John Ford filmography
John Ford with portrait and Academy Award, circa 1946
John Ford (1894–1973) was an American film director whose career spanned from 1913 to 1971. During this time he directed more than 130 films; however, nearly all of his silent films are lost. Born in Maine , Ford entered the filmmaking industry shortly after graduating from high school with the help of his older brother, Francis Ford , who had established himself as a leading man and director for Universal Studios . After working as an actor, assistant director , stuntman , and prop man – often for his brother – Universal gave Ford the opportunity to direct in 1917. Initially working in short films , he quickly moved into features, largely with Harry Carey as his star.
In 1920, Ford left Universal and began working for the Fox Film Corporation . During the next ten years he directed more than 30 films, including the westerns The Iron Horse (1924) and 3 Bad Men (1926), both starring George O'Brien , the war drama Four Sons and the Irish romantic drama Hangman's House (both 1928 and both starring Victor McLaglen ). In the same year as these last two films, Ford directed his first all-talking film , the short Napoleon's Barber . The following year, he directed his first all-talking feature, The Black Watch .
In 1931, Ford began working for other studios, starting with Arrowsmith for Samuel Goldwyn . In 1934, he began a lengthy association with producer Merian C. Cooper at RKO Radio Pictures . The following year he directed The Informer , which brought him his first Academy Award for Best Director and the Best Actor Award for its star, Victor McLaglen.[ 12] In 1939, Ford directed Stagecoach , which made John Wayne a major star and brought an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor to Thomas Mitchell .[ 14] It was also the first time Ford filmed in Monument Valley . That same year Ford made Young Mr. Lincoln and Drums Along the Mohawk , both with Henry Fonda . The latter was Ford's first film shot in Technicolor .
In 1940, Ford made The Grapes of Wrath with Fonda and The Long Voyage Home with Wayne and Mitchell. For the former film Ford received his second Academy Award for Best Director and the Best Supporting Actress for Jane Darwell .[ 19] He followed these films in 1941 with How Green Was My Valley , which won the Academy Award for Best Picture , brought Ford his third Academy Award for Best Director and the Best Supporting Actor Award to Donald Crisp .[ 20]
With the coming of World War II , Ford was appointed to the Office of Strategic Services as a field photographer in the United States Navy . During the war he made several documentaries. Two of these, The Battle of Midway and December 7th , won Academy Awards for, respectively, Best Documentary and Documentary Short Subject .[ 21] [ 22] After being released from active duty he returned to Hollywood to make They Were Expendable (1945) a war drama of PT boats in the South Pacific . He followed this with My Darling Clementine (1946), starring Henry Fonda as Wyatt Earp .
In 1949, Ford also made his only foray into live theatre by directing a charity production of What Price Glory? Ford freelanced for the remainder of his career, directing occasionally for television and making several films including The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance and the Civil War sequence of the Cinerama epic How the West Was Won (both 1962). Ford's final film as a director was Chesty (1970), a documentary short about Marine Corps lieutenant general Lewis "Chesty" Puller .
Ford is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential film-makers in history. Ingmar Bergman called him the greatest movie director of all time and Orson Welles regarded him highly.[ 28] With four Academy Awards, he is the most honored director in film history.[ 29] On February 8, 1960, Ford was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame .[ 30] On March 31, 1973, Ford was honored with the Medal of Freedom Award and became the first person honored with the AFI Life Achievement Award . As of 2024, eleven films directed or co-directed by Ford have been added to the National Film Registry , tying with Howard Hawks for the most.[ 32] In 2012, The Searchers was ranked at number seven in Sight & Sound ' s listing of the 50 greatest films of all time .[ 33]
Films
This list of films is derived from the filmographies in Print the Legend: The Life and Times of John Ford by Scott Eyman and John Ford by Peter Bogdanovich .
From 1917 to 1923 Ford was credited as "Jack Ford". Beginning with Cameo Kirby (1923) he was credited as "John Ford".[ nb 1] Unless otherwise noted, all films released up until 1922 were Universal Productions . Films released from 1922 to 1930 were Fox Productions . After 1930, each film's production company is individually noted.
All films are feature length unless identified as a serial or short film.[ nb 2] The silent shorts are identified as one, two, or three reels in length.
Other film work
All films are feature length unless identified as a serial or short film.[ nb 22] The silent shorts are identified as one, two, or three reels in length.
Radio
Television
Stage
References
Notes
^ Ford's real name was John Martin Feeney. He was commonly known as Jack. His older brother, Francis Feeney, took the professional name of "Francis Ford" when he became an actor as it sounded more professional and less ethnic. When Jack entered films he took on the last name of Ford as well. With Cameo Kirby he altered his name to "John Ford" as it sounded more dignified.
^ According to the rules of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences , a feature-length motion picture has a running time of more than 40 minutes.[ 39]
^ Other screen adaptations of Kyne's story include a 1916 Bluebird film directed by Edward LeSaint and starring Harry Carey, Hell's Heroes (1930), directed by William Wyler and starring Charles Bickford , Three Godfathers (1936) directed by Richard Boleslawski and starring Chester Morris , and a TV movie, The Godchild (1974), directed by John Badham and starring Jack Palance .
^ Charlie Chaplin made a one-reel version of this poem in 1914.
^ Remade in 1930 with Will Rogers starring and David Butler directing.[ 93]
^ Remade in 1954 as King of the Khyber Rifles , directed by Henry King and starring Tyrone Power .[ 107]
^ The TCM website states that Up the River was Humphrey Bogart's second film.
