Hamilton MacFadden (April 26, 1901 – January 1, 1977) was an American

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), lit ...

screenwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. ...

and

film director A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, pr ...

. MacFadden's parents were Rev. Robert A. MacFadden and Edith Hamilton MacFadden. His father died in 1909, leaving his mother to support herself and four children. In 1928, she became the first woman to file papers to run for governor of Massachusetts. MacFadden was a 1925 graduate of

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of highe ...

. Soon after graduating, he became producer of the American Theatre Company, which presented plays for 10 weeks in the Boston area. The project was backed by

Michael Strange Blanche Marie Louise Oelrichs (October 1, 1890 – November 5, 1950) was an American poet, playwright and theatre actress. Oelrichs first used the masculine pen name Michael Strange to publish her poetry in order to distance her society rep ...

, a writer who made her professional stage debut in the productions. He also served as director of the Community Arts Association in Santa Barbara, California, and the Theatre Guild School of Acting in New York. After starting out on Broadway in the 1920s, he moved into filmmaking in

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywoo ...

. During the early 1930s he was a contract director at Fox. McFadden made a number of films for them including several early entries in the Charlie Chan series such as '' Charlie Chan Carries On'' (1931). He was released from his Fox contract following the 1934 merger with

Twentieth Century Pictures Twentieth Century Pictures, Inc. was an independent Hollywood motion picture production company created in 1933 by Joseph Schenck (the former president of United Artists) and Darryl F. Zanuck from Warner Bros. Financial backing came from Sche ...

. Thereafter he mixed occasional directing jobs with a number of small supporting appearances in films.

Selected filmography

Director

* '' Harmony at Home'' (1930) * ''

Crazy That Way ''Crazy That Way'' is a 1930 American pre-Code comedy film directed by Hamilton MacFadden and starring Kenneth MacKenna, Joan Bennett and Regis Toomey,Kellow, p. 466 and based on the play ''In Love With Love'' by Vincent Lawrence. Cast * Kenne ...

'' (1930) * '' Oh, For a Man!'' (1930) * '' Are You There?'' (1930) * '' Charlie Chan Carries On'' (1931) * '' The Black Camel'' (1931) * ''

Riders of the Purple Sage ''Riders of the Purple Sage'' is a Western novel by Zane Grey, first published by Harper & Brothers in 1912. Considered by scholars to have played a significant role in shaping the formula of the popular Western genre, the novel has been called ...

'' (1931) * ''

Charlie Chan's Greatest Case ''Charlie Chan's Greatest Case'' (1933) is an American pre-Code murder mystery film starring Warner Oland as the Oriental detective Charlie Chan. It was based on the Earl Derr Biggers novel ''The House Without a Key'' (1925). Oland made a serie ...

'' (1933) * ''

As Husbands Go ''As Husbands Go'' is a 1934 American pre-Code comedy film directed by Hamilton MacFadden and written by S. N. Behrman and Sonya Levien. It is based on the 1931 play ''As Husbands Go'' by Rachel Crothers. The film stars Warner Baxter, Helen Vin ...

'' (1934) * '' Stand Up and Cheer!'' (1934) * ''

Sea Racketeers ''Sea Racketeers'' is a 1937 American film directed by Hamilton MacFadden and starring Weldon Heyburn, Jeanne Madden, and Warren Hymer. Plot summary Cast *Weldon Heyburn as Chief Bos'n Mate Jim Wilson *Jeanne Madden as Patricia 'Pat' Coll ...

'' (1937) * ''

The Legion of Missing Men ''The Legion of Missing Men'' is a 1937 Monogram Pictures film about the French Foreign Legion set in the French protectorate of Morocco. Directed by Hamilton MacFadden, it stars Ralph Forbes who had also served in the cinematic Foreign Legion i ...

'' (1937) * '' Escape by Night'' (1937) * ''

It Can't Last Forever ''It Can't Last Forever'' is a 1937 American comedy film directed by Hamilton MacFadden and starring Ralph Bellamy, Betty Furness, and Robert Armstrong.Etling p.179 It is also the debut film for an unbilled 11-year-old Donald O'Connor, who woul ...

'' (1937) * ''

Inside the Law ''Inside the Law'' is a 1942 American film directed by Hamilton MacFadden. It is also known as ''Rogues in Clover''. Cast *Wallace Ford as Billy *Frank Sully as Jim Burke *Harry Holman as Judge Mortimer Gibbs * Luana Walters as Dora Mason *La ...

