FAMOUS NAMES
These are some of the poeple we have mentioned in class. They are names that are famous in the history of film. If you don’t remember them and what they are known for you should look them up!
Arbuckle, Roscoe (Fatty) : Famous actor comedian director of silent films. Involved in rape/manslaughter trials as the result of the death of Virgina Rappe at a party he gave. The ensuing scandal played a large roole in the development of censorship.
William K.L. Dickson: Worked for Edison and Famous Players Film Company; made first sound film (sound on disk)
Walt Disney: Famous animator and film producer.Creater of Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and many others. Revolutionized animation. Steamboat WIllie the third Mickey Mouse cartoon but thee first with synchronized sound. Made first full length animated cartoon in US Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937). Anthropomorphized animals in the full length features Bambi and Dumbo. His unique film Fantasia (1940) produced animated versions shown to clasicals pieces of music with Leopold Stokowski. His most controversial film during the 1940s was Song of the South (1946), a tale of post Civil War south with Br'er Rabbit and other stories being shown in animation while be told by a "live" "Uncle Remus" (Jamse Baskett) who interacts with the animated figures. Thie film won "Best music original song" for "Zip-a-dee-do-dah" and an honorary award for James Baskett. In additio to Baskett, the film stars Ruth Warrick (known for her performance as Citizen Kane's first wife) and Bobby Driscoll who died tragically in in 19868 having silpped into substance abuse. He was found dead by two childen in a hallway and ws believed to be an "unclaimed homeless person was buried in an unmarked grave on Hart Island in New York. Walt Disney holds the record for the most Oscars - 22 competitive ones and 4 honorary ones!
Robert J. Flaherty: Famous "father" of documentary and "ethnographic films"(films about other cultures). Made Nanook of the North. Was involved briefly with Murnau on a project in the South Seas, Moana (aka Tabu)
Thomas Edison: Inventor, although some question about whethr or not he actually invented the things he patented. Had a movie "studio" in New Jersey called "The Black Maria". Dickson (see above) worked for Edison for awhile, Edwin Porter (see below).
John Fordactor, producer director. Known for making what some consider the first adult Western, Stagecoach.Nominated for six Academy Award of which he won four. His preference for location shooting brought Monument Vallley into the films!. Launched John Wayne's "star" career. Tended to work with a select group of actors.Nominatd for 12 awards aat the Venice Film Festival of which he won seven!.
Douglas Fairbanks: famous "athletic" actor. Known for the silent version of Thief of Bagdad ; original member and first president of The Motion Picture Academy of Arts and Sciences; co founder of United Artists.
D. W. Griffith: American producer director of Birth of a Nation, Intolerance, etc. Developed the language of film by expanding on already existing techniques.
William Hays: former postmaster general under US President Warren Harding. Recruited to be the head of Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America (MPPDA) which under him, established the Motion Picture "Code" known as "The Hays Code"
Fritz Lang: Austrian born director, famous for his film Metropolis and Der Müde Tod, (Destiny), M (Eine Stadt sucht einen Mörder) (A City Seeks a Murderer)
Lumiere brothers: (Louis and Auguste): Early pioneers in motion picture films. Leaned more towards a kind of "documentary" than special effects.
Louis B. Mayer: The "Mayer" of Metro Goldwyn Mayer. Originator and original member of the Motion Picture Academy of Arts and Sciences.Worked with Irving Thalberg. Mayer handled the business and Thalberg handled production, Mayer helped to create the "star system"
George Melies: Magician and film pioneer who made "A Trip to the Moon", known for special effects done stopping the camera, making changes and starting again. This caused objects (including people) to suddenly appear and disappear. Considered by some as the "father of special effects". His interest was more theatrical an trying to do things on film that could not be done in the theater.
Fredrick Murnau; German producer director. His film Sunrise won the first and the only best artistic picture (1928). Known for German expressionism because of his film Nosferatu.
Willis O’Brien Developer of many special effects, including those for The Lost World, (1927), King Kong, (1933); Son of Kong (1933); and Mighty Joe Young (1949) for which he won an Academy Award. Inspiration to Ray Harryhousen
Edwin Porter: (April 21, 1870 - April 30, 1941) Director, "Life of an American Fireman", "Great Train Robbery" developed editing ideas with cross cutting.
Hal Roach: Producer, director screen writer. Created Hal Roach studios. Released his films through Pathe and later MGM. Made "Our Gang" comedies and many of the Laurel and Hardy films.Made training films and propaganda films for the USAF during WWII when he was in his 50’s.
Mack Sennett: Created the first fully enclosed sound stage. Founded Keystone Studios. Made many comedies in including those featuring the Keystone Kops. Also known for the Sennett Bathing Beauties who appeared in bathing attire in comic short subject
Irving Thalberg: film producer, director, studio manager and Head of production. Started work with Carl Laemmle with Universal pictures. Created the title of production manager (which he became) overseeing all aspects of the film,, Helped Louis B. Mayer with the creation of MGM. Co-author of the production code. After his death, producers called him the "foremost figure in motion-picture history". Known for his fights with Erich von Stroheim and what has been seen by some as his "butchering" of the Stroheim films. Died at age 37
Sound on Disk: a method of adding synchronized sound to a film by recording a sound track on a cylinder or disk which was then played back with the film. Used by Vitaphone for The Jazz Singer
Sound on Film: A method of adding synchronized sound to a film by recording the sound track optically directly onto the film. No synchronization problems.
William Wellman director, producer, screenwriter, actor and military pilot. Nominated for 4 Acasemy Awards, won 1(Best Screen play for A Star is Born). Director of first Academy Award "Best Film" Wings. In the sound era he made (among other films) Public Enemy with James Cagney; A Star is Born (original version 1937); Oxbow Incident (1943) The High and the Mighty (1954)