Luther A. Reed (July 14, 1888 – November 16, 1961) was an American

screenwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. ...

and

film director A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, p ...

Biography

Reed was born in 1888 in

Berlin, Wisconsin Berlin is a city in Green Lake and Waushara counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 5,571 at the 2020 census. Of this, 5,435 were in Green Lake County, and only 89 were in Waushara County. The city is located mostly within t ...

, and graduated from

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

. He worked as a

journalist A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalism ...

and the music and

theater critic A critic is a person who communicates an assessment and an opinion of various forms of creative works such as Art criticism, art, Literary criticism, literature, Music journalism, music, Film criticism, cinema, Theater criticism, theater, Fas ...

for the ''

New York Herald The ''New York Herald'' was a large-distribution newspaper based in New York City that existed between 1835 and 1924. At that point it was acquired by its smaller rival the ''New-York Tribune'' to form the '' New York Herald Tribune''. His ...

'' before his film career. Reed directed such films as ''Convention Girl'', ''Dixiana'' and ''Hit the Deck.'' He also worked with

Howard Hughes Howard Robard Hughes Jr. (December 24, 1905 – April 5, 1976) was an American business magnate, record-setting pilot, engineer, film producer, and philanthropist, known during his lifetime as one of the most influential and richest people in th ...

on the film '' Hell's Angels''. Reed was married to actress

Naomi Childers Naomi Weston Childers (November 15, 1892 – May 9, 1964), was an American silent film actress whose career lasted until the mid-20th century. English ancestry, child actress She was born of English parentage in Pottstown, Pennsylvania. Later ...

until their divorce in 1929. They had one son together. He then married the actress Jocelyn Lee (born Mary Alice Simpson, 1902–1980) on June 15, 1930, but separated from her after three months and divorced her in 1931 after she attacked him in a Mexican hotel. Reed died in New York City in 1961.

Partial filmography

*''

With Neatness and Dispatch ''With Neatness and Dispatch'' is a 1918 American silent comedy film directed by Will S. Davis and starring Francis X. Bushman, Beverly Bayne, and Frank Currier. It was released on April 15, 1918. Cast list * Francis X. Bushman as Paul Donalds ...

'' (1918) *''

Our Mrs. McChesney ''Our Mrs. McChesney'' is a lost 1918 American silent comedy-drama film produced and distributed by Metro Pictures, directed by Ralph Ince, and based on the 1915 play by Edna Ferber and George V. Hobart which starred Ethel Barrymore. Barrymore ...

'' (1918) *''

The Amateur Adventuress ''The Amateur Adventuress'' is a lost 1919 American silent comedy film directed by Henry Otto and starring Emmy Wehlen. It is based on a short story by Thomas Edgelow that appeared in ''Young's Magazine'' (Oct. 1918). Maxwell Karger produced with ...

'' (1919) *'' Almost Married'' (1919) *'' Some Bride'' (1919) *'' Behind the Door'' (1919) *'' Mary's Ankle'' (1920) *'' Let's Be Fashionable'' (1920) *''

The Lure of Youth ''The Lure of Youth'' is a 1921 American silent romance film, directed by Phil Rosen. It stars Cleo Madison, William Conklin, and Gareth Hughes, and was released on January 10, 1921. Cast list * Cleo Madison as Florentine Fair * William Con ...

'' (1921) *''

Beau Revel ''Beau Revel'' is a 1921 American silent drama film directed by John Griffith Wray and written by Luther Reed and Louis Joseph Vance. The film stars Lewis Stone, Florence Vidor, Lloyd Hughes, Kathleen Kirkham, Dick Ryan, and Harland Tucker. Th ...

'' (1921) *'' Get-Rich-Quick Wallingford'' (1921) *''

Beauty's Worth ''Beauty's Worth'' is a 1922 American romantic comedy drama film directed by Robert G. Vignola, starring Marion Davies as an unsophisticated Quaker who ventures to a seaside resort, meets a Bohemian artist, and falls in love. Plot As described ...

'' (1922) *''

The Young Diana ''The Young Diana'' is a lost 1922 American silent drama film directed by Albert Capellani and Robert G. Vignola and written by Luther Reed. The film stars Marion Davies, Macklyn Arbuckle, Forrest Stanley, Gypsy O'Brien, and Pedro de Cordoba. ...

'' (1922) *''

Adam and Eva ''Adam and Eva'' is a 1923 American comedy silent film directed by Robert G. Vignola and adapted by Luther Reed from the play by Guy Bolton and George Middleton. The film stars Marion Davies, T. Roy Barnes, Tom Lewis, William Norris, Percy Ame ...

