Agnes Vernon
Agnes Vernon (18951948) was an American film actress of the silent era. While still in her teens, she experienced a meteoric ascent from obscurity to box-office sensation. After turning twenty-three and a movie career fading away, she abandoned the silver screen forever. Vernon performed in over 90 films between 1913 and 1922. She completed most of her roles under contract with Universal Pictures. Vernon was born into a pious Catholic household in La Grande, Oregon on Friday, December 27, 1895. She attended convent schools in various cities, landing in Chicago while still a young schoolgirl. In 1913, while visiting a cousin in California, they took a tour of Universal Studios. While watching the filming of a motion picture, the film's director asked her to become an extra. At first, reluctant because she had no previous stage training, she finally agreed and took her early steps to film fame and fortune. Murdock MacQuarrie took the young actress under his wing. Vernon rose fro ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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La Grande, Oregon
La Grande is a city in Union County, Oregon, United States. Originally named "Brownsville," it was forced to change its name because that name was being used for a city in Linn County. Located in the Grande Ronde Valley, the city's name comes from an early French settler, Charles Dause, who often used the phrase "La Grande" to describe the area's beauty. The population was 13,082 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Union County. La Grande lies east of the Blue Mountains and southeast of Pendleton. History Early settlement The Grande Ronde Valley had long been a waypoint along the Oregon Trail. The first permanent settler in the La Grande area was Benjamin Brown in 1861. Not long after, the Leasey family and about twenty others settled there. The settlement was originally named after Ben Brown as Brown's Fort, Brown's Town, or Brownsville. There was already a Brownsville in Linn County, so when the post office was established in 1863, a more distinctive name wa ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Short Film
A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes or less, including all credits". In the United States, short films were generally termed short subjects from the 1920s into the 1970s when confined to two 35 mm reels or less, and featurettes for a film of three or four reels. "Short" was an abbreviation for either term. The increasingly rare industry term "short subject" carries more of an assumption that the film is shown as part of a presentation along with a feature film. Short films are often screened at local, national, or international film festivals and made by independent filmmakers with either a low budget or no budget at all. They are usually funded by film grants, nonprofit organizations, sponsor, or personal funds. Short films are generally used for industry experience and ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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The Old Cobbler
''The Old Cobbler'' is a 1914 American silent drama film directed by Murdock MacQuarrie. The film features Murdock MacQuarrie, Richard Rosson, Agnes Vernon and Lon Chaney. ''The Old Cobbler'' was MacQuarrie's debut film as a director. The film is now considered to be lost. Plot Nathan, an old cobbler, catches his son, Dick, stealing money from his wallet. He throws the boy out, hoping that tough love will shape the boy up. His alcoholic wife is all he has left, but when he goes upstairs, he finds her dead. Nathan heads West and settles down in a mining camp where he develops a reputation for being kind and charitable. One day, Wild Bill, a gunslinger, comes to Nathan to have a boot repaired and treats him rudely. Nathan throws the man out of his shop, and Wild Bill comes to respect the old man's courage. The two men develop a friendship. Bill's sweetheart, Jess, is a dance hall girl and when she has a slipper repaired by Nathan, he returns it to her with a note inside. The no ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Joseph De Grasse
Joseph Louis De Grasse (May 4, 1873 – May 25, 1940) was a Canadians, Canadian film director. Born in Bathurst, New Brunswick, he was the elder brother of actor Sam De Grasse. Biography Joseph De Grasse had studied and was a first-class graduate of accounting and he began his career as a journalist, but soon became enamored with the theater and took work as a stage actor. In 1903, he quit his full-time job as the City of Boston's bookkeeper to pursue acting. In 1910, he acted in his first motion picture and although he would appear as an actor in 13 films, and write 2 screenplays, his real interest was in directing. While working in Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood for Universal Studios, Universal Pictures, De Grasse met and married one of the few female directors working at the time, Ida May Park (1879–1954). In 1915, he became a founding member of the Motion Picture Directors Association, a forerunner to today's Directors Guild of America. During his career he directed ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Otis Turner
