Bluebird Photoplays (Bluebird Photoplays of New York, Inc. and Bluebird Photoplays of New England, Inc.) was an American film production company that filmed at

Universal Pictures Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Ameri ...

studios in California and New Jersey, and distributed its films via

during the

silent film A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, when ...

era. It had a $500,000 studio in New Jersey.

"It was a subsidiary of Universal Pictures and employed Universal stars (and starlets) and used Universal’s facilities but the pictures were marketed independently from Carl Laemmle’s umbrella company."—Anke Brouwers

Mary MacLaren Mary MacLaren (born Mary Ida MacDonald, also credited Mary McLaren; January 19, 1900 – November 9, 1985) was an American film actress in both the silent and sound eras."Thirteenth Census of the United States: 1910 Population", digital cop ...

, was one of its stars.

Louise Lovely Louise Lovely (born Nellie Louise Carbasse; 28 February 1895 – 18 March 1980) was an Australian film actress of Swiss-Italian descent. She is credited by film historians for being the first Australian actress to have a successful career i ...

, an actress from Australia, was one of its stars. Bluebird was a prestige brand for Universal and had a core of actors and directors including Lovely who worked for it.

Ida May Park Ida May Park (December 28, 1879 – June 13, 1954) was an American screenwriter and film director of the silent era, in the early 20th century. She wrote for more than 50 films between 1914 and 1930, and directed 14 films between 1917 and 192 ...

directed for ''Bluebird Photoplays''.

Elsie Jane Wilson Elsie Jane Wilson (7 November 1885 – 16 January 1965) was a cinema actress, director, and writer during the early film era. She took part in the productions of the silent film era and starred in over thirty films. Between the years of 1916 an ...

produced and directed for ''Bluebird Photoplays''. Among those who worked for this short-lived subsidiary of Universal are

Carmel Myers Carmel Myers (April 9, 1899 – November 9, 1980) was an American actress who achieved her greatest successes in silent film. Early life Myers was born in San Francisco, the daughter of Isidore Myers, a Russian-Jewish rabbi who was born in ...

Mae Murray Mae Murray (born Marie Adrienne Koenig; May 10, 1885 – March 23, 1965) was an American actress, dancer, film producer, and screenwriter. Murray rose to fame during the silent film era and was known as "The Girl with the Bee-Stung Lips" and "Th ...

Rudolph Valentino Rodolfo Pietro Filiberto Raffaello Guglielmi di Valentina d'Antonguolla (May 6, 1895 – August 23, 1926), known professionally as Rudolph Valentino and nicknamed The Latin Lover, was an Italian actor based in the United States who starred ...

Tod Browning Tod Browning (born Charles Albert Browning Jr.; July 12, 1880 – October 6, 1962) was an American film director, film actor, screenwriter, vaudeville performer, and carnival sideshow and circus entertainer. He directed a number of films of vari ...

, Rex Ingram,

Robert Z. Leonard Robert Zigler Leonard (October 7, 1889 – August 27, 1968) was an American film director, actor, producer, and screenwriter. Biography He was born in Chicago, Illinois. At one time, he was married to silent star Mae Murray with the two formin ...

and

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 di ...

Louis B. Mayer Louis Burt Mayer (; born Lazar Meir; July 12, 1882 or 1884 or 1885 – October 29, 1957) was a Canadian-American film producer and co-founder of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios (MGM) in 1924. Under Mayer's management, MGM became the film industr ...

invested in the company. M. H. Hoffman managed the company.

Filmography

*''Jeanne Doré'', (1915) *''

Shoes A shoe is an item of footwear intended to protect and comfort the human foot. They are often worn with a sock. Shoes are also used as an item of decoration and fashion. The design of shoes has varied enormously through time and from culture t ...

'' (1916) *''

Undine Undines (; also ondines) are a category of elemental beings associated with water, stemming from the alchemical writings of Paracelsus. Later writers developed the undine into a water nymph in its own right, and it continues to live in modern li ...

'' (1916) *'' Mother o' Mine'' (1917) *''

The Flashlight ''The Flashlight'' is a 1917 American silent drama film directed by Ida May Park and starring Lon Chaney, Dorothy Phillips and William Stowell. The screenplay was written by Ida May Park, based on the short story by Albert M. Treynore. This wa ...

