Birthday:
07-11-1884
Deathday:
07-16-1978 (94 years)
Birthplace:
Detroit, Michigan, USA
Biography
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Howard Estabrook (born Howard Bolles, July 11, 1884 – July 16, 1978) was an American actor, film director and producer, and screenwriter.
Born Howard Bolles in Detroit, Michigan, Howard Estabrook began his career in 1904 as a stage actor in New York. He made his film debut in 1914 during the silent era, and would go on to appear in several features including Four Feathers. Estabrook left films in 1916 for a try at the business world, but returned in 1921.
Estabrook took on executive positions with various studios, and eventually began producing films in 1924. He soon found his calling in screenwriting. He was responsible for several of what have come to be regarded as classics of Hollywood including Hell's Angels (1930) and Street of Chance (1930), for which he was nominated for an Academy Award. The following year, he won an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for Cimarron, starring Richard Dix and Irene Dunne. In 1935, he (along with Hugh Walpole and Lenore J. Coffee) adapted the Charles Dickens novel David Copperfield for the 1935 film version starring W. C. Fields and Lionel Barrymore.
Estabrook continued in his screenwriting career for three decades, as well as directing and producing films before his death on July 16, 1978 in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California.
Howard Estabrook (born Howard Bolles, July 11, 1884 – July 16, 1978) was an American actor, film director and producer, and screenwriter.
Born Howard Bolles in Detroit, Michigan, Howard Estabrook began his career in 1904 as a stage actor in New York. He made his film debut in 1914 during the silent era, and would go on to appear in several features including Four Feathers. Estabrook left films in 1916 for a try at the business world, but returned in 1921.
Estabrook took on executive positions with various studios, and eventually began producing films in 1924. He soon found his calling in screenwriting. He was responsible for several of what have come to be regarded as classics of Hollywood including Hell's Angels (1930) and Street of Chance (1930), for which he was nominated for an Academy Award. The following year, he won an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for Cimarron, starring Richard Dix and Irene Dunne. In 1935, he (along with Hugh Walpole and Lenore J. Coffee) adapted the Charles Dickens novel David Copperfield for the 1935 film version starring W. C. Fields and Lionel Barrymore.
Estabrook continued in his screenwriting career for three decades, as well as directing and producing films before his death on July 16, 1978 in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California.
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The Mysteries of Myra
Act like Dr. Payson Alden
event1916 star_border 6
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Myra Maynard's family is cursed by the devil-worshipping Black Order and she is marked for death by black magic on the eve of her eighteenth birthday. Dr. Payson Alden, the movies' first psychic detective, uses science to try and defeat the cult's evil spells, and is assisted by his friend Haji, a Hindu mystic. During the course of the 15 episodes of the serial, the clairvoyant Myra is assaulted by, among other supernatural menaces, astral demons, a fire elemental, even a "thought monster" brought to life by the malicious will of fifteen men, Levitation, crystal balls, automatic writing, mediums, witchcraft, a golden idol come to life, and many more bizarre elements which made movie history also figure into the story to make this a truly fascinating series that you will not want to miss. (mysteriesofmyra.com)
Four Feathers
Act like Captain Harry Faversham
event1915
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A British army officer refuses to avenge the death of a general who was murdered years earlier. He is awarded three feathers by his officers. When his fiancée fails to defend his stance, he plucks a feather from her fan. He proves his courage by rescuing his comrades in dangerous and life-threatening situations. Later he returns each feather as proof of his redemption and courage.
David Copperfield
Screenplay
event1935 star_border 6.6
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Charles Dickens' timeless tale of an ordinary young man who lives an extraordinary life, filled with people who help and hinder him.
The Human Comedy
Screenplay
event1943 star_border 6.3
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Teenager Homer Macauley stays at home in the small town of Ithaca, California to support his family while his older brother Marcus prepares to go to war.
Heavenly Days
Director
event1944
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Fibber McGee and Molly innocently get mixed up with the federal government.
A Bill of Divorcement
Screenplay
event1932 star_border 6.3
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A World War I veteran returns home after fifteen years in an asylum and finds that everything has changed — his daughter is grown and about to marry.
Passion
Adaptation
event1954 star_border 5.2
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In old Spanish California, dashing cattleman Juan Obregon returns to the rancho of his friend Gaspar Melo, to find he's fathered a son on Rosa, one of Gaspar's identical twin daughters. Overjoyed, he plans to formalize his "unofficial" marriage. But trouble brews; Melo's land is of unclear title and the new Don Domingo hopes to grab it for his own profit. Violence results. Without even knowing who survived, Juan (accompanied by Rosa's tomboy sister Tonya) rides for revenge, through spectacular pastoral and wilderness scenery.
