Savage Fury
1956 · Movie
as Ship's Captain
J.P. McGowan
1880-02-23
•
Terowie, Australia
Writers: , , , ,
From Wikipedia John Paterson McGowan (February 24, 1880 – March 26, 1952) was a pioneering Hollywood actor and director and occasionally a screenwriter and producer. J. P. McGowan, as he was usually known, remains the only Australian to have been made a life member of the Screen Directors Guild (now Directors Guild of America). Born in the then-bustling railway centre of Terowie in South Australia, McGowan grew up in Adelaide (Islington) and Sydney. He was a capable horseman and served in the Second Boer War with Montmorency's Scouts as a special dispatch rider. McGowan directed and often acted in the first 33 episodes of Kalem's 1914 adventure film series, The Hazards of Helen, which eventually ran to 54 episodes, some still with McGowan's participation. While filming he began a relationship with Helen Holmes, the film's star, and the two married. They left Kalem to set up their own production company, Signal Films, which successfully made a series of railroad melodramas but lost out when their distributor (Mutual) failed. The collaboration ended when they divorced in 1925. There was an adopted daughter, Kaye. McGowan successfully made the transition from silent film to talkies. While never a major star, in a busy career that spanned four decades he is credited with acting in 232 films—mostly strong roles like sheriff or villain—writing 26 screenplays and directing 242 productions. In 1932 he directed a young John Wayne in the 12-episode rail vs airplane serial The Hurricane Express for the independent Mascot Pictures. From 1938 to 1951, as Executive Secretary of the Screen Directors Guild, he fought to secure recognition for the director within the studio systems of the film and emerging television industry. J.P. McGowan died in 1952 in Hollywood and was interred in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California.
Filmography
The Lady and the Bandit
1951 · Movie
as Old Man
Code of the Fearless
1939 · Movie
as Undetermined Minor Role
Stagecoach
1939 · Movie
as Bit Part (uncredited)
The Great Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok
1938 · Movie
as Scudder
Kidnapped
1938 · Movie
as Clansman
The Buccaneer
1938 · Movie
as Jailer
Hunted Men
1938 · Movie
as Cop
Hit the Saddle
1937 · Movie
as Rance McGowan
Jungle Jim
1937 · Movie
as Ship Captain J.S. Robinson
Borderland
1937 · Movie
as El Rio Sheriff
Empty Holsters
1937 · Movie
as U.S. Marshal Billy O'Neill
Heart of the Rockies
1937 · Movie
as Ed Dawson
Rough Riding Rhythm
1937 · Movie
as Pete Hobart
Prairie Thunder
1937 · Movie
as Col. Stanton
Slave Ship
1937 · Movie
as Helmsman
She Had to Eat
1937 · Movie
as Police Sergeant (uncredited)
Silverspurs
1936 · Movie
as Webb Allison
Guns and Guitars
1936 · Movie
as Dave Morgan
Stampede
1936 · Movie
as Matt Stevens
Secret Patrol
1936 · Movie
as Blacksmith Barstow
Fury and the Woman
1936 · Movie
as Anderson
Robin Hood of El Dorado
1936 · Movie
as Danglong
Ride 'Em Cowboy
1936 · Movie
as Jim Howard
The Three Mesquiteers