^ Previously filmed as The Brat (1919), directed by Herbert Blaché and starring Alla Nazimova , remade as Girl from Avenue A (1940).[ 113]
^ Previously filmed in 1929 with Cyril McLaglen in the role played by his brother, Victor McLaglen , in the Ford version.[ 119]
^ The Informer also won Academy Awards for Best Actor (Victor McLaglen ), Best Screenplay (Dudley Nichols ), and Best Music Score (Max Steiner ). The Informer had been previously filmed in 1929, directed by Arthur Robison and starring Lars Hanson [ 123]
^ During production of Steamboat Round the Bend Fox Films merged with Darryl F. Zanuck 's Twentieth Century Pictures to form 20th Century Fox .[ 124]
^ Steamboat Round the Bend was released after Rogers' death in an airplane crash . Although it was the last film that Rogers made, a film he made prior to it, In Old Kentucky , was released later.[ 125]
^ Thomas Mitchell also received an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor , and Richard Hageman , Franke Harling, John Leipold and Leo Shuken received an Academy Award for Best Original Score . Stagecoach was remade in 1966, directed by Gordon Douglas , and for TV in 1986, directed by Ted Post .[ 133]
^ Edna May Oliver received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress .[ 135]
^ Also nominated for Academy Awards : Best Actor (Henry Fonda ), Editing (Robert Simpson ), Sound (E. H. Hansen), Writing (Nunnally Johnson , and Outstanding Production [ 136]
^ The Long Voyage Home was nominated for the following Academy Awards : Black and White Cinematography (Gregg Toland ), Film Editing (Sherman Todd), Original Score (Richard Hageman ), Special Effects (R.T. Layton, R.O. Binger, Thomas T. Moulton), Best Screenplay (Dudley Nichols ), and Outstanding Production .[ 137]
^ How Green Was My Valley also won Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actor (Donald Crisp ), Art Direction (black and white) (Richard Day , Nathan H. Juran , Thomas Little), and Best Cinematography (Arthur Miller )[ 139]
^ Cinematographer Winton Hoch attempted to duplicate the style of Frederic Remington 's western paintings in their screen images. Hoch won an Academy Award for Best Cinematography (Color) .[ 149]
^ The Quiet Man also received Academy Award nominations for Best Picture , Best Screenplay (Frank S. Nugent ), Best Sound Recording (Daniel J. Bloomberg ), Best Art Direction (Frank Hotaling ; John McCarthy, Jr. , Charles S. Thompson ), and Best Supporting Actor (Victor McLaglen ).[ 154]
^ Gable starred in Red Dust (1932), an earlier film version of Mogambo directed by Victor Fleming .[ 157]
^ Remade as a 1977 television film of the same name, starring Carroll O'Connor and directed by Vincent Sherman .[ 166]
^ According to the rules of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences , a feature-length motion picture has a running time of more than 40 minutes.[ 39]
^ Ford edited about 40 minutes out of Boetticher's original cut. In 1986, Boetticher's cut was restored.[ 207]
^ Ward Bond died of a heart attack shortly before this episode aired.[ 218]
Footnotes
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^ "The 13th Academy Awards" . Academy Awards . Archived from the original on March 21, 2016. Retrieved July 14, 2017 .
^ "The 14th Academy Awards" . Academy Awards . Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved July 14, 2017 .
^ "The 15th Academy Awards" . Academy Awards . Archived from the original on July 6, 2011. Retrieved July 15, 2017 .
^ "The 16th Academy Awards" . Academy Awards . Archived from the original on March 21, 2016. Retrieved July 15, 2017 .
^ Turan, Kenneth (July 3, 1994). "The Man Who Shot Great Movies" . Los Angeles Times . Archived from the original on November 5, 2018. Retrieved July 15, 2017 .
^ Dirks, Tim. "The Best Director Academy Awards" . filmsite. Archived from the original on July 30, 2012. Retrieved July 15, 2017 .
^ "John Ford" . Hollywood Walk of Fame: The Official Site . Archived from the original on February 11, 2015. Retrieved July 15, 2017 .
^ "Personnel Credits" . National Film Preservation Board . Library of Congress. Archived from the original on November 5, 2018. Retrieved July 15, 2017 .
^ a b Christie, Ian , ed. (August 1, 2012). "The Top 50 Greatest Films of All Time" . Sight & Sound (September 2012). British Film Institute . Archived from the original on August 2, 2012. Retrieved June 6, 2013 .
^ a b "281 Feature Films in Competition for 2008 Oscar" . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences . 2008. Archived from the original on February 10, 2009. Retrieved September 22, 2010 .
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^ Eyman, Scott (2007). Steamboat Round the Bend (audio commentary). United States: 20th Century Fox . B000WMA6HI.
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Bibliography
Bogdanovich, Peter (1978). John Ford . University of California Press. ISBN 978-0520034983 .
Eyman, Scott (2015). Print the Legend: The Life and Times of John Ford . Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-1476797724 . Archived from the original on February 3, 2023. Retrieved September 12, 2017 .
Eyman, Scott (2004). John Ford: The Complete Films . Taschen. ISBN 978-3822830932 .
Gallagher, Tag (1984). John Ford: The Man and His Films . University of California Press. ISBN 978-0520063341 .
Katz, Ephraim (1994). The Film Encyclopedia . Harper Perennial. ISBN 978-0062026156 . Archived from the original on September 30, 2022. Retrieved September 12, 2017 .
Levy, Bill (1998). John Ford: A Bio-Bibliography . Greenwood Publishing. ISBN 978-0313275142 . Archived from the original on September 14, 2014. Retrieved September 12, 2017 .
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