W. Ray Johnston (January 2, 1892 – October 14, 1966) was an American

film producer A film producer is a person who oversees film production. Either employed by a production company or working independently, producers plan and coordinate various aspects of film production, such as selecting the script, coordinating writing, di ...

. He was associated with low-budget filmmaking, in particular with the larger

Poverty Row Poverty Row is a slang term used to refer to Hollywood films produced from the 1920s to the 1950s by small (and mostly short-lived) B movie studios. Although many of them were based on (or near) today's Gower Street in Hollywood, the term did n ...

studios

Rayart Pictures Rayart Pictures was one of the early film production and distribution companies operating independently of the major Hollywood studios in the United States during the later silent film era from the mid-to-late 1920s and into the early "talkies" e ...

and

Monogram Pictures Monogram Pictures Corporation was an American film studio that produced mostly low-budget films between 1931 and 1953, when the firm completed a transition to the name Allied Artists Pictures Corporation. Monogram was among the smaller studios i ...

.Pitts p.131 Before founding Rayart in 1924, he also acted in a handful of films.

Selected filmography

* ''

Midnight Secrets ''Midnight Secrets'' is a 1924 American silent action film directed by Jack Nelson and starring George Larkin, Kathleen Myers, and Pauline Curley. It was part of a series of six films featuring New York City newspaper reporter character Tip O' ...

'' (1924) * ''

For Another Woman ''For Another Woman'' is a 1924 American silent drama film directed by David Kirkland and starring Kenneth Harlan, Florence Billings, and Tyrone Power Sr. Synopsis A New York City wastrel inherits an estate in Canada. Cast Preservation A cop ...

'' (1924) * ''

Lightning Romance ''Lightning Romance'' is now not considered a lost film. This 1924 American silent action film was directed by Albert S. Rogell and starring Reed Howes, Ethel Shannon and Wilfred Lucas.Langman p.259 Cast * Reed Howes as Jack Wade * Ethel Shan ...

'' (1924) * ''

Geared to Go ''Geared to Go'' is a 1924 American silent action film directed by Albert S. Rogell and starring Reed Howes, Carmelita Geraghty and George Nichols.Darby p.153 Cast * Reed Howes * Carmelita Geraghty * George Nichols * Winifred Landis * Joe ...

'' (1924) * ''

Trail Dust ''Trail Dust'' is a 1936 American Western film directed by Nate Watt, written by Al Martin, and starring William Boyd, James Ellison, George "Gabby" Hayes, Morris Ankrum, Gwynne Shipman, Britt Wood and Dick Dickson. It was released on Decembe ...

'' (1924) * ''

Easy Money A get-rich-quick scheme is a plan to obtain high rates of return for a small investment. The term "get rich quick" has been used to describe shady investments since at least the early 20th century. Most schemes create an impression that partic ...

'' (1925) * ''

The Knockout Kid ''The Knockout Kid'' is a 1925 American silent Western comedy film directed by Albert S. Rogell and starring Jack Perrin, Molly Malone, and Eva Thatcher. Plot As described in a film magazine review, Jack is the son of a millionaire, and keen ...

'' (1925) * ''

Youth's Gamble ''Youth's Gamble'' is a 1925 American silent action film directed by Albert S. Rogell and starring Reed Howes, James Thompson and Margaret Morris.Rainey p.184 Cast * Reed Howes as William Ignatius Newton * James Thompson as Addison Simms * M ...

'' (1925) *''

Fighting Fate ''Fighting Fate'' is a 1925 American silent sports film directed by Albert S. Rogell Albert S. Rogell (August 21, 1901 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma - April 7, 1988 Los Angeles, California) was an American film director. Rogell directed more than a ...

'' (1925) * ''

The Pride of the Force ''The Pride of the Force'' is a 1933 British comedy film directed by Norman Lee and starring Leslie Fuller, Patrick Aherne, Faith Bennett and Hal Gordon. The plot concerns a farmworker who inadvertently becomes the pride of the Metropolitan ...

'' (1925) * ''

Winning a Woman ''Winning a Woman'' is a 1925 American silent film, silent action film directed by Harry S. Webb and starring Jack Perrin, Josephine Hill and William J. Turner.Munden p.909 Cast * Jack Perrin * Josephine Hill * William J. Turner * Tom O'Brien (a ...