1936 · Movie
as Brack Canfield
Sinner Take All
1936 · Movie
as Police Officer Murphy (uncredited)
The Accusing Finger
1936 · Movie
as Inner Guard
The Prisoner of Shark Island
1936 · Movie
as Ship's Captain (uncredited)
The Silent Code
1935 · Movie
as Commissioner
Mississippi
1935 · Movie
as Dealer (uncredited)
The Call of the Savage
1935 · Movie
as Freighter Captain
Bar 20 Rides Again
1935 · Movie
as Buck Peters
Murder in the Fleet
1935 · Movie
as Chief of Police (Uncredited)
The Outlaw Tamer
1935 · Movie
as Sheriff Jim Porter
Whispering Smith Speaks
1935 · Movie
as Caboose Passenger (uncredited)
Border Brigands
1935 · Movie
as Inspector Winston - RCMP
Diamond Jim
1935 · Movie
as Engineer
Rustlers of Red Dog
1935 · Movie
as Capt. Trent [Chs. 3-4]
East of Java
1935 · Movie
as Sergeant, Rescue Party
Les Misérables
1935 · Movie
as Javert's Plainclothesman
When Lightning Strikes
1934 · Movie
as Lafe Broderick
No More Women
1934 · Movie
as Captain of The Hawk
The Red Rider
1934 · Movie
as Scotty McKee
Wagon Wheels
1934 · Movie
as Couch
Somewhere in Sonora
1933 · Movie
as Monte Black
Lawless Valley
1932 · Movie
as Big Mike Carter, aka El Lobo, aka Texas Rand
Flaming Gold
1932 · Movie
as Mack
Quick Trigger Lee
1931 · Movie
as Brings note / Director
No image
Covered Wagon Trails
1930 · Movie
The Canyon of Missing Men
1930 · Movie
as Slug Sagel
No image
Breezy Bill
1930 · Movie
as Sheriff
O'Malley Rides Alone
1930 · Movie
as Angus McGregor
'Neath Western Skies
1929 · Movie
as Dugan
Plunging Hoofs
1929 · Movie
as Jim Wales
A Texas Cowboy
1929 · Movie
as Brute Kettle
No image
The Invaders
1929 · Movie
The Lawless Legion
1929 · Movie
as Matson
Señor Americano
1929 · Movie
as Maddox
The Last Roundup
1929 · Movie
as Hash
Headin' Westward
1929 · Movie
as Sneezer Clark
The Cowboy and the Outlaw
1929 · Movie
as Pepper Hardcastle
Below the Deadline
1929 · Movie
as Taggart
The Fighting Terror
1929 · Movie
The Oklahoma Kid
1929 · Movie
The Law of the Plains
1929 · Movie
as Seagrue
Pioneers of the West
1929 · Movie
as Tom Dorgan
Bad Men's Money
1929 · Movie
as Sheriff Bud Jennings
No image
Arizona Days
1928 · Movie
as Ed Hicks
Two Outlaws
1928 · Movie
as Abner Whitcomb
The Chinatown Mystery
1928 · Movie
No image
Dugan of the Dugouts
1928 · Movie
as Capt. von Brinken
The Code of the Scarlet
1928 · Movie
as Blake
Ships of the Night
1928 · Movie
as Motilla
The Black Ace
1928 · Movie
No image
The Devil’s Tower
1928 · Movie
as George Stilwell
No image
The Lightnin’ Shot
1928 · Movie
No image
The Old Code
1928 · Movie
as Raoul de Valle
The Red Raiders
1927 · Movie
as Captain Ortwell
Gun Gospel
1927 · Movie
as Bill Brogan
No image
The Royal American
1927 · Movie
as Capt. Burke
Arizona Nights
1927 · Movie
as Jeff Decker
Red Signals
1927 · Movie
as Jim Twyler
No image
The Lost Limited
1927 · Movie
as Thomas Webber
No image
The Slaver
1927 · Movie
as ’Iron' Larsen
Perils of the Rail
1926 · Movie
as Barker's Accomplice at Smelter Junction
Senor Daredevil
1926 · Movie
as Jesse Wilks
The Lost Express
1926 · Movie
as Train Engineer
Crack O' Dawn
1926 · Movie
as Earle Thorpe Sr.
