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Jane Novak (born Johana Barbara Novak; January 12, 1896 – February 3, 1990) was an
American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...
actress of the
silent film A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, when ...
era.


Background

Jane Novak was born Johana Barbara Novak in
St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...
to
Bohemia Bohemia ( ; cs, Čechy ; ; hsb, Čěska; szl, Czechy) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. Bohemia can also refer to a wider area consisting of the historical Lands of the Bohemian Crown ruled by the Bohem ...
n immigrant Joseph Jerome Novak and his wife Barbara Medek. Joseph Novak died when Jane was still a child and Barbara was left to raise 5 children.The Independent, London, February 1990 Her younger sister
Eva Eva or EVA may refer to: * Eva (name), a feminine given name Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters * Eva (Dynamite Entertainment), a comic book character by Dynamite Entertainment * Eva (''Devil May Cry''), Dante's mother in t ...
also became an actress. Novak attended
School Sisters of Notre Dame School Sisters of Notre Dame is a worldwide religious institute of Roman Catholic sisters founded in Bavaria in 1833 and devoted to primary, secondary, and post-secondary education. Their life in mission centers on prayer, community life and mi ...
convent school in St. Louis, but ran away with a friend with whom she created a vaudeville act. Although she returned home, her aunt, actress Anne Schaefer, invited her to California where she began acting in
motion pictures A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...
in 1913 at the age of 17. The actress began in a stage stock company with her uncle in St. Louis. Novak's career extended into the sound film medium, appeared in a total of 115 movies in her career.


