Marshall Ambrose "Mickey" Neilan (April 11, 1891 – October 27, 1958; also credited Marshall Neilon) was an American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter, whose work in films began in the early

silent era A silent film is a film without 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, wh ...

Early life

Born in

San Bernardino, California San Bernardino ( ) is a city in and the county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States. Located in the Inland Empire region of Southern California, the city had a population of 222,101 in the 2020 census, making it the List of ...

, Neilan was known by most as "Mickey." Following the death of his father, the eleven-year-old Mickey Neilan had to give up on school to work at whatever he could find in order to help support his mother. As a teenager, he began acting in bit parts in

live theatre Live Theatre, formerly Live Theatre Company, is a new writing theatre and company based in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. As well as producing and presenting new plays many of which go on to tour nationally and internationally, it seeks out an ...

, and in 1910 he got a job as

chauffeur A chauffeur () is a person employed to drive a passenger motor vehicle, especially a luxury vehicle such as a large sedan or a limousine. Initially, such drivers were often personal employees of the vehicle owner, but this has changed to s ...

, driving

Biograph Studios Biograph Studios was an early film studio and laboratory complex, built in 1912 by the Biograph Company at 807 East 175th Street, in The Bronx, New York City, New York, which was preceded by two locations in Manhattan. History 841 Broadway ...

executives around Los Angeles to determine the suitability of the West Coast as a place for a permanent studio.

Career

Neilan made his film debut as part of the acting cast on the

American Film Manufacturing Company The American Film Manufacturing Company, also known as Flying “A” Studios, was an American film, motion picture production company. In 1915, the formal name was changed to the American Film Company. History The American Film Manufacturi ...

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

''The Stranger at Coyote'' (1912). Hired by

Kalem Studios The Kalem Company was an early American film studio founded in New York City in 1907. It was one of the first companies to make films abroad and to set up winter production facilities, first in Florida and then in California. Kalem was sold to V ...

for their Western film production facility in

Santa Monica Santa Monica (; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast (California), South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 United Sta ...

, Neilan was first cast opposite Ruth Roland. Described as confident, but egotistical at times, Neilan's talent saw him directing films within a year of joining Kalem. After acting in more than seventy silent film shorts for Kalem and directing more than thirty others, Neilan was hired by the

Selig Polyscope Company The Selig Polyscope Company was an American motion picture company that was founded in 1896 by William Selig in Chicago, Illinois. The company produced hundreds of early, widely distributed commercial moving pictures, including the first films ...

then

Bison Motion Pictures Bison Film Company, also known as 101 Bison Film Company, was an American film studio established in 1909 and disestablished in 1917. It partnered with Miller Brothers 101 Ranch to lease 20,000 acres to build a Western town set and an Indian vi ...

and Famous Players–Lasky Corporation. In 1915, Neilan was one of the founding members of the Motion Picture Directors Association along with directors such as

Cecil B. DeMille Cecil Blount DeMille (; August 12, 1881January 21, 1959) was an American filmmaker and actor. Between 1914 and 1958, he made 70 features, both silent and sound films. He is acknowledged as a founding father of American cinema and the most co ...

Allan Dwan Allan Dwan (born Joseph Aloysius Dwan; April 3, 1885 – December 28, 1981) was a pioneering Canadian-born American motion picture director, producer, and screenwriter. Early life Born Joseph Aloysius Dwan in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Dwan was ...

, and

William Desmond Taylor William Desmond Taylor (born William Cunningham Deane-Tanner; 26 April 1872 – 1 February 1922) was an Anglo-Irish-American film director and actor. A popular figure in the growing Cinema of the United States, Hollywood motion picture colony o ...

