William Churchill deMille, also spelled de Mille or De Mille, was an American screenwriter and film director from the silent film era through the early 1930s. He was also a noted playwright prior to moving into film. Once he was established in film he specialized in adapting Broadway plays into silent films.
Thomas Meighan was an American actor of silent films and early talkies. He played several leading-man roles opposite popular actresses of the day, including Mary Pickford and Gloria Swanson. At one point he commanded $10,000 per week.
Rida Johnson Young was an American playwright, songwriter and librettist. In her career, Young wrote over 30 plays and musicals and approximately 500 songs. She was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970. Some of her better-known lyrics include "Mother Machree" from the 1910 show Barry of Ballymore, "Italian Street Song", "I'm Falling in Love with Someone" and "Ah! Sweet Mystery of Life" from Naughty Marietta, and "Will You Remember?" from Maytime.
The Man from Home is a 1914 American drama film based on a play written by Booth Tarkington and Harry Leon Wilson. It was directed by Cecil B. DeMille. In 1922, the story was remade in the UK by George Fitzmaurice as The Man From Home, and released by Famous Players–Lasky. The stage play was a big hit for actor William Hodge in the role of Pike in the 1908 Broadway season.
The Girl of the Golden West is a surviving 1915 American Western silent black-and-white film directed by Cecil B. DeMille. It was based on the 1905 play The Girl of the Golden West by David Belasco. Prints of the film survive in the Library of Congress film archive. It was the first of four film adaptations that have been made of the play.
Edgar Selwyn was an American actor, playwright, director and producer on Broadway. A prominent figure in American theatre and film in the first half of the 20th century, he founded a theatrical production company with his brother, Archibald Selwyn, and owned a number of Selwyn Theatres in the United States. He transferred his talents from the stage to motion pictures, and directed a film for which Helen Hayes received the Academy Award for Best Actress. Selwyn co-founded Goldwyn Pictures in 1916.
Chimmie Fadden is a 1915 American silent comedy film directed, written and edited Cecil B. DeMille. The film starred Victor Moore in the title role and is based on the play and short story of the same name by Edward W. Townsend. It was followed by a sequel Chimmie Fadden Out West. It is a surviving film formerly thought lost for decades. A print is kept at Cinemateket-Svenska Filminstitutet, Stockholm.
Kindling is a 1915 American drama film produced and directed by Cecil B. DeMille and starring Charlotte Walker, in her film debut. The film is based on a 1911 Broadway play by Charles A. Kenyon which starred Margaret Illington and was produced by her husband Major Bowes, later of radio fame.
Chimmie Fadden Out West is a 1915 American silent Western comedy film directed by Cecil B. DeMille. It was made as a sequel to Chimmie Fadden. Once lost, a print is now held in the George Eastman House Motion Picture Collection.
The Arab is a 1924 American silent drama film starring Ramon Novarro and Alice Terry, written and directed by Rex Ingram, based on a 1911 play by Edgar Selwyn.
The Side Show of Life is a 1924 American silent drama film produced by Famous Players–Lasky, directed by Herbert Brenon and distributed by Paramount Pictures. The film is based on the 1920 novel The Mountebank by William J. Locke, which had been turned into a play by Ernest Denny.
The Fighting Coward is a 1924 American silent comedy film produced by Famous Players–Lasky, released by Paramount Pictures, and directed by James Cruze. The film stars Ernest Torrence, Mary Astor, Noah Beery, Sr., Phyllis Haver, and Cullen Landis. The film is based on the play Magnolia by Booth Tarkington, from 1904.
Grumpy is a 1923 American silent comedy drama film distributed by Paramount Pictures. It is based on a 1913 Broadway play Grumpy by Horace Hodges and Thomas Wigney Percyval and starred English actor Cyril Maude. The director of this film is William C. deMille, brother of Cecil, and the star is Theodore Roberts. This film was remade by Paramount as an early sound film for Cyril Maude reprising his Broadway role. This silent version was thought to be long lost, but a copy has been discovered in the Gosfilmofond Archive in Moscow, Russia.
Bella Donna is a 1923 American silent film produced by Famous Players–Lasky and released by Paramount Pictures. The film is based on the 1909 novel, Bella Donna, by Robert Smythe Hichens which was later adapted for a 1912 Broadway play starring Alla Nazimova. This film is also a remake of the 1915 Paramount film Bella Donna starring Pauline Frederick. The 1923 film was directed by George Fitzmaurice and starred Pola Negri in her first American film.
The Dancing Girl is a lost 1915 silent film drama produced by the Famous Players Film Company and distributed by Paramount Pictures. It is based on the 1891 Broadway play of the same name by Henry Arthur Jones. The film was directed by Allan Dwan and starred stage actress Florence Reed in her film debut. Reed's husband, Malcolm Williams, also appears in the film.
The Ragamuffin is a 1916 American silent drama film directed and written by William C. deMille. The film stars Blanche Sweet in a 'Pickfordish' style role.
A Gentleman of Leisure is a surviving 1915 American silent comedy film produced by Jesse Lasky and distributed by Paramount Pictures. It stars stage veteran Wallace Eddinger. The film is based on the 1910 novel A Gentleman of Leisure by P. G. Wodehouse and 1911 Broadway play adapted by Wodehouse and John Stapleton. Douglas Fairbanks was a cast member in the play several years before beginning a film career. This film survives in the Library of Congress.
The Marriage Maker is a lost 1923 American silent fantasy film produced by Famous Players–Lasky and distributed by Paramount Pictures. It is based on a Broadway play, The Faun, by Edward Knoblock. On stage the faun character was played by William Faversham. William C. deMille directed and his wife Clara Beranger wrote the scenario.
The Fast Set is a 1924 American silent comedy-drama film directed by William C. deMille and starring Betty Compson. The film is based on the 1923 Broadway play, Spring Cleaning, by Frederick Lonsdale.
Roi Cooper Megrue was an American playwright, producer, and director active on Broadway from 1914 to 1921.
