Norman Hughes Chaplen Whitten (20 October 1881 – 3 March 1969) was an English silent film producer, director and actor and the first actor to play the Mad Hatter in film, which he did in the 1903 film Alice in Wonderland, the first film adaptation of Lewis Carroll's 1865 children's book Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.[1][2] In 1907 he married May Clark, who had played Alice. A pioneer of early film in Ireland, Whitten made newsreels, light comedies and dramas and Ireland's first animated film.[3]
Whitten was born in Brompton in London in 1881, one of six children of Sarah Ann née Chaplen (1849–1906) and Dr. William John Whitten (1846–1891), a medical practitioner and surgeon.[4]
In 1902, Norman Whitten and his brother Claude became actors for Cecil Hepworth at the Hepworth Film Studios in Walton-on-Thames in Surrey, with the brothers soon also taking other roles behind the scenes including becoming camera operators and learning film processing.[5] Here Whitten met his first wife, the young actress May Clark (1885–1971) – the first actress to play Lewis Carroll's Alice in film, appearing in Alice in Wonderland (1903). On 14 March 1907, the two married at St Mary's church in Walton-on-Thames,[6] with their marriage certificate showing the professions of both Clark and Whitten as Cinematographers and living in Walton at that time.[7] They had two sons: Vernon Norman William Whitten (1908–1982),[8] a director, film cameraman and photographer,[9] and Kenneth Whitten (1918-2016).
After their marriage Whitten and Clark left Hepworth Film Studios to set up their own Stamford Hill Film Cleaning Company which used the experience they had gained at the Hepworth Studio to repair perforations and tears and clean films. Later with Clark's brother Reggie Clark they formed the County Film Company.[8]
Irish film pioneerEdit
In about 1913, Whitten and Clark moved to Dublin where he set up his own film-making facilities in offices at 17 Great Brunswick Street. Here in 1914 he set up his General Film Supply company (GFS)[10] of which he was the managing director, cameraman, director, editor, film developer and processor. Whitten had been making films for a decade and had a wide network of film production and distribution. GFS made newsreels, advertising and propaganda films, films about pilgrimages and Ireland's first animated film – all designed to be shown before the main feature. When on 18 June 1917 he filmed the release of Sinn Féin prisoners convicted for their part in the 1916 Easter Rising and in July 1917 the Sinn Féin convention he had his films in local cinemas the same evening,[3][11] whereas other companies had to send their film to London to be processed.[3] His film Sinn Féin Review (1919) was seized by police during a showing and banned by the authorities as propaganda, whereas Whitten believed he had merely been filming a newsworthy event.[12] His 1920 début feature film Aimsir Padraig (In the Days of St Patrick) starring Ira Allen and featuring his son Vernon Whitten as a young Patrick[2] showed the life of Ireland's patron from birth through slavery and then returning to Ireland as a Christian missionary[13] and enjoyed international success. Whitten acted as an agent for several British cinematographic equipment manufacturers and distributed films in Ireland for other film companies. In July 1917, he set up Irish Events, Ireland's first regular newsreel service.[3][14] Easy to produce, they became a regular feature of Irish cinema showings and by the end of the year he had made 24 editions.[15]
Throughout his time in Dublin Whitten was supported by his wife May Clark who ran the business for seven months while he was in the United States.[8] In 1922 Whitten produced a series of light comedies: Casey's Millions, Cruiskeen Lawn and Wicklow Gold starring the Irish comedian and variety artiste Jimmy O'Dea.[16] Now lost, these were made for and were popular with local audiences.[17][18] When the business failed it was sold and Whitten and his family returned to England, where he set up Vanity Fair Pictures with Reggie Clark, who was then calling himself Reggie Strange and who had a film printing business as a sideline. May Clark ran the business side of both ventures. At around this time Whitten and Clark's marriage ended.[8][19]
Later lifeEdit
Whitten's marriage to May Clark was dissolved before 1929 as in that year he married Hilda Pleasance (1904–1962) in Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk.[20] In 1939 he and his second wife were living at 54 Girton Road in Ealing in London where Whitten was a Patent Medicine Advertising Manager and was also an ARP Warden.[21]
Norman Whitten died aged 88 in 1969 in Ealing in Greater London. He left an estate valued at £2,318.[22]
^ abcdRuth Barton, Irish National Cinema, Routledge (2004) – Google Books p. 15
^1891 England Census for Norman H C Whitten: Essex, West Ham – Ancestry.com (subscription required)
^Simon Brown, Cecil Hepworth and the Rise of the British Film Industry 1899–1911, University of Exeter Press (2015) – Google Books
^Fletcher, Tony. "May Clark". Women Film Pioneers Project. Columbia University. Retrieved 28 December 2018.
