State Library Tasmania
Ref: PH3016736
Eva Novak, star of the 1927 film
For the Term of his Natural Life, filmed at Port Arthur, Tasmania.
Inscription on front reads:
"My most sincere good wishes to Mrs Kerslake always Eva Novak 9-16-26"
The Kerslakes were proprietors of the Hotel Arthur at Port Arthur on the Tasman Peninsula where crew and cast stayed during filming.
Invoices and Correspondence to the Kerslake's proprietors of the Hotel Arthur, from the cast of the film 'For the term of his natural life.'
ADRI: PH3016711
ADRI: PH3016712
ADRI: PH3016713
ADRI: PH3016714
ADRI: PH3016715
ADRI: PH3016716
ADRI: PH3016710
Source: Archives Office of Tasmania
Eva Novak, Actress
Eva Barbara Novak was an American film actress, being quite popular during the silent film era. She was the younger sister of actress Jane Novak and daughter of Joseph, an immigrant from Bohemia, and Barbara Novak.
Born: February 14, 1898, St. Louis
Died: April 17, 1988, Woodland Hills
Spouse: William Reed (m. 1921)
Movies: For the Term of his Natural Life, The Medicine Man, More
Siblings: Jane Novak
Parents: Joseph Novak, Barbara Novak
She was born in St. Louis, Missouri, starting her film acting career in 1917, with her first film role being in L-KO's Roped into Scandal, followed by another seven films that same year. She would appear in seventeen films in 1918, and another eight in 1919. In 1920 she starred opposite Tom Mix in The Daredevil, one of six film roles she would have that year, and one of ten films in which she starred opposite Tom Mix.
In 1921 she married stuntman William Reed, meeting while on location for a film, and being interested in stunt performing herself, having been taught by Tom Mix to perform many of her own stunts. From 1921 to 1928 she appeared in and starred in 48 films, including an early version of Boston Blackie. She also co-starred with Betty Bronson and Jack Benny in The Medicine Man and appeared in the 1922 film Chasing the Moon, which was an early forerunner of the 1950s film D.O.A. In the late 1920s, she and her husband moved to Australia where she made numerous films, including The Romance of Runnibede. However, with the advent of "talking films", her popularity faded. She would continue to act, but mostly in obscure roles.
She appeared in 123 films between 1917 to 1965, retiring in the latter. She was residing in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles at the time of her death from pneumonia at the age of 90, on April 17, 1988.
Source:Wikipedia
Source: Australian Screen
http://aso.gov.au/titles/features/the-term-of-his-natural-life/clip1/
For the Term of His Natural Life (1927)
Production company: Australasia Films Ltd
Director: Norman Dawn
Writer: Norman Dawn
Cast: Compton Coutts Katherine Dawn George Fisher Beryl Gow Jessica Harcourt Mayne Lynton Marion Marcus Clarke Arthur McLaglen Eva Novak Gerald Kay Souper Carlton Stuart Arthur Tauchert Dunstan Webb
NOTES by Paul Byrne
For the Term of His Natural Life was an epic production – more expensive and ambitious than anything made in the silent era in Australia and symbolic of the tensions within the industry. It was a banner production of ‘The Combine’, the dominant force in the Australasian cinema business, and it was a considerable success with Australian audiences. The problem was that it was always intended to be more than that. The original director, Raymond Longford, was asked to step aside for Norman Dawn, a Hollywood director who had come to Australia to make scenic travelogues.
Read more ...
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Crew of For The Term of His Natural Life
Marcus Clarke's "His Natural Life"