'' (1923) *'' Little Old New York'' (1923) *'' The Purple Highway'' (1923) *''

The Great White Way Broadway () is a road in the U.S. state of New York. Broadway runs from State Street at Bowling Green for through the borough of Manhattan and through the Bronx, exiting north from New York City to run an additional through the Westcheste ...

'' (1924) *''

Yolanda Yolanda may refer to: * Yolanda (name), a given name derived from the Greek ''Iolanthe'' Places * Yolanda, California * Yolanda Shrine, monument located at Barangay Anibong, Tacloban, Leyte Film * ''Yolanda'' (film), a 1924 film starring ...

'' (1924) *''

Lovers in Quarantine ''Lovers in Quarantine'' is an extant 1925 American silent comedy film starring Bebe Daniels and directed by Frank Tuttle. It was produced by Famous Players-Lasky and distributed by Paramount Pictures. The film is based on a 1924 Broadway play ...

'' (1925) *''

Womanhandled ''Womanhandled'' is a 1925 American silent comedy film produced by Famous Players-Lasky and distributed through Paramount Pictures. It is based on a short story by Arthur Stringer and stars Richard Dix and Esther Ralston. Plot Bill Dana (Ric ...

'' (1925) *'' Let's Get Married'' (1926) *''

Kid Boots ''Kid Boots'' is a musical with a book by William Anthony McGuire and Otto Harbach, music by Harry Tierney, and lyrics by Joseph McCarthy. The show was staged by Edward Royce. Produced by Florenz Ziegfeld, the Broadway production, opened on ...

'' (1926) *''

The Ace of Cads ''The Ace of Cads'' is a 1926 American silent romantic drama film produced by Famous Players-Lasky and distributed by Paramount Pictures. It was directed by Luther Reed and starred Adolphe Menjou and Alice Joyce. The film is now considered los ...

'' (1926) *''

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

'' (1927) *''

Evening Clothes ''Evening Clothes'' is a 1927 American silent comedy film directed by Luther Reed that was produced by Famous Players-Lasky and released by Paramount. Production background The film is based on the 1920 play ''L'homme en habit'' (''The Man in E ...

'' (1927) *''

The World at Her Feet ''The World at Her Feet'' is a lost 1927 silent film comedy directed by Luther Reed and starring Florence Vidor. It was produced by the Paramount Lasky Corporation. Cast *Florence Vidor as Jane Randall *Arnold Kent as Richard Randall *Margar ...

'' (1927) *'' Shanghai Bound'' (1927) *''

Honeymoon Hate ''Honeymoon Hate'' is a lost film, lost 1927 American silent film, silent romantic comedy film directed by Luther Reed and written by Doris Anderson, Ethel Doherty, Herman J. Mankiewicz, George Marion Jr., and Alice Muriel Williamson, A.M. Willi ...

'' (1927) *''

The Sawdust Paradise ''The Sawdust Paradise'' is a lost 1928 American silent drama film directed by Luther Reed and written by Julian Johnson, Louise Long, and George Manker Watters. The film stars Esther Ralston, Reed Howes, Hobart Bosworth, Tom Maguire, Georg ...

'' (1928) *'' Rio Rita'' (1929) *'' Hit the Deck'' (1930) *'' Dixiana'' (1930) *''

Bachelor Mother ''Bachelor Mother'' (1939) is an American romantic comedy film directed by Garson Kanin, and starring Ginger Rogers, David Niven, and Charles Coburn. The screenplay was written by Norman Krasna from an Academy Award-nominated story by Felix Jac ...

'' (1932) *''

The Sweetheart of Sigma Chi Often called the most beloved and popular of college fraternities and sororities, fraternity songs, "The Sweetheart of Sigma Chi" was written in 1911 by Byron D. Stokes (Albion College, Albion Class of 1913) and F. Dudleigh Vernor (Albion '14). S ...

'' (1933) *''

Convention Girl ''Convention Girl, also known as Atlantic City Romance,'' is a 1935 American comedy film starring Rose Hobart and featuring Shemp Howard of the Three Stooges. The film was directed by Luther Reed. Plot Cast *Rose Hobart as Cynthia "Babe" Lava ...

'' (1935)

References

External links

*
Video interview about Luther Reed by Philip Pfatteicher for the Center for Church Music
American male screenwriters People from Berlin, Wisconsin 1888 births 1961 deaths Film directors from Wisconsin Screenwriters from Wisconsin 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American screenwriters {{US-film-director-stub