Moran of the Mounted
1926 · Movie
as Sgt. Churchill
The Fast Freight
1925 · Movie
Outwitted
1925 · Movie
as Tiger McGuire
Barriers of the Law
1925 · Movie
as Steve Redding
The Patent Leather Pug
1925 · Movie
as James Curtis
Duped
1925 · Movie
as 'Hard Rock' Ralston
Red Blood
1925 · Movie
as Eagle Custer
No image
The Whipping Boss
1924 · Movie
as Livingston
Crossed Trails
1924 · Movie
as 'Pepper' Baldwin
Baffled
1924 · Movie
as Jack Norton
A Two Fisted Tenderfoot
1924 · Movie
as Stephen Lawlor
Stormy Seas
1923 · Movie
as Capt. Morgan
Hills of Missing Men
1922 · Movie
as Capt. Brandt / The Dragon
Do or Die
1921 · Movie
as Capt. Alvarez / Satan
Cold Steel
1921 · Movie
as Steele Weir
King of the Circus
1920 · Movie
Elmo the Fearless
1920 · Movie
The Hazards of Helen
1917 · Movie
as Various roles
The Railroad Raiders
1917 · Movie
as Thomas Desmond
Whispering Smith
1916 · Movie
as Whispering Smith
Medicine Bend
1916 · Movie
as Whispering Smith
The Girl Telegrapher's Peril
1915 · Movie
as Blake - a Lineman
The Railroad Raiders of '62
1915 · Movie
as Lockwood - the old one-armed Flagman
The Broken Train
1915 · Movie
as Warren - Railroad Employee
A Railroader's Bravery
1915 · Movie
as Thomas - the Chief of the Gang
The Broken Rail
1915 · Movie
as Trow - of the Working Crew
No image
A Desperate Leap
1915 · Movie
The Mettle of Jerry McGuire
1915 · Movie
as Jerry McGuire
The Girl and the Game
1915 · Movie
as Spike
The Leap from the Water Tower
1915 · Movie
as Rand - the Fireman
The Flying Freight's Captive
1914 · Movie
as Rand - a Yeggman
The Black Diamond Express
1914 · Movie
as Dan Haddon - a Cowboy
The Escape on the Limited
1914 · Movie
as Brandt - a Defaulting Cashier
Helen's Sacrifice
1914 · Movie
as Benton
His Nemesis
1914 · Movie
as Mammoth - Manning's Business Rival
No image
Kaintucky Bill
1914 · Movie
as Kaintucky Bill - a Moonshiner
The Wives of Jamestown
1913 · Movie
as The O’Rourke
Dust of the Desert
1912 · Movie
as Sheik Mohammad
The Poacher's Pardon
1912 · Movie
as Mr. Wallace - the Gamekeeper
An Arabian Tragedy
1912 · Movie
Ireland, the Oppressed
1912 · Movie
as Lord Kilhannack
The Little Gluers
1912 · Movie
as Valentine Hay
No image
The Shaughraun
1912 · Movie
as Corry Kinchela
From the Manger to the Cross
1912 · Movie
as Wise Man 1
Captured by Bedouins
1912 · Movie
as Lt. Greig
Winning a Widow
1912 · Movie
His Mother
1912 · Movie
as John Foster
Tragedy of the Desert
1912 · Movie
as The Arab Sheik
No image
Far from Erin's Isle
1912 · Movie
No image
Vagabonds
1912 · Movie
as Big Jim
No image
The Mayor from Ireland
1912 · Movie
as Shamus Foley
The Grit of the Girl Telegrapher
1912 · Movie
Railroad Raiders of '62
1911 · Movie
as Federal Officer
No image
Slim Jim's Last Chance
1911 · Movie
as The Rancher
By a Woman's Wit
1911 · Movie
When the Dead Return
1911 · Movie
as Jacques
The Colleen Bawn
1911 · Movie
as Hardress Cregan
No image
A Sawmill Hero
1911 · Movie
No image
The Fiddler’s Requiem
1911 · Movie
as Dolores' father
Rory O'More
1911 · Movie
as Commander of the English troops
No image
The Special Messenger
1911 · Movie
as Royal
No image
The Fishermaid of Ballydavid
1911 · Movie
as Policeman
The Lad from Old Ireland
1910 · Movie
as Election Agent
No image
When Lovers Part
1910 · Movie
No image
Danger Quest
· Movie
as Col. Spiffy
Crew Credits
Where the West Begins
1938 · Movie
Director
Roaring Six Guns
1937 · Movie
Director
Rough Riding Rhythm
1937 · Movie
Director
What Price Vengeance
1937 · Movie
Writer
Secret Patrol
1936 · Movie
