Jack Hively (September 5, 1910 – December 19, 1995) was an American film editor and film and television director whose career lasted from the 1930s through the 1980s. His father and his brother were also film editors. He began as a film editor, before moving on to direct features. His career was interrupted by his enlistment in the U.S. Army following the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor in December 1941. After the war he returned to directing films, before moving on to directing on television.

Life and career

Hively was part of a theatrical family, his father,

George Hively George Hively (September 6, 1889 – March 2, 1950) was a film writer and film editor from 1917 to 1945. Hively was born in Springfield, Missouri and died in Los Angeles, California. He is the father of George Hively and Jack Hively, both editor ...

, was an Academy Award-nominated editor (for the 1935 film, '' The Informer''), and his brother, George Hively Jr., was a film and television editor. His mother was Georgenia Margaret Hively (née Steele). Hively began his career in the film industry as an editor at RKO in 1933, working as an assistant editor on the

Richard Dix Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Old Frankish and is a compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'strong ...

film, ''

No Marriage Ties ''No Marriage Ties'' is a 1933 American pre-Code drama film directed by J. Walter Ruben and written by Arthur Caesar, H.W. Hanemann, Sam Mintz. The film stars Richard Dix, Elizabeth Allan, Doris Kenyon, Alan Dinehart and David Landau. The film ...

''. By the following year he was an editor, working on such films as ''

Success at Any Price ''Success at Any Price'' is a 1934 sound film starring Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Genevieve Tobin, Frank Morgan and silent film star Colleen Moore. It is based on the 1932 play ''Success Story (play), Success Story'' by John Howard Lawson. Plot Joe, ...

'' and ''

Where Sinners Meet ''Where Sinners Meet'' is a 1934 American pre-Code romantic comedy film directed by J. Walter Ruben and starring Diana Wynyard, Clive Brook and Billie Burke. It was adapted by writer Henry William Hanemann from Clara Beranger's 1927 movie ''The L ...

''. Other notable films which Hively edited include: ''

Annie Oakley Annie Oakley (born Phoebe Ann Mosey; August 13, 1860 – November 3, 1926) was an American sharpshooter who starred in Buffalo Bill's Wild West show. Oakley developed hunting skills as a child to provide for her impoverished family in western ...

'' (1935), starring Barbara Stanwyck; the 1936 comedy ''

Smartest Girl in Town ''Smartest Girl in Town'' is a 1936 American comedy film directed by Joseph Santley, written by Viola Brothers Shore, and starring Gene Raymond, Ann Sothern, Helen Broderick, Eric Blore, Erik Rhodes and Harry Jans. It was released on November ...

'', starring

Gene Raymond Gene Raymond (born Raymond Guion; August 13, 1908 – May 3, 1998) was an American film, television, and stage actor of the 1930s and 1940s. In addition to acting, Raymond was also a singer, composer, screenwriter, director, producer, and decorat ...

and

Ann Sothern Ann Sothern (born Harriette Arlene Lake; January 22, 1909 – March 15, 2001) was an American actress who worked on stage, radio, film, and television, in a career that spanned nearly six decades. Sothern began her career in the late 1920 ...

; ''

The Man Who Found Himself ''The Man Who Found Himself'', also known as ''Wings of Mercy'', is a 1937 American aviation film based on the unpublished story "Wings of Mercy" by Alice F. Curtis. The film marked the first starring role for 19-year-old Joan Fontaine, who was b ...

'' (1937), which marked the starring debut for

Joan Fontaine Joan de Beauvoir de Havilland (October 22, 1917 – December 15, 2013), known professionally as Joan Fontaine, was a British-American actress who is best known for her starring roles in Hollywood films during the "Golden Age". Fontaine appeared ...

;

Garson Kanin Garson Kanin (November 24, 1912 – March 13, 1999) was an American writer and director of plays and films. Early life Garson Kanin was born in Rochester, New York; his family later relocated to Detroit then to New York City. He attended ...

's 1938 comedy, ''

Next Time I Marry ''Next Time I Marry'' is a 1938 American comedy film directed by Garson Kanin and written by John Twist and Helen Meinardi. The film stars Lucille Ball, James Ellison, Lee Bowman, Granville Bates and Mantan Moreland. The film was released on ...

'', starring

Lucille Ball Lucille Désirée Ball (August 6, 1911 – April 26, 1989) was an American actress, comedienne and producer. She was nominated for 13 Primetime Emmy Awards, winning five times, and was the recipient of several other accolades, such as the Golde ...

James Ellison James Ellison may refer to: * James O. Ellison (1929–2014), U.S. federal judge * James T. Ellison (1862–1920s), New York gangster *James Ellison (actor) (1910–1993), American film actor *James Ellison (footballer, born 1901) (1901–1958), En ...

, and

Lee Bowman Lee Bowman (December 28, 1914 – December 25, 1979) was an American film and television actor. According to one obituary, "his roles ranged from romantic lead to worldly, wisecracking lout in his most famous years". Career Born in Cincinnati, ...

; and the second installment of

The Saint The Saint may refer to: Fiction * Simon Templar, also known as "The Saint", the protagonist of a book series by Leslie Charteris and subsequent adaptations: ** ''The Saint'' (film series) (1938–43), starring Louis Hayward, George Sanders an ...

franchise, 1939's ''

The Saint Strikes Back ''The Saint Strikes Back'' is a 1939 American crime film directed by John Farrow. It marks the second cinematic incarnation of the antihero crimefighting character Simon Templar, alias "The Saint". George Sanders replaced Louis Hayward, who h ...