. At the end of 1916, Neilan was hired by Mary Pickford Films where he directed Pickford in several productions including '' Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm'' and '' The Little Princess'' in 1917, plus '' Stella Maris'' in 1918, '' Amarilly of Clothes-Line Alley'', '' M'Liss'' in 1918, and '' Daddy-Long-Legs'' in 1919. Having all but given up acting, Neilan's directing successes led to him creating his own production company and between 1920 and 1926, Marshall Neilan Productions made eleven feature-length films almost all of which were distributed through

First National Pictures First National Pictures was an American motion picture production and distribution company. It was founded in 1917 as First National Exhibitors' Circuit, Inc., an association of independent theatre owners in the United States, and became the count ...

. He received critical acclaim for directing and producing such films as ''

Bits of Life ''Bits of Life'' is a 1921 American film produced and directed by Marshall Neilan. The cast included Lon Chaney and Noah Beery, Sr. For her performance in this film, Anna May Wong received her first screen credit. It is notable as an ear ...

'' and '' The Lotus Eater''. In 1929, he was hired by

RKO Radio Pictures RKO Radio Pictures Inc., commonly known as RKO Pictures or simply RKO, is an American film production and distribution company, historically one of the "Big Five" film studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Kei ...

''; ''although he reputedly had difficulty adapting to directing the new

talkie A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decades passed befo ...

s, that year he successfully directed

Rudy Vallee Rudy or Rudi is a masculine given name, sometimes short for Rudolf, Rudolph, Rawad, Rudra, Ruairidh, or variations thereof, a nickname and a surname which may refer to: People Given name or nickname *Rudolf Rudy Andeweg (born 1952), Dutch poli ...

and

Marie Dressler Leila Marie Koerber (November 9, 1868 – July 28, 1934), known professionally as Marie Dressler, was a Canadian-born stage- and screen-actress and comedian, popular in Cinema of the United States, Hollywood in early silent film, silent an ...

in the "all-talking" ''

The Vagabond Lover ''The Vagabond Lover'' is a 1929 American pre-Code black-and-white musical comedy-drama film about a small-town boy who finds fame and romance when he joins a dance band. The film was directed by Marshall Neilan and is based on the novel of the ...

''. Contrary to the legend that the film was a commercial and critical failure (except for Dressler's highly praised performance), the film was a hit, making a profit of $335,000,Richard Jewel, 'RKO Film Grosses: 1931-1951', ''Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television'', Vol 14 No 1, 1994 p55 and was one of four top hits for RKO in 1929. Early in his career Neilan had done as most others in the pioneering days of film and helped out in many areas of filmmaking through performing, directing, and writing. A talented screenwriter, in 1927 he wrote the original story for the

Howard Hughes Howard Robard Hughes Jr. (December 24, 1905 – April 5, 1976) was an American Aerospace engineering, aerospace engineer, business magnate, film producer, and investor. He was The World's Billionaires, one of the richest and most influential peo ...

film, '' Hell's Angels''. Initially, he had also been hired as the film's director, back when it was still a silent, but Hughes' overbearing style forced him to drop out, and he was replaced a few weeks into production by a more pliable director,

Edmund Goulding Edmund Goulding (20 March 1891 – 24 December 1959) was a British screenwriter and film director. As an actor early in his career he was one of the 'Ghosts' in the 1922 silent film '' Three Live Ghosts'' alongside Norman Kerry and Cyril Chadwic ...

; due to massive reshoots (as well as the recasting of the lead role with

Jean Harlow Jean Harlow (born Harlean Harlow Carpenter; March 3, 1911 – June 7, 1937) was an American actress. Known for her portrayal of "bad girl" characters, she was the leading sex symbol of the early 1930s and one of the defining figures of the ...

), none of the footage Neilan shot made it into the final film. He was then hired by

Hal Roach Studios Hal Roach Studios was an American motion picture and, through its TV production subsidiary, Hal Roach Television Corporation, television production studio. Known as ''The Laugh Factory to the World'', it was founded by producer Hal Roach and busin ...

