John Arthur Nelson was a director, actor, and writer. Nelson wrote, acted in, and directed more than a dozen short films in 1913 and 1914, including a series of Slim Hoover films in which he portrayed the title character. He wrote pro-labor union and anti-America Plan /
open shop
An open shop is a place of employment at which one is not required to join or financially support a union ( closed shop) as a condition of hiring or continued employment.
Open shop vs closed shop
The major difference between an open and closed ...
book ''
The New Disciple
''The New Disciple'' is a 1921 American silent film directed by Ollie Sellers and produced by labor organization the Federal Film Corporation in Seattle, Washington. It was the most widely viewed labor film of this period, with over one million vi ...
'' and supervised production of the film of the same name that was based on it in 1921.
He was U.S. Film Corporation's Vice-President and headed the Nelson Film Company. In 1915, he was arrested for misappropriating stockholder funds. In 1916 he was sued for non-delivery of the film ''Slim and the Mummy''. In 1917, he tried to establish Dominion Film Company in
Victoria, Canada
Victoria is the capital city of the Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Greater Victoria area has a population of 397,237. The ...
but officials refused to give him land for the business.
In 1920, he got funding for a labor backed film company he headed. It was to produce pro-labor union films.
He corresponded with
Samuel Gompers
Samuel Gompers (; January 27, 1850December 13, 1924) was a British-born American cigar maker, labor union leader and a key figure in American labor history. Gompers founded the American Federation of Labor (AFL) and served as the organization's ...
.
Filmography
*''
Slim Becomes a Detective'' (1913)
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Slim's Last Trick'' (1914)
*''
Slim Becomes a Cook'' (1914)
*''
The New Disciple
''The New Disciple'' is a 1921 American silent film directed by Ollie Sellers and produced by labor organization the Federal Film Corporation in Seattle, Washington. It was the most widely viewed labor film of this period, with over one million vi ...
'' (1921), writer and film production supervisor
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nelson, John Arthur
Year of birth missing (living people)
Living people