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John Emerson (filmmaker)
Encyclopedia
John Emerson was a stage actor, playwright
, producer
, and director
of silent film
s (many featuring Douglas Fairbanks
). Emerson was married to Anita Loos
from June 15, 1919 until his death; prior to that they had functioned as a writing team for motion pictures and would continue to be credited jointly, even as Loos pursued independent projects.
Born and educated in Ohio, Emerson's earliest documented acting credits date from 1904, however like D. W. Griffith
he probably played in regional stock companies before then. By 1912—the earliest known year for his involvement in film, as a writer—Emerson was working regularly as a director and writer on the Broadway stage. After periods with American Film Manufacturing Company
, where he worked with Allen Dwan and Famous Players Lasky, Emerson collaborated with George Nichols
in making Ghosts, a Griffith production made for Reliance-Majestic Studios
during the waning days of work on The Birth of a Nation
. The result impressed Griffith to such extent that Emerson stayed on as Reliance-Majestic changed its name to Fine Arts Film Company and came under the Triangle Film Corporation
banner.
John Emerson became one Triangle's best-known directors, primarily after the partnership with writer Anita Loos
began in 1916; Griffith also valued the pair as being among the best film editors in the business, and they also worked on editing Griffith's massive Intolerance in addition to light, breezy and athletic comedies starring Douglas Fairbanks
. Emerson seemed to lose interest in direction around 1919, and afterward worked as a producer and writer, though commonly in projects more readily associated with Loos' taste than his own. Loos wrote extensively, and often disparagingly, of Emerson in her memoirs, but in her early career insisted on maintaining the appearance of partnership with Emerson even if there was none. Emerson's later years were marked by mental illness and long institutionalizations; Loos never divorced him.
Although Anita Loos' memoirs may not paint Emerson in the most flattering of terms, the silent films he directed from 1915–19 were important ones. Most of them survive, and several - notably The Mystery of the Leaping Fish
and The Americano
remain among the most frequently seen films from this period.
He was president of the Actors' Equity Association
from 1920–1928.
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
, producer
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
, and director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
of silent film
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
s (many featuring Douglas Fairbanks
Douglas Fairbanks
Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. was an American actor, screenwriter, director and producer. He was best known for his swashbuckling roles in silent films such as The Thief of Bagdad, Robin Hood, and The Mark of Zorro....
). Emerson was married to Anita Loos
Anita Loos
Anita Loos was an American screenwriter, playwright and author.-Early life:Born Corinne Anita Loos in Sisson, California , where her father, R. Beers Loos, had opened a tabloid newspaper for which her mother, Minerva "Minnie" Smith did most of the work of a newspaper publisher...
from June 15, 1919 until his death; prior to that they had functioned as a writing team for motion pictures and would continue to be credited jointly, even as Loos pursued independent projects.
Born and educated in Ohio, Emerson's earliest documented acting credits date from 1904, however like D. W. Griffith
D. W. Griffith
David Llewelyn Wark Griffith was a premier pioneering American film director. He is best known as the director of the controversial and groundbreaking 1915 film The Birth of a Nation and the subsequent film Intolerance .Griffith's film The Birth of a Nation made pioneering use of advanced camera...
he probably played in regional stock companies before then. By 1912—the earliest known year for his involvement in film, as a writer—Emerson was working regularly as a director and writer on the Broadway stage. After periods with American Film Manufacturing Company
American Film Manufacturing Company
The American Film Manufacturing Company, also known as Flying "A" Studios, was founded in Chicago in fall 1910. In 1915, the formal name was changed to the American Film Company....
, where he worked with Allen Dwan and Famous Players Lasky, Emerson collaborated with George Nichols
George Nichols (actor)
George Nichols was an American actor and director. He appeared in 221 films between 1908 and 1928. He also directed 103 films between 1911 and 1916.He was born in Rockford, Illinois and died in Hollywood, California....
in making Ghosts, a Griffith production made for Reliance-Majestic Studios
Reliance-Majestic Studios
Reliance-Majestic Studios was an early American movie studio in Hollywood, California, originally built around 1914 at 4516 Sunset Boulevard.Within a few years, it became the home of D. W. Griffith and Mutual Film Corporation. Later the studio's name was changed to Fine Arts Studios, and was...
during the waning days of work on The Birth of a Nation
The Birth of a Nation
The Birth of a Nation is a 1915 American silent film directed by D. W. Griffith and based on the novel and play The Clansman, both by Thomas Dixon, Jr. Griffith also co-wrote the screenplay , and co-produced the film . It was released on February 8, 1915...
. The result impressed Griffith to such extent that Emerson stayed on as Reliance-Majestic changed its name to Fine Arts Film Company and came under the Triangle Film Corporation
Triangle Film Corporation
Triangle Film Corporation was a major American motion-picture studio, founded in the summer of 1915 in Culver City, California, and envisioned as a prestige studio based on the producing abilities of filmmakers D. W. Griffith, Thomas Ince and Mack Sennett...
banner.
John Emerson became one Triangle's best-known directors, primarily after the partnership with writer Anita Loos
Anita Loos
Anita Loos was an American screenwriter, playwright and author.-Early life:Born Corinne Anita Loos in Sisson, California , where her father, R. Beers Loos, had opened a tabloid newspaper for which her mother, Minerva "Minnie" Smith did most of the work of a newspaper publisher...
began in 1916; Griffith also valued the pair as being among the best film editors in the business, and they also worked on editing Griffith's massive Intolerance in addition to light, breezy and athletic comedies starring Douglas Fairbanks
Douglas Fairbanks
Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. was an American actor, screenwriter, director and producer. He was best known for his swashbuckling roles in silent films such as The Thief of Bagdad, Robin Hood, and The Mark of Zorro....