^Surrey, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1754–1937 for Mabel Louise Clark: Walton on Thames, St Mary, 1884 Jan-1912 Jun – Ancestry.com (subscription required)
^ abcdMay Clark- Women Film Pioneers – Columbia University Libraries
^"'Irish Events': An Enterprise that Merits the Support of Every Exhibitor in this Country: News Films from the Four Provinces." Irish Limelight 1:8 (Aug. 1917): 18–19
^Kevin Rockett, Luke Gibbons and John Hill, Cinema and Ireland, Routledge – Google Books
^Denis Gifford, The British Film Catalogue: The Fiction Film, Routledge (2000) – Google Books
^Harvey O'Brien, The Real Ireland: The Evolution of Ireland in Documentary Film, Manchester University Press (2004) – Google Books
^England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1916–2005 for Norman H C Whitten: 1929, Q4-Oct–Nov–Dec – Ancestry.com (subscription required)
^1939 England and Wales Register for Norman H C Whitten: Middlesex, Ealing – Ancestry.com (subscription required)
^England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858–1995 for Norman Hughes Chapler Whitten: 1969 – Ancestry.com (subscription required)
norman, whitten, norman, hughes, chaplen, whitten, october, 1881, march, 1969, english, silent, film, producer, director, actor, first, actor, play, hatter, film, which, 1903, film, alice, wonderland, first, film, adaptation, lewis, carroll, 1865, children, bo. Norman Hughes Chaplen Whitten 20 October 1881 3 March 1969 was an English silent film producer director and actor and the first actor to play the Mad Hatter in film which he did in the 1903 film Alice in Wonderland the first film adaptation of Lewis Carroll s 1865 children s book Alice s Adventures in Wonderland 1 2 In 1907 he married May Clark who had played Alice A pioneer of early film in Ireland Whitten made newsreels light comedies and dramas and Ireland s first animated film 3 Norman WhittenBornNorman Hughes Chaplen Whitten 1881 10 20 20 October 1881Died3 March 1969 1969 03 03 aged 87 NationalityEnglishOccupation s Silent film actorProducerDirector Contents 1 Early life 2 Hepworth Company 3 Irish film pioneer 4 Later life 5 Filmography 6 References 7 External linksEarly life EditWhitten was born in Brompton in London in 1881 one of six children of Sarah Ann nee Chaplen 1849 1906 and Dr William John Whitten 1846 1891 a medical practitioner and surgeon 4 Hepworth Company Edit nbsp May Clark as Alice left and Norman Whitten right as the Mad Hatter in Alice in Wonderland 1903 In 1902 Norman Whitten and his brother Claude became actors for Cecil Hepworth at the Hepworth Film Studios in Walton on Thames in Surrey with the brothers soon also taking other roles behind the scenes including becoming camera operators and learning film processing 5 Here Whitten met his first wife the young actress May Clark 1885 1971 the first actress to play Lewis Carroll s Alice in film appearing in Alice in Wonderland 1903 On 14 March 1907 the two married at St Mary s church in Walton on Thames 6 with their marriage certificate showing the professions of both Clark and Whitten as Cinematographers and living in Walton at that time 7 They had two sons Vernon Norman William Whitten 1908 1982 8 a director film cameraman and photographer 9 and Kenneth Whitten 1918 2016 After their marriage Whitten and Clark left Hepworth Film Studios to set up their own Stamford Hill Film Cleaning Company which used the experience they had gained at the Hepworth Studio to repair perforations and tears and clean films Later with Clark s brother Reggie Clark they formed the County Film Company 8 Irish film pioneer EditIn about 1913 Whitten and Clark moved to Dublin where he set up his own film making facilities in offices at 17 Great Brunswick Street Here in 1914 he set up his General Film Supply company GFS 10 of which he was the managing director cameraman director editor film developer and processor Whitten had been making films for a decade and had a wide network of film production and distribution GFS made newsreels advertising and propaganda films films about pilgrimages and Ireland s first animated film all designed to be shown before the main feature When on 18 June 1917 he filmed the release of Sinn Fein prisoners convicted for their part in the 1916 Easter Rising and in July 1917 the Sinn Fein convention he had his films in local cinemas the same evening 3 11 whereas other companies had to send their film to London to be processed 3 His film Sinn Fein Review 1919 was seized by police during a showing and banned by the authorities