John Ronald Smight (March 9, 1925 – September 1, 2003)[1] was an American film and television director.[2][3] He was best known for his thriller and action films, notably Harper (1966), No Way to Treat a Lady (1968), Airport 1975 (1974),[4] Midway (1976),[2] Damnation Alley (1977), and Number One with a Bullet (1987). FilmInk described him as a "a perfect example of the 'journeyman' director."[5]
Jack Smight | |
|---|---|
 Jack Smight | |
| Born | John Ronald Smight March 9, 1925[1] Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Died | September 1, 2003 (aged 78)[1] Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Education | University of Minnesota (B.A., 1949) |
| Occupations | Film director, television director |
| Spouse | Joyce Cunning |
| Children | 2 |
Early life and education
editSmight was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the son of Irish Catholic immigrants.[6] He graduated from Cretin High School with future actor Peter Graves. They acted together in summer stock productions, and Graves played in a 15-piece band that Smight led.[7]
He joined the Army Air Forces, flying missions in the Pacific during World War II,[6] before graduating with a bachelor of arts degree from the University of Minnesota in 1949.[8] He then sought work as an actor.[6] He worked as a radio actor[citation needed] and had a bit part in a stage production of Anna Lucasta in 1949.[9]
Career
editTelevision
editHe became stage manager for TV's The Good Egg of the Week and then assistant director on The Colgate Comedy Hour and The Dennis Day Show. He said a big break was working on Visit to a Small Planet with Cyril Ritchard.[10]
In 1959, he won an Emmy Award for his direction of the hour-long play Eddie, which starred Mickey Rooney. He directed episodes for The Twilight Zone and The Alfred Hitchcock Hour.
He directed the 1960 Broadway play The 49th Cousin.
Feature films
editSmight's first feature film was I'd Rather Be Rich (1964), a remake of It Started with Eve (1941). Smight said "it was not a particularly good script but it opened up a whole new life for me."[10]
Smight then signed a contract with Warners to make six films in one a year. He produced and directed The Third Day (1965) and then directed the Paul Newman vehicle Harper (1966).[11] He followed that with the British action comedy, Kaleidoscope (1966) with Warren Beatty.
In 1966, he signed a three-picture deal with Mirisch Brothers and bought the rights to the book The Illustrated Man.[12] In 1968, he directed the cult classic comedic thriller No Way to Treat a Lady, starring Rod Steiger and George Segal. Other notable films directed by Smight include Airport 1975 (1974) and Midway (1976), back-to-back box office hits.
In 1976, Smight was hired to direct the technically-complex Damnation Alley, expected to be another box office hit upon release. After the director's cut was delivered, and Smight moved on to other projects, studio meddling and re-editing resulted in a drastically altered film, which was released and failed at the box office.
Smight's last film, The Favorite (1989), also known as La Nuit du serail, was a co-production of the United States and Switzerland.
Personal life
editSmight was married to actress Joyce Cunning, and he had two sons, including editor/director Alec Smight.
Death
editFilmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1964 | I'd Rather Be Rich | |
| 1965 | The Third Day | Also producer |
| 1966 | Harper | |
| Kaleidoscope | ||
| 1968 | The Secret War of Harry Frigg | |
| No Way to Treat a Lady | ||
| 1969 | The Illustrated Man | |
| Strategy of Terror | ||
| 1970 | Rabbit, Run | |
| The Traveling Executioner | Also producer | |
| 1974 | Airport 1975 | |
| 1976 | Midway | |
| 1977 | Damnation Alley | |
| 1979 | Fast Break | |
| 1980 | Loving Couples | |
| 1987 | Number One with a Bullet | |
| 1989 | The Favorite | |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1949 | One Man's Family | TV series |
| 1955 | Repertory Theatre | 2 episodes |
| Goodyear Playhouse | 2 episodes | |
| 1956-57 | Climax! | 13 episodes |
| 1956-58 | General Electric Theater | 2 episodes |
