Jack Smight
Jack Smight | |
|---|---|
 Jack Smight | |
| Born | John Ronald Smight March 9, 1925[1] Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Died | September 1, 2003 (aged 78)[1] Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Education | University of Minnesota (B.A., 1949) |
| Occupations | Film director, television director |
| Spouse | Joyce Cunning |
| Children | 2 |
John Ronald Smight (March 9, 1925 – September 1, 2003)[1] was an American film and television director.[2][3] He was best known for his thriller and action films, notably Harper (1966), No Way to Treat a Lady (1968), Airport 1975 (1974),[4] Midway (1976),[2] Damnation Alley (1977), and Number One with a Bullet (1987). FilmInk described him as a "a perfect example of the 'journeyman' director."[5]
Early life and education
[edit]Smight was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the son of Irish Catholic immigrants.[6] He graduated from Cretin High School with future actor Peter Graves. They acted together in summer stock productions, and Graves played in a 15-piece band that Smight led.[7]
He joined the Army Air Forces, flying missions in the Pacific during World War II,[6] before graduating with a bachelor of arts degree from the University of Minnesota in 1949.[8] He then sought work as an actor.[6] He worked as a radio actor[citation needed] and had a bit part in a stage production of Anna Lucasta in 1949.[9]
Career
[edit]Television
[edit]He became stage manager for TV's The Good Egg of the Week and then assistant director on The Colgate Comedy Hour and The Dennis Day Show. He said a big break was working on Visit to a Small Planet with Cyril Ritchard.[10]
In 1959, he won an Emmy Award for his direction of the hour-long play Eddie, which starred Mickey Rooney. He directed episodes for The Twilight Zone and The Alfred Hitchcock Hour.
He directed the 1960 Broadway play The 49th Cousin.
Feature films
[edit]Smight's first feature film was I'd Rather Be Rich (1964), a remake of It Started with Eve (1941). Smight said "it was not a particularly good script but it opened up a whole new life for me."[10]
Smight then signed a contract with Warners to make six films in one a year. He produced and directed The Third Day (1965) and then directed the Paul Newman vehicle Harper (1966).[11] He followed that with the British action comedy, Kaleidoscope (1966) with Warren Beatty.
In 1966, he signed a three-picture deal with Mirisch Brothers and bought the rights to the book The Illustrated Man.[12] In 1968, he directed the cult classic comedic thriller No Way to Treat a Lady, starring Rod Steiger and George Segal. Other notable films directed by Smight include Airport 1975 (1974) and Midway (1976), back-to-back box office hits.
In 1976, Smight was hired to direct the technically-complex Damnation Alley, expected to be another box office hit upon release. After the director's cut was delivered, and Smight moved on to other projects, studio meddling and re-editing resulted in a drastically altered film, which was released and failed at the box office.
Smight's last film, The Favorite (1989), also known as La Nuit du serail, was a co-production of the United States and Switzerland.
Personal life
[edit]Smight was married to actress Joyce Cunning, and he had two sons, including editor/director Alec Smight.
Death
[edit]Smight died of cancer on September 1, 2003,[7] in Los Angeles.[1]
Filmography
[edit]Film
[edit]| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1964 | I'd Rather Be Rich | |
| 1965 | The Third Day | Also producer |
| 1966 | Harper | |
| Kaleidoscope | ||
| 1968 | The Secret War of Harry Frigg | |
| No Way to Treat a Lady | ||
| 1969 | The Illustrated Man | |
| Strategy of Terror | ||
| 1970 | Rabbit, Run | |
| The Traveling Executioner | Also producer | |
| 1974 | Airport 1975 | |
| 1976 | Midway | |
| 1977 | Damnation Alley | |
| 1979 | Fast Break | |
| 1980 | Loving Couples | |
| 1987 | Number One with a Bullet | |
| 1989 | The Favorite |
Television
[edit]| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1949 | One Man's Family | TV series |
| 1955 | Repertory Theatre | 2 episodes |
| Goodyear Playhouse | 2 episodes | |
| 1956-57 | Climax! | 13 episodes |
