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Sidney Olcott

January 01, 1970

Sidney Olcott (born John Sidney Allcott;[1] September 20, 1872[2] – December 16, 1949)[3] was a Canadian-born film producer, director, actor and screenwriter.

Sidney Olcott
Olcott in 1922
Born
John Sidney Allcott

(1872-09-20)September 20, 1872
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
DiedDecember 16, 1949(1949-12-16) (aged 76)
Hollywood, California, U.S.
Occupation(s)Film director, producer, screenwriter, actor
Years active1904–1942
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1914; died 1949)​

Biography edit

Born John Sidney Allcott in Toronto, he became one of the first great directors of the motion picture business. With a desire to be an actor, a young Sidney Olcott went to New York City where he worked in the theatre until 1904 when he performed as a film actor with the Biograph Studios.

In 1907, Frank J. Marion and Samuel Long, with financial backing from George Kleine, formed a new motion picture company called the Kalem Company and were able to lure the increasingly successful Olcott away from Biograph. Olcott was offered the sum of ten dollars per picture and under the terms of his contract, Olcott was required to direct a minimum of one, one-reel picture of about a thousand feet every week. After making a number of very successful films for the Kalem studio, including Ben Hur (1907) with its dramatic chariot race scene, and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1908),[4]

Olcott became the company's president and was rewarded with one share of its stock. In 1910, Olcott went to Ireland where he made a film called A Lad from Old Ireland. He would go on to make more than a dozen films there and later on only the outbreak of World War I prevented him from following through with his plans to build a permanent studio in Beaufort, County Kerry, Ireland. The Irish films led to him taking a crew to Palestine in 1912 to make the first five-reel film ever, titled From the Manger to the Cross, the life story of Jesus.[3]

The film concept was at first the subject of much scepticism but when it appeared on screen, it was lauded by the public and the critics. Costing $35,000 to produce, From the Manger to the Cross earned the Kalem Company profits of almost $1 million, a staggering amount in 1912. The motion picture industry acclaimed him as its greatest director and the film influenced the direction many great filmmakers would take such as D.W. Griffith and Cecil B. DeMille. From the Manger to the Cross is still shown today to film societies and students studying early film making techniques. In 1998, the film was selected for the National Film Registry of the United States Library of Congress.[citation needed]

Despite making the studio owners very rich men, they refused to increase his salary beyond the $150 a week he was then earning. From the enormous profits made for his employers, Olcott's dividend on the one share they had given him amounted to $350. As a result, Olcott resigned and took some time off, making only an occasional film until 1915 when he was encouraged by Mary Pickford to join her at Famous Players–Lasky, later Paramount Pictures. The Kalem Company never recovered from the mistake of losing Olcott and a few years after his departure, the operation was acquired by Vitagraph Studios in 1916.

 
Olcott's grave in Toronto, Ontario

Olcott was a founding member of the East Coast chapter of the Motion Picture Directors Association, a forerunner to today's Directors Guild of America and would later serve as its president. Olcott married actress Valentine Grant, the star of his 1916 film, The Innocent Lie.[citation needed]

During World War II, Olcott opened his home to visiting British Commonwealth soldiers in Los Angeles. In his book titled Stardust and Shadows: Canadians in Early Hollywood, writer Charles Foster tells of this period in Olcott's life, and of how he was introduced to many members of Hollywood's Canadian community through Olcott. Olcott died in Hollywood, California,[3] in the house of his friend Robert Vignola where he lived after the death of Valentine Grant. Wanting to be buried in Canada, he is buried in Park Lawn cemetery in Toronto, Ontario.[1][3]

Partial filmography[3] edit

1907 edit

1908 edit

1909 edit

1910 edit

1911 edit

1912 edit

1913 edit

1914 edit

1915 edit

1916 edit

1918 edit

1919 edit

1920 edit

1921 edit

1922 edit

1923 edit

1924 edit

1925 edit

1926 edit

1927 edit

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b Resting Places
  2. ^ "Sidney Olcott - Blog". sidneyolcott.com.
  3. ^ a b c d e Lucas, Ralph (September 19, 2019). "Sidney Olcott". Northernstars - The Canadian Film Database. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
  4. ^ a b Workman, Christopher; Howarth, Troy (2016). "Tome of Terror: Horror Films of the Silent Era". Midnight Marquee Press. p. 43. ISBN 978-1936168-68-2
  5. ^ "Enjoying Life Silently: Film History in Shadow and Light". PopMatters. November 3, 2017. Retrieved November 11, 2019.

