Paul Mahlon Powell (September 6, 1881 – July 2, 1944) was an American

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 ...

director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...

, producer,

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 actor. Powell was most active 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 and is best known for directing

Mary Pickford Gladys Marie Smith (April 8, 1892 – May 29, 1979), known professionally as Mary Pickford, was a Canadian-American stage and screen actress and producer with a career that spanned five decades. A pioneer in the US film industry, she co-founde ...

in ''

Pollyanna ''Pollyanna'' is a 1913 novel by American author Eleanor H. Porter, considered a classic of children's literature. The book's success led to Porter's soon writing a sequel, ''Pollyanna Grows Up'' (1915). Eleven more ''Pollyanna'' sequels, know ...

'' (1920).

Career

Born in

Peoria, Illinois Peoria ( ) is the county seat of Peoria County, Illinois, United States, and the largest city on the Illinois River. As of the United States Census, 2020, 2020 census, the city had a population of 113,150. It is the principal city of the Peoria ...

, Powell was one of six children of Charles Henry and Anna Clara Powell (''née'' von Schoenheider). His father was a publisher who founded the ''Peoria Evening Star''. Powell was educated in Peoria and later attended Bradley Polytechnic Institute. After graduation, he worked at his father's newspaper as a typesetter and editor before becoming a reporter. In the early 1900s, Powell worked as a reporter for the ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...

'' and the '' Los Angeles Express''. In 1910, he quit his job as a reporter to work in the film industry. The following year, he became the assistant of director and screenwriter Wilbert Melville. In 1914, D. W. Griffith hired Powell to be the director of

Mutual Film Corporation Mutual Film Corporation was an early American film conglomerate that produced some of Charlie Chaplin's greatest comedies. Founded in 1912, it was absorbed by Film Booking Offices of America, which evolved into RKO Pictures. Founding Mutual's ...

films. Two years later, Griffith hired Powell to direct features for

Triangle A triangle is a polygon with three Edge (geometry), edges and three Vertex (geometry), vertices. It is one of the basic shapes in geometry. A triangle with vertices ''A'', ''B'', and ''C'' is denoted \triangle ABC. In Euclidean geometry, an ...

-Fine Arts Film Corporation. While working for Triangle-Fine Arts, Powell directed

in the film adaptation of the 1913 novel ''

''. The film was a tremendous success and grossed $1.1 million upon its release. Powell also supported a young

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 ...

while working on films such as '' A Society Sensation'' and '' All Night,'' who later recalled "He was the first to say, 'Stick to it and you'll make a name for yourself.'" Valentino later became one of the silent era's most cherished stars. Powell's final films in the late 1920s and 1930 were musical comedy shorts for

Pathé Exchange Pathé Exchange, commonly known as Pathé, was an American film production and distribution company, largely of Hollywood's silent era. Known for its groundbreaking newsreel and wide array of shorts, it grew out of the American division of the ...

Death

He died in Pasadena, California, on July 2, 1944. He was survived by his wife Valerie Smith (whom he married in 1903), and their daughter Janice. His remains are interred at the Great Mausoleum, Columbarium of Providence at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in

Glendale, California Glendale is a city in the San Fernando Valley and Verdugo Mountains regions of Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, California, United States. At the 2020 United States Census, 2020 U.S. Census the population was 196,543, up from ...

Selected filmography

* ''

The Lily and the Rose ''The Lily and the Rose''; sometimes Lily of the Rose is a 1915 American silent drama film directed by Paul Powell and starring Lillian Gish. Preserved at the Library of Congress. Cast * Lillian Gish as Mary Randolph * Wilfred Lucas as Jack ...

'' (1915) * ''The Stool Pigeon'' (1915) * ''

Hell-to-Pay Austin ''Hell-to-Pay Austin'' (also known, without hyphens, as ''Hell to Pay Austin'') is a 1916 American silent comedy-drama film directed by Paul Powell and starring Wilfred Lucas in the title role, with Bessie Love, Eugene Pallette, and Mary Alden ...

'' (1916) * ''

Betsy's Burglar ''Betsy's Burglar'' is a 1917 American silent comedy film directed by Paul Powell and starring Constance Talmadge, Kenneth Harlan and Monte Blue.Langman p.388 Cast * Constance Talmadge as Betsy Harlow * Kenneth Harlan as Harry Brent * Monte ...

'' (1917) * ''

A Girl of the Timber Claims ''A Girl of the Timber Claims'' is a 1917 American silent drama film directed by Paul Powell and starring Constance Talmadge, Allan Sears and Clyde E. Hopkins. It is based on the story "The Girl Homesteader," by Mary H. O'Connor, who also wrot ...

'' (1917) * '' All Night'' (1918) * ''

Common Property Common ownership refers to holding the assets of an organization, Business, enterprise or community indivisibly rather than in the names of the individual members or groups of members as common property. Forms of common ownership exist in eve ...

'' (1919) * ''

'' (1920) * ''

Sweet Lavender ''Sweet Lavender'' is a play in three acts by Arthur Wing Pinero, first performed in 1888. The sentimental and gently humorous story concerns the romance of Lavender Rolt and Clement Hale, and the complications impeding the course of true love. ...

'' (1920) * '' Eyes of the Heart'' (1920) * '' Dangerous Lies'' (1921) * ''

The Mystery Road ''The Mystery Road'' is a 1921 British silent drama film directed by Paul Powell. Alfred Hitchcock is credited as a title designer. The film is considered to be lost. Cast * David Powell as Gerald Dombey * Nadja Ostrovska as Myrtile Sargot ...

'' (1921) * ''

The Fog ''The Fog'' is a 1980 American supernatural horror film directed by John Carpenter, who also co-wrote the screenplay and created the music for the film. It stars Adrienne Barbeau, Jamie Lee Curtis, Tom Atkins, Janet Leigh and Hal Holbrook. It ...

'' (1923) * '' Her Market Value'' (1925) * ''

Let Women Alone ''Let Women Alone'' is a 1925 American silent comedy film directed by Paul Powell and starring Pat O'Malley, Wanda Hawley and Wallace Beery.Munden p.430 Plot After her husband is reportedly drowned at sea, his wife supports herself and their c ...

'' (1925) * ''

North Star Polaris is a star in the northern circumpolar constellation of Ursa Minor. It is designated α Ursae Minoris ( Latinized to ''Alpha Ursae Minoris'') and is commonly called the North Star or Pole Star. With an apparent magnitude that ...

'' (1925)

References

External links

* 1881 births 1944 deaths 20th-century American male actors Actors from Peoria, Illinois Film producers from Illinois American journalists for national newspapers American male film actors American male screenwriters Bradley University alumni Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale) Journalists from Illinois Silent film directors Film directors from Illinois American male non-fiction writers Screenwriters from Illinois Silent film screenwriters 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American screenwriters {{US-film-director-1880s-stub