Career

She appeared in a movie on her first day in Southern California, before there was a film studio in Hollywood. There she met Frank Newburg, who was, at the time, leading man to
Ruth Roland Ruth Roland (August 26, 1892 – September 22, 1937) was an American stage and film actress and film producer. Early life and career Roland was born in San Francisco, California to Elizabeth Lillian Hauser and Jack Roland. Her father managed a t ...
at the
Kalem The Kalem Company was an early American film studio founded in New York City in 1907. It was one of the first companies to make films abroad and to set up winter production facilities, first in Florida and then in California. Kalem was sold to ...
and
American Mutoscope and Biograph The Biograph Company, also known as the American Mutoscope and Biograph Company, was a motion picture company founded in 1895 and active until 1916. It was the first company in the United States devoted entirely to film production and exhibition, ...
companies. Newburg took her to a studio in Santa Monica, California, where her aunt Anne Schafer was a popular star. Newburg and Novak later married in 1915 and had one daughter. However, the marriage was short lived, and the couple divorced in 1918. Novak endured as a performer, in part, by sacrificing sensational roles for roles as leading women in more wholesome films. Some actresses who were Novak's contemporaries quickly found stardom, yet were forgotten soon afterward, while she was considered an "old-fashioned girl." As a result, Novak, refused to work in films with other leading ladies. She played opposite
Wallace Beery Wallace Fitzgerald Beery (April 1, 1885 – April 15, 1949) was an American film and stage actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Bill in ''Min and Bill'' (1930) opposite Marie Dressler, as General Director Preysing in ''Grand Hotel'' (193 ...
,
Tom Mix Thomas Edwin Mix (born Thomas Hezikiah Mix; January 6, 1880 – October 12, 1940) was an American film actor and the star of many early Western films between 1909 and 1935. He appeared in 291 films, all but nine of which were silent films. He w ...
,
Hobart Bosworth Hobart Van Zandt Bosworth (August 11, 1867 – December 30, 1943) was an American film actor, director, writer, and producer. Early life Bosworth was born on August 11, 1867, in Marietta, Ohio. His father was a sea captain in the Civil Wa ...
, Alan Hale,
Thomas Moore Thomas Moore (28 May 1779 – 25 February 1852) was an Irish writer, poet, and lyricist celebrated for his ''Irish Melodies''. Their setting of English-language verse to old Irish tunes marked the transition in popular Irish culture from Irish ...
, and
Lewis Stone Lewis Shepard Stone (November 15, 1879 – September 12, 1953) was an American film actor. He spent 29 years as a contract player at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and was best known for his portrayal of Judge James Hardy in the studio's popular '' Andy ...
. At one time, she was engaged to marry
Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...
star
William S. Hart William Surrey Hart (December 6, 1864 – June 23, 1946) was an American silent film actor, screenwriter, director and producer. He is remembered as a foremost Western star of the silent era who "imbued all of his characters with honor and integ ...
, but their marriage never took place. She made five films with Hart. Novak's movies often were based on outdoor stories. Some of these include ''
Treat 'Em Rough ''Treat 'Em Rough'' is a 1942 film about a boxer directed by Ray Taylor and starring Eddie Albert. Plot Bill Kingsford, a prizefighter called the Panama Kid (Eddie Albert), returns to his hometown with his trainer Hotfoot (William Frawley (w ...
'' (1919), ''Kazan'' (1921), ''Isobel'' (1920), ''The River's End'' (1920), and ''The Rosary'' (1922). By March 1922, she had her own company and was under contract for five outdoor movies, with a salary at $1,500 per week. Aside from
Mary Pickford Gladys Marie Smith (April 8, 1892 – May 29, 1979), known professionally as Mary Pickford, was a Canadian-American stage and screen actress and producer with a career that spanned five decades. A pioneer in the US film industry, she co-founde ...
and
Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. Douglas Elton Fairbanks Sr. (born Douglas Elton Thomas Ullman; May 23, 1883 – December 12, 1939) was an American actor, screenwriter, director, and producer. He was best known for his swashbuckler film, swashbuckling roles in silent films in ...
, Novak was the first film star to paid in four figures for a single movie. At this time, performers were only paid while a movie was shooting. An entire film was completed in three or four weeks. Novak's last starring role was opposite
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 ...
in the
Technicolor Technicolor is a series of Color motion picture film, color motion picture processes, the first version dating back to 1916, and followed by improved versions over several decades. Definitive Technicolor movies using three black and white films ...
production ''
Redskin Redskin is a slang term for Native Americans in the United States and First Nations in Canada. The term ''redskin'' underwent pejoration through the 19th to early 20th centuries and in contemporary dictionaries of American English it is labe ...
'' (1929). The movie was supposed to be with sound, but there was a contract dispute involving this being Dix's final film with
Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...
, so it was shot as a silent film. Novak's voice was good, but she made only a handful of pictures following the advent of sound. One was a World War II epic titled '' The Yanks Are Coming'' featuring
Slapsie Maxie Rosenbloom Max Everitt Rosenbloom (November 6, 1906 – March 6, 1976) was an American professional boxer, actor, and television personality. Nicknamed "Slapsie Maxie", he was inducted into '' The Ring's'' Boxing Hall of Fame in 1972, the International Je ...
. She also appeared in
Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featur ...
's ''
Foreign Correspondent A correspondent or on-the-scene reporter is usually a journalist or commentator for a magazine, or an agent who contributes reports to a newspaper, or radio or television news, or another type of company, from a remote, often distant, locati ...
'' in 1940, having met him previously in the 1920s when making ''
The Prude's Fall ''The Prude's Fall'' is a 1925 British silent film, silent drama film directed by Graham Cutts and starring Jane Novak, Julanne Johnston and Warwick Ward. The film was shot at Islington Studios, produced by a company that would soon develop int ...
'' (1925). In 1974, the former silent screen star published a cookbook titled ''Treasury of Chicken Cooking''. The volume is a collection of 300 recipes compiled by Novak over the years, all of them her own. Novak's last appearance on camera was in 1988 for the documentary '' Harold Lloyd: The Third Genius'' (1989) by David Gill and
Kevin Brownlow Kevin Brownlow (born Robert Kevin Brownlow; 2 June 1938) is a British film historian, television documentary-maker, filmmaker, author, and film editor. He is best known for his work documenting the history of the silent era, having become inter ...
, and first screened on
ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...
. Jane Novak died in Woodland Hills, California of a stroke in 1990 at the age of 94.