. Emerson seemed to lose interest in direction around 1919, and afterward worked as a producer and writer, though commonly in projects more readily associated with Loos' taste than his own. Loos wrote extensively, and often disparagingly, of Emerson in her memoirs, but in her early career insisted on maintaining the appearance of partnership with Emerson even if there was none. Emerson's later years were marked by mental illness and long institutionalizations; Loos never divorced him.
Although Anita Loos' memoirs may not paint Emerson in the most flattering of terms, the silent films he directed from 1915–19 were important ones. Most of them survive, and several - notably The Mystery of the Leaping Fish
The Mystery of the Leaping Fish
The Mystery of the Leaping Fish is a short film starring Douglas Fairbanks and Bessie Love. In this unusually broad comedy for Fairbanks, the acrobatic leading man plays "Coke Ennyday," a cocaine-shooting detective parody of Sherlock Holmes given to injecting himself with cocaine from a bandolier...
and The Americano
The Americano
The Americano is a 1916 film directed by John Emerson and starring Douglas Fairbanks. This was Fairbanks' last film for Triangle Film Corporation.-Cast:*Douglas Fairbanks as Blaze Derringer*Alma Rubens as Juana deCastalar...
remain among the most frequently seen films from this period.
He was president of the Actors' Equity Association
Actors' Equity Association
The Actors' Equity Association , commonly referred to as Actors' Equity or simply Equity, is an American labor union representing the world of live theatrical performance, as opposed to film and television performance. However, performers appearing on live stage productions without a book or...
from 1920–1928.
Filmography
(partial list—see IMDB external link for full list)- Geronimo's Last RaidGeronimo's Last RaidThe 1912 film Geronimo's Last Raid is considered an important film of the pre-World War I era. -Plot:Set around the capture and escape of Geronimo, a prominent Native American leader of the Chiricahua Apache, the film is a period drama involving a love affair between Lieutenant Parker and Pauline,...
(1912, writer) - Ghosts (1915, director)
- Old Heidelberg (1915, director)
- MacbethMacbeth (1916 film)Macbeth is a silent, black and white 1916 film adaptation of the classic William Shakespeare play, Macbeth.It was directed by John Emerson, and released on June 4, 1916 in the United States, and on February 26, 1917 in Japan. This version of Macbeth was produced by D. W. Griffith, with...
(1916, director) - His Picture in the Papers (1916, director)
- The Mystery of the Leaping FishThe Mystery of the Leaping FishThe Mystery of the Leaping Fish is a short film starring Douglas Fairbanks and Bessie Love. In this unusually broad comedy for Fairbanks, the acrobatic leading man plays "Coke Ennyday," a cocaine-shooting detective parody of Sherlock Holmes given to injecting himself with cocaine from a bandolier...
(1916, director) - The AmericanoThe AmericanoThe Americano is a 1916 film directed by John Emerson and starring Douglas Fairbanks. This was Fairbanks' last film for Triangle Film Corporation.-Cast:*Douglas Fairbanks as Blaze Derringer*Alma Rubens as Juana deCastalar...
(1917, director) - Wild and WoollyWild and WoollyWild and Woolly is a 1917 silent film which tells the story of one man's personal odyssey from sophisticated Easterner to Western tough guy. It stars Douglas Fairbanks, Eileen Percy, Walter Bytell and Sam De Grasse....
(1917, director) - The Isle of ConquestThe Isle of ConquestThe Isle of Conquest is a silent film drama starring Norma Talmadge and produced by Talmadge and her husband Joseph Schenck. This film is now considered a lost film.-Cast:*Norma Talmadge - Ethel Harmon*Wyndham Standing - John Arnold...
(1919, writer) - Mama's AffairMama's AffairMama's Affair is a 1921 silent film by Victor Fleming, based on the play of the same title by Rachel Barton Butler.A print of this film survives in the Library of Congress.-Cast:* Constance Talmadge - Eve Orrin* Effie Shannon - Mrs. Orrin...
(1921, writer) - Woman's PlaceWoman's Place- Cast :*Constance Talmadge ... Josephine Gerson*Kenneth Harlan ... Jim Bradley*Hassard Short ... Freddy Bleeker*Florence Short ... Amy Bleeker*Ina Rorke ... Mrs. Margaret Belknap...
(1921, scenario) - Red Hot Romance (1922, writer)
- Gentlemen Prefer BlondesGentlemen Prefer Blondes (lost film)Gentlemen Prefer Blondes was a silent film directed by Mal St. Clair, co-written by Anita Loos based on her novel, and released by Paramount Pictures. No copies are known to exist, and it is now considered to be a lost film...
(1928, writer) - The StruggleThe Struggle (film)The Struggle is a sound feature film directed by D. W. Griffith, and was his only other full-sound film besides Abraham Lincoln . After several films directed by Griffith failed at the box office, this was Griffith's last film...
(1931, co-scenario with Loos) - San FranciscoSan Francisco (film)San Francisco is a 1936 musical-drama directed by Woody Van Dyke, based on the April 18, 1906 San Francisco earthquake. The film, which was the top grossing movie of that year, stars Clark Gable, Jeanette MacDonald, and Spencer Tracy. The then very popular singing of MacDonald helped make this film...
(1936, producer) - Saratoga (1937, producer)