Cattle Queen of Montana
Screenplay
event1954 star_border 5.6
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Sierra Nevada Jones must fight a villainous rancher to regain the land that is rightfully hers.
The Bridge of San Luis Rey
Adaptation
event1944 star_border 6
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A rope bridge over a gorge in the Peruvian Andes snaps, sending five people plunging to their deaths. A priest sets out to find out more about the life of each of the victims.
The Big Fisherman
Writer
event1959 star_border 4.6
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Drama that focuses on the later life of Peter, one of the closest disciples of Jesus.
The Shopworn Angel
Writer
event1928
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Shortly after the United States enters World War I in 1917, a Broadway actress agrees to let a naive soldier court her in order to impress his friends, but a real romance soon begins.
The Devil's in Love
Writer
event1933 star_border 6
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The French Foreign Legion is the setting for this episodic adventure yarn. Victor Jory plays a Legion doctor falsely accused of murdering his commander over the love of Loretta Young. Jory escapes prosecution by heading for parts unknown, but when a deadly illness strikes his old fort, he returns to aid his comrades. He is arrested, but clears himself of the murder charge and ends up with Young. Devil's in Love is distinguished by the surprise appearance of Bela Lugosi, who shows up unbilled as a relentless prosecuting attorney in the courtroom scenes.
The Bowery
Screenplay
event1933 star_border 5.1
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"In the Gay Nineties New York had grown up into bustles and balloon Sleeves ... but The Bowery had grown younger, louder and more rowdy until it was known as the 'Livest Mile on the face of the globe' ... the cradle of men who were later to be famous.
Kismet
Adaptation
event1930 star_border 3.5
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Hajj, a rascally beggar on the periphery of the court of Baghdad, schemes to marry his daughter to royalty and to win the heart of the queen of the castle himself. This film is believed lost.
Roar of the Dragon
Screenplay
event1932 star_border 6.2
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A boatload of Westerners is trapped in Manchuria as bandits led by Russian renegade Voronsky ravage the area. Seeking refuge in a fortified inn, the group is led by the boat's Captain Carson, who becomes involved with a woman who "belongs" to Voronsky. Carson must contend with the bandits outside and the conflicting personalities of those trapped inside the inn, as well as dealing with spies among the inn's personnel.
The Virginian
Adaptation
event1946 star_border 6.1
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Arriving at Medicine Bow, eastern schoolteacher Molly Woods meets two cowboys, irresponsible Steve and the "Virginian," who gets off on the wrong foot with her. To add to his troubles, the Virginian finds that his old pal Steve is mixed up with black-hatted Trampas and his rustlers...then finds himself at the head of a posse after said rustlers; and Molly hates the violent side of frontier life.
Street of Chance
Writer
event1930 star_border 6.6
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'Natural' Davis (William Powell) is a respected gambler who follows a ruthless code of honor with those who cheat against him. His wife, Alma (Kay Francis), wants to divorce him because of his addiction and lifestyle, but they agree on a reconciliation and second honeymoon together and 'Natural' promises to give up gambling. However, his plans change when his brother, 'Babe' (Regis Toomey), arrives in town looking to score big, and 'Natural' has to devise a plan quickly to put him off gambling forever.
North Star
Producer
event1925 star_border 6
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During a wild party, Wilbur Gale hits another man and, incorrectly believing that he has killed him, flees to the Northwoods. Wilbur's dog, North Star, runs away and is taken in by Noel Blake, a newspaper reporter. Receiving a letter from her brother, Marcia Gale sets out to find him, taking with her Dick Robbins, a false friend who sees an opportunity for blackmail...
Behind the Make-Up
Writer
event1930 star_border 6.2
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Gardoni, a down-on-his-luck vaudeville performer, is taken in by a fellow performer, a clown who has a bicycle riding act. Gardoni shows his appreciation by stealing the clown's act and his girlfriend, whom he marries.
The Masquerader
Screenplay
event1933 star_border 4.8
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A drug-addicted member of Parliament needs to take time off and secretly pull his life together, so he gets his lookalike cousin to agree to temporarily assume his identity.
Varsity
Writer
event1928
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The story deals with college life at Princeton with a different angle of situations and romance than is usually served from the screen (Tampa Times, Nov. 1928)
Lone Star
Story
event1952 star_border 5.6
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Rip-roaring big star, big budget semi-historical story about cattle baron Devereaux Burke, who is enlisted by an aging Andrew Jackson to dissuade Sam Houston from establishing Texas as a republic. Burke must fight state senator Thomas Craden, in the process winning the heart of Craden's newspaper-editor girlfriend Martha Ronda.