Source edit

  • Michel Derrien, Aux origines du cinéma irlandais: Sidney Olcott, le premier oeil, TIR 2013; ISBN 978-2-917681-20-6 (in French)

External links edit

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sidney Olcott.
  • (PDF)
  • Sidney Olcott at IMDb
  • (in French) Sidney Olcott, le premier œil

January 01, 1970
sidney, olcott, 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, april, 2015. 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 Sidney Olcott news newspapers books scholar JSTOR April 2015 Learn how and when to remove this template message Sidney Olcott born John Sidney Allcott 1 September 20 1872 2 December 16 1949 3 was a Canadian born film producer director actor and screenwriter Sidney OlcottOlcott in 1922BornJohn Sidney Allcott 1872 09 20 September 20 1872Toronto Ontario CanadaDiedDecember 16 1949 1949 12 16 aged 76 Hollywood California U S Occupation s Film director producer screenwriter actorYears active1904 1942SpouseValentine Grant m 1914 died 1949 wbr Contents 1 Biography 2 Partial filmography 3 2 1 1907 2 2 1908 2 3 1909 2 4 1910 2 5 1911 2 6 1912 2 7 1913 2 8 1914 2 9 1915 2 10 1916 2 11 1918 2 12 1919 2 13 1920 2 14 1921 2 15 1922 2 16 1923 2 17 1924 2 18 1925 2 19 1926 2 20 1927 3 See also 4 References 5 Source 6 External linksBiography editBorn John Sidney Allcott in Toronto he became one of the first great directors of the motion picture business With a desire to be an actor a young Sidney Olcott went to New York City where he worked in the theatre until 1904 when he performed as a film actor with the Biograph Studios In 1907 Frank J Marion and Samuel Long with financial backing from George Kleine formed a new motion picture company called the Kalem Company and were able to lure the increasingly successful Olcott away from Biograph Olcott was offered the sum of ten dollars per picture and under the terms of his contract Olcott was required to direct a minimum of one one reel picture of about a thousand feet every week After making a number of very successful films for the Kalem studio including Ben Hur 1907 with its dramatic chariot race scene and Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde 1908 4 Olcott became the company s president and was rewarded with one share of its stock In 1910 Olcott went to Ireland where he made a film called A Lad from Old Ireland He would go on to make more than a dozen films there and later on only the outbreak of World War I prevented him from following through with his plans to build a permanent studio in Beaufort County Kerry Ireland The Irish films led to him taking a crew to Palestine in 1912 to make the first five reel film ever titled From the Manger to the Cross the life story of Jesus 3 The film concept was at first the subject of much scepticism but when it appeared on screen it was lauded by the public and the critics Costing 35 000 to produce From the Manger to the Cross earned the Kalem Company profits of almost 1 million a staggering amount in 1912 The motion picture industry acclaimed him as its greatest director and the film influenced the direction many great filmmakers would take such as D W Griffith and Cecil B DeMille From the Manger to the Cross is still shown today to film societies and students studying early film making techniques In 1998 the film was selected for the National Film Registry of the United States Library of Congress citation needed Despite making the studio owners very rich men they refused to increase his salary beyond the 150 a week he was