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Marshall Neilan

May 01, 2024

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.

Marshall Neilan
Neilan in 1913
Born
Marshall Ambrose Neilan

(1891-04-11)April 11, 1891
San Bernardino, California, U.S.
DiedOctober 27, 1958(1958-10-27) (aged 67)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Resting placeAngelus-Rosedale Cemetery
Other namesMickey Neilan
Occupations
  • Actor
  • director
  • producer
  • screenwriter
Years active1912–1957
Spouses
​
​
(m. 1913; div. 1921)​
​
​
(m. 1922; div. 1929)​
Children1 son (w/ Bambrick)

Early life edit

Born in San Bernardino, California, 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, and in 1910 he got a job as chauffeur, driving Biograph Studios executives around Los Angeles to determine the suitability of the West Coast as a place for a permanent studio.

Career edit

Neilan made his film debut as part of the acting cast on the American Film Manufacturing Company Western The Stranger at Coyote (1912). Hired by Kalem Studios for their Western film production facility in Santa Monica, 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 then Bison Motion Pictures 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, Allan Dwan, and William Desmond Taylor.

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. He received critical acclaim for directing and producing such films as Bits of Life and The Lotus Eater. In 1929, he was hired by RKO Radio Pictures; although he reputedly had difficulty adapting to directing the new talkies, that year he successfully directed Rudy Vallee and Marie Dressler in the "all-talking" The Vagabond Lover. 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,[1] and was one of four top hits for RKO in 1929.[2]

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 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; due to massive reshoots (as well as the recasting of the lead role with Jean Harlow), none of the footage Neilan shot made it into the final film. He was then hired by Hal Roach Studios, 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 in the Elia Kazan film, A Face in the Crowd.

In 1955, Neilan was awarded , given by George Eastman House 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 conferred on him an "Honorary Life Member Award." He later received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6233 Hollywood Blvd.

Personal life and death edit

Marshall Neilan married actress Gertrude Bambrick 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, whom he directed on several occasions. They too divorced in 1929.

 
Neilan with Blanche Sweet in 1922, the year they married

Neilan died in Los Angeles in 1958 of throat cancer. He is interred there in Angelus-Rosedale Cemetery.

Selected filmography edit

Director edit

Producer edit

Writer edit

References edit

  1. ^ Richard Jewel, 'RKO Film Grosses: 1931-1951', Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television, Vol 14 No 1, 1994 p55
  2. ^ Jewell, Richard B.; Harbin, Vernon (1982). The RKO Story. New York: Arlington House. pp. 20, 23. ISBN 0-517-546566.
  3. ^ "Photoplay Magazine for December, 1929". Photoplay. December 1929. p. 152. Retrieved June 22, 2023.

External links edit

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Marshall Neilan.
  • Works by or about Marshall Neilan at Internet Archive
  • Marshall Neilan at IMDb
  • Marshall Neilan at Virtual History

May 01, 2024
marshall, neilan, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, scholar, jstor, january, . This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Marshall Neilan news newspapers books scholar JSTOR January 2015 Learn how and when to remove this message 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 Marshall NeilanNeilan in 1913BornMarshall Ambrose Neilan 1891 04 11 April 11 1891San Bernardino California U S DiedOctober 27 1958 1958 10 27 aged 67 Los Angeles California U S Resting placeAngelus Rosedale CemeteryOther namesMickey NeilanOccupationsActordirectorproducerscreenwriterYears active1912 1957SpousesGertrude Bambrick m 1913 div 1921 wbr Blanche Sweet m 1922 div 1929 wbr Children1 son w Bambrick Contents 1 Early life 2 Career 3 Personal life and death 4 Selected filmography 4 1 Director 4 2 Producer 4 3 Writer 5 References 6 External linksEarly life editBorn in San Bernardino California 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 and in 1910 he got a job as chauffeur driving Biograph Studios executives around Los Angeles to determine the suitability of the West Coast as a place for a permanent studio Career editNeilan made his film debut as part of the acting cast on the American Film Manufacturing Company Western The Stranger at Coyote 1912 Hired by Kalem Studios for their Western film production facility in Santa Monica 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 then Bison Motion Pictures 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 Allan Dwan and William Desmond Taylor 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 He received critical acclaim for directing and producing such films as Bits of Life and The Lotus Eater In 1929 he was hired by RKO Radio Pictures although he reputedly had difficulty adapting to directing the new talkies that year he successfully directed Rudy Vallee and Marie Dressler in the all talking The Vagabond Lover 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 1 and was one of four top hits for RKO in 1929 2 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 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 due to massive reshoots as well as the recasting of the lead role with Jean Harlow none of the footage Neilan shot made it into the final film He was then hired by Hal Roach Studios 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 in the Elia Kazan film A Face in the Crowd In 1955 Neilan was awarded The George Eastman Award given by George Eastman House 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 conferred on him an Honorary Life Member Award He later received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6233 Hollywood Blvd Personal life and death editMarshall Neilan married actress Gertrude Bambrick 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 whom he directed on several occasions They too divorced in 1929 nbsp Neilan with Blanche Sweet in 1922 the year they married Neilan died in Los Angeles in 1958 of throat cancer He is interred there in Angelus Rosedale Cemetery Selected filmography editRanch 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 1915 Keith Duncan A Girl of Yesterday 1915 Stanley Hudson Madame Butterfly 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 1916 Clarence Colfax Calamity Anne Guardian 1916 Daddy Long Legs 1919 Jimmie Mc Bride Broadway Gold 1923 The Driver Hollywood Boulevard 1936 Cinegrill Customer uncredited A Star is Born 1937 Bert uncredited A Face in the Crowd 1957 Sen Worthington Fuller final film role Director edit 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 1917 Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm 1917 The Little Princess 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 Bits of Life 1921 Bob Hampton of Placer 1921 The Lotus Eater 1921 Fools First 1922 Minnie 1923 The Eternal Three 1923 Dorothy Vernon of Haddon Hall 1924 Tess of the d Urbervilles 1924 The Great Love 1925 The Sporting Venus 1925 Mike 1926 Diplomacy 1926 Wild Oats Lane 1926 Her Wild Oat 1927 Venus of Venice 1927 Three Ring Marriage 1928 Taxi 13 1928 His Last Haul 1928 Take Me Home 1928 The Vagabond Lover 1929 Black Waters 1929 The Awful Truth 1929 Tanned Legs 1929 3 Sweethearts on Parade 1930 Social Register 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 edit The River s End 1920 Don t Ever Marry 1920 Go and Get It 1920 Dinty 1920 Bob Hampton of Placer 1921 Bits of Life 1921 The Lotus Eater 1921 Penrod 1922 Fools First 1922 The Strangers Banquet 1922 Wild Oats Lane 1926 Everybody s Acting 1926 Social Register 1934 Writer edit 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 Bits of Life 1921 Minnie 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 Uncredited 1938 References edit Richard Jewel RKO Film Grosses 1931 1951 Historical Journal of Film Radio and Television Vol 14 No 1 1994 p55 Jewell Richard B Harbin Vernon 1982 The RKO Story New York Arlington House pp 20 23 ISBN 0 517 546566 Photoplay Magazine for December 1929 Photoplay December 1929 p 152 Retrieved June 22 2023 External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Marshall Neilan nbsp Biography portal Works by or about Marshall Neilan at Internet Archive Marshall Neilan at IMDb Marshall Neilan at Virtual History Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Marshall Neilan amp oldid 1219935224, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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