John Rawlins (June 9, 1902 – May 20, 1997) was an American

film editor Film editing is both a creative and a technical part of the post-production process of filmmaking. The term is derived from the traditional process of working with film which increasingly involves the use of digital technology. The film ed ...

and

director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...

. He directed 44 films between 1932 and 1958. He was born in

Long Beach, California Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California. Incorporate ...

and died in Arcadia, California. According to one obituary, he was "a prime exponent of that style, being a master of swift exposition and fast action. His no-nonsense approach also made him a fine serial director, and when given the chance of a top-budget adventure film he gave his studio one of its biggest hits in Arabian Nights." Another said he "was a prime example of a no-frills director of Bs, who got his job done quickly, competently and cheaply."Obituary: John Rawlins: Sand, sex and Dick Tracy Bergan, Ronald. The Guardian June 5, 1997: 1, 19:4.

Biography

Rawlins was born in Long Beach, California, in 1902. He started work as a stuntman and bit player in action films and serials. He wrote jokes for comedies, then worked at Columbia as an editor. In 1933, he made his directing debut with two short films, ''Sign Please'' and ''They're Off!''. He directed his first feature in 1938, ''State Police''. According to an obituary, it "instantly established his forte - quickly made, inexpensive "B" movies of around 60 minutes' running time, distinguished by fast pacing and non-stop action. He was signed to a long term contract by Universal. In 1951 he directed ''Fort Defiance''.NELSON RADIO DUO SIGNED FOR MOVIE New York Times May 14, 1951: 39. In the fifties he left the film business become a property developer.

Selected filmography

* ''

The Tired Business Man ''The Tired Business Man'' is a 1927 American silent comedy film directed by Allen Dale and starring Raymond Hitchcock, Dot Farley and Margaret Quimby.Munden p.816 It was produced and released by the independent studio Tiffany Pictures. The fi ...

'' (1927, editor) * '' Waterfront'' (1928, editor) * '' Love and the Devil'' (1929, editor) * '' The Isle of Lost Ships'' (1929) * ''

High Society High society, sometimes simply society, is the behavior and lifestyle of people with the highest levels of wealth and social status. It includes their related affiliations, social events and practices. Upscale social clubs were open to men based ...

'' (1932) * ''

Lucky Ladies ''Lucky Ladies'' is a 1932 British comedy film directed by John Rawlins and starring Sydney Fairbrother, Emily Fitzroy and Tracy Holmes. Plot summary Some sisters inherit a large sum of money. Cast * Sydney Fairbrother as Angle Tuckett * ...

'' (1932) * ''

They're Off ''Goofy'' is a series of American Animated cartoon, animated comedy short films produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios, Walt Disney Productions. The series started in 1939 with ''Goofy and Wilbur'' and ended in 1953 with ''How to Sleep (1953 f ...

'' (1933) * ''

Shadows of Sing Sing ''Shadows of Sing Sing'' is a 1933 American pre-Code crime drama film, directed by Phil Rosen. It stars Mary Brian, Bruce Cabot, and Grant Mitchell, and was released on October 27, 1933. Cast list * Mary Brian as Muriel Ross, aka Muriel Ross ...

'' (1933) * '' Sign Please'' (1933) * ''

Going Straight ''Going Straight'' is a BBC sitcom created and written by Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais, and starring Ronnie Barker and Richard Beckinsale. The programme was a direct spin-off to the sitcom '' Porridge'', which all four were involved in, wit ...

'' (1933) * '' Among the Missing'' (1934, editor) * ''

The Line-Up ''The Line-Up'' is a 1934 American crime film directed by Howard Higgin and starring William Gargan, Marian Nixon and Paul Hurst.Langman & Finn p.144 Synopsis A young police officer is assigned to the detective squad investigating a series o ...

'' (1934, editor) * '' Name the Woman'' (1934, editor) * ''

The Defense Rests ''The Defense Rests'' (or ''Take the Witness'') is a 1934 American film directed by Lambert Hillyer and starring Jack Holt, Jean Arthur, and Nat Pendleton. The movie was produced in May 1934 and released on 15 July 1934. Cast * Jack Holt as M ...

'' (1934, editor) * ''

The Girl Friend ''The Girl Friend'' is a musical comedy with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Lorenz Hart and book by Herbert Fields. This was the longest running show for the trio to that date.Secrest, Meryle. ''Somewhere for me:a biography of Richard Rodge ...

'' (1935, editor) * ''

Devil's Squadron ''Devil's Squadron'' is a 1936 American drama film directed by Erle C. Kenton and starring Richard Dix, Karen Morley and Lloyd Nolan. The following written prologue appears after the opening credits: "This picture is dedicated to the test pilots ...

'' (1936) * '' State Police'' (1938) * '' Air Devils'' (1938) * '' Young Fugitives'' (1938) * '' The Missing Guest'' (1938) * ''

Junior G-Men ''Junior G-Men'' was an American boys club and popular culture phenomenon during the late 1930s and early 1940s that began with a radio program and culminated with films featuring the Dead End Kids. Origins After leaving the Federal Bureau of Inve ...

