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1-6 of 6
- Director
- Producer
- Actor
John Ford came to Hollywood following one of his brothers, an actor. Asked what brought him to Hollywood, he replied "the train". He became one of the most respected directors in the business, in spite of being known for his westerns, which were not considered "serious" film. He won six Oscars, counting (he always did) the two that he won for his WWII documentary work. He had one wife; a son and daughter; and a grandson, Dan Ford who wrote a biography on his famous grandfather.- Mary Merrall was born on 5 January 1890 in Liverpool, England, UK. She was an actress, known for Dead of Night (1945), The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby (1947) and Love on the Dole (1941). She was married to Franklin Dyall, Ian Swinley and John Bouch Hissey. She died on 31 August 1973 in London, England, UK.
- Marcus Whelan was born on 27 June 1914 in Bacchus Marsh, Victoria, Australia. He was married to Marjorie Alice Dummett. He died on 31 August 1973 in Noorat, Victoria, Australia.
- Director
- Producer
Jon Pownall was a Chicago-based photographer, commercial director and filmmaker during the 1960s. When he decided to enter the field of glamour photography in the early 60s, it was natural for him to sell his photos to two men's magazines that were based in the area: Playboy (Chicago, IL) and Rogue (Evanston, IL).
Jon Pownall was born on Aug. 12, 1934 in Maryland, but the family later moved back to his mother's hometown of Sanford, Maine. At the age of 12 or 13, Jon received his first camera, a Brownie, as a gift from his mother. After graduating from high school, Jon moved to New York to attend Rochester Institute of Technology with the goal of becoming a photographer. At RIT, Jon met his wife Jean, and after they received their associate degrees, they moved to Chicago so Jon could finish college. They opened their studio shortly after Jon graduated in 1956/57. In their photography business, Jon and Jean were a team, with Jean doing the make-up on their models, buying props for ads and commercials and making meals for their clients.
In the early 60s, the Pownalls bought and remodeled a 3 story brick building at 918 W. Armitage in Chicago. The first floor was offices, a darkroom, a large studio area and a loading dock at the rear of the building. The 2nd floor had an editing room and a kitchen/living room/dining room to entertain clients. The basement had a projection room/theater and the family lived on the 3rd floor. It was while they were located in this building that Jon and Jean photographed the majority of their glamour work for Playboy and Rogue magazines.
Jon Pownall's first and only Playmate layout for Playboy magazine featured centerfold Avis Kimble (Miss Nov. 1962). During 1963, Mr. Pownall shot two covers for Rogue magazine (May and October) as well as three layouts inside the magazine. The first layout was a five page pictorial called "The History of Glamour" in the May issue, the second was the centerspread of Marion Anders (The Rogue Girl) in the August issue and the third was the four page pictorial "Rogue Throws A Yachting Party" in the December issue.
For 1964, when Rogue went to six issues per year, Jon Pownall photographed two of the Rogue Girl pictorials: Nina Forrest (January) and Toni-Lee Shelley (October). Toni-Lee Shelley gained notoriety for being arrested in Chicago for indecent exposure after she wore a topless bathing suit at a public beach.
Camera equipment used by Pownall included the medium format Hasselblad, a Rolleiflex, and an 8x10 camera which he used for his Playboy and Rogue centerfolds.
Also during the 1960s, Jon Pownall branched out into directing TV commercials (for McDonalds, Bell and Howell, Oldsmobile, etc.) and by the early 70s he was even making his own feature length films. His first film, "Goodbye, Fat Larry", produced in 1970/'71, went unreleased.
In 1971, Jon moved his family - his wife Jean and three children - to Sanford, Maine and began preproduction on his second film, "The Salem Six". By August 1973, he had cast his film and was ready to start filming when, on August 31, he was shot to death by an unknown assailant at the film studio's office in Portland. Before long, it was discovered that someone had recently taken out $400,000 worth of life insurance on Jon. According to Lynda Pownall-Carlson (Jon's daughter), the motive for her father's murder was the insurance money and the appropriate people were put on trial, but were acquitted.
Today, Lynda Pownall-Carlson is trying to raise funds to be able to digitize her father's photos and film work. Jon Pownall was 39 years old at the time of his death.- Raymond Keane was born on 6 September 1906 in Denver, Colorado, USA. He was an actor, known for Loose Ankles (1930), The Lone Eagle (1927) and The Magic Garden (1927). He died on 31 August 1973 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
- Actor
Robert Lee was born on 14 July 1890 in Charlottesville, Virginia, USA. He was an assistant director and actor, known for At the End of the World (1921), The Dancin' Fool (1920) and The Secret Call (1931). He died on 31 August 1973 in Los Angeles, California, USA.