Harry Clork (born Harry Prince, and sometimes credited as Harry Clarke) was an American screenwriter and playwright who wrote over three dozen films between 1935 and 1955.

Harry Clork
Born
Harry W. Prince

August 31, 1888
Galveston, Texas, USA
DiedJune 18, 1978 (aged 89)
Santa Monica, California, USA
Other namesHarry Clarke
OccupationScreenwriter
Spouse(s)Nora Bayes (div.)
Mildred MacLeod
Parent(s)Creston Clarke (father)
Adelaide Prince (mother)

Biography

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Harry was born to English actress Lena Adelaide Rubenstein (known professionally as Adelaide Prince) and her first husband, Harry Prince. After his parents divorced, his mother married Creston Clarke, and Harry later adopted his last name (but changed the "a" to an "o," and dropped the final "e" to be able to join the writers' union once he began working as a screenwriter; there was already another Harry Clark).[1][2]

After moving to New York and establishing himself first as a performer (chiefly in vaudeville productions), and second as a playwright, penning a number of works that hit Broadway, he broke into screenwriting in the mid-1930s.[1] Some of his earliest efforts while under contract at Universal included 1935's Mister Dynamite and Diamond Jim.[3][4] Over the ensuing two decades, he'd write a wide range of films at Universal, MGM, and Paramount, also dabbling in television writing toward the end of his career.[5] Early on, he collaborated with fellow screenwriter Doris Malloy.[6]

He had retired by the 1970s; he died on June 18, 1978, and was survived by his daughter (from his second marriage to actress Mildred MacLeod). Earlier in life, he had been briefly married to Broadway actress Nora Bayes.[7]

Selected filmography

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References

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  1. ^ a b "9 May 1934, Page 10 - The Brooklyn Daily Eagle at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2019-02-18.
  2. ^ "22 Jul 1934, 17 - The Morning Call at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2019-02-18.
  3. ^ "12 Jun 1934, Page 19 - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2019-02-18.
  4. ^ "18 Nov 1934, Page 49 - The Cincinnati Enquirer at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2019-02-18.
  5. ^ "20 Dec 1935, Page 14 - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2019-02-18.
  6. ^ "20 Jun 1935, 8 - The Daily Standard at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2019-02-18.
  7. ^ "Dramatists Play Service, Inc". www.dramatists.com. Retrieved 2019-02-18.