Partial filmography

* '' The Kiss'' (1914) * ''
A Little Madonna ''A Little Madonna'' is a 1914 American silent drama film, directed by Ulysses Davis. Cast * William Desmond Taylor * Patricia Palmer * Charles Bennett * Jane Novak * Loyola O'Connor * Anne Schaefer Anne Schaefer (July 10, 1870 – Ma ...
'' (1914) * ''
Willie Runs the Park ''Willie Runs the Park'' is a 1915 American short comedy film featuring Harold Lloyd. Cast * Harold Lloyd as Willie Work * Jane Novak as The Pretty Girl * Roy Stewart as Willie's Rival See also * Harold Lloyd filmography These are the know ...
'' (1915) * ''
Graft Graft or grafting may refer to: *Graft (politics), a form of political corruption *Graft, Netherlands, a village in the municipality of Graft-De Rijp Science and technology *Graft (surgery), a surgical procedure *Grafting, the joining of plant ti ...
'' (1915) * ''
Just Nuts ''Just Nuts'' is a 1915 American short comedy film featuring Harold Lloyd playing Willie Work, one of the characters that preceded his glasses character. It is also the only surviving film featuring Lloyd as Willie Work. Prints of the film surv ...
'' (1915) * ''
From Italy's Shores ''From Italy's Shores'' is a 1915 American short drama film featuring Harold Lloyd. Cast * Roy Stewart * Jane Novak * Harold Lloyd See also * Harold Lloyd filmography These are the known films of Harold Lloyd (1893–1971), an American act ...
'' (1915) * ''
The Hungry Actors ''The Hungry Actors'' is a 1915 American short comedy film featuring Harold Lloyd. Cast * Roy Stewart * Jane Novak * Harold Lloyd * Neely Edwards * Violet MacMillan * Martha Mattox * Bobby Vernon See also * Harold Lloyd filmography These a ...
'' (1915) * ''
The Iron Hand ''The Iron Hand'' is a 1916 drama film directed by Ulysses Davis. It is not known whether the film currently survives. Plot Politician Tim Noland, and his companion Slim are both arrested. When they are both arrested, Noland decides to stop bein ...
'' (1916) * ''
The Innocent Sinner ''The Innocent Sinner'' is a 1917 American silent drama film directed by Raoul Walsh and starring Miriam Cooper, Charles Clary and Jack Standing.Solomon p.240 Cast * Miriam Cooper as Mary Ellen Ellis * Charles Clary as David Graham * Jack Stan ...
'' (1917) * '' Selfish Yates'' (1918) * ''
The Temple of Dusk ''The Temple of Dusk'' is a lost 1918 American silent drama film directed by James Young. It was produced by Sessue Hayakawa's Haworth Pictures Corporation. Plot As described in a film magazine, Akira (Hayakawa), a Japanese poet who lives in Tok ...
'' (1918) * ''
Treat 'Em Rough ''Treat 'Em Rough'' is a 1942 film about a boxer directed by Ray Taylor and starring Eddie Albert. Plot Bill Kingsford, a prizefighter called the Panama Kid (Eddie Albert), returns to his hometown with his trainer Hotfoot (William Frawley (w ...
'' (1919) * ''
Wagon Tracks ''Wagon Tracks'' is a 1919 American silent Western film written by C. Gardner Sullivan, produced by Thomas H. Ince and William S. Hart, and directed by Lambert Hillyer. Upon its release, the ''Los Angeles Times'' described it as Hollywood's g ...
'' (1919) * '' Behind the Door'' (1919) * '' The Golden Trail'' (1920) * '' The River's End'' (1920) * ''
The Great Accident ''The Great Accident'' is a 1920 American silent drama film directed by Harry Beaumont and starring Tom Moore, Jane Novak and Willard Louis.Langman p.20 Cast * Tom Moore as Wint Chase * Jane Novak as Joan Caretall * Andrew Robson as Winthrop C ...
'' (1920) * '' The Barbarian'' (1920) * ''
Roads of Destiny ''Roads of Destiny'' is a 1921 American silent drama film produced and distributed by Goldwyn Pictures. The film is based on the 1909 short story of the same name by O. Henry that was turned into a play by Channing Pollock starring Florence ...