'' (1917) *''

A Doll's House ''A Doll's House'' (Danish and nb, Et dukkehjem; also translated as ''A Doll House'') is a three-act play written by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. It premiered at the Royal Theatre in Copenhagen, Denmark, on 21 December 1879, having bee ...

'' (1917) *''

Flirting with Death ''Flirting with Death'' is a 1917 American silent comedy film directed by Elmer Clifton and starring Herbert Rawlinson, Agnes Vernon and Frank MacQuarrie.Parish & Pitts p.71 Cast * Herbert Rawlinson as 'Sky High' Billy Wardwell * Agnes Vernon as ...

'' (1917) *''

Hell Morgan's Girl ''Hell Morgan's Girl'' is a 1917 American silent drama film directed by Joseph De Grasse, and starring William Stowell, Dorothy Phillips and Lon Chaney. The screenplay was written by Ida May Park, based on the Harvey Gates story entitled ''The ...

'' (1917) *''

A Kentucky Cinderella A Kentucky Cinderella is a 1917 American silent drama directed by Rupert Julian and featured Rupert Julian and Ruth Clifford, and a cast including child actress Zoe Rae.

'' (1917) *'' Susan's Gentleman'' (1917) * ''

The Mysterious Mrs. M ''The Mysterious Mrs. M'' is a 1917 silent film drama directed by Lois Weber and starring Harrison Ford and Mary MacLaren. It was a Bluebird Pictures Production distributed by Universal Film Manufacturing Company. Cast *Harrison Ford - Raymond Van ...

'' (1917) *''

The Girl in the Checkered Coat ''The Girl in the Checkered Coat'' (aka ''The Girl With the Checkered Coat'') is a 1917 American silent drama film directed by Joe De Grasse and starring Lon Chaney, Dorothy Phillips and William Stowell. It was written by Ida May Park, based on ...

'' (1917) *''

Broadway Love ''Broadway Love'' is a 1918 American silent film, silent romance film directed by Ida May Park and starring Dorothy Phillips, William Stowell, and Lon Chaney. It was written by Ida May Park, based on the novelette by W. Carey Wonderly. Plot The ...

'' (1918) *'' The Winner Takes All'' (1918) *''

My Unmarried Wife ''My Unmarried Wife'' is a 1918 silent film drama directed by George Siegmann and starring Carmel Myers. The film was based on the novel ''Molly and I and the Silver Ring'' by Frank R. Adams. Cast *Carmel Myers as Mary Cunningham *Kenneth Harlan ...

'' (1918) *''

The Raggedy Queen ''The Raggedy Queen'' is a 1917 American silent drama film directed by Theodore Marston and starring Violet Mersereau, Grace Barton and Donald Hall.Connelly p.400 Cast * Violet Mersereau as Tatters * Grace Barton as Crazy Anne * Donald Hall as Hu ...

'' (1918) -

British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves film-making and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...

*'' Wife He Bought'' (1918) *''

Beans A bean is the seed of several plants in the family Fabaceae, which are used as vegetables for human or animal food. They can be cooked in many different ways, including boiling, frying, and baking, and are used in many traditional dishes th ...

'' (1919) *'' The Game's Up'' (1919)

Gallery

"Susan's Gentleman" movie ad, with Violet Mersereau of a "Bluebird Photoplays" - Moving Picture Weekly (1915-1920) (page 188 crop).jpg, '' Susan's Gentleman'',
movie ad,
Moving Picture Weekly Broadway Love (1918) - 1.jpg,

,
Trade advertisement,
2 February 1918,
''The Moving Picture Weekly'' The Flashlight.jpg, Ad for ''

'' (1917)

Footnotes

References

* * * * * *

External links

Bluebird Photoplays
-

IMDb IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...

* -

* {{cite web , title=Bluebird Photoplays , url=https://letterboxd.com/studio/bluebird-photoplays/ , website=

letterboxd Letterboxd is an online social networking service co-founded by Matthew Buchanan and Karl von Randow in 2011. It was launched as a social app focused on sharing opinions about, and love of film, and is maintained by a small team in Auckland, New ...

, language=en Silent film studios Defunct American film studios Film production companies of the United States

Filmography

Gallery

See also

Footnotes

References

External links