, for whom he directed a few films in 1930, and he made his final directorial effort in 1937. Having battled alcoholism for a large part of his adult life, twenty years after he made his last film, Neilan returned to acting on the screen in a small role portraying an aging and less than enlightened

United States Senator The United States Senate consists of 100 members, two from each of the 50 U.S. state, states. This list includes all senators serving in the 119th United States Congress. Party affiliation Independent Senators Angus King of Maine and Berni ...

in the

Elia Kazan Elias Kazantzoglou (, ; September 7, 1909 – September 28, 2003), known as Elia Kazan ( ), was a Greek-American film and theatre director, producer, screenwriter and actor, described by ''The New York Times'' as "one of the most honored and inf ...

film, '' A Face in the Crowd''. In 1955, Neilan was awarde
The George Eastman Award
given by

George Eastman House The George Eastman Museum, also referred to as George Eastman House and the International Museum of Photography and Film, is a photography museum in Rochester, New York. Opened to the public in 1949, is the oldest museum dedicated to photography ...

for distinguished contribution to the art of film. In recognition of his contribution to the motion picture industry, in 1940 the

Directors Guild of America The Directors Guild of America (DGA) is an entertainment guild that represents the interests of Film director, film and Television director, television directors in the United States motion picture industry and abroad. Founded as the Screen Dir ...

conferred on him an "Honorary Life Member Award." He later received a star on the

Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a landmark which consists of 2,813 five-pointed terrazzo-and-brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in the Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood dist ...

at 6233 Hollywood Blvd.

Personal life and death

Marshall Neilan married actress

Gertrude Bambrick Gertrude Bambrick (August 24, 1897 – January 10, 1974) was an American actress of the silent era. She appeared in 60 films between 1912 and 1916. Biography Bambrick was married twice. Her first marriage to early film director Marshall Neil ...

in 1913 with whom he had a son, Marshall Neilan, Jr, their only child. A year after he and Bambrick divorced in 1921, Neilan married actress

Blanche Sweet Sarah Blanche Sweet (June 18, 1896 – September 6, 1986) was an American silent film actress who began her career in the early days of the motion picture film industry. Early life Born Sarah Blanche Sweet (though her first name Sarah was ra ...

, whom he directed on several occasions. They too divorced in 1929. Blanche Sweet-Marshall Neilan - 1922

Neilan died in Los Angeles in 1958 of

throat cancer Head and neck cancer is a general term encompassing multiple cancers that can develop in the head and neck region. These include cancers of the mouth, tongue, gums and lips ( oral cancer), voice box ( laryngeal), throat ( nasopharyngeal, orophar ...

. He is interred there in

Angelus-Rosedale Cemetery Angelus-Rosedale Cemetery is a cemetery, located at 1831 West Washington Boulevard in the West Adams, Los Angeles, West Adams neighborhood of Los Angeles, southwest of Downtown Los Angeles, Downtown. History Located in the West Adams, Los Angeles ...

Selected filmography

* ''Ranch Girls on a Rampage'' (1912, Short) - The Police Officer * ''The Wooers of Mountain Kate'' (1912, Short) * ''Fatty's Busy Day'' (1913, Short) - Minor Role * ''The Wall of Money'' (1913, Short) - Neilan - Idea Man * ''The Sheriff of Stone Gulch'' (1913, Short) - Black McCarty * '' The House of Discord'' (1913, Short) - The Daughter's Sweetheart * '' Judith of Bethulia'' (1914) - Minor Role (uncredited) * ''Ham the Iceman'' (1914, Short) - Dick - Alice's Sweetheart * ''Put Me Off at Wayville'' (1915, Short) - Billy - a Friend * '' The Country Boy'' (1915) - Tom Wilson * '' The Love Route'' (1915) * '' The Commanding Officer'' (1915) - Capt. Waring * '' May Blossom'' (1915) - Richard Ashcroft * '' Little Pal'' (1915) - Minor Role (uncredited) * ''

Rags Rag, rags, RAG or The Rag may refer to: Common uses * Rag, a piece of old cloth * Rags, tattered clothes * Wash rag, a small cloth used for bathing * Rag (newspaper), a publication engaging in tabloid journalism * Rag paper, or cotton paper Arts ...