The Port of Missing Girls
Screenplay
event1928
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Neglected by her moneyed parents and disillusioned with her boyfriend Buddie Larkins, vocalist Ruth King joins a school for stage and fancy dancing, thus playing into the hands of DeLeon, ....
She Goes to War
Writer
event1929 star_border 6
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A young woman disguises herself as a man and follows her fiancéé into the trenches during World War I to find out what war is really like.
Make Up
Screenplay
event1932
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Misfortunes and disarray of the little clown Leroy who is upstaged by a comrade, Bertini, and sees himself abandoned by his girlfriend Ginette, preferring his collaborator to him.
Forgotten Faces
Writer
event1928
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A petty thief (Clive Brook) just robs the very rich at speakeasies, and gets away with it because the rich don't want the bad publicity, finally is caught and sent to Sing Sing. After good behavior, he gets an emergency permission for a return home, so that he may save his daughter from the hands of her disreputable mother (Baclanova). However, he must first promise not to kill his wife while he is out of prison.
Cimarron
Writer
event1931 star_border 5.6
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When the government opens up the Oklahoma territory for settlement, restless Yancey Cravat claims a plot of the free land for himself and moves his family there from Wichita. A newspaperman, lawyer, and just about everything else, Cravat soon becomes a leading citizen of the boom town of Osage. Once the town is established, however, he begins to feel confined once again, and heads for the Cherokee Strip, leaving his family behind. During this and other absences, his wife Sabra must learn to take care of herself and soon becomes prominent in her own right.
Giving Becky a Chance
Director
event1917
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Since she is an only child, Becky Knight (Vivian Martin) is a bit spoiled by her parents (P.H. Sosso and Alice Knowland), who run a general store. They somehow manage to save up enough money to send Becky away to boarding school. The other girls come from very wealthy families and Becky allows them to believe that she comes from a rich family, too. One of her classmates invites her to her home, where she meets Tom Fielding (Jack Holt), a young doctor. He falls in love with Becky, and she never gets the opportunity to tell him the truth about her background.
Maid of Salem
Producer
event1937 star_border 5.9
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When a young woman named Barbara Clarke has an affair with adventurer Roger Coverman, it causes a scandal in the Puritanical town of Salem, Massachusetts. After a meddling girl arouses their suspicions, the town's elders accuse Barbara of being a witch. She is tried, convicted of sorcery and sentenced to death. As the townspeople prepare to burn Barbara at the stake, Roger tries desperately to save the woman he loves.
The Corsican Brothers
Adaptation
event1941 star_border 6.8
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Cultured Mario and outlaw Lucien, twins separated at birth, join forces to avenge their parents' death at the hands of evil Colonna. Because each feels all the same sensations experienced by the other, swordplay is difficult for them. Worse yet, raised very differently, they struggle to find common ground between their conflicting personalities. But to defeat their enemy, the two will have to overcome the obstacles and work as a team.
The Bad Man
Writer
event1930
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Film version of a play about a Mexican bandit.
The Virginian
Screenplay
event1929 star_border 5.8
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A good-natured cowboy who is romancing the new schoolmarm has a crisis of conscience when he discovers his best friend is engaged in cattle rustling.
Are These Our Children?
Adaptation
event1931 star_border 6
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A tale of juvenile delinquency, about a high-school student neglecting his studies, partying hard, falling in with the wrong crowd and finally finding himself on trial for murder committed during a robbery.
The Conquerors
Story
event1932 star_border 5.7
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A newlywed couple journeys west to make their fortune, and begins a banking empire.
Double Cross Roads
Writer
event1930
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Ex-convict David Harvey attempts to go straight and settles in a small town where he meets and falls in love with Mary Carlyle. His former gang tries to persuade him to take part in a robbery of a wealthy woman but he refuses until discovering that Mary is in league with the gang.
Hell's Angels
Adaptation
event1930 star_border 6.5
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When the Great War breaks out, brothers Roy and Monte Rutledge, each attending Oxford University, enlist with the Royal Flying Corps.
Way Down East
Screenplay
event1935 star_border 3
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A family living on a farm in Maine takes in a young woman to stay with them, not knowing that the woman is not quite what she seems and has a secret in her past that she hasn't told them about.
The Four Feathers
Screenplay
event1929 star_border 4.4
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An Englishman (Richard Arlen) fights in the Sudan after receiving white feathers of cowardice from his fiancee (Fay Wray) and friends.
The Woman Between
Writer
event1931 star_border 5.3
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Returning after a long absence, a man learns the woman he fell in love with on the ship going home is his stepmother.
Kismet
Screenplay
event1931
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Hajj, a rascally beggar on the periphery of the court of Baghdad, schemes to marry his daughter to royalty and to win the heart of the queen of the castle himself. This is a German-language version made in Hollywood along side the 1930 production directed by John Francis Dillon.
