Robert F. McGowan
Encyclopedia
Robert Francis McGowan (July 11, 1882 - January 27, 1955) was an American
film director
and producer
, best known as the senior director of the Our Gang
short subject
s film
series from 1922 until 1933.
, McGowan was a firefighter
in his native Denver, Colorado
. An on-the-job accident during a fire rescue mission left him with a permanent limp.
McGowan moved to California
in the 1910s and made the acquaintance of Hal Roach
, an aspiring film producer
who opened his own studio in 1914. By 1920, McGowan was a director at the Roach studio, and in 1921 began work on the first entries in the Our Gang series.
The Our Gang series was at its most popular and successful under McGowan's direction; when he became ill in the late-1920s and had to turn over the director's chair to nephew
Robert A. McGowan
(billed as "Anthony Mack" to distinguish himself from his uncle) for two years, the series faltered. McGowan was a natural with kids, and knew how to explain scenes and comic business to his young charges to elicit convincing performances out of them. His favorite Our Gang kids were Allen "Farina" Hoskins, Mary Kornman
, Matthew "Stymie" Beard, and George "Spanky" McFarland
, whom McGowan declared a "natural".
McGowan's daughter Jerry was an actress and dancer herself; she would often sit in on Our Gang story meetings and appears onscreen in Shivering Shakespeare
.
McGowan left Our Gang in 1933, after being no longer able to bear the strain of dealing with stage mothers and the other hassles of directing child stars. He moved over to Paramount Pictures
to helm features such as One Too Many (1934), Frontier Justice
, and Too Many Parents. McGowan returned for one last Our Gang short (Divot Diggers
) in 1936 , and later produced two Our Gang derived featurettes for Hal Roach, Curley
and Who Killed Doc Robbin
, in the 1940s after retiring from directing.
in Santa Monica, California
on January 27, 1955 at the age of 72.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
film 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:...
and producer
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
, best known as the senior director of the Our Gang
Our Gang
Our Gang, also known as The Little Rascals or Hal Roach's Rascals, was a series of American comedy short films about a group of poor neighborhood children and the adventures they had together. Created by comedy producer Hal Roach, the series is noted for showing children behaving in a relatively...
short subject
Short subject
A short film is any film not long enough to be considered a feature film. No consensus exists as to where that boundary is drawn: the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes or less, including all...
s 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...
series from 1922 until 1933.
Career
Before moving to Los Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, McGowan was a firefighter
Firefighter
Firefighters are rescuers extensively trained primarily to put out hazardous fires that threaten civilian populations and property, to rescue people from car incidents, collapsed and burning buildings and other such situations...
in his native Denver, Colorado
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
. An on-the-job accident during a fire rescue mission left him with a permanent limp.
McGowan moved to 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...
in the 1910s and made the acquaintance of Hal Roach
Hal Roach
Harold Eugene "Hal" Roach, Sr. was an American film and television producer and director, and from the 1910s to the 1990s.- Early life and career :Hal Roach was born in Elmira, New York...
, an aspiring film producer
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
who opened his own studio in 1914. By 1920, McGowan was a director at the Roach studio, and in 1921 began work on the first entries in the Our Gang series.
The Our Gang series was at its most popular and successful under McGowan's direction; when he became ill in the late-1920s and had to turn over the director's chair to nephew
Nephew
Nephew is a son of one's sibling or sibling-in-law, and niece is a daughter of one's sibling or a sibling-in-law. Sons and daughters of siblings-in-law are also informally referred to as nephews and nieces respectively, even though there is no blood relation...
Robert A. McGowan
Robert A. McGowan
Robert Anthony McGowan was an American screenwriter and film director.-Biography:Born in Denver, Colorado, McGowan is best known as a junior director for the Our Gang short subjects film series from 1926 to 1930, and as the co-writer of the series during the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer period from 1938 to...
(billed as "Anthony Mack" to distinguish himself from his uncle) for two years, the series faltered. McGowan was a natural with kids, and knew how to explain scenes and comic business to his young charges to elicit convincing performances out of them. His favorite Our Gang kids were Allen "Farina" Hoskins, Mary Kornman
Mary Kornman
Mary Kornman was an American child actress who was the leading female star of the Our Gang series during the Pathé silent era.-Our Gang:...
, Matthew "Stymie" Beard, and George "Spanky" McFarland
George McFarland
George Robert Phillips "Spanky" McFarland was an American actor most famous for his appearances as a child in the Our Gang series of short-subject comedies of the 1930s and 1940s...
, whom McGowan declared a "natural".
McGowan's daughter Jerry was an actress and dancer herself; she would often sit in on Our Gang story meetings and appears onscreen in Shivering Shakespeare
Shivering Shakespeare
Shivering Shakespeare is an Our Gang short film directed by Robert A. McGowan under the pseudonym "Anthony Mack". Produced by Hal Roach and released to theaters by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, it was the 95th Our Gang short to be released.-Plot:...
.
McGowan left Our Gang in 1933, after being no longer able to bear the strain of dealing with stage mothers and the other hassles of directing child stars. He moved over to Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
to helm features such as One Too Many (1934), Frontier Justice
Frontier Justice
Frontier justice is extrajudicial punishment that is motivated by the nonexistence of law and order or dissatisfaction with justice. The phrase can also be used to describe a prejudiced judge...
, and Too Many Parents. McGowan returned for one last Our Gang short (Divot Diggers
Divot Diggers
Divot Diggers is a 1936 Our Gang short comedy film directed by Robert F. McGowan; It was the 142nd Our Gang short to be released.-Plot:...
) in 1936 , and later produced two Our Gang derived featurettes for Hal Roach, Curley
Curley (1947 film)
Curley is a 1947 film produced by Hal Roach and Robert F. McGowan as a re-imagining of their Our Gang series. The film was one of Roach's "streamlined" features of the 1940s, running 53 minutes and was designed as a b-movie...
and Who Killed Doc Robbin
Who Killed Doc Robbin
Who Killed Doc Robbin is a film produced by Hal Roach and Robert F. McGowan as a reimagining of their Our Gang series.The film was one of "Hal Roach's Streamliners" features of the 1940s, running only 55 minutes, and was designed as a B-movie. Like most of Roach's latter-day output, Who Killed Doc...
, in the 1940s after retiring from directing.
Death
McGowan died of cancerCancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
in Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica is a beachfront city in western Los Angeles County, California, US. Situated on Santa Monica Bay, it is surrounded on three sides by the city of Los Angeles — Pacific Palisades on the northwest, Brentwood on the north, West Los Angeles on the northeast, Mar Vista on the east, and...
on January 27, 1955 at the age of 72.