Thomas E. Jackson

Thomas Edward Jackson (1886-1967) began his acting career with juvenile parts on Broadway from 1899-1903. As a tough kid living in New York's lower east side, Jackson would become a boxer and serve in WW1. He returned to the theatre in 1917 and worked steadily through the end of 1928. Jackson would gain notoriety on stage for his tough sarcastic detective Dan McCorn in George Abbott's 1926 hit show entitled "Broadway". After this success, he became a producer and director for a couple of Broadway flops. But as luck would have it, the advent of talking pictures meant that his skills would be in demand in Hollywood. The 43-year old actor was enticed to the west coast to recreate role for Paul Fejos' Universal Pictures filmed adaptation of "Broadway" (1929). This film was notable for employing complex crane and dolly camera movements, not seen in any other early sound films at the time. In fact, this ambitious visual style wouldn't be seen until Citizen Kane over a decade later. "Broadwa