1919 in film explained
The year 1919 in film involved some significant events.
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Top-grossing films (U.S.)
The top six 1919 released films by box office gross in North America are as follows:
Highest-grossing films of 1919| Rank | Title | Studio | Domestic rentals |
|---|
| 1 | Male and Female | Paramount | $1,256,267[1] |
|---|
| 2 | Daddy-Long-Legs | First National | $1,250,000[2] |
|---|
| 3 | The Miracle Man | Paramount | $1,000,000 |
|---|
| 4 | Broken Blossoms | United Artists | $600,000[3] |
|---|
| 5 | Don't Change Your Husband | Paramount | $292,394 |
|---|
| 6 | For Better, for Worse | $256,072 | |
|---|
Events
- February 5 – Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks and D. W. Griffith launch United Artists.
- March – Oscar Micheaux premieres The Homesteader, the first feature-length race film, starring pioneering African American actress Evelyn Preer, becoming the first African American to produce and direct a motion picture.
- May 13 – D. W. Griffith's first film to be released by United Artists, Broken Blossoms, has its premiere in New York City.
- August 29 – The Miracle Man displayed Lon Chaney's talent for make-up and made him famous as a character actor.
- September 1 – United Artists release their first film, His Majesty, the American starring Douglas Fairbanks.
- September 18 – Ufa-Palast am Zoo in Berlin opens rebuilt as a permanent cinema with the première of Ernst Lubitsch's Madame Dubarry.[4] [5]
- September 25 – Dalagang Bukid (The Country Maiden), the first Filipino feature-length film made in the Philippines, released.[6]
- October 24 – The Capitol Theatre in New York City becomes one of the largest cinemas in the world with 4,000 seats.
- November 16 – Constance Talmadge becomes a star with the release of A Virtuous Vamp.[7]
- November 23 – Cecil B. DeMille's Male and Female is released and grosses $1,256,226.59, establishing Gloria Swanson as a worldwide star.
- Harold Lloyd begins holding test screenings of his films and modifying them based on audience feedback, a technique which continues in use.
- Tri-Ergon sound-on-film technology is developed by three German inventors, Josef Engl, Hans Vogt (engineer), and Joseph Massole; however, the era of sound films is over 6 years away.
Notable films released in 1919 around the world
A
B
C
D
- Daddy-Long-Legs, starring Mary Pickford
- Damaged Goods, directed by Alexander Butler – (GB)
- Dance of Death/ Totentanz (German) written by Fritz Lang, directed by Otto Rippert, starring Werner Krauss[10]
- The Dark Star, directed by Allan Dwan; starring Marion Davies and Norman Kerry
- The Delicious Little Devil, starring Mae Murray and Rudolph Valentino
- The Devil's Locksmith (Austrian) directed by Franz Ferdinand, starring Ferdinand and Herr Ruibar
- Different from the Others, directed by Richard Oswald, starring Conrad Veidt – (Germany)
- The Doll, directed by Ernst Lubitsch – (Germany)
- Don't Change Your Husband, directed by Cecil B. DeMille, starring Gloria Swanson
E
F
G
H
- The Haunted Bedroom (aka The Ghost of Whispering Oaks) directed by Fred Niblo for Thomas H. Ince, starring Enid Bennett (Niblo's wife) and Dorcas Matthews
- Haunting Shadows, directed by Henry King, starring H. B. Warner and Edward Peil Sr., based on the 1906 novel The House of a Thousand Candles by Meredith Nicholson[11]
- Hawthorne of the U.S.A. directed by James Cruze, starring Wallace Reid
- Heart o' the Hills directed by Sidney Franklin, starring Mary Pickford
- Here Comes the Bride directed by John S. Robertson, starring John Barrymore, Faire Binney
- His Majesty, the American, starring Douglas Fairbanks
- The Homesteader, directed by Oscar Micheaux, starring Evelyn Preer
I
J
K
L
M
- Madame DuBarry, directed by Ernst Lubitsch, starring Pola Negri and Emil Jannings – (Germany)
- Madness / Wahnsinn (German) produced and directed by Conrad Veidt, who also starred in the film; adapted from a novel by Kurt Muenzner
- Male and Female, directed by Cecil B. DeMille, starring Gloria Swanson and Thomas Meighan
- The Master Mystery, (serial), starring Harry Houdini
- The Miracle Man, starring Thomas Meighan, Lon Chaney and Betty Compson
- The Mistress of the World, directed by Joe May (Weimar Republic)
- The Monkey's Paw (British) lost film based on the story by W. W. Jacobs first published by 1902, and the related one-act stage play written by Louis N. Parker in 1907
- My Lady's Garter, directed by Maurice Tourneur
- My Wife, the Movie Star, directed by Ernst Lubitsch (Germany)
N
- Nabeshima Neko Sodo (Japanese) a ghost-cat film produced by Nikkatsu Films, starring Matsunosuke Onoe, based on the Kabuki play by Joko Segawa III[12]
- Okazaki Kaibyo-den (Japanese) starring Matsunosuke Onoe, another ghost-cat movie based on an early 1820s Japanese novel (which was adapted as a Kabuki play in 1827)[12]
O
P
R
S
T
- The Test of Honor, directed by John S. Robertson, starring John Barrymore, and Constance Binney
- The Thirteenth Chair, directed by Leonce Perret, starring Yvonne Delva and Creighton Hale, based on a play by Bayard Veiller; this film was later remade by Tod Browning in 1929 with sound [13]
- To Let (British) short ghost film directed by James Reardon, starring Reardon and Peggy Patterson[14]
- The Trembling Hour, directed by George Siegmann for Universal Films, starring Kenneth Harlan and Helen Jerome Eddy; parts of this film were shot in San Quentin State Prison in California[14]
- True Heart Susie, starring Lillian Gish and Bobby Harron
- The Twin Pawns (aka The Curse of Greed) written and directed by Leonce Perret, starring Mae Murray (playing twins) and Warner Oland, based on the Wilkie Collins novel The Woman in White[14]
V
W
Y
Comedy film series
Only the films of the series released in 1919 are collected.