| 1956-58 | General Electric Theater | 2 episodes |
| 1957 | The Seven Lively Arts | Episode: "The Sound of Jazz" |
| 1957-58 | Studio One in Hollywood | 4 episodes |
| 1957-58 | Suspicion | 3 episode |
| 1958 | Alcoa Theatre | Episode: Eddie |
| 1959 | Oldsmobile Music Theatre | Episode: "A Nice Place to Hide" |
| The DuPont Show with June Allyson | 2 episodes | |
| 1959-61 | The Twilight Zone | 4 episodes |
| 1960 | The United States Steel Hour | Episode "Shadow of a Pale Horse" |
| 1960-61 | Art Carney Special | 2 episodes |
| NBC Sunday Showcase | 2 episodes | |
| Our American Heritage | 4 episodes | |
| 1961 | Naked City | Episode: "Dead on the Field of Honor" |
| Route 66 | Episode: "Goodnight Sweet Blues" | |
| The Law and Mr. Jones | Episode: "Lincoln" | |
| 1961-62 | Westinghouse Presents | 2 episodes |
| 1962 | The Defenders | 2 episodes |
| The DuPont Show of the Week | 5 episodes | |
| Alcoa Premiere | Episode: "Broken Year" | |
| 1963 | The Alfred Hitchcock Hour | 4 episodes |
| East Side/West Side | 2 episodes | |
| Arrest and Trial | 5 episodes | |
| 1963-64 | Dr. Kildare | 3 episodes |
| 1964-65 | Kraft Suspense Theatre | 4 episodes |
| 1971 | Columbo | Episode: "Dead Weight" |
| 1971-72 | McCloud | 2 episodes |
| 1972 | Banacek | 2 episodes |
| Madigan | 2 episodes | |
| 1986 | Code of Vengeance | 2 episodes |
TV films, specials, and miniseries
[edit]| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 1958 | Victor Borge's Comedy in Music III |
| 1959 | The Ten Commandments |
| The Sound of Miles Davis | |
| 1960 | Destiny, West! |
| 1961 | The Enchanted Nutcracker |
| 1972 | The Screaming Woman |
| The Longest Night | |
| 1973 | Partners in Crime |
| Double Indemnity | |
| Linda | |
| Frankenstein: The True Story | |
| Legend in Granite | |
| 1974 | The Man from Independence |
| 1978 | Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry |
| 1982 | Remembrance of Love |
Awards and nominations
[edit]| Award | Year | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primetime Emmy Awards | 1959 | Directing for a Drama Series | Alcoa Theatre ("Eddie") | Won | [13] |
| 1962 | Westinghouse Presents ("Come Again to Carthage") | Nominated | |||
| Hugo Award | 1970 | Best Dramatic Presentation | The Illustrated Man | Nominated |
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d Bergan, Ronald (September 19, 2003). "Jack Smight. Down-to-earth director whose stars included Bacall, Steiger and Newman". The Guardian.
- ^ a b "Jack Smight". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. 2008. Archived from the original on June 10, 2008.
- ^ Myers, JP (March 8, 2018). "This is the story of Director Jack Smight's life in entertainment written by himself". Medium. Archived from the original on November 26, 2019. Retrieved October 25, 2019.
- ^ Canby, Vincent (October 19, 1974). "Airport 1975 (1974) Screen:'Airport 1975' Is a Silly Sequel With a 747". The New York Times.
- ^ Nash, Cara (April 20, 2022). "Unsung Auteurs: Jack Smight". FilmInk. Retrieved March 3, 2026.
- ^ a b c Vallance, Tom (September 16, 2003). "Jack Smight: Director specialising in the macabre". The Independent. England, London. p. 16. Retrieved January 17, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Hahn, Trudi (September 12, 2003). "Jack Smight, TV, film director, dies at 78". Star Tribune. Minnesota, Minneapolis. p. B 6. Retrieved January 17, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "956 Get degrees in 'U' graduation". Minneapolis Morning Tribune. March 18, 1949. p. 20. Retrieved January 17, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "'Anna Lucasta' Still Too Early". The Mirror. California, Los Angeles. June 13, 1949. p. 33. Retrieved January 17, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Hollywood Kind to TV Directors Los Angeles Times 17 May 1966: c9.
- ^ Smight makes best of both: Go anywhere By Kimmis Hendrick. The Christian Science Monitor 3 Aug 1965: 6.
- ^ MOVIE CALL SHEET: Jack Smight Signs Contract Los Angeles Times 12 Dec 1966: D25.
- ^ "Jack Smight".
External links
[edit]- Jack Smight at IMDb
- Jack Smight at the TCM Movie Database (archived)
- Jack Smight at the Internet Broadway Database
- Obituary-Jack Smight The Guardian
