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Howard Estabrook

Howard Estabrook

Writer · Died July 16, 1978, aged 94 · Detroit, Michigan, USA

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Howard Estabrook (born Howard Bolles, July 11, 1884 – July 16, 1978) was an American actor, film director and producer, and screenwriter. Born Howard Bolles in Detroit, Michigan, Howard Estabrook began his career in 1904 as a stage actor in New York. He made his film debut in 1914 during the silent era, and would go on to appear in several features including Four Feathers. Estabrook left films in 1916 for a try at the business world, but returned in 1921. Estabrook took on executive positions with various studios, and eventually began producing films in 1924. He soon found his calling in screenwriting. He was responsible for several of what have come to be regarded as classics of Hollywood including Hell's Angels (1930) and Street of Chance (1930), for which he was nominated for an Academy Award. The following year, he won an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for Cimarron, starring Richard Dix and Irene Dunne. In 1935, he (along with Hugh Walpole and Lenore J. Coffee) adapted the Charles Dickens novel David Copperfield for the 1935 film version starring W. C. Fields and Lionel Barrymore. Estabrook continued in his screenwriting career for three decades, as well as directing and producing films before his death on July 16, 1978 in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
July 11, 1884
Died
July 16, 1978 (aged 94)
From
Detroit, Michigan, USA
Works as
Writer
Titles
19 on MovieCove · 56 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 38 days to Oct 27Down 6% in 30 days

What are Howard Estabrook's films like?

Across their 18 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Morality.

Genres

Drama9 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 55th percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Comedy4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 66th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy movies
Adventure3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 62nd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Adventure movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
36%
Morality
26%
Self
15%
Society
12%
Power
7%
Survival
3%
Family bonds7 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love6 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity4 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice4 titles, browse their movies with this themeLoyalty3 titles, browse their movies with this themeRevenge3 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity2 titles, browse their movies with this themeDuty3 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 18 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 9 · Serious 5 · Dark 4

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

A split, not a type: Grounded 11 · Stylized 4 · Heightened 3

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

Gentle 6 · Charged 10 · Intense 2

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

Steady 13 · Shifting 5 · Whiplash 0

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 13 · Some laughs 3 · Funny 2

Slow burn: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their slow burn movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 10 · Even-paced 8 · 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 15 · Engaged 3 · Full focus 0

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

Resolved 17 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
8
Melancholic
10
Romantic
7
Hopeful
6
Warm
3
Other
12

How their films linger

Bittersweet9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteWistful3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Happy7
  • Bittersweet11

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 Howard Estabrook's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 5 of their 19 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Howard Estabrook'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

56 credits, 19 with a MovieCove page.

  • The Big Fisherman(1959)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films

  • Cattle Queen of Montana(1954)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • Passion(1954)

    Adaptation

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

  • Lone Star(1952)

    Story

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • The Girl from Manhattan(1948)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 22nd percentile of all films

  • The Virginian(1946)

    Adaptation · Producer

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • Dakota(1945)

    Adaptation

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • Heavenly Days (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1944)

    Director · Screenplay · Story

  • The Bridge of San Luis Rey (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1944)

    Adaptation · Screenplay

  • The Human Comedy(1943)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • The Corsican Brothers(1941)

    Adaptation

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • International Lady(1941)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • New Wine (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)

    Writer

  • The Cowboy and the Lady(1938)

    Additional Writing · Writer

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • The Shopworn Angel(1938)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • Wells Fargo(1937)

    Associate Producer

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films

  • Maid of Salem (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    Producer · Writer

  • Way Down East (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    Screenplay

  • David Copperfield(1935)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • The Bowery(1933)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • The Masquerader (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    Screenplay

  • The Devil's in Love (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    Writer

  • Sweepings(1933)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • The Conquerors (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    Story

  • Make Up (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    Screenplay

  • A Bill of Divorcement(1932)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all films

  • Roar of the Dragon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    Screenplay

  • Are These Our Children? (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    Director · Adaptation

  • The Woman Between (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    Writer

  • Woman Hungry (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    Screenplay

  • Kismet (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    Screenplay

  • Cimarron(1931)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 28th percentile of all films

  • Hell's Angels(1930)

    Adaptation

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • Kismet (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1930)

    Adaptation · Dialogue

  • The Bad Man (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1930)

    Writer

  • Lopez, le bandit (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1930)

    Writer

  • Double Cross Roads (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1930)

    Writer

  • Slightly Scarlet (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1930)

    Screenplay

  • Street of Chance (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1930)

    Writer

  • Behind the Make-Up (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1930)

    Writer

  • The Virginian (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1929)

    Screenplay

  • She Goes to War (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1929)

    Writer

  • The Four Feathers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1929)

    Screenplay

  • The Shopworn Angel (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1928)

    Writer

  • Varsity (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1928)

    Writer

  • Forgotten Faces (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1928)

    Writer

  • The Port of Missing Girls (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1928)

    Screenplay

  • Dressed to Kill (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1928)

    Writer

  • North Star (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1925)

    Producer

  • The Wild Girl (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1917)

    Director

  • Giving Becky a Chance (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1917)

    Director

  • The Highway of Hope (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1917)

    Director

  • The Mysteries of Myra (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1916)

    as Dr. Payson Alden

  • Four Feathers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1915)

    as Captain Harry Faversham

  • The Butterfly (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1915)

    as John Butler

  • Officer 666 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1914)

    as Travers Gladwin

Career shape

A full career of 55 titles from 1914 to 1959.

Biggest box office

David Copperfield (1935)

$102 worldwide

Highest rated

David Copperfield (1935)

Midcredits 86th

Most popular right now

Passion (1954)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting4 of 55: 4 only acting, 0 with another roleDirecting5 of 55: 3 only directing, 2 with another roleWriting45 of 55: 41 only writing, 4 with another role · typical Midcredits score57thProducing4 of 55: 2 only producing, 2 with another roleOther crew1 of 55: 1 only other crew, 0 with another role

55 titles, 4 with more than one role — writing and directing overlap on 2 of them.

By decade

1910s7 · 4 acting · 3 crew1920s9 · crew1930s26 · crew1940s9 · crew1950s4 · 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 Howard Estabrook's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 59th percentile, the median of all 19; across their 18 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 62nd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

62ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 18

Approval · how many liked their films

59thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 18

Reach · how many have seen their films

53rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 18

Midcredits score across 19 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up3
  • 50th to 74th9
  • 25th to 49th5
  • Below 25th2

Shape of the crowd

11 of their 19 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved1
  • Crowd Pleaser11
  • Broadly Agreed2
  • Mixed5

Most divisive · writer

The Big Fisherman (1959)

59th percentile spread · 26% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · writer

David Copperfield (1935)

Midcredits 86th · 76% liked

Reviewers score the dialogue 51/100 and the plot and story 47/100 in their films, across 18 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.

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 Howard Estabrook work with?

People who share at least 2 of Howard Estabrook's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Max Steiner shares the most, 3.

Directors

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles