John Villers Farrow

An inventory of the John Villiers Farrow Papers at The American Catholic History Research Center and University Archives

Biographical Note

John Villiers Farrow, author and movie director was born on February 10, 1904 in Sydney, Australia, to parents Joseph Farrow and Lucy Savage. His father survived World War I as a soldier in the Australian Army though his mother died very young in 1907. Educated at Newtown Public School and Fort Street Boys' High School, young John (or Jack as he was called) ran away to sea in an American ship. He supposedly became a roving adventurer who sailed throughout the Pacific Ocean and fought in revolts in Nicaragua and Mexico before reaching San Francisco, California, in 1923. After further sea adventures, he ended up in Hollywood in 1927 where his nautical expertise, combined with the fact that he was already known as a poet and short story writer, resulted in work as a film script consultant and technical adviser.

Farrow worked for both De Mille Productions and Paramount Pictures writing script dialogue and for RKO Pictures writing movie screenplays before a stint in England where he wrote for the 1932 film Woman in Chains and 1933's Don Quixote. He also spent time in Tahiti, where he wrote an English-French-Tahitian language dictionary and a 1933 novel titled Laughter Ends. Returning to Hollywood in 1933, Farrow was arrested because of a false passport and expired visa and placed on five years probation (he became and American citizen in 1947). He continued writing and published a biography of Father Damien titled Damien the Leper in 1937, which was reprinted many times and translated into several languages. He later wrote a history of the papacy, Pageant of the Popes, in 1942, and a biography of Sir Thomas More in 1954.

He served as an officer in the Royal Canadian Navy in the Second World War, 1940-1942, working on shore with intelligence, censorship, and press relations as well as serving at sea on anti-submarine patrols before retiring as an honorary commander. Having developed from the late 1930s as a notable film director, he was enlisted to the war effort by major studios, winning the New York Film Critics' Circle award and an American academy award nomination for the box office hit Wake Island in 1942. He also did a documentary drama called The Hitler Gang in 1944 and a naval yarn Two Years before the Mast in 1946. Additionally, he did several film noir classics such as The Big Clock in 1947, Where Danger Lives in 1950, and His Kind of Woman in 1951. He made a notable western, Hondo, with John Wayne, in 1953, and shared an academy award as co-writer of the screenplay for Around the World in Eighty Days in 1956. His last movie was 1959's John Paul Jones with Robert Stack in the lead role. Farrow had tried to make a film on the life of Christ, but that was a disappointing failure.

John Farrow had divorced his first wife, Felice Lewin, in the 1930s and married Irish actress and screen legend Maureen O'Sullivan in 1936, who was already famous for playing Jane opposite Johnny Weismuller's iconic Tarzan. They would remain married until his death and have seven children. He had also converted to Roman Catholicism, a religion he shared with his second wife and family. Now a highly acclaimed producer and film director in Hollywood, he died suddenly of heart disease on January 27, 1963 at his house in Beverly Hills. He was survived by his wife, Maureen O'Sullivan, and six of their children, most notably his daughter Mia who had just begun her film career. The first born child, Michael Damien Farrow, had died in a plane crash in 1958. Among his many awards, John Farrow had been granted a knighthood of the grand cross of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre by Pope Pius XI. Farrow was also an honorary member of the Belgian Societe Royale Humanitaire, and received decorations from the Order of the Crown of Rumania, and the Order of St. John of Jerusalem.

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Scope and Contents

The first series is Correspondence, 1934-1962, in Box 1. It contains primarily personal correspondence with his wife Maureen O'Sullivan during the early years of the Second World War, 1939-1941, when she was in England. Additionally, there is other personal as well as business related correspondence. Of particular note is a reference letter from Hollywood movie moghul Louis B. Mayer.