'' (1925) * '' Racing Romance'' (1926) * '' The Wolf Hunters'' (1926) * '' The Last Alarm'' (1926) * ''

The Dangerous Dude ''The Dangerous Dude'' is a 1926 American silent action film directed by Harry Joe Brown and starring Reed Howes, Bruce Gordon and Dorothy Dwan.Munden p.166 Cast * Reed Howes as Bob Downs * Bruce Gordon as Harold Simpson * Dorothy Dwan as J ...

'' (1926) * '' The Self Starter'' (1926) * '' Stick to Your Story'' (1926) * ''

Speed Crazed ''Speed Crazed'' is a 1926 American silent sports action film directed by Duke Worne and starring Billy Sullivan, Andrée Tourneur and Joseph W. Girard.Munden p.753 Synopsis A man is forced to be a getaway driver for a criminal gang. Arreste ...

'' (1926) * ''

Somebody's Mother ''Somebody's Mother'' is a 1926 American silent drama film directed by Oscar Apfel and starring Mary Carr, Rex Lease, and Kathryn McGuire.Munden p. 742 Synopsis Mary sells matches on the streets of New York, but unknown to everyone she encounter ...

'' (1926) * '' The Winner'' (1926) * ''

Kentucky Handicap ''Kentucky Handicap'' is a 1926 American silent action film directed by Harry Joe Brown and starring Reed Howes, Alice Calhoun and Robert McKim. It is also known by the alternative title ''Kentucky Luck''. Cast * Reed Howes * Alice Calhoun ...

'' (1926) * '' The Gallant Fool'' (1926) * ''

The Racing Fool ''The Racing Fool'' is a 1927 American silent action film directed by Harry Joe Brown and starring Reed Howes, Ruth Dwyer and Ernest Hilliard.Munden p.672 Cast * Reed Howes as Jack Harlowe * Ruth Dwyer as Helen Drake * Ernest Hilliard as Co ...

'' (1927) * ''

The Range Riders ''The Range Riders'' is a 1927 American silent Western film directed by Ben F. Wilson and starring Wilson, Neva Gerber, Al Ferguson.Connelly p.227 Cast * Ben F. Wilson as Sra. Shannon * Neva Gerber as Betty Grannan * Al Ferguson as 'Sundown ...

'' (1927) * ''

The Show Girl ''The Show Girl'' is a 1927 American silent drama film directed by Charles J. Hunt and starring Mildred Harris, Gaston Glass and Mary Carr.Munden p.712 Cast * Mildred Harris as Maizie Udell * Gaston Glass as Billy Barton * Mary Carr as Mrs. ...

'' (1927) *''

The Silent Hero ''The Silent Hero'' is a 1927 American silent Western film directed by Duke Worne and starring Robert Frazer, Edna Murphy and Joseph W. Girard.Connelly, p. 410. A man travels north to take part in the Alaska Gold Rush, leaving the woman he l ...

'' (1927) * ''

Modern Daughters ''Modern Daughters'' is a 1927 American silent drama film directed by Charles J. Hunt and starring Edna Murphy, Bryant Washburn and Ernest Hilliard.Munden p.519 Cast * Edna Murphy * Bryant Washburn * Ernest Hilliard Ernest Hilliard (Januar ...

'' (1927) * '' Heroes in Blue'' (1927) * ''

Thunderbolt's Tracks ''Thunderbolt's Tracks'' is a 1927 American silent Western film directed by J.P. McGowan and starring Jack Perrin, Pauline Curley and Buzz Barton.McGowan p.164 Cast * Jack Perrin as Sergeant Larry Donovan * Pauline Curley as Alice Hayden * B ...

'' (1927) * ''

On the Stroke of Twelve ''On the Stroke of Twelve'' is a 1927 American silent drama film directed by Charles J. Hunt and starring David Torrence, June Marlowe and Lloyd Whitlock.Connelly p.392 Cast * David Torrence as Henry Rutledge * June Marlowe as Doris Bainbridg ...

'' (1927) * ''

The Law and the Man ''The Law and the Man'' is a 1928 American silent drama film directed by Scott Pembroke and starring Tom Santschi, Gladys Brockwell and Robert Ellis.Wlaschin p.252 Cast * Tom Santschi as Dan Creedoon * Gladys Brockwell as Margaret Grayson * ...

'' (1928) * ''

Sisters of Eve ''Sisters of Eve'' is a 1928 American silent mystery film directed by Scott Pembroke and starring Anita Stewart, Betty Blythe and Creighton Hale.Goble p.353 It is based on the 1911 novel '' The Temptation of Tavernake'' by E. Phillips Oppenheim ...

