John H. Collins (December 31, 1889 – October 31, 1918) was an American writer and director of 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. He married film actress

Viola Dana Viola Dana (born Virginia Flugrath; June 26, 1897 – July 3, 1987) was an American film actress who was successful during the era of silent films. She appeared in over 100 films, but was unable to make the transition to sound films. Early lif ...

. His career was cut short when he died at the age of 28 due to the

1918 influenza epidemic The 1918–1920 influenza pandemic, commonly known by the misnomer Spanish flu or as the Great Influenza epidemic, was an exceptionally deadly global influenza pandemic caused by the H1N1 influenza A virus. The earliest documented case was ...

. During his career which began in 1914, he directed more than 40 features and film shorts, and wrote the scenario for over a dozen more features. His 1917 film '' The Girl Without a Soul'' was selected by the National Film Registry to be preserved by the Library of Congress. His final works were shown posthumously in 1919.

Partial filmography

* '' Cohen's Luck'' (1915) * '' Gladiola'' (1915) * '' The Man Who Could Not Sleep (1915) * ''

Children of Eve ''Children of Eve'' is a 1915 silent film directed by John H. Collins and starring Viola Dana. It was produced by the Edison Manufacturing Company, distributed by an arrangement between Edison and George Kleine. Cast *Viola Dana - Fifty-Fifty Ma ...

'' (1915) * '' On Dangerous Paths'' (1915) * ''

The Flower of No Man's Land ''The Flower of No Man's Land'' is a lost 1916 silent film drama directed by John H. Collins and starring Viola Dana. It was distributed by Metro Pictures. Cast *Viola Dana Viola Dana (born Virginia Flugrath; June 26, 1897 – July 3, 198 ...

'' (1916) * '' The Light of Happiness'' (1916) * '' The Gates of Eden'' (1916) * ''

The Innocence of Ruth ''The Innocence of Ruth'' is a 1916 American silent film, silent drama film directed by John H. Collins (director), John H. Collins and starring Edward Earle, Viola Dana and Augustus Phillips.Weaver p.118 Cast * Edward Earle as Jimmy Carter * Vi ...

'' (1916) * ''

The Cossack Whip ''The Cossack Whip'' is a 1916 American silent drama film directed by John H. Collins and starring Viola Dana, Richard Tucker and Robert Walker.Spehr & Lundquist p.257 Cast * Viola Dana as Darya Orlinsky * Grace Williams as Katerina Orlinsky ...

'' (1916) * ''

God's Law and Man's ''God's Law and Man's'' is a lost 1917 silent film drama direct by John H. Collins and distributed by Metro Pictures. It starred Collins's wife Viola Dana. The story comes from a novel by Paul Trent, ''A Wife by Purchase''. Cast *Viola Dana - Am ...

'' (1917) * ''

A Wife by Proxy ''A Wife by Proxy'' is a 1917 American silent film, silent drama film directed by John H. Collins (director), John H. Collins and starring Mabel Taliaferro, Robert Walker (actor, born 1888), Robert Walker and Sally Crute.Lowe p.513 Cast * Mabel Ta ...

'' (1917) *'' Rosie O'Grady'' (1917) * ''

Lady Barnacle ''Lady Barnacle'' is a 1917 American silent comedy film, directed by John H. Collins. It stars Viola Dana, Robert Walker, and Augustus Phillips, and was released on June 4, 1917. Cast list * Viola Dana as Lakshima * Robert Walker as George Mo ...

'' (1917) * '' Aladdin's Other Lamp'' (1917) * '' The Girl Without a Soul'' (1917) * ''

Blue Jeans Jeans are a type of pants or trousers made from denim or dungaree cloth. Often the term "jeans" refers to a particular style of trousers, called "blue jeans", with copper-riveted pockets which were invented by Jacob W. Davis in 1871 and paten ...

'' (1917) * '' The Winding Trail'' (1918) * ''

A Weaver of Dreams ''A Weaver of Dreams'' is a lost silent film directed by Edison's John H. Collins and released under Metro Films February 18, 1918, at the height of Mr. Collins' career. It was the 36th of 41 films credited to his direction. The young director suc ...

'' (1918) * ''

Riders of the Night ''Riders of the Night'' is a 1918 American silent drama film directed by John H. Collins and starred his wife Viola Dana. It was produced and distributed by the Metro Pictures company. A print is held at EYE Institute, Amsterdam aka Filmmuseum ...

'' (1918) * ''

Opportunity Opportunity may refer to: Places * Opportunity, Montana, an unincorporated community, United States * Opportunity, Nebraska, an unincorporated community, United States * Opportunity, Washington, a former census-designated place, United States * 3 ...

'' (1918) * '' Flower of the Dusk'' (1918) * '' The Gold Cure'' (1919) * ''

Satan Junior ''Satan Junior'' is a 1919 American silent comedy film, directed by Herbert Blaché and John H. Collins. It was Collins' final involvement in film. Collins began directing the film, production of which had to be suspended due to the flu epidem ...

'' (1919)

References

External links

John H. Collins at IMDb.com
1918 deaths 1889 births American film directors Deaths from the Spanish flu pandemic in New York (state) {{US-film-director-1880s-stub