'' (1921) * '' Three Word Brand'' (1921) * ''
Kazan Kazan ( ; rus, Казань, p=kɐˈzanʲ; tt-Cyrl, Казан, ''Qazan'', IPA: ɑzan is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Tatarstan in Russia. The city lies at the confluence of the Volga and the Kazanka rivers, covering a ...
'' (1921) * '' The Other Woman'' (1921) * ''
The Snowshoe Trail ''The Snowshoe Trail'' is a 1922 American silent film, silent Western (genre), Western film directed by Chester Bennett and starring Jane Novak, Roy Stewart (silent film actor), Roy Stewart and Lloyd Whitlock.Munden, p. 203. Cast * Jane Novak a ...
'' (1922) * '' The Rosary'' (1922) * ''
Thelma Thelma is a female given name. It was popularized by Victorian writer Marie Corelli who gave the name to the title character of her 1887 novel ''Thelma (novel), Thelma''. It may be related to a Greek word meaning "will, volition" see ''thelema''). ...
'' (1922) * ''
Belle of Alaska ''Belle of Alaska'' is a 1922 American silent film, silent Western (genre), Western film directed by Chester Bennett and starring J. Frank Glendon, Jane Novak and Noah Beery. Plot A Kansas farmer and his wife leave for Alaska to take part in th ...
'' (1922) * ''
Colleen of the Pines ''Colleen of the Pines'' is a 1922 American silent Western film directed by Chester Bennett and starring Jane Novak, Edward Hearn and Alfred Allen. Cast * Jane Novak as Joan Cameron * Edward Hearn as Barry O'Neil * Alfred Allen as Duncan ...
'' (1922) * ''
Divorce Divorce (also known as dissolution of marriage) is the process of terminating a marriage or marital union. Divorce usually entails the canceling or reorganizing of the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage, thus dissolving the ...
'' (1923) * ''
Jealous Husbands ''Jealous Husbands'' is a 1923 American silent drama film directed by Maurice Tourneur and starring Earle Williams, Jane Novak, and Ben Alexander. Plot As described in a film magazine review, returning from Europe, Ramón Martinez overhears a ...
'' (1923) * ''
The Man Life Passed By ''The Man Life Passed By'' is a 1923 American silent drama film directed by Victor Schertzinger and starring Percy Marmont, Jane Novak, and Eva Novak. The Novak sisters portray two sisters in the film. Plot As described in a film magazine revie ...
'' (1923) * '' The Lullaby'' (1924) * ''
Two Shall Be Born ''Two Shall Be Born'' is a 1924 American silent drama film directed by Whitman Bennett and starring Jane Novak, Kenneth Harlan, and Sigrid Holmquist. It was written by Marie Conway Oemler who was inspired by the short story "Two Shall Be Born" ...
'' (1924) * ''
The Man Without a Heart ''The Man Without a Heart'' is a 1924 American silent drama film directed by Burton L. King and starring Kenneth Harlan, Jane Novak and David Powell.Munden p.362 Cast * Kenneth Harlan as Rufus Asher * Jane Novak as Barbara Wier * David Powell ...
'' (1924) * ''
The Prude's Fall ''The Prude's Fall'' is a 1925 British silent film, silent drama film directed by Graham Cutts and starring Jane Novak, Julanne Johnston and Warwick Ward. The film was shot at Islington Studios, produced by a company that would soon develop int ...
'' (1924) * ''
The Blackguard ''The Blackguard'' (german: Die Prinzessin und der Geiger) (1925) is a British-German drama film directed by Graham Cutts and starring Jane Novak, Walter Rilla, and Frank Stanmore. Plot Against the backdrop of the Russian Revolution, a violini ...
'' (1925) * '' The Substitute Wife'' (1925) * '' Lazybones'' (1925) * ''
Share and Share Alike ''Share and Share Alike'' is a 1925 American silent drama film directed by Whitman Bennett and starring Jane Novak, James Rennie and Henry Sands.Koszarskip.75 Cast * Jane Novak as Marcia Maynard * James Rennie as Sam Jefford * Henry Sands ...
'' (1925) * ''