'' (1928) * ''

The Phantom of the Turf ''The Phantom of the Turf'' is a 1928 American silent sports drama film directed by Duke Worne and starring Helene Costello, Rex Lease and Forrest Stanley.Connelly p.396 Synopsis When the owner of a thoroughbred racehorse is murdered, a man step ...

'' (1928) * '' Should a Girl Marry?'' (1928) * ''

Isle of Lost Men ''Isle of Lost Men'' is a 1928 American silent drama film directed by Duke Worne and starring Tom Santschi, James A. Marcus and Patsy O'Leary.Munden p.387 Cast * Tom Santschi as Captain Jan Jodahl * James A. Marcus as Malay Pete * Allen Conn ...

'' (1928) * '' The City of Purple Dreams'' (1928) * '' Shanghai Rose'' (1929) * ''

Handcuffed ''Handcuffed'' is a 1929 American silent mystery film directed by Duke Worne and starring Virginia Brown Faire, Wheeler Oakman and Dean Jagger.Munden p.322 Synopsis Gerald Morely's father is ruined in a stock fraud and commits suicide. When sho ...

'' (1929) * ''

The Cowboy and the Outlaw ''The Cowboy and the Outlaw'' is a 1929 American silent Western film directed by J. P. McGowan and starring Bob Steele, Edna Aslin and Bud Osborne. It was produced as an independent second feature on Poverty Row.Pitts, p. 396. It was original ...

'' (1929) * ''

Overland Bound ''Overland Bound'' is a 1929 American Western film directed by Leo D. Maloney and starring Maloney, Allene Ray, Jack Perrin and Lydia Knott. It is considered to be the first all-talking B Western to be made, following on from the success of t ...

'' (1929) * '' All Faces West'' (1929) * '' Western Honor'' (1930) * '' Beyond the Law'' (1930) * ''

The Phantom of the Desert ''The Phantom of the Desert'' is a 1930 American western film directed by Harry S. Webb and starring Jack Perrin, Eva Novak and Josef Swickard.Pitts p.248 Cast * Jack Perrin as Jack Saunders * Eva Novak as Mary Van Horn * Josef Swickard as Co ...

'' (1930) * '' Westward Bound'' (1930) * ''

Defenders of the Law ''Defenders of the Law'' is a 1931 American pre-Code crime film directed by Joseph Levering and starring Catherine Dale Owen, John Holland and Robert Gleckler.Pitts, p. 401 Synopsis A cop goes undercover to infiltrate a gang with strong polit ...

'' (1931) * ''

Rider of the Plains ''Rider of the Plains'' is a 1931 American Western film directed by John P. McCarthy and starring Tom Tyler, Lilian Bond and Al Bridge. Main cast * Tom Tyler as Blackie Saunders * Lilian Bond as Betty Harper * Al Bridge as Deputy Bill Gaines ...

'' (1931) *''

A Son of the Plains ''A Son of the Plains'' is a 1931 American Western film directed by Robert N. Bradbury and starring Bob Custer, Doris Phillips and J.P. McGowan. Main cast * Bob Custer as Deputy Bob Brent * Doris Phillips as Ann Farrell * J.P. McGowan ...

'' (1931) * '' Hidden Valley'' (1932) * '' The Arm of the Law'' (1932) * '' Ghost City'' (1932) * ''

Million Dollar Baby ''Million Dollar Baby'' is a 2004 American sports drama film directed, co-produced, scored by and starring Clint Eastwood from a screenplay written by Paul Haggis, based on stories from the 2000 collection ''Rope Burns: Stories from the Corner' ...

'' (1934) * ''

Women Must Dress Women Must Dress is a 1935 American romantic comedy film directed by Reginald Barker and starring Minna Gombell and Gavin Gordon. It was produced and co-written by the former silent film actress Dorothy Davenport Fannie Dorothy Davenport (Ma ...

'' (1935)

References

Bibliography

* Michael R. Pitts. ''Poverty Row Studios, 1929–1940: An Illustrated History of 55 Independent Film Companies, with a Filmography for Each''. McFarland & Company, 2005.

External links

* 1892 births 1966 deaths American film producers American film production company founders Businesspeople from Iowa 20th-century American businesspeople {{US-film-producer-stub