Slightly Scarlet
Screenplay
event1930 star_border 5
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Passing herself off as a countess, glamorous Lucy Stavrin hobnobs with the rich and famous along the French Riviera. Aware that Lucy is a phony, jewel-thief Malatroff blackmails Lucy into helping him steal the valuable necklace owned by the young wife of phlegmatic American businessman Sylvester Corbett.
Wells Fargo
Associate Producer
event1937 star_border 5.1
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In the 1840s, Ramsey MacKay, the driver for the struggling Wells Fargo mail and freight company, will secure an important contract if he delivers fresh oysters to Buffalo from New York City. When he rescues Justine Pryor and her mother, who are stranded in a broken wagon on his route, he doesn't let them slow him down and gives the ladies an exhilirating ride into Buffalo. He arrives in time to obtain the contract and is then sent by company president Henry Wells to St. Louis to establish a branch office.
Dakota
Adaptation
event1945 star_border 5.1
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In 1871, professional gambler John Devlin elopes with Sandra "Sandy" Poli, daughter of Marko Poli, an immigrant who has risen to railroad tycoon. Sandy, knowing that the railroad is to be extended into Dakota, plans to use their $20,000 nest egg to buy land options to sell to the railroad at a profit. On the stage trip to Ft. Abercrombie, their fellow passengers are Jim Bender and Bigtree Collins, who practically own the town of Fargo and Devlin is aware that they are prepared to protect the little empire... trying to drive out the farmers by burning their property, destroying their wheat, and blaming the devastation on the Indians. Continuing their journey north on the river aboard the "River Bird', Sandy and John meet Captain Bounce, an irascible old seafarer. Two of Bendender's henchmen, Slagin and Carp, board the boat and relieve John of his $20,000 at gunpoint. Captain Bounce, chasing the robber's dinghy..
The Cowboy and the Lady
Additional Writing
event1938 star_border 6.1
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Mary Smith decides after a lifetime of being a shut-in to do something wild while her father is out campaigning for the presidency, so she takes off for the family's home in West Palm Beach and inadvertently becomes romantically entangled with earnest cowboy Stretch Willoughby. Neither the dalliance nor the cowboy fit with the upper class image projected by her esteemed father, forcing her to choose.
New Wine
Writer
event1941
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The romantic story of Franz Schubert 's fight for recognition of his music. The 1941 Reinhold Schunzel biographical musical composer melodrama.
Woman Hungry
Screenplay
event1931
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This film, believed lost, was based on William Vaughn Moody's 1906 play The Great Divide. The story was filmed as a silent film by MGM as The Great Divide (1925) and as an early silent/sound hybrid by First National also called The Great Divide (1929). Judith Temple has come West to Arizona for some excitement. As she says goodbye to her brother and his wife, who are returning to the East, Dr. Neil Cranford, who is in love with her, is called away to tend the broken ribs of a man injured in a barroom brawl.
International Lady
Screenplay
event1941 star_border 6.4
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Tim Hanley, an American agent, posing as a lawyer with the United States Embassy in London, and Reggie Oliver, a Scotland Yard detective, posing as a music critic are both keeping their eye on Carla Nillson, a famous singer, whom they suspect of espionage. They all meet in London, then in Lisbon, and eventually in New York City, where Carla sings on the radio.
Dressed to Kill
Writer
event1928
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A mob boss' gang gets suspicious about their boss' new girlfriend, a beautiful young girl who doesn't seem to be the type who'd hang out with gangsters. They're not quite certain if she's actually a police agent or just a "groupie".
The Wild Girl
Director
event1917
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A dying stranger abandons a baby girl in a gypsy camp, with a note explaining that on her eighteenth birthday, she is to inherit a Virginia estate. The gypsy chief, aware of the girl's value, instructs Sabia, the tribe's matron, to dress and rear her as a boy. Years later, while the tribe is traveling in Virginia, Vosho, the chief's son, discovers the true sex of the girl, now called Firefly, and demands to marry her.
Sweepings
Screenplay
event1933 star_border 5.8
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Daniel Pardway, starting with almost nothing after the great Chicago fire, builds the biggest department store in town. He wants to pass on the business to his three sons and daughter, but has to deal with their lack of interest or aptitude.
The Girl from Manhattan
Writer
event1948 star_border 5
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A small-town girl who's made it big in New York as a fashion model returns home, only to find that her somewhat dotty uncle has mortgaged his boarding house to the hilt. In her efforts to help him keep his boarding house, she becomes involved with a handsome young minister and his superior, an older bishop.
Lopez, le bandit
Writer
event1930
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Lopez and his gang attack a ranch where he finds a man who once saved his life.
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