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Jack Donohue

Jack Donohue

Director · Died March 27, 1984, aged 75 · Brooklyn, New York, USA

John Francis "Jack" Donohue was an American film actor, screenwriter, director, producer, composer, and choreographer. Some of his movie directing roles include Babes in Toyland, Marriage on the Rocks, and Assault on a Queen.

Biography from TMDB.

Born
November 3, 1908
Died
March 27, 1984 (aged 75)
From
Brooklyn, New York, USA
Works as
Director
Titles
18 on MovieCove · 35 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Down 7% in 30 days

What are Jack Donohue's films like?

Across their 9 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
43%
Self
22%
Morality
18%
Power
9%
Society
7%
Marriage3 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love3 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception2 titles, browse their movies with this themeGreed2 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 9 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 8 · Serious 1 · Dark 0

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 5 · Stylized 2 · Heightened 2

Gentle: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their gentle movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 6 · Charged 3 · Intense 0

Steady: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their steady movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 7 · Shifting 2 · Whiplash 0

Funny: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their funny movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 0 · Some laughs 6 · Funny 3

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 4 · Even-paced 5 · Relentless 0

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 9 · Engaged 0 · Full focus 0

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 9 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Joyful
8
Warm
5
Thrilling
3
Romantic
2
Melancholic
2
Other
1

How their films linger

Feel-good7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Happy8
  • Ambiguous1

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Jack Donohue's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 5 of their 18 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (4).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Jack Donohue's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

35 credits, 18 with a MovieCove page.

  • The Further Adventures of Wally Brown (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)

    Director

  • Lucy Moves to NBC(1980)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Frank Sinatra: The First 40 Years (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)

    Director

  • Lucy Gets Lucky (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)

    Director · as Ralph

  • Happy Anniversary and Goodbye(1974)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films

  • Chico and the Man(1974)

    Show 7 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all shows

  • The All Star Spangled Mission (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)

    Director

  • Anna and the King (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • Here's Lucy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)

    Show 1 episode · as Dancer · as Dirty Jack

  • Assault on a Queen(1966)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films

  • Marriage on the Rocks(1965)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • The Lucille Ball Comedy Hour(1964)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • The Lucy Show(1962)

    Show 1 episode · Director · as Conductor

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all shows

  • Chun King Chow Mein Hour (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)

    Director · Producer

  • Backstage Party (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)

    Director · as Self

  • Babes in Toyland(1961)

    Director · as Sylvester J. Goose (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films

  • Startime (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    Show 3 episodes · Director · Producer

  • Lucky Me(1954)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • Calamity Jane(1953)

    Choreographer

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • Watch the Birdie(1950)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films

  • The Frank Sinatra Show (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)

    Show 36 episodes · Producer

  • Duchess of Idaho (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)

    Choreographer

  • The Yellow Cab Man(1950)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • Madame Bovary(1949)

    Choreographer

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • Close-Up (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)

    Director

  • The Romance of Rosy Ridge(1947)

    Choreographer

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

  • Love Laughs at Andy Hardy(1946)

    Choreographer

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films

  • Two Sisters from Boston(1946)

    Choreographer

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • Bathing Beauty(1944)

    Choreographer

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • The Fleet's In(1942)

    Choreographer

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • Kiss Her! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)

    Choreographer

  • The Singing Cop (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    Choreographer

  • Mayfair Melody (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    Choreographer

  • O.H.M.S. (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    Actor

  • Rhythm in the Air (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    Choreographer · Writer · as Jack Donovan

Career shape

A full career of 34 titles from 1936 to 1980.

Highest rated

Babes in Toyland (1961)

Midcredits 47th

Film career

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting6 of 34: 2 only acting, 4 with another roleDirecting19 of 34: 14 only directing, 5 with another role · typical Midcredits score43rdWriting1 of 34: 0 only writing, 1 with another roleProducing3 of 34: 1 only producing, 2 with another roleOther crew12 of 34: 11 only other crew, 1 with another role · typical Midcredits score70th

34 titles, 6 with more than one role.

By decade

1930s4 · 2 acting · 3 crew1940s8 · crew1950s7 · crew1960s8 · 3 acting · 7 crew1970s6 · 1 acting · 6 crew1980s1 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do Jack Donohue's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 53rd percentile, the median of all 16; across their 9 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 43rd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

43rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 9

Approval · how many liked their films

38thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 9

Reach · how many have seen their films

30thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 9

Midcredits score across 18 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up3
  • 50th to 74th6
  • 25th to 49th8
  • Below 25th1

Shape of the crowd

10 of their 18 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Cult Classic2
  • Crowd Pleaser10
  • Broadly Agreed4
  • Mixed2

Most divisive · director

Lucy Moves to NBC (1980)

81st percentile spread · 20% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor, director

The Lucy Show (1962)

Midcredits 59th · 76% liked

Reviewers score the atmosphere 52/100 and the pacing 44/100 in their films, across 7 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Who does Jack Donohue work with?

People who share at least 2 of Jack Donohue's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Lucille Ball shares the most, 3.

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers