create...
, The Waltons
The Waltons
The Waltons is an American television series created by Earl Hamner, Jr., based on his book Spencer's Mountain, and a 1963 film of the same name. The show centered on a family growing up in a rural Virginia community during the Great Depression and World War II. The series pilot was a television...
and Studio One. On stage, Manning appeared in productions in the Ahmanson Theatre
Ahmanson Theatre
The Ahmanson Theatre is one of the four main venues that comprise the Los Angeles Music Center.Through the generosity of philanthropist Robert H. Ahmanson, construction began on March 9, 1962. The theatre opened on April 12, 1967 with a production of More Stately Mansions starring Ingrid Bergman,...
, the Shubert Theater and the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion
Dorothy Chandler Pavilion
The Dorothy Chandler Pavilion is one of the halls in the Los Angeles Music Center . The Music Center's other halls include the Mark Taper Forum, Ahmanson Theatre, and Walt Disney Concert Hall.The Pavilion has 3,197 seats spread over four tiers, with chandeliers, wide curving stairways and rich décor...
.
Manning's film credits included Walk East on Beacon in 1952, Where's Poppa?
Where's Poppa?
Where's Poppa? is a 1970 black comedy film based on the novel by Robert Klane starring George Segal, Ron Leibman and Ruth Gordon. The plot revolves around the troubled relationship between a lawyer son played by Segal and his senile mother played by Gordon...
in 1970, The Owl and the Pussycat
The Owl and the Pussycat
"The Owl and the Pussycat" is a nonsense poem by Edward Lear, first published in 1871.- Background :Lear wrote the poem for a three-year-old girl, Janet Symonds, the daughter of Lear's friend poet John Addington Symonds and his wife Catherine Symonds...
in 1970, The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid
The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid
The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid is a 1972 Technicolor Western film about the James-Younger Gang distributed by Universal Pictures. It was directed by Philip Kaufman in a cinéma vérité style and starred Cliff Robertson as Cole Younger, Robert Duvall as Jesse James, Luke Askew as Jim Younger, R....
in 1972, and The Great Waldo Pepper
The Great Waldo Pepper
The Great Waldo Pepper is a 1975 drama film directed, produced, and co-written by George Roy Hill. It stars Robert Redford as a discontented airplane pilot in the years 1926-1931....
in 1975.
Later life & death
In addition to his acting career, Manning spent much of his later life working as an actingActing
Acting is the work of an actor or actress, which is a person in theatre, television, film, or any other storytelling medium who tells the story by portraying a character and, usually, speaking or singing the written text or play....
teacher or a stage director. He taught acting at his own studios, first in New York City and then in Los Angeles. In New York, Manning taught students at the HB Studio
HB Studio
Founded in 1945 by Herbert Berghof, the HB Studio is a school that offers professional training in the performing arts. Located in Greenwich Village in New York City, its curriculum includes classes in a variety of areas, including acting, directing, playwrighting, screenwriting, musical theatre,...
in the city's Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village, , , , .in New York often simply called "the Village", is a largely residential neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City. A large majority of the district is home to upper middle class families...
neighborhood. He also taught at several universities nationwide.
Jack Manning died at his home in Rancho Palos Verdes home on August 31, 2009, at the age of 93. He was survived by his second wife, Frances "Francie" Ann Smith, whom he married 1967. The couple had two children together, a son, Colin, and daughter, Brook Manning. He was also survived by his daughter from his first marriage, Gale Nichols. His first marriage to Virginia Schuchardt ended in divorce
Divorce
Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...
.