'' (1915) - Keith Duncan * '' A Girl of Yesterday'' (1915) - Stanley Hudson * ''

Madame Butterfly ''Madama Butterfly'' (; ''Madame Butterfly'') is an opera in three acts (originally two) by Giacomo Puccini, with an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. It is based on the short story " Madame Butterfly" (1898) by John Lut ...

'' (1915) - Lt. Pinkerton * '' Mice and Men'' (1916) - Captain George Lovell * ''The Cycle of Fate'' (1916) - Doctor Burton * ''The Prince Chap'' (1916) - William Peyton * ''

The Crisis ''The Crisis'' is the official magazine of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). It was founded in 1910 by W. E. B. Du Bois (editor), Oswald Garrison Villard, J. Max Barber, Charles Edward Russell, Kelly M ...

'' (1916) - Clarence Colfax * ''Calamity Anne, Guardian'' (1916) * '' Daddy-Long-Legs'' (1919) - Jimmie Mc Bride * '' Broadway Gold'' (1923) - The Driver * ''

Hollywood Boulevard Hollywood Boulevard is a major east–west street in Los Angeles, California. It runs through the Hollywood, East Hollywood, Little Armenia, Thai Town, and Los Feliz districts. Its western terminus is at Sunset Plaza Drive in the Hollyw ...

'' (1936) - Cinegrill Customer (uncredited) * '' A Star is Born'' (1937) - Bert (uncredited) * '' A Face in the Crowd'' (1957) - Sen. Worthington Fuller (final film role)

Director

* ''The American Princess'' (1913) * ''Rube, the Interloper'' (1914) * '' The Deadly Battle at Hicksville'' (1914) * ''The Chronicles of Bloom Center'' (1915) * ''The Prince Chap'' (1916) * ''

Freckles Freckles are clusters of concentrated melaninized cells which are most easily visible on people with a fair complexion. Freckles do not have an increased number of the melanin-producing cells, or melanocytes, but instead have melanocytes that ...

'' (1917) * '' Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm'' (1917) * ''

A Little Princess ''A Little Princess'' is a children's novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett, first published as a book in 1905. It is an expanded version of the short story "Sara Crewe: or, What Happened at Miss Minchin's", which was serialized in '' St. Nicholas ...

'' (1917) * '' Stella Maris'' (1918) * '' Amarilly of Clothes-Line Alley'' (1918) * '' M'Liss'' (1918) * '' Hit-The-Trail Holliday'' (1918) * '' Heart of the Wilds'' (1918) * '' Out of a Clear Sky'' (1918) * '' Her Kingdom of Dreams'' (1919) * '' The Unpardonable Sin'' (1919) * '' Daddy-Long-Legs'' (1919) * '' Go and Get It'' (1920) * '' Don't Ever Marry'' (1920) * ''

'' (1921) * '' Bob Hampton of Placer'' (1921) * '' The Lotus Eater'' (1921) * '' Fools First'' (1922) * ''

Minnie As a first name, Minnie is a feminine given name. It can be a diminutive (hypocorism) of Minerva, Winifred, Wilhelmina, Willemina, Winona, Margaret, Hermione, Jasmine, Mary, Miriam, Maria, Marie, Naomi, Miranda, Clementine, Dominique, Dom ...

'' (1923) * '' The Eternal Three'' (1923) * '' Dorothy Vernon of Haddon Hall'' (1924) * ''

Tess of the d'Urbervilles ''Tess of the d'Urbervilles: A Pure Woman'' is the twelfth published novel by English author Thomas Hardy. It initially appeared in a Book censorship, censored and Serialized novel, serialised version, published by the British illustrated newsp ...