then earning From the enormous profits made for his employers Olcott s dividend on the one share they had given him amounted to 350 As a result Olcott resigned and took some time off making only an occasional film until 1915 when he was encouraged by Mary Pickford to join her at Famous Players Lasky later Paramount Pictures The Kalem Company never recovered from the mistake of losing Olcott and a few years after his departure the operation was acquired by Vitagraph Studios in 1916 nbsp Olcott s grave in Toronto Ontario Olcott was a founding member of the East Coast chapter of the Motion Picture Directors Association a forerunner to today s Directors Guild of America and would later serve as its president Olcott married actress Valentine Grant the star of his 1916 film The Innocent Lie citation needed During World War II Olcott opened his home to visiting British Commonwealth soldiers in Los Angeles In his book titled Stardust and Shadows Canadians in Early Hollywood writer Charles Foster tells of this period in Olcott s life and of how he was introduced to many members of Hollywood s Canadian community through Olcott Olcott died in Hollywood California 3 in the house of his friend Robert Vignola where he lived after the death of Valentine Grant Wanting to be buried in Canada he is buried in Park Lawn cemetery in Toronto Ontario 1 3 Partial filmography 3 edit1907 edit A Runaway Sleighbelle 1907 The Dog Snatcher 1907 Bowser s House Cleaning 1907 The Gentleman Farmer 1907 A Hobo Hero 1907 The Pony Express 1907 The New Hired Girl 1907 The Tenderfoot 1907 Off for the Day 1907 The Sea Wolf 1907 The Parson s Picnic 1907 The Book Agent 1907 A One Night Stand 1907 Who ll Do The Washing 1907 Peggy s Camping Party 1907 The Wooing of Miles Standish 1907 Nature Fakirs 1907 The Amateur Detective 1907 The Red Man s Way 1907 Chinese Slave Smuggling 1907 The Spring Gun 1907 Nathan Hale 1907 The Goldbrick 1907 It Was Mother in Law 1907 The Rival Motorists 1907 Bill Butt in and the Burglar 1907 Troubles of a Tramp 1907 The Lost Mine 1907 Woman Cruel Woman 1907 A Dramatic Rhearsal 1907 School Days 1907 Ben Hur 1907 1908 edit Days of 61 1908 Back to Farm 1908 Mountainers 1908 Dogs of Fashion 1908 Quack Doctors 1908 Under the Star Splanged Banner 1908 Evangeline 1908 The Stowanay 1908 College Days 1908 The Banan Man 1908 Henry Hudson 1908 Way Down East 1908 Washington at Valley Forge 1908 The Scarlet Letter 1908 Captain Kid 1908 The Moonshiner s Daughter 1908 Night Riders 1908 The Under Dog 1908 Legend of Sleepy Hollow 1908 Kidnapped for Hate 1908 Dolly the Circus Queen 1908 The White Squaw Man 1908 The Man Hunt 1908 Enoch Arden 1908 Lady Audley s Secret 1908 Held by Bandits 1908 The Little Madcap 1908 Mrs Gunness the Female Bluebeard 1908 Dynamite Man 1908 The Renegade 1908 The New Hired Girl 1908 A Gipsy Girl s Love 1908 The Walls of Sing Sing 1908 The Girl Nihilist 1908 Robin Hood 1908 The Frontiersman s Bride 1908 As You Like It 1908 The Great Yellowstone Park Hold Up 1908 The Old Sleuth Detective 1908 The Padrone 1908 The Mystery of the Bride in White 1908 The Girl I Left Behind Me 1908 Caught in the Web 1908 The Half Breed 1908 Jerusalem in the Time of Christ 1908 David and Goliath 1908 Fire at Sea 1908 Humpty Dumpty Circus 1908 The Railroad Detective 1908 Hannah Dustin 1908 A Ragged Hero 1908 Maggie the Dock Rat 1908 For Love of Country 1908 The Molly Maguires 1908 Red Cloud 1908 Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde 1908 starring Frank Oakes Rose 4 1909 edit The Trail of