'' (1940) * ''

The Leather Pushers ''The Leather Pushers'' is a 1922 American film serial starring Reginald Denny (and Billy Sullivan in the fourth series), and based on boxing stories by H. C. Witwer originally published in ''Collier's Weekly''. The screenplays were written by ...

'' (1940) * ''

The Green Hornet Strikes Again! ''The Green Hornet Strikes Again!'' is a 1941 Universal black-and-white 15 chapter movie serial based on ''The Green Hornet'' radio series by George W. Trendle and Fran Striker. It is a sequel to Universal's earlier serial ''The Green Hornet'' ...

'' (1941) * '' Six Lessons from Madame La Zonga'' (1941) * '' Mr. Dynamite'' (1941) * '' Mutiny in the Arctic'' (1941) * '' Men of the Timberland'' (1941) * ''

Raiders of the Desert ''Raiders of the Desert'' is a 1941 American comedy adventure film directed by John Rawlins and starring Andy Devine, Richard Arlen and Linda Hayes. The film was produced and distributed by Universal Pictures. It features an early appearance by ...

'' (1941) * '' A Dangerous Game'' (1941) * '' Sea Raiders'' (1941) * ''

Bombay Clipper ''Bombay Clipper'' is a 1942 aviation drama film directed by John Rawlins and starring William Gargan and Irene Hervey. The film features Maria Montez in an early role. Turhan Bey also appears. The film was based on the exploits of oceanic fl ...

'' (1942) * ''

Torpedo Boat A torpedo boat is a relatively small and fast naval ship designed to carry torpedoes into battle. The first designs were steam-powered craft dedicated to ramming enemy ships with explosive spar torpedoes. Later evolutions launched variants of ...

'' (1942) * '' Unseen Enemy'' (1942) * '' Mississippi Gambler'' (1942) * ''

Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror ''Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror'' is a 1942 American mystery thriller film based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes detective stories. The film combines elements of Doyle's short story " His Last Bow", to which it is credited ...

'' (1942) * '' Half Way to Shanghai'' (1942) * ''

Overland Mail Butterfield Overland Mail (officially the Overland Mail Company)Waterman L. Ormsby, edited by Lyle H. Wright and Josephine M. Bynum, "The Butterfield Overland Mail", The Huntington Library, San Marino, California, 1991. was a stagecoach service ...

'' (1942) * '' The Great Impersonation'' (1942) * '' Arabian Nights'' (1942) * ''

We've Never Been Licked ''We've Never Been Licked'' (or ''Texas Aggies'', ''Texas to Tokyo'', and ''Fighting Command'') is a 1943 World War II propaganda film produced by Walter Wanger and released by Universal Pictures. Released in the UK under the title, ''Texas to To ...

'' (1943) * ''

Ladies Courageous ''Ladies Courageous'' (also called ''Fury in the Sky'' in a 1950 Realart re-release) is a 1944 war film based on the novel ''Looking For Trouble'' (1941) by Virginia Spencer Cowles. Directed by John Rawlins, the film stars Loretta Young and Gera ...

'' (1944) * '' Sudan'' (1945) * ''

Strange Conquest ''Strange Conquest'' is a 1946 American drama film directed by John Rawlins and written by Roy Chanslor. The film stars Jane Wyatt, Lowell Gilmore, Julie Bishop, Peter Cookson, Milburn Stone, Samuel S. Hinds and Abner Biberman. The film was rel ...

'' (1946) * '' Her Adventurous Night'' (1946) * ''

Dick Tracy's Dilemma ''Dick Tracy's Dilemma'', released in the United Kingdom as ''Mark of the Claw'', is a 1947 American action film based on the Dick Tracy, 1930s comic-strip character of the same name created by Chester Gould. Ralph Byrd stars as Dick Tracy, repr ...

'' (1947) * ''

Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome ''Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome'' (also known as ''Dick Tracy Meets Karloff'' and ''Dick Tracy's Amazing Adventure'' (UK) ) is a 1947 thriller film starring Boris Karloff, Ralph Byrd, and Anne Gwynne. The film is the fourth and final installment of t ...

'' (1947) * ''

The Arizona Ranger ''The Arizona Ranger'' is a 1948 American Western film directed by John Rawlins and starring Tim Holt and his father Jack.Richard Jewell & Vernon Harbin, ''The RKO Story.'' New Rochelle, New York: Arlington House, 1982. p228 RKO head of produc ...

'' (1948) * '' Michael O'Halloran'' (1948) * '' Massacre River'' (1949) * ''

The Boy from Indiana ''The Boy from Indiana'' is a 1950 American sports film, sports drama film directed by John Rawlins (director), John Rawlins and starring Lon McCallister, Billie Burke and George Cleveland.Davis p.52 The film's sets were designed by the art direct ...

'' (1950) * '' Rogue River'' (1951) * '' Fort Defiance'' (1951) * '' Shark River'' (1953) * ''

The Indian Raiders ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'' (1956) * '' Lost Lagoon'' (1958)

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rawlins, John 1902 births 1997 deaths People from Long Beach, California Film directors from California