Buster Keaton (1917–1941)
See main article: Buster Keaton filmography.
Films starring Roscoe Arbuckle, featuring Buster Keaton released in 1919:
Back Stage a 'Fatty' Arbuckle / Buster Keaton short.
The Hayseed as a Manager, general store.
Charlie Chaplin (1914–1923)
See main article: Charlie Chaplin filmography.
Charlie Chaplin wrote, produced, directed, and starred in 9 films for his own production company between 1918 and 1923. These films were distributed by First National. Below the movies filmed in 1919:
Sunnyside; Three reels Score composed for 1974 re-release
A Day's Pleasure; Two reels. First film with Jackie Coogan, future star of "The Kid"Score composed for 1973 re-release
Uncompleted and unreleased films
- The Professor as Professor Bosco, Slated as a two-reeler, but never issued
Harold Lloyd (1913–1921)
See main article: Harold Lloyd filmography.
Glasses character ("The Boy"):
Animated short film series
Koko the Clown (1919–1934)
Koko the Clown was the first animated movie cartoon series. Below list of short films released in 1919:
- The Tantalizing Fly
- The Clown's Pups
- Out of the Inkwell
- Slides
- Experiment No. 2
- Experiment No. 3
- Out of the Inkwell
Felix the Cat (1919–1936)
Below list of Felix the Cat short films released in 1919:
November 9
Feline Follies
November 16
The Musical Mews
December 14
The Adventures of Felix
Births
- January 1 – Carole Landis, American actress (died 1948)
- January 5 – Douglas Henderson, American actor (died 1978)
- January 7 – Huang Feng, Hong Kong film director
- January 10 – Amzie Strickland, American character actress (died 2006)
- January 11 – Mort Mills, American actor (died 1993)
- January 13 – Robert Stack, actor (died 2003)
- January 14 – Joe Seneca, American actor and singer (died 1996)
- January 21 – Jinx Falkenburg, model, actress (died 2003)
- January 23 – Ernie Kovacs, comedian, actor (died 1962)
- January 24 – Coleman Francis, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (died 1973)
- February 4 – Janet Waldo, actress (died 2016)
- February 5
- February 11 – Eva Gabor, actress (died 1995)
- February 12 – Forrest Tucker, actor (died 1986)
- February 17 – Kathleen Freeman, actress (died 2001)
- February 18 – Jack Palance, actor (died 2006)
- March 2 – Jennifer Jones, actress (died 2009)
- March 15 - Lawrence Tierney, actor (died 2002)
- March 25 – Jeanne Cagney, actress (died 1984)
- March 26 – Strother Martin, actor (died 1980)
- March 29 – Eileen Heckart, actress (died 2001)
- April 2 – Maxwell Reed, Northern Irish actor (died 1974)
- April 6 – Caren Marsh Doll, American former actress
- April 12 – Ivor Barry, Welsh actor (died 2006)
- April 13 – Howard Keel, actor (died 2004)
- April 18 – Vondell Darr, child actress (died 2012)
- April 18 – Virginia O'Brien, American actress (died 2001)
- May 8 – Lex Barker, actor (died 1973)
- May 23 – Betty Garrett, actress (died 2011)
- June 11 – Richard Todd, actor (died 2009)
- June 12 – Uta Hagen, actress (died 2004)
- June 14
- June 19 – Pauline Kael, film critic (died 2001)
- June 24 – Al Molinaro, actor (died 2015)
- June 29 – Slim Pickens, actor (died 1983)
- July 7 – Jon Pertwee, actor (died 1996)
- July 12 – Vera Ralston, figure skater, actress (died 2003)
- July 19 – Patricia Medina, actress (died 2012)
- July 26 – Virginia Gilmore, actress (died 1986)
- August 2 – Nehemiah Persoff, actor (died 2022)
- August 7 – Bertha Moss, Argentine-Mexican actress (died 2008)
- August 8 – Dino De Laurentiis, producer (died 2010)
- September 2 – Marge Champion, dancer, actress, choreographer (died 2020)
- September 7 – Howard Morris, American actor, comedian and director (died 2005)
- September 9 – Jacques Marin, French actor (died 2001)