as propaganda whereas Whitten believed he had merely been filming a newsworthy event 12 His 1920 debut feature film Aimsir Padraig In the Days of St Patrick starring Ira Allen and featuring his son Vernon Whitten as a young Patrick 2 showed the life of Ireland s patron from birth through slavery and then returning to Ireland as a Christian missionary 13 and enjoyed international success Whitten acted as an agent for several British cinematographic equipment manufacturers and distributed films in Ireland for other film companies In July 1917 he set up Irish Events Ireland s first regular newsreel service 3 14 Easy to produce they became a regular feature of Irish cinema showings and by the end of the year he had made 24 editions 15 Throughout his time in Dublin Whitten was supported by his wife May Clark who ran the business for seven months while he was in the United States 8 In 1922 Whitten produced a series of light comedies Casey s Millions Cruiskeen Lawn and Wicklow Gold starring the Irish comedian and variety artiste Jimmy O Dea 16 Now lost these were made for and were popular with local audiences 17 18 When the business failed it was sold and Whitten and his family returned to England where he set up Vanity Fair Pictures with Reggie Clark who was then calling himself Reggie Strange and who had a film printing business as a sideline May Clark ran the business side of both ventures At around this time Whitten and Clark s marriage ended 8 19 Later life EditWhitten s marriage to May Clark was dissolved before 1929 as in that year he married Hilda Pleasance 1904 1962 in Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk 20 In 1939 he and his second wife were living at 54 Girton Road in Ealing in London where Whitten was a Patent Medicine Advertising Manager and was also an ARP Warden 21 Norman Whitten died aged 88 in 1969 in Ealing in Greater London He left an estate valued at 2 318 22 Filmography EditCasey s Millions 1922 Producer Cruiskeen Lawn 1922 Producer Wicklow Gold 1922 Producer Aimsir Padraig In the Days of Saint Patrick 1920 Director Producer Sinn Fein Review 1 amp 2 1919 Director The Honeymoon First Second and Third Class 1904 husband The Neglected Lover and The Stile 1903 boy The Joke that Failed 1903 student Alice in Wonderland 1903 Fish Mad Hatter Peace with Honour 1902 Boer 2 References Edit Mills Ted 31 March 2016 The First Film Adaptation of Alice in Wonderland 1903 Open Culture Retrieved 19 May 2017 a b c Filmography of Norman Whitten British Film Institute Database a b c d Ruth Barton Irish National Cinema Routledge 2004 Google Books p 15 1891 England Census for Norman H C Whitten Essex West Ham Ancestry com subscription required Simon Brown Cecil Hepworth and the Rise of the British Film Industry 1899 1911 University of Exeter Press 2015 Google Books Fletcher Tony May Clark Women Film Pioneers Project Columbia University Retrieved 28 December 2018 Surrey England Church of England Marriages and Banns 1754 1937 for Mabel Louise Clark Walton on Thames St Mary 1884 Jan 1912 Jun Ancestry com subscription required a b c d May Clark Women Film Pioneers Columbia University Libraries Filmography of Vernon Whitten British Film Institute database Roddy Flynn and Tony Tracy Historical Dictionary of Irish Cinema Rowman amp Littlefield 2019 Google Books p xxii Sinn Fein Prisoners Homecoming Story of the Filming of Recent Remarkable Street Scenes in Dublin Irish Limelight 1 7 Jul 1917 16 17 Barton p 16 Barton pp 31 32 Irish Events An Enterprise that Merits the Support of Every Exhibitor in this Country News Films from the Four Provinces Irish Limelight 1 8 Aug 1917 18 19 Kevin Rockett Luke Gibbons and John Hill Cinema and Ireland Routledge Google Books Flynn and Tracy p 3 Barton p 40 Denis Gifford The British Film Catalogue The Fiction Film Routledge 2000 Google Books Harvey O Brien The Real Ireland The Evolution of Ireland in Documentary Film Manchester University Press 2004 Google Books England amp Wales Civil Registration Marriage Index 1916 2005 for Norman H C Whitten 1929 Q4 Oct Nov Dec Ancestry com subscription required 1939 England and Wales Register for Norman H C Whitten Middlesex Ealing Ancestry com subscription required England amp Wales National Probate Calendar Index of Wills and Administrations 1858 1995 for Norman Hughes Chapler Whitten 1969 Ancestry com subscription required External links EditNorman Whitten at IMDb Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Norman Whitten amp oldid 1180213205, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