The second series is Writings and Related Material, 1928-1960 and undated, in Boxes 1-9. This is the heart of the Farrow papers with material related to his career as a writer for both print and screen. This includes correspondence, contracts, news clippings, research materials, published copies of his books, and various writing drafts in both handwritten and typescript formats. Farrow authored several notable and award winning books such as Laughter Ends (1933), Damien the Leper (1937), Pageant of the Popes (1942), and The Story of Thomas More (1954). Damien the Leper won the Damien-Dutton Award and Pageant of the Popes won the Catholic Literary Award of the Gallery of Living Catholic Authors. While there is some material on his major films such as the John Wayne western Hondo (1953) and the World War II classic Wake Island (1942) that was a winner of the New York Film Critics Award, this aspect of Farrow's career is rather sparsely represented in these papers. Rather, the majority of the film related files appear to be about projects that remained unfinished or were otherwise pending when Farrow died in 1963. In particular, there was the on again off again work on a potential movie about Jesus Christ to be called the Son of Man. Additionally, there were projected films about the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake titled The City That Lived and a Civil War tale set in Virginia known as the Two Little Confederates based upon the book of same name by Thomas Nelson Page.

The third series is Contracts, 1927-1950, in Box 9. This consists of a few contracts related to agents, studios, and housing. Contracts for specific books and films are filed in the second series.

The fourth series is Publicity, Awards, and Honors, ca. 1930-1970 and undated, in Boxes 9-10. This is a miscellaneous assemblage of correspondence, news clippings, certificates and other documents primarily related to his various awards and honors. Chief among these would be the aforementioned book and film awards but also an honorary degree from the Loyola University of Los Angeles, California, and honors related to the Knights of Malta and the Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem. This series also contains general biographical information about Farrow's naval and Hollywood careers and a copy of his 1963 obituary.

The fifth series is Maureen O'Sullivan Material, 1937-1963, 1976, and undated, in Box 10. It is not clear if this was originally intended by the donor to be included with the Farrow papers as this is material such as awards, clippings, correspondence, photographs, etc. specific to Maureen O'Sullivan.

The sixth series is Photographs, 1930-1957 and undated, in Box 11. This series includes many Farrow family photos, especially some from the 1936 wedding of John Farrow to actress Maureen O'Sullivan, but also many career related photos such as movie production shots, Farrow's years in the Royal Canadian Navy, and, most notably, a 1957 reception at the British Embassy in Washington that included Queen Elizabeth II and Admiral Lord Louis Mountbatten.

The seventh and final series is Miscellaneous and Oversize Material, 1940, 1959, and undated, in Boxes 11-12. This series, as its name implies, is a hodgepodge of miscellaneous material, with regular sized items in box 11 and oversized in box 12. Items range from book plates and a framed clipping to ceremonial regalia and a 1959 tax return.

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Arrangement

The John Villiers Farrow Papers consist of seven series:

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Restrictions

Restrictions on Access

None Stated

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Administrative Information

Acquisition Information

Donated by Maureen O’Sullivan Farrow in 1978.

Processing completed and EAD markup begun by Sean Gleeson in 2010. Processing revised and EAD markup completed in 2011 by William John Shepherd.

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Related Material

The American Catholic History Research Center and University Archives also contains:

United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) Communication Department-Office of Film and Broadcasting (OFB)Records

United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) Executive Department/Office of the General Secretary (OGS)Records

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Index Terms

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Select Bibliography

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Detailed Description of the Collection

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Descriptive Summary

Biographical Note

Scope and Contents

Arrangement

Restrictions

Administrative Information

Related Material

Index Terms

Select Bibliography

Detailed Description of the Collection

Series I: Correspondence, 1934-1962

Series 2: Writings and Related Material, 1928-1960, n.d.

Series 3: Contracts, 1927-1950

Series 4: Publicity, Awards, and Honors ca. 1930-1970, n.d.

Series V: Maureen O'Sullivan Material, 1937-1963, 1976, n.d.

Series 6: Photographs, 1930-1957, n.d.

Series 7: Miscellaneous and Oversize, 1940, 1959, n.d.