'' (1924) * '' The Great Love'' (1925) * '' The Sporting Venus'' (1925) * '' Mike'' (1926) * ''

Diplomacy Diplomacy is the communication by representatives of State (polity), state, International organization, intergovernmental, or Non-governmental organization, non-governmental institutions intended to influence events in the international syste ...

'' (1926) * '' Wild Oats Lane'' (1926) * '' Her Wild Oat'' (1927) * '' Venus of Venice'' (1927) * '' Three-Ring Marriage'' (1928) * ''

Taxi 13 ''Taxi 13'' is a 1928 sound part-talkie film comedy produced and distributed by Film Booking Offices of America and directed by Marshall Neilan. In addition to sequences with audible dialogue or talking sequences, the film features a synchroni ...

'' (1928) * '' His Last Haul '' (1928) * '' Take Me Home'' (1928) * ''

'' (1929) * '' Black Waters'' (1929) * ''

The Awful Truth ''The Awful Truth'' is a 1937 American screwball comedy film directed by Leo McCarey, and starring Irene Dunne and Cary Grant. Based on the 1922 play ''The Awful Truth'' by Arthur Richman, the film recounts a distrustful rich couple who begin ...

'' (1929) * '' Tanned Legs'' (1929) * '' Sweethearts on Parade'' (1930) * ''

Social Register The ''Social Register'' is a semi-annual publication in the United States that indexes the members of American high society. First published in the 1880s by newspaper columnist Louis Keller, it was later acquired by Malcolm Forbes. Since 2014, ...

'' (1933) * '' Chloe, Love Is Calling You'' (1934) * '' This Is the Life'' (1935) * '' Sing While You're Able'' (1937) * '' Swing It, Professor'' (1937) * '' Thanks for Listening'' (1937)

Producer

* '' The River's End'' (1920) * '' Don't Ever Marry'' (1920) * '' Go and Get It'' (1920) * '' Dinty'' (1920) * '' Bob Hampton of Placer'' (1921) * ''

'' (1921) * '' The Lotus Eater'' (1921) * '' Penrod'' (1922) * '' Fools First'' (1922) * '' The Strangers' Banquet'' (1922) * '' Wild Oats Lane'' (1926) * '' Everybody's Acting'' (1926) * ''

'' (1934)

Writer

* ''Saved from Court Martial'' (1912) * ''The Reformation of Dad'' (Story, 1913) * ''The Wall of Money'' (1913) * ''Si's Wonderful Mineral Spring'' (1914) * '' The Deadly Battle at Hicksville'' (Story; 1914) * ''Ham the Iceman'' (Story, 1914) * ''The Winning Whiskers'' (Story, 1914) * ''The Reformation of Ham'' (1914) * ''Ham at the Garbage Gentleman's Ball'' (1915) * ''The Come Back of Percy'' (Scenario, 1915) * ''The Cycle of Fate'' (1916) * ''The Country That God Forgot'' (Story, 1916) * ''A Strange Adventure'' (Story, 1917) * '' Dinty'' (1920) * ''

'' (1921) * ''

'' (1922) * '' The Strangers' Banquet'' (1922) * '' The Eternal Three'' (1923) * '' The Great Love'' (1925) * '' Mike'' (1926) * '' Hell's Angels'' (Story, 1930) * '' Chloe, Love Is Calling You'' (Story and screenplay, 1934) * ''

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer ''The Adventures of Tom Sawyer'' (also simply known as ''Tom Sawyer'') is a novel by Mark Twain published on June 9, 1876, about a boy, Tom Sawyer, growing up along the Mississippi River. It is set in the 1830s-1840s in the town of St. Petersbu ...

'' (Uncredited, 1938)

References

External links

* *
Marshall Neilan
at Virtual History {{DEFAULTSORT:Neilan, Marshall American male film actors 1891 births 1958 deaths American male silent film actors American male screenwriters Film producers from California Male actors from California Actors from San Bernardino, California Burials at Angelus-Rosedale Cemetery Deaths from esophageal cancer in California 20th-century American male actors Screenwriters from California 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American screenwriters