The Lure of the Wild ''The Lure of the Wild'' is a 1925 silent film dramatic thriller directed by Frank R. Strayer and starring Alan Roscoe, Jane Novak and Lightning the Dog. It was produced and released by Columbia Pictures. A print survives in the Library of Cong ...
'' (1925) * ''
Whispering Canyon ''Whispering Canyon'' is a 1926 American silent drama film directed by Tom Forman and starring Jane Novak, Robert Ellis and Lee Shumway.Goble p.1015 Cast * Jane Novak as Antonia Lee * Robert Ellis as Bob Cameron * Lee Shumway as Lew Selby ...
'' (1926) * '' Lost at Sea'' (1926) * ''
Closed Gates ''Closed Gates'' is a 1927 American silent melodrama film based on a story by Manfred Lee and directed by Phil Rosen. It stars John Harron, Jane Novak, and Lucy Beaumont, and was released on June 1, 1927. Cast list Plot George Newell Jr. i ...
'' (1927) * ''
One Increasing Purpose ''One Increasing Purpose'' is a 1927 American silent drama film directed by Harry Beaumont and written by Bradley King. It is based on the 1925 novel ''One Increasing Purpose'' by A. S. M. Hutchinson. The film stars Edmund Lowe, Lila Lee, Holm ...
'' (1927) * ''
Free Lips ''Free Lips'' is a 1928 silent film mystery drama directed by actor Wallace MacDonald. It stars June Marlowe. A copy is preserved in the Library of Congress collection. Cast *June Marlowe - Ann Baldridge *Frank Hagney - Bill Dugan *Jane Novak ...
'' (1928) * ''
Redskin Redskin is a slang term for Native Americans in the United States and First Nations in Canada. The term ''redskin'' underwent pejoration through the 19th to early 20th centuries and in contemporary dictionaries of American English it is labe ...
'' (1929) * ''
Ghost Town Ghost Town(s) or Ghosttown may refer to: * Ghost town, a town that has been abandoned Film and television * Ghost Town (1936 film), ''Ghost Town'' (1936 film), an American Western film by Harry L. Fraser * Ghost Town (1956 film), ''Ghost Town'' ...
'' (1936) * ''
Hollywood Boulevard Hollywood Boulevard is a major east–west street in Los Angeles, California. It begins in the east at Sunset Boulevard in the Los Feliz district and proceeds to the west as a major thoroughfare through Little Armenia and Thai Town, Hollywoo ...
'' (1936) * '' Gallant Lady'' (1942) * '' The Yanks Are Coming'' (1942) * ''
Here Comes Kelly ''Here Comes Kelly'' is a 1943 American comedy crime film directed by William Beaudine and starring Eddie Quillan, Joan Woodbury and Armida. It was produced and distributed by Monogram Pictures. It was followed by a sequel ''There Goes Kelly'' i ...
'' (1943) * ''
Man of Courage ''Man of Courage'' is a 1943 American crime film directed by Alexis Thurn-Taxis and written by Arthur St. Claire, Barton MacLane and John Vlahos. The film stars Barton MacLane, Charlotte Wynters, Lyle Talbot, Dorothy Burgess, Patsy Nash and Fo ...
'' (1943) * ''
Desert Fury ''Desert Fury'' is a 1947 American film noir crime film directed by Lewis Allen and starring John Hodiak, Lizabeth Scott and Burt Lancaster. The story was adapted for the screen by Robert Rossen and A. I. Bezzerides (uncredited), based on the r ...
'' (1947) * '' Scared Stiff'' (1953) as Nightclub Patron


Sources

* ''Modesto, California News'', "Jane Novak-She's Filmland's Old-Fashioned Girl", March 8, 1922, page 5 * ''Nevada State Journal'', "Silent Films Star Jane Novak Talks at Length About Her Past", Friday, November 22, 1974, page 37


References


External links

* * *
Literature on Jane Novak



Jane Novak – Silent Stars: Where Are They Now … 1932 Edition

Novak, Jane (1896–1990) , Encyclopedia.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Novak, Jane 1896 births 1990 deaths American film actresses American silent film actresses Actresses from St. Louis American people of Bohemian descent 20th-century American actresses