Jesse Hibbs
Encyclopedia
Jesse John Hibbs was an American
film
and television director
and assistant director
. He was previously an All-America
n offensive tackle for the University of Southern California
football team
in 1927 and 1928.
, Hibbs was the captain
of USC's first national championship team in 1928. Among his 1926 teammates was Marion Morrison, later known as John Wayne
.
Hibbs played with the NFL
's Chicago Bears
in 1931.
, Cotton Warburton
and Aaron Rosenberg
, Hibbs entered the film industry and became an assistant director. He got his first opportunity to direct in 1953, on the Tony Curtis
football drama The All-American. He went on to work primarily in westerns
; seven of his eleven features were within the genre, along with much of his television work. He also worked regularly with Audie Murphy
– on the westerns Ride Clear of Diablo
, Walk the Proud Land
, and Ride a Crooked Trail
, as well as the film version of Murphy's life story To Hell and Back
, the boxing film World in My Corner, Shining Victory
, and Joe Butterfly
. In later years Hibbs switched worked mainly in television, directing episodes of Perry Mason
, Ironside
, and The F.B.I., as well as various western series.
Hibbs died at age 79 in Ojai, California
. He was inducted into the USC Athletic Hall of Fame in 1999.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
film
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
and television director
Television director
A television director directs the activities involved in making a television program and is part of a television crew.-Duties:The duties of a television director vary depending on whether the production is live or recorded to video tape or video server .In both types of productions, the...
and assistant director
Assistant director
The role of an Assistant director include tracking daily progress against the filming production schedule, arranging logistics, preparing daily call sheets, checking cast and crew, maintaining order on the set. They also have to take care of health and safety of the crew...
. He was previously an All-America
All-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
n offensive tackle for the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
football team
University of Southern California Trojans football
The USC Trojans football program, established in 1888, represents the University of Southern California in college football. USC is a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I FBS and the Pacific-12 Conference . The Trojans have been a football powerhouse throughout NCAA...
in 1927 and 1928.
Football career
Born in Normal, IllinoisNormal, Illinois
Normal is an incorporated town in McLean County, Illinois, United States. It had a population of 52,497 as of the 2010 census. Normal is the smaller of two principal municipalities of the Bloomington-Normal metropolitan area...
, Hibbs was the captain
Captain (sports)
In team sports, a captain is a title given to a member of the team. The title is frequently honorary, but in some cases the captain may have significant responsibility for strategy and teamwork while the game is in progress on the field...
of USC's first national championship team in 1928. Among his 1926 teammates was Marion Morrison, later known as John Wayne
John Wayne
Marion Mitchell Morrison , better known by his stage name John Wayne, was an American film actor, director and producer. He epitomized rugged masculinity and became an enduring American icon. He is famous for his distinctive calm voice, walk, and height...
.
Hibbs played with the NFL
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
's Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
in 1931.
Hollywood
Like several other USC players of the 1920s and 1930s, including Wayne, Ward BondWard Bond
Wardell Edwin "Ward" Bond was an American film actor whose rugged appearance and easygoing charm were featured in over 200 movies and the television series Wagon Train.-Early life:...
, Cotton Warburton
Cotton Warburton
Irvine "Cotton" Warburton was an All-American college quarterback who became an Academy Award-winning film editor in the late 20th century.-Biography:Warburton was born October 8, 1911, in San Diego, California, to Margaret Warburton...
and Aaron Rosenberg
Aaron Rosenberg
Aaron Rosenberg was a film director and producer. His film efforts included the box office hits The Glenn Miller Story and The Benny Goodman Story, as well as Mutiny on the Bounty.Born in Brooklyn, he studied at the University of Southern California and played college football...
, Hibbs entered the film industry and became an assistant director. He got his first opportunity to direct in 1953, on the Tony Curtis
Tony Curtis
Tony Curtis was an American film actor whose career spanned six decades, but had his greatest popularity during the 1950s and early 1960s. He acted in over 100 films in roles covering a wide range of genres, from light comedy to serious drama...
football drama The All-American. He went on to work primarily in westerns
Western (genre)
The Western is a genre of various visual arts, such as film, television, radio, literature, painting and others. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. Some Westerns are set as early as the Battle of...
; seven of his eleven features were within the genre, along with much of his television work. He also worked regularly with Audie Murphy
Audie Murphy
Audie Leon Murphy was a highly decorated and famous soldier. Through LIFE magazine's July 16, 1945 issue , he became one the most famous soldiers of World War II and widely regarded as the most decorated American soldier of the war...
– on the westerns Ride Clear of Diablo
Ride Clear of Diablo
Ride Clear of Diablo is a 1954 Technicolor Western. It is the first collaboration between Audie Murphy and Jesse Hibbs, and the last film Susan Cabot made for Universal Pictures.-Plot:...
, Walk the Proud Land
Walk the Proud Land
Walk the Proud Land is a 1956 Western Technicolor CinemaScope film directed by Jesse Hibbs, starring Audie Murphy and future Academy Award winner Anne Bancroft. It was filmed at Old Tucson.-Plot:...
, and Ride a Crooked Trail
Ride a Crooked Trail
Ride a Crooked Trail is a 1958 American western film, with former World War II hero Audie Murphy and future Academy Award winning actor Walter Matthau heading a strong if not well-known cast.-Plot:...
, as well as the film version of Murphy's life story To Hell and Back
To Hell and Back (film)
To Hell and Back is a CinemaScope war film released in 1955. It was directed by Jesse Hibbs and starred Audie Murphy as himself and Kyle Sanville. It is based on the 1949 autobiography of the same name and is an account of Murphy's World War II experiences as a soldier in the U.S. Army...
, the boxing film World in My Corner, Shining Victory
Shining Victory
Shining Victory is a 1941 film based on the play, Jupiter Laughs, by A. J. Cronin. It stars James Stephenson, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Donald Crisp, and Barbara O'Neil, and it was the first film directed by Irving Rapper. Bette Davis makes a brief cameo appearance as a nurse in the film.-Plot...
, and Joe Butterfly
Joe Butterfly
Joe Butterfly is a comedy film directed by Jesse Hibbs and starring Audie Murphy, George Nader, Keenan Wynn, and Burgess Meredith in the title role. The movie follows the staff of Yank magazine, who are among the first American troops in Tokyo after Japan's surrender. They are given the difficult...
. In later years Hibbs switched worked mainly in television, directing episodes of Perry Mason
Perry Mason (TV series)
Perry Mason is an American legal drama produced by Paisano Productions that ran from September 1957 to May 1966 on CBS. The title character, portrayed by Raymond Burr, is a fictional Los Angeles defense attorney who originally appeared in detective fiction by Erle Stanley Gardner...
, Ironside
Ironside (TV series)
Ironside is a Universal television series which ran on NBC from September 14, 1967 to January 16, 1975. The show starred Raymond Burr as the wheelchair-using Chief of Detectives, Robert T. Ironside. The character's debut was in a TV-movie on March 28, 1967. The original title of the show in the...
, and The F.B.I., as well as various western series.
Hibbs died at age 79 in Ojai, California
Ojai, California
Ojai is a city in Ventura County, California, USA. It is situated in the Ojai Valley , surrounded by hills and mountains. The population was 7,461 at the 2010 census, down from 7,862 at the 2000 census.-History:Chumash Indians were the early inhabitants of the valley...
. He was inducted into the USC Athletic Hall of Fame in 1999.