Screenplay
The Outlaw Tamer
1935 · Movie
Director
The Lone Bandit
1935 · Movie
Director
Drum Taps
1933 · Movie
Director, Screenplay
When a Man Rides Alone
1933 · Movie
Director
Deadwood Pass
1933 · Movie
Director
War of the Range
1933 · Movie
Director
The Hurricane Express
1932 · Movie
Director, Screenplay
Mark of the Spur
1932 · Movie
Director
The Scarlet Brand
1932 · Movie
Director
Lawless Valley
1932 · Movie
Director
Tangled Fortunes
1932 · Movie
Director
Human Targets
1932 · Movie
Director
Riders of the North
1931 · Movie
Director
Quick Trigger Lee
1931 · Movie
Director
So This Is Arizona
1931 · Movie
Director
Shotgun Pass
1931 · Movie
Director
Headin' for Trouble
1931 · Movie
Director
No image
The Cyclone Kid
1931 · Movie
Director
O'Malley Rides Alone
1930 · Movie
Producer, Director
Under Texas Skies
1930 · Movie
Director
Canyon Hawks
1930 · Movie
Director
The Code of Honor
1930 · Movie
Director
The Oklahoma Sheriff
1930 · Movie
Director
The Hunted Men
1930 · Movie
Director
No image
Western Honor
1930 · Movie
Director
No image
Breezy Bill
1930 · Movie
Director
No image
The Man from Nowhere
1930 · Movie
Director
Beyond the Law
1930 · Movie
Director
Call of the Desert
1930 · Movie
Director
No image
Covered Wagon Trails
1930 · Movie
Director
The Canyon of Missing Men
1930 · Movie
Director
Near the Rainbow's End
1930 · Movie
Director
The Last Roundup
1929 · Movie
Director
Code of the West
1929 · Movie
Director
A Texas Cowboy
1929 · Movie
Director
No image
The Invaders
1929 · Movie
Director
Captain Cowboy
1929 · Movie
Director, Writer
Headin' Westward
1929 · Movie
Director
'Neath Western Skies
1929 · Movie
Director, Producer
The Cowboy and the Outlaw
1929 · Movie
Director
Below the Deadline
1929 · Movie
Director
The Fighting Terror
1929 · Movie
Director
No image
Riders of the Rio Grande
1929 · Movie
Director
The Law of the Plains
1929 · Movie
Director
The Oklahoma Kid
1929 · Movie
Director
The Man from Nevada
1929 · Movie
Director, Producer
Pioneers of the West
1929 · Movie
Director, Adaptation, Producer
Bad Men's Money
1929 · Movie
Director
No image
Arizona Days
1928 · Movie
Director
No image
Dugan of the Dugouts
1928 · Movie
Writer
The Chinatown Mystery
1928 · Movie
Director
Manhattan Cowboy
1928 · Movie
Director
No image
The Devil’s Tower
1928 · Movie
Director
No image
The Lightnin’ Shot
1928 · Movie
Director, Writer
Mystery Valley
1928 · Movie
Director, Writer
No image
Painted Trail
1928 · Movie
Director
No image
Trail Raiders
1928 · Movie
Director, Writer
No image
Trailin’ Back
1928 · Movie
Director, Writer
Tarzan and the Golden Lion
1927 · Movie
Director
The Outlaw Dog
1927 · Movie
Director
Thunderbolt's Tracks
1927 · Movie
Director
Red Signals
1927 · Movie
Director
No image
The Lost Limited
1927 · Movie
Director
No image
When a Dog Loves
1927 · Movie
Director
Crossed Signals
1926 · Movie
Director
The Brown Derby
1926 · Movie
Writer
Perils of the Rail
1926 · Movie
Director
The Lost Express
1926 · Movie
Director
The Fast Freight
1925 · Movie
Scenario Writer, Director
The Ace of Clubs
1925 · Movie
Director
Outwitted
1925 · Movie
Writer, Director
The Road Agent
1925 · Movie
Director
No image
Mistaken Orders
1925 · Movie
Director
Barriers of the Law
1925 · Movie
Director
No image
Ambushed
1925 · Movie
Director
Cold Nerve
1925 · Movie
Director
No image
A Desperate Chance
1925 · Movie
Director
Webs of Steel
1925 · Movie
Director
The Bandit Tamer
1925 · Movie
Director
The Fighting Sheriff
1925 · Movie
Director
Duped
1925 · Movie
Director