- September 17 – Helmut Ashley, Austrian cinematographer and director (died 2021)
- September 18 – Diana Lewis, actress (died 1997)
- September 24 – Rick Vallin, Russian-born actor (died 1977)
- October 5 – Donald Pleasence, actor (died 1995)
- October 18 – Orlando Drummond, Brazilian actor and comedian (died 2021)
- October 20 – Lia Origoni, Italian actress and singer (died 2022)
- October 28 – Ezz El-Dine Zulficar, Egyptian director and producer (died 1963)
- November 2 – Warren Stevens, American actor (died 2012)
- November 4
- November 13
- November 15 – Nova Pilbeam, actress (died 2015)
- November 19
- November 20 – Phyllis Thaxter, American actress (died 2012)
- December 5 – Guido Gorgatti, Italian-born Argentine actor (died 2023)
- December 7 – Lis Løwert, Danish actress (died 2009)
- December 11 – Marie Windsor, American actress (died 2000)
- December 18 – Lynn Bari, American actress (died 1989)
- December 21
Deaths
- January 14 – Shelley Hull, 34, American stage & film actor, husband of Josephine Hull, brother of Henry Hull
- January 31 – Nat Goodwin, 59, veteran stage star & silent film actor
- February 3 – Mary Moore, 29, Irish actress, sister of Joe, Matt, Owen and Tom Moore, A Million a Minute
- February 17 – Vera Kholodnaya, 25, Russian silent film actress, A Corpse Living, The Woman Who Invented Love, Her Sister's Rival, Song of Triumphant Love
- April 9 – Sidney Drew, 55, American stage & film actor A Florida Enchantment
- May 3 – Daniel Gilfether, 70, American actor of stage & screen
- May 21 – Lamar Johnstone, 34, American silent film actor
- August 27 – Clifford Bruce, 34, American silent film actor
- November 24 – William Stowell, 34, American silent film star
Film debuts
See also
External links
Notes and References
- Book: Birchard, Robert S.. 2004. Cecil B. DeMille's Hollywood. University Press of Kentucky. 9780813123240.
- https://archive.org/stream/international193738quig#page/942/mode/2up/search/%22box+office%22 Quigley Publishing Company "The All Time Best Sellers", International Motion Picture Almanac 1937–38 (1938) p 942
- Book: Balio, Tino. United Artists: The Company Built by the Stars. 2009. University of Wisconsin Press. 978-0-299-23004-3. p30-31
- Book: Kreimeier, Klaus. The Ufa Story: A History of Germany's Greatest Film Company, 1918–1945. University of California Press. 1996. premiere of Passion.. 56.
- Book: Silberman, Marc. German Cinema: Texts in Context. Detroit. Wayne State University. 1995. 978-0814325605. 3.
- Web site: Dalagang Bukid (1919). imdb.com.
- Web site: Brief Descriptions and Expanded Essays of National Film Registry Titles. May 27, 2018. Library of Congress.
- Workman, Christopher; Howarth, Troy (2016). "Tome of Terror: Horror Films of the Silent Era". Midnight Marquee Press. p. 203. ISBN 978-1936168-68-2.
- Workman, Christopher; Howarth, Troy (2016). "Tome of Terror: Horror Films of the Silent Era". Midnight Marquee Press. p. 205. ISBN 978-1936168-68-2.
- Workman, Christopher; Howarth, Troy (2016). "Tome of Terror: Horror Films of the Silent Era". Midnight Marquee Press. p. 206. ISBN 978-1936168-68-2.
- Workman, Christopher; Howarth, Troy (2016). "Tome of Terror: Horror Films of the Silent Era". Midnight Marquee Press. p. 222. ISBN 978-1936168-68-2.
- Workman, Christopher; Howarth, Troy (2016). "Tome of Terror: Horror Films of the Silent Era". Midnight Marquee Press. p. 209. ISBN 978-1936168-68-2.
- Workman, Christopher; Howarth, Troy (2016). "Tome of Terror: Horror Films of the Silent Era". Midnight Marquee Press. p. 210. ISBN 978-1936168-68-2.
- Workman, Christopher; Howarth, Troy (2016). "Tome of Terror: Horror Films of the Silent Era". Midnight Marquee Press. p. 211. ISBN 978-1936168-68-2.
