Harry Clork

Last updated
Harry Clork
Born
Harry W. Prince

August 31, 1888
Galveston, Texas, USA
DiedJune 18, 1978 (aged 89)
Santa Monica, California, USA
Other namesHarry Clarke
OccupationScreenwriter
Spouse(s) Nora Bayes (div.)
Mildred MacLeod
Parent(s) Creston Clarke (father)
Adelaide Prince (mother)

Harry Clork (born Harry Prince, and sometimes credited as Harry Clarke) was an American screenwriter and playwright who wrote over three dozen films between 1935 and 1955.

Contents

Biography

Harry was born to English actress Lena Adelaide Rubenstein (known professionally as Adelaide Prince) and her first husband, Harry Prince. After his parents divorced, his mother married Creston Clarke, and Harry later adopted his last name (but changed the "a" to an "o," and dropped the final "e" to be able to join the writers' union once he began working as a screenwriter; there was already another Harry Clark). [1] [2]

After moving to New York and establishing himself first as a performer (chiefly in vaudeville productions), and second as a playwright, penning a number of works that hit Broadway, he broke into screenwriting in the mid-1930s. [1] Some of his earliest efforts while under contract at Universal included 1935's Mister Dynamite and Diamond Jim. [3] [4] Over the ensuing two decades, he'd write a wide range of films at Universal, MGM, and Paramount, also dabbling in television writing toward the end of his career. [5] Early on, he collaborated with fellow screenwriter Doris Malloy. [6]

He had retired by the 1970s; he died on June 18, 1978, and was survived by his daughter (from his second marriage to actress Mildred MacLeod). Earlier in life, he had been briefly married to Broadway actress Nora Bayes. [7]

Selected filmography

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dore Schary</span> American dramatist and film producer (1905-1980)

Isadore "Dore" Schary was an American playwright, director, and producer for the stage and a prolific screenwriter and producer of motion pictures. He directed one feature film, Act One, the film biography of his friend, playwright and theatre director Moss Hart. He became head of production at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and replaced Louis B. Mayer as president of the studio in 1951.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clifford Odets</span> American writer and actor (1906–1963)

Clifford Odets was an American playwright, screenwriter, and actor. In the mid-1930s, he was widely seen as the potential successor to Nobel Prize–winning playwright Eugene O'Neill, as O'Neill began to withdraw from Broadway's commercial pressures and increasing critical backlash. From January 1935, Odets's socially relevant dramas were extremely influential, particularly for the remainder of the Great Depression. His works inspired the next several generations of playwrights, including Arthur Miller, Paddy Chayefsky, Neil Simon, and David Mamet. After the production of his play Clash by Night in the 1941–42 season, Odets focused his energies primarily on film projects, remaining in Hollywood until mid-1948. He returned to New York for five and a half years, during which time he produced three more Broadway plays, only one of which was a success. His prominence was eventually eclipsed by Miller, Tennessee Williams, and, in the early- to mid-1950s, William Inge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ralph Forbes</span> English actor

Ralph Forbes was an English film and stage actor active in Britain and the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Riskin</span> American screenwriter (1897-1955)

Robert Riskin was an American screenwriter. He is best known for his collaborations with Frank Capra.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Armand Kaliz</span> American actor

Armand David Kali(s)z was an American stage and film actor of the silent film and early sound period of the 1930s. Prior to that, he was an actor in vaudeville and on the legitimate stage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greta Meyer</span> German actress (1883–1965)

Greta Meyer was a German actress in motion pictures beginning in the silent film era.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hobart Cavanaugh</span> American actor (1886–1950)

Hobart Cavanaugh was an American character actor in films and on stage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vince Barnett</span> American actor (1902–1977)

Vince Barnett was an American film actor. He appeared on stage originally before appearing in more than 230 films between 1930 and 1975.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nick Grinde</span> American film director

Nick Grinde was an American film director and screenwriter. He directed 57 films between 1928 and 1945.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joseph Crehan</span> American actor (1883–1966)

Joseph A. Creaghan was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 300 films between 1916 and 1965, and notably played Ulysses S. Grant nine times between 1939 and 1958, most memorably in Union Pacific and They Died with Their Boots On.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Max Afford</span> Australian playwright and novelist (1906–1954)

Malcolm R. Afford known as Max Afford, was an Australian playwright and novelist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bradley Page</span> American actor

Bradley Page was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 100 films from 1931 to 1943.

Isabel Dawn was an American screenwriter, actress, and journalist active primarily in the 1930s and 1940s.

Gertrude M. Purcell was an American screenwriter, playwright, and stage actress known for her work on films like The Invisible Woman and Destry Rides Again.

Doris Malloy (1901–1955) was an American screenwriter active during the 1920s through the 1940s.

Anne Morrison Chapin was an American playwright, actress, and screenwriter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beatrice Banyard</span> American screenwriter and actress

Beatrice Banyard was an American screenwriter and actress active in the late 1930s and early 1940s.

Rose Caylor was a Russian-American screenwriter, playwright, actress, and journalist known for her work in the U.S. in the 1920s through the 1940s. She was married to filmmaker and journalist Ben Hecht.

Paul Perez was an American screenwriter active primarily during the 1920s and 1930s; he wrote for both English- and Spanish-language films over the course of his career, and often worked on Westerns. He also had several credits as an actor and editor.

David Silverstein was an American screenwriter and journalist who worked at MGM, Universal, and Columbia in the 1930s and 1940s.

References

  1. 1 2 "9 May 1934, Page 10 - The Brooklyn Daily Eagle at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2019-02-18.
  2. "22 Jul 1934, 17 - The Morning Call at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2019-02-18.
  3. "12 Jun 1934, Page 19 - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2019-02-18.
  4. "18 Nov 1934, Page 49 - The Cincinnati Enquirer at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2019-02-18.
  5. "20 Dec 1935, Page 14 - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2019-02-18.
  6. "20 Jun 1935, 8 - The Daily Standard at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2019-02-18.
  7. "Dramatists Play Service, Inc". www.dramatists.com. Retrieved 2019-02-18.