Peggy of the Secret Service
1925 · Movie
Director
Red Blood
1925 · Movie
Director
A Desperate Adventure
1924 · Movie
Director
A Two Fisted Tenderfoot
1924 · Movie
Director
No image
The Whipping Boss
1924 · Movie
Director
Crossed Trails
1924 · Movie
Director
Baffled
1924 · Movie
Director
Courage
1924 · Movie
Director
Stormy Seas
1923 · Movie
Director
Perils of the Yukon
1922 · Movie
Director
Hills of Missing Men
1922 · Movie
Director, Writer
Captain Kidd
1922 · Movie
Director
Tiger True
1921 · Movie
Director
Do or Die
1921 · Movie
Director
Below the Deadline
1921 · Movie
Director
King of the Circus
1920 · Movie
Director
Elmo the Fearless
1920 · Movie
Director
The Vanishing Dagger
1920 · Movie
Director
Elmo, the Mighty
1919 · Movie
Director
The Red Glove
1919 · Movie
Director
The Lure of the Circus
1918 · Movie
Director
The Lost Express
1917 · Movie
Director, Writer, Producer
The Railroad Raiders
1917 · Movie
Director, Editor, Producer
The Hazards of Helen
1917 · Movie
Director
Medicine Bend
1916 · Movie
Director
Judith of the Cumberlands
1916 · Movie
Director, Producer
No image
The Diamond Runners
1916 · Movie
Director, Scenario Writer
A Lass of the Lumberlands
1916 · Movie
Director, Producer
Whispering Smith
1916 · Movie
Director
The Manager of the B & A
1916 · Movie
Director
The Death Train
1915 · Movie
Director
A Deed of Daring
1915 · Movie
Director
A Railroader's Bravery
1915 · Movie
Director
The Fate of Number One
1915 · Movie
Director
The Girl on the Engine
1915 · Movie
Director
The Broken Circuit
1915 · Movie
Director
The Girl Telegrapher's Peril
1915 · Movie
Director
The Fast Mail's Danger
1915 · Movie
Director
The Little Engineer
1915 · Movie
Director
The Girl at Lone Point
1915 · Movie
Director
The Mettle of Jerry McGuire
1915 · Movie
Director
The Open Drawbridge
1915 · Movie
Director
No image
A Desperate Leap
1915 · Movie
Director
No image
When Rogues Fall Out
1915 · Movie
Director
The Engineer's Peril
1915 · Movie
Director
The Railroad Raiders of '62
1915 · Movie
Director
The Girl on the Trestle
1915 · Movie
Director
A Race for a Crossing
1915 · Movie
Director
The Box Car Trap
1915 · Movie
Director
A Life in the Balance
1915 · Movie
Director
The Girl Engineer
1915 · Movie
Director
The Human Chain
1915 · Movie
Director
The Broken Train
1915 · Movie
Director
The Midnight Limited
1915 · Movie
Director
A Wild Ride
1915 · Movie
Director
Near Eternity
1915 · Movie
Director
The Hazards of Helen Ep26: The Wild Engine
1915 · Movie
Director
In Danger's Path
1915 · Movie
Director
The Girl and the Game
1915 · Movie
Director, Writer
The Pay Train
1915 · Movie
Director
The Leap from the Water Tower
1915 · Movie
Director
Blackbirds
1915 · Movie
Director
No image
The Operator at Black Rock
1914 · Movie
Director
Helen's Sacrifice
1914 · Movie
Director
His Nemesis
1914 · Movie
Writer, Director
The Plot at the Railroad Cut
1914 · Movie
Director
The Girl at the Throttle
1914 · Movie
Director
The Stolen Engine
1914 · Movie
Director
The Flying Freight's Captive
1914 · Movie
Director
The Black Diamond Express
1914 · Movie
Director
The Escape on the Limited
1914 · Movie
Director
The Lost Mail Sack
1914 · Movie
Director
The Flaw in the Alibi
1914 · Movie
Director
No image
Kaintucky Bill
1914 · Movie
Director
No image
The Car of Death
1914 · Movie
Director
No image
A String of Pearls
1914 · Movie
Director
No image
A Sawmill Hazard
1913 · Movie
Director
The Pursuit of the Smugglers
1913 · Movie
Director
The Grit of the Girl Telegrapher
1912 · Movie
Director