the White Man 1909 A Florida Feud 1909 The Girl at the Old Mill 1909 The Octoroon 1909 The Detectives of the Italian Bureau 1909 The High Diver 1909 Sporting Days in the South 1909 The Making of a Champion Pugilist 1909 The New Minister 1909 The Old Soldier s Story 1909 The Seminomle s Vengeance 1909 The Crackers Bride 1909 Hungry Hank s Hallucination 1909 The Mysterious Double 1909 The Fish Pirates 1909 The Orange Grower s Daughter 1909 The Northern Schoolmaster 1909 The Artist and the Girl 1909 Love s Triumph 1909 Good for Evil 1909 The Girl Spy An Incident of the Civil War 1909 A Poor Wife s Devotion 1909 A Pig in a Poke 1909 A Child of the Sea 1909 The Omnibus Taxiclub 1909 5000 Reward 1909 The Little Angel of Roaring Springs 1909 The Mystic Swing 1909 A Priest of the Wilderness 1909 Mardi Gras in Havana 1909 The Japanese Invasion 1909 Famine in the Forest 1909 A Soldier of US Army 1909 The Escape from Andersonville 1909 The Tom Boy 1909 Tickle Mary 1909 Factory Girl 1909 Traced by Kodak 1909 Out of Work 1909 The Queen of the Quarry 1909 The Conspirators An Incident of a South American Revolution 1909 The Pay Car 1909 Hiram s Bride 1909 The Story of a Rose 1909 Winning a Diner 1909 The Winning Boat 1909 The Mystery of Sleeper Trunk 1909 The Hand Organ Man 1909 The Man and the Girl 1909 A Brother s Wrong 1909 The Girl Scout 1909 The Cattle Thieves 1909 Dora 1909 Pale Face s Wooing 1909 The Governor s Daughter 1909 Judgement 1909 The Geisha Who Saved Japan 1909 Rally Round the Flag 1909 The Law of the Mountains 1909 The Card Board Baby 1909 A Slave to Drink 1909 1910 edit The Deacon s Daughter 1910 The Romance of a Trained Nurse 1910 The Man Who Lost 1910 The Step Mother 1910 The Confederate Spy 1910 The Feud 1910 The Fisherman s Granddaughter 1910 The Miser s Child 1910 The Girl Thief 1910 Her Soldier Sweetheart 1910 The Seminole s Trust 1910 The Girl and the Bandit 1910 The Further Adventures of the Girl Spy 1910 The Old Fiddler 1910 The Forager 1910 The Bravest Girl of the South 1910 The Sacred Turquoise of the Zuni 1910 The Love Romance of the Girl Spy 1910 The Egret Hunter 1910 Between Love and Duty 1910 The Aztec Sacrifice 1910 The Seminole Halfbreeds 1910 The Cliff Dwellers 1910 Friends 1910 The Castaways 1910 The Wanderers 1910 The Navajo s Bride 1910 The Miner s Sacrifice 1910 Grandmother 1910 A Daughter of Dixie 1910 A Colonial Belle 1910 The Perversity of Fate 1910 The Cow Puncher s Sweetheart 1910 Leap for Life 1910 The Conspiracy of Pontiac 1910 The Heart of Edna Leslie 1910 The Way of Life 1910 The Lad from Old Ireland 1910 Seth s Temptation 1910 The Little Spreewald Maiden 1910 When Lovers Part 1910 The Girl Spy Before Vicksburg 1910 The Stranger 1910 The Education of Elizabeth 1910 1911 edit For the Love of an Enemy 1911 The Secret of the Still 1911 Her Chum s Brother 1911 The Little Sister 1911 Grandmother s War Story 1911 The Open Road 1911 Sailor Jack s Reformation 1911 The Irish Honeymoon 1911 The Diver 1911 A War Time Escape 1911 A Sawmill Hero 1911 The Lass Who Couldn t Forget 1911 By a Woman s Wit 1911 In Old Florida 1911 The Fiddle s Requiem 1911 When the Dead Return 1911 The Carnival 1911 In Blossom Time 1911 Tangled Lives 1911 The Railroad Raiders of 62 1911 The Little Soldier of 64 1911 To the Aid of Stonewall Jackson 1911 Hubby s Day at Home 1911 The Colonel s Son 1911 The Romance of a Dixie Belle 1911 Special Messenger 1911 Rory O More 1911 Losing to Win 1911 The Colleen Bawn 1911 The Fishermaid of Ballydavid 1911 Among the Irish Fisher Folk 