'', which marked the first time

George Sanders George Henry Sanders (3 July 1906 – 25 April 1972) was a British actor and singer whose career spanned over 40 years. His heavy, upper-class English accent and smooth, bass voice often led him to be cast as sophisticated but villainous chara ...

appeared in the role. After his work on ''The Saint'', Hively would be given the opportunity to direct his own films, beginning with 1939's ''

They Made Her a Spy ''They Made Her a Spy'' is a 1939 American spy drama film produced and distributed by RKO Radio Pictures. It was the first film directed by Jack Hively, who after toiling as an editor for RKO for the prior five years, was given the opportunity ...

''. By 1940, he was considered by some to be one of the best directors in Hollywood. Between 1939 and the outbreak of World War II, Hively directed 14 features. Having edited the second film in The Saint franchise, Hively directed the next three as well, ''

The Saint Takes Over ''The Saint Takes Over'', released in 1940 by RKO Pictures, was the fifth of eight films in RKO's film series about Simon Templar, also known as "The Saint", the Robin Hood-inspired crimefighter created by Leslie Charteris. George Sanders played ...

'' and ''

The Saint's Double Trouble ''The Saint's Double Trouble'' is a 1940 action-adventure film produced by RKO Pictures. The film stars George Sanders as Simon Templar, a.k.a. "The Saint", a master criminal turned crime-fighter, and features horror film legend Bela Lugosi as " ...

'' in 1940, and in 1941 he directed the first feature film ever to be filmed in Palm Springs, California, ''

The Saint in Palm Springs ''The Saint in Palm Springs'' is a crime melodrama released by RKO Pictures in early 1941. The film continued the screen adventures of the Robin Hood-inspired anti-hero, Simon Templar, alias "The Saint", created by Leslie Charteris. This sequel ...

'' Other notable films which Hively directed during this time include: a sequel to '' Anne of Green Gables'', ''

Anne of Windy Poplars Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie. Anne is sometimes used as a male name in the ...

'', starring

Anne Shirley Anne Shirley is a fictional character introduced in the 1908 novel '' Anne of Green Gables'' by L. M. Montgomery. Shirley is featured throughout the classic book series, which revolve around her life and family in 19th and 20th-century Prince Ed ...

; the 1941 comedy starring

Gloria Swanson Gloria May Josephine Swanson (March 27, 1899April 4, 1983) was an American actress and producer. She first achieved fame acting in dozens of silent films in the 1920s and was nominated three times for the Academy Award for Best Actress, most f ...

and

Adolphe Menjou Adolphe Jean Menjou (February 18, 1890 – October 29, 1963) was an American actor. His career spanned both silent films and talkies. He appeared in such films as Charlie Chaplin's ''A Woman of Paris'', where he played the lead role; Stanley K ...

, ''

Father Takes a Wife ''Father Takes a Wife'' is a 1941 American comedy film starring Gloria Swanson and Adolphe Menjou. Silent screen queen Gloria Swanson returned to films after a seven-year absence. Eight years later, Swanson staged another comeback in the classi ...

''; and the 1942 film noir, '' Street of Chance'', starring

Burgess Meredith Oliver Burgess Meredith (November 16, 1907 – September 9, 1997) was an American actor and filmmaker whose career encompassed theater, film, and television. Active for more than six decades, Meredith has been called "a virtuosic actor" and "on ...

and

Claire Trevor Claire Trevor ( Wemlinger; March 8, 1910April 8, 2000) was an American actress. She appeared in 65 feature films from 1933 to 1982, winning the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in ''Key Largo'' (1948), and received nomina ...

. In 1941, Hively began dating

Dorothy Lovett Dorothy Lovett (February 16, 1915 – April 28, 1998) was an American film actress. Biography Early and personal life Lovett was born in Providence, Rhode Island. She married director Jack Hively (1910-1995) on December 25, 1941, wh ...

. The two had planned to marry on Christmas Day 1941, but Hively's enlistment in the Army Signal Corps caused those plans to be delayed. While training for the Army Signal Corps at

Wright Field Wilbur Wright Field was a military installation and an airfield used as a World War I pilot, mechanic, and armorer training facility and, under different designations, conducted United States Army Air Corps and Air Forces flight testing. Lo ...

in Dayton, Ohio, Hively married actress

on March 17, 1942, St. Patrick's Day. Hively joined the Army Signal Corps in late 1941, and remained in the service for the duration of World War II, rising to the rank of Major. He served under General MacArthur in the Pacific Theater, along with screenwriter Jesse Lasky Jr. Prior to joining MacArthur's group in the Pacific, Hively was used to direct training films. While shooting one of those training films in Alaska, ''How to Operate in Cold Weather'', Hively suffered what some accounts called "a very bad case of frostbite." After his discharge, Hively returned to the film industry, this time working for

Universal Pictures Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Ameri ...

, mostly as a second unit director. By the end of the 1940s, Hively had left the film industry, and turned his attention to television. He worked sparingly during the 1950s, before becoming active once again in the 1960s and 1970s. He worked regularly on several television series, including ''

Death Valley Days ''Death Valley Days'' is an American old-time radio and television anthology series featuring true accounts of the American Old West, particularly the Death Valley country of southeastern California. Created in 1930 by Ruth Woodman, the program ...

'', '' Lassie'', and ''

The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams ''The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams'' is a 1974 independent feature film produced by Charles E. Sellier Jr. and Raylan D. Jensen for Sun Classic Pictures. The film's popularity led to an NBC television series of the same name. The title cha ...

'', as well as directing several TV movies. His final directorial credit was a television film entitled ''California Gold Rush''. Hively died on December 19, 1995, in Hollywood, California, and was buried in Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California.''Resting Places''
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Filmography

(as per AFI's database)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hively, Jack 1910 births 1995 deaths Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale) American film editors Film directors from Texas American documentary film directors