'' (1942)

Actor

* '' The Black Camel'' (1931) - Val Martino (uncredited) * '' Keep Smiling'' (1938) - Director (uncredited) * ''

Time Out for Murder ''Time Out for Murder'' is a 1938 American crime film directed by H. Bruce Humberstone, written by Jerome Cady, and starring Gloria Stuart, Michael Whalen, Chick Chandler, Douglas Fowley, Robert Kellard, Jane Darwell and Jean Rogers. It was rel ...

'' (1938) - One of the Reporters (uncredited) * '' Touchdown, Army'' (1938) - Coach Shelby (uncredited) * '' Five of a Kind'' (1938) - Andrew Gordon * '' Tarnished Angel'' (1938) - Reverend Summers * ''

Sharpshooters A sharpshooter is one who is highly proficient at firing firearms or other projectile weapons accurately. Military units composed of sharpshooters were important factors in 19th-century combat. Along with " marksman" and "expert", "sharpshooter" ...

'' (1938) - Bowman * ''

While New York Sleeps ''While New York Sleeps'' is a 1920 American crime drama film produced by Fox Film Corporation and directed by Charles Brabin, who was the husband of actress Theda Bara. The film tells three distinct episodic stories using the same actors, Este ...

'' (1938) - Pete - Reporter (uncredited) * '' Pardon Our Nerve'' (1939) - Announcer (uncredited) * ''

Unmarried Civil status, or marital status, are the distinct options that describe a person's relationship with a significant other. '' Married'', '' single'', ''divorced'', and ''widowed'' are examples of civil status. ''Civil status'' and ''marital stat ...

'' (1939) - Assistant Coach (uncredited) * ''

Charlie Chan in Reno ''Charlie Chan in Reno'' is a 1939 American mystery film directed by Norman Foster, starring Sidney Toler as the fictional Chinese-American detective Charlie Chan, based on an original story "Death Makes a Decree" by Philip Wylie. Plot Mary Whit ...

'' (1939) - Night Clerk * '' The Jones Family in Hollywood'' (1939) - Townsend - Director * ''

Chicken Wagon Family ''Chicken Wagon Family'' is a 1939 American comedy, directed by Herbert I. Leeds and based on the 1925 novel, ''The Chicken-Wagon Family,'' by Barry Benefield. It stars Leo Carrillo in the role originally intended for Will Rogers before his deat ...

'' (1939) - Auctioneer * '' Shooting High'' (1940) - J. Wallace Rutledge * '' The Lady in Question'' (1940) - Guard (uncredited) * '' Pier 13'' (1940) - Reporter (uncredited) * ''

Yesterday's Heroes ''Yesterday's Heroes'' is a 1940 American drama film directed by Herbert I. Leeds and written by Irving Cummings Jr. and William Conselman Jr.. The film stars Jean Rogers, Robert Sterling, Ted North, Kay Aldridge, Russell Gleason and Richard " ...

'' (1940) - Reporter (uncredited) * ''

Michael Shayne, Private Detective ''Michael Shayne, Private Detective'' is a 1940 American mystery film directed by Eugene Forde and starring Lloyd Nolan, Marjorie Weaver and Joan Valerie.Backer p.106 It is based on Brett Halliday's novel ''The Private Practice of Michael Shayne ...

'' (1940) - Reporter (uncredited) * '' The Reluctant Dragon'' (1941) - Himself * ''

Ride, Kelly, Ride ''Ride, Kelly, Ride'' is a 1941 American drama film directed by Norman Foster and written by William Conselman Jr. and Irving Cummings Jr.. The film stars Eugene Pallette, Marvin Stephens, Rita Quigley, Mary Healy, Richard Lane and Charles D. ...

'' (1941) - Race Track Steward * '' Sleepers West'' (1941) - Conductor Meyers * '' Dressed to Kill'' (1941) - Reporter * ''

Charlie Chan in Rio ''Charlie Chan in Rio'' is a 1941 film featuring the Asian detective Charlie Chan. It was the tenth film to feature Sidney Toler as the title character, who is called upon to investigate the death of a suspected murderer in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. ...

'' (1941) - Bill Kellogg * '' Young America'' (1942) - Jim Benson * ''

Wilson Wilson may refer to: People *Wilson (name) ** List of people with given name Wilson ** List of people with surname Wilson * Wilson (footballer, 1927–1998), Brazilian manager and defender * Wilson (footballer, born 1984), full name Wilson R ...

'' (1944) - Minor Role (uncredited) (final film role)

References

External links

* 1901 births 1977 deaths American male screenwriters American male film actors American film directors Male actors from Boston 20th-century American male actors Writers from Boston Screenwriters from Massachusetts Harvard University alumni 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American screenwriters {{US-film-actor-1900s-stub