1911 The Franciscan Friars of Killarney 1911 Arrah na Pogue 1911 1912 edit Driving Home the Cows 1912 A Southern Boy of 61 1912 The O Neill 1912 His Mother 1912 The O Kalems Visit Killarney 1912 The Vagabonds 1912 Far From Erin s Isle 1912 You Remember Ellen 1912 A Visit to Madeira 1912 The Kalemites Visit Gibraltar 1912 Along the Mediterranean 1912 The Potters of the Nile 1912 American Tourists Abroad 1912 Egypt the Mysterious 1912 Egypt as it Was in the Time of Moses 1912 The Fighting Dervishes of the Desert 1912 Luxor Egypt 1912 Missionaries in Darkest Africa 1912 Making Photoplays in Egypt 1912 A Pet of the Cairo Zoo 1912 An Arabian Tragedy 1912 Captured by Bedouins 1912 Tragedy of the Desert 1912 Winning a Widow 1912 Egyptian Sports 1912 A Prisoner of the Harem 1912 Easter Celebration at Jerusalem 1912 Palestine 1912 From Jerusalem to the Dead Sea 1912 Down Through the Ages 1912 The Ancient Port of Jaffa 1912 Along the River Nile 1912 Ancient Temples of Egypt 1912 The Poacher s Pardon 1912 From the Manger To the Cross 1912 The Kerry Gow 1912 The Mayor From Ireland 1912 Conway the Kerry Dancer 1912 Ireland the Oppressed 1912 The Shaughraun 1912 1913 edit The Wives of Jamestown 1913 The Lady Peggy s Escape 1913 A Daughter of the Confederacy 1913 The Mystery of Pine Creek Camp 1913 When Men Hate 1913 In the Power of the Hypnotist 1913 In the Clutches of the Ku Klux Klan 1913 1914 edit For Ireland s Sake 1914 Come Back To Erin 1914 When Men Would Kill 1914 In the Hands of a Brute 1914 The Eye of the Government 1914 A Mother of Men 1914 The Idle Rich 1914 Tricking the Government 1914 The Little Rebel 1914 1915 edit The Moth and the Flame 1915 All For Old Ireland 1915 Bold Emmett Ireland s Martyr 1915 Seven Sisters 1915 The Irish in America 1915 Nan O the Backwoods 1915 Madame Butterfly 1915 The Ghost of Twisted Oaks 1915 The Taint 1915 1916 edit Poor Little Peppina 1916 My Lady Incog 1916 Diplomacy 1916 The Innocent Lie 1916 The Smugglers 1916 The Daughter of MacGregor 1916 1918 edit The Belgian 1918 1919 edit Marriage for Convenience 1919 1920 edit Scratch My Back 1920 1921 edit The Right Way 1921 God s Country and the Law 1921 Pardon My French 1921 1922 edit Timothy s Quest 1922 5 1923 edit The Green Goddess 1923 Little Old New York 1923 1924 edit The Humming Bird 1924 Monsieur Beaucaire 1924 The Only Woman 1924 1925 edit Salome of the Tenements 1925 The Charmer 1925 Not So Long Ago 1925 The Best People 1925 1926 edit The White Black Sheep 1926 Ranson s Folly 1926 The Amateur Gentleman 1926 1927 edit The Claw 1927 See also editCanadian pioneers in early HollywoodReferences edit a b Resting Places Sidney Olcott Blog sidneyolcott com a b c d e Lucas Ralph September 19 2019 Sidney Olcott Northernstars The Canadian Film Database Retrieved November 23 2022 a b Workman Christopher Howarth Troy 2016 Tome of Terror Horror Films of the Silent Era Midnight Marquee Press p 43 ISBN 978 1936168 68 2 Enjoying Life Silently Film History in Shadow and Light PopMatters November 3 2017 Retrieved November 11 2019 Source editMichel Derrien Aux origines du cinema irlandais Sidney Olcott le premier oeil TIR 2013 ISBN 978 2 917681 20 6 in French External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sidney Olcott Olcott filming in Ireland PDF Sidney Olcott at IMDb in French Sidney Olcott le premier œil Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Sidney Olcott amp oldid 1216984981, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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