| 1957 | The Seven Lively Arts | Episode: "The Sound of Jazz" |
| 1957-58 | Studio One in Hollywood | 4 episodes |
| 1957-58 | Suspicion | 3 episode |
| 1958 | Alcoa Theatre | Episode: Eddie |
| 1959 | Oldsmobile Music Theatre | Episode: "A Nice Place to Hide" |
| The DuPont Show with June Allyson | 2 episodes | |
| 1959-61 | The Twilight Zone | 4 episodes |
| 1960 | The United States Steel Hour | Episode "Shadow of a Pale Horse" |
| 1960-61 | Art Carney Special | 2 episodes |
| NBC Sunday Showcase | 2 episodes | |
| Our American Heritage | 4 episodes | |
| 1961 | Naked City | Episode: "Dead on the Field of Honor" |
| Route 66 | Episode: "Goodnight Sweet Blues" | |
| The Law and Mr. Jones | Episode: "Lincoln" | |
| 1961-62 | Westinghouse Presents | 2 episodes |
| 1962 | The Defenders | 2 episodes |
| The DuPont Show of the Week | 5 episodes | |
| Alcoa Premiere | Episode: "Broken Year" | |
| 1963 | The Alfred Hitchcock Hour | 4 episodes |
| East Side/West Side | 2 episodes | |
| Arrest and Trial | 5 episodes | |
| 1963-64 | Dr. Kildare | 3 episodes |
| 1964-65 | Kraft Suspense Theatre | 4 episodes |
| 1971 | Columbo | Episode: "Dead Weight" |
| 1971-72 | McCloud | 2 episodes |
| 1972 | Banacek | 2 episodes |
| Madigan | 2 episodes | |
| 1986 | Code of Vengeance | 2 episodes |
TV films, specials, and miniseries
edit| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 1958 | Victor Borge's Comedy in Music III |
| 1959 | The Ten Commandments |
| The Sound of Miles Davis | |
| 1960 | Destiny, West! |
| 1961 | The Enchanted Nutcracker |
| 1972 | The Screaming Woman |
| The Longest Night | |
| 1973 | Partners in Crime |
| Double Indemnity | |
| Linda | |
| Frankenstein: The True Story | |
| Legend in Granite | |
| 1974 | The Man from Independence |
| 1978 | Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry |
| 1982 | Remembrance of Love |
Awards and nominations
edit| Award | Year | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primetime Emmy Awards | 1959 | Directing for a Drama Series | Alcoa Theatre ("Eddie") | Won | [13] |
| 1962 | Westinghouse Presents ("Come Again to Carthage") | Nominated | |||
| Hugo Award | 1970 | Best Dramatic Presentation | The Illustrated Man | Nominated | |
References
edit- 1 2 3 4 Bergan, Ronald (September 19, 2003). "Jack Smight. Down-to-earth director whose stars included Bacall, Steiger and Newman". The Guardian.
- 1 2 "Jack Smight". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. 2008. Archived from the original on June 10, 2008.
- ↑ Myers, JP (March 8, 2018). "This is the story of Director Jack Smight's life in entertainment written by himself". Medium. Archived from the original on November 26, 2019. Retrieved October 25, 2019.
- ↑ Canby, Vincent (October 19, 1974). "Airport 1975 (1974) Screen:'Airport 1975' Is a Silly Sequel With a 747". The New York Times.
- ↑ Nash, Cara (April 20, 2022). "Unsung Auteurs: Jack Smight". FilmInk. Retrieved March 3, 2026.
- 1 2 3 Vallance, Tom (September 16, 2003). "Jack Smight: Director specialising in the macabre". The Independent. England, London. p. 16. Retrieved January 17, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- 1 2 Hahn, Trudi (September 12, 2003). "Jack Smight, TV, film director, dies at 78". Star Tribune. Minnesota, Minneapolis. p. B 6. Retrieved January 17, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "956 Get degrees in 'U' graduation". Minneapolis Morning Tribune. March 18, 1949. p. 20. Retrieved January 17, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "'Anna Lucasta' Still Too Early". The Mirror. California, Los Angeles. June 13, 1949. p. 33. Retrieved January 17, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- 1 2 Hollywood Kind to TV Directors Los Angeles Times 17 May 1966: c9.
- ↑ Smight makes best of both: Go anywhere By Kimmis Hendrick. The Christian Science Monitor 3 Aug 1965: 6.
- ↑ MOVIE CALL SHEET: Jack Smight Signs Contract Los Angeles Times 12 Dec 1966: D25.
- ↑ "Jack Smight".
External links
edit- Jack Smight at IMDb
- Jack Smight at the TCM Movie Database (archived)
- Jack Smight at the Internet Broadway Database
- Obituary-Jack Smight The Guardian