Otis Turner (November 29, 1862 – March 28, 1918) was an American director, screenwriter and producer. Between 1908 and 1917, he directed more than 130 films and wrote 40 scenarios. He was born in Fairfield, Indiana, and died in Los Angeles. The producer/director Otis Werner in L. Frank Baum's '' Aunt Jane's Nieces Out West'' is a send-up of Turner, who had adapted Baum's works into films, first in collaboration with Baum, then legally but without Baum's approval. Selected filmography * ''The Fairylogue and Radio-Plays'' (1908) * '' Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde'' (1908) * '' The Cowboy Millionaire'' (1909) * ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' (1910) * ''Shon the Piper'' (1913) * '' Called Back'' (1914) * '' The Spy'' (1914) *''Damon and Pythias'' (1914) * ''The Opened Shutters'' (1914) * '' The Black Box'' (1915) * ''From Italy's Shores'' (1915) * ''Langdon's Legacy'' (1916) * ''The Island of Desire'' (1917) * '' Melting Millions'' (1917) * ''The Book Agent'' (1917) * ''The Soul ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Charles Giblyn
Charles Giblyn (September 6, 1871 – March 14, 1934) was an American film director and actor of the silent era. He directed nearly 100 films between 1912 and 1927. He also appeared in 23 films between 1914 and 1934. He was one of the founders of the Motion Picture Directors Association. Beginning in 1914, Giblyn worked with the Universal Motion Picture Manufacturing Company. He founded Albion Productions, a film production company, in 1922. Giblyn was also the screenwriter for ''Scandal'' (1917). On Broadway, Giblyn acted in ''The Song of the Sword'' (1899), ''Wheels Within Wheels'' (1899), and ''The Ambassador'' (1900). Giblyn was born in Watertown, New York and died in Los Angeles, California. Selected filmography * '' The Battle of Gettysburg'' (1913) * ''By the Sun's Rays'' (1914) * ''The Oubliette'' (1914) * '' The Higher Law'' (1914) * '' Peggy'' (1916) * ''Not My Sister'' (1916) * ''The Vagabond Prince'' (1916) * '' The Price She Paid'' (1917) * '' The Lesson' ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Lon Chaney
Leonidas Frank "Lon" Chaney (April 1, 1883 – August 26, 1930) was an American actor. He is regarded as one of the most versatile and powerful actors of cinema, renowned for his characterizations of tortured, often grotesque and afflicted characters, and his groundbreaking artistry with makeup. Chaney was known for his starring roles in such silent horror films as ''The Hunchback of Notre Dame'' (1923) and ''The Phantom of the Opera'' (1925). His ability to transform himself using makeup techniques that he developed earned him the nickname "The Man of a Thousand Faces". Early life Leonidas Frank Chaney was born in Colorado Springs, Colorado, to Frank H. Chaney (a barber) and Emma Alice Kennedy. His father was of English and French ancestry, and his mother was of Scottish, English, and Irish descent. Chaney's maternal grandfather, Jonathan Ralston Kennedy, founded the "Colorado School for the Education of Mutes" (now Colorado School for the Deaf and Blind) in 1874, and ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Rupert Julian
Rupert Julian (born Thomas Percival Hayes; 25 January 1879 – 27 December 1943) was a New Zealand cinema actor, director, writer and producer. During his career, Julian directed 60 films and acted in over 90 films. He is best remembered for directing Lon Chaney, Sr., Lon Chaney in The Phantom of the Opera (1925 film), ''The Phantom of the Opera'' (1925). He also directed ''The Cat Creeps (1930 film), The Cat Creeps'' (1930), a sound remake of ''The Cat and the Canary (1927 film), The Cat and the Canary'' (1927), which is now considered a lost film, with only two minutes of footage remaining in the 1932 Universal comedy short film ''Boo! (1932 film), Boo!''. Early years Julian was born Thomas Percival Hayes in Whangaroa, New Zealand, son of John Daly Hayes (Jr) and Eliza Harriet Hayes. His father was a rancher who raised cattle and sheep. Julian's parents had him educated in preparation for becoming a Roman Catholic priest, but he went his own way. He volunteered to serve in th ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Ella Hall
Ella Augusta Hall (March 17, 1896 – September 3, 1981) was an American actress. She appeared in more than 90 films between 1912 and 1933. Early years Ella Augusta Hall was born in Hoboken, New Jersey on March 17, 1896. Her family moved to Hollywood in the early days of silent films so her mother could pursue an acting career. Her mother was May Hall, a struggling actress who never reached any level of notoriety. Career Ella Hall's first credited film appearance was the lead role in the 1913 film ''Memories''. Her career took off after that film, and she appeared in thirty-seven films from 1913 through the end of 1914. She had another thirty-nine film appearances from 1915 through 1919. She did not appear in another film until 1921. Her career had slowed considerably during this span of a two-year break, and she only starred in seven more films. Her best-known film was ''The Flying Dutchman'', released in 1923, which was her final silent film. She had a minor appearan ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Lois Weber
Florence Lois Weber (June 13, 1879 – November 13, 1939) was an American silent film actress, screenwriter, producer and director. She is identified in some historical references as among "the most important and prolific film directors in the era of silent films"."Lois Weber (1881–1939)", ''Dictionary of Women Worldwide: 25,000 Women Through the Ages'' (2007)Dictionary of Women Worldwide Film historian Anthony Slide has also asserted, "Along with D. W. Griffith, D.W.Griffith, Weber was the American cinema's first genuine auteur, a filmmaker involved in all aspects of production and one who utilized the motion picture to put across her own ideas and philosophies".Anthony Slide, ''The Silent Feminists'', pp. 29, 151. Weber produced a body of work which has been compared to Griffith's in both quantity and qualityJennifer Parchesky, "Lois Weber's 'The Blot': Rewriting Melodrama, Reproducing the Middle Class", ''Cinema Journal'' 39:1 (Autumn, 1999):23. and brought to the s ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |