A HERE FILMS release of an EARTHLIGHT, A MOTION PICTURE COMPANY
and WHITE CASTLE PRODUCTIONS presentation in association with HERE MEDIA
Produced by Elizabeth Wood Coldicutt and Nicholas Eliopoulos
Directed by Nicholas Eliopoulos
“MARY PICKFORD, THE MUSE OF THE MOVIES”
Official website: www.marypickfordthemuse.com
Press Materials: http://www.here-films.com/pwpresspass.html
Runtime: 102 minutes, in color and black and white, exhibition formats: 35mm, and Digital
Betacam, aspect ratio: 4x3 full frame (1.33), sound: Dolby SR, in English, country of origin:
U.S.A., not rated by the MPAA
HERE FILMS / REGENT RELEASING
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Helene Nielsen Beal, Director, Theatrical Marketing and Distribution
Michael Berlin, Manager, Publicity and Marketing
U.S. Theatrical Distribution
10990 Wilshire Boulevard
Penthouse, Los Angeles, CA 90024 310-806-4288
SYNOPSIS
Two sentence description:
“Mary Pickford, The Muse of the Movies” illuminates the life of “America’s Sweetheart,” film
pioneer, actor, and shrewd businesswoman who co-created United Artists Studios. Through
vintage audio recordings, Pickford narrates her own story along with actor Michael York, while
revealing the larger tale of the birth of the movies themselves.
Blurb:
“Mary Pickford, The Muse of the Movies” traces the life and work of the legendary silent film star,
movie pioneer, and shrewd business woman who co-created United Artists Studios and was a
major force in the creation of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Pickford’s life
(1892-1979) also parallels an even larger story, the telling of the “birth of the cinema” itself. Mary,
known as “America’s Sweetheart” was the first actress to earn one million dollars during a single
year, and the only star who has ever received a 50% profit share of her movies. Through
restored vintage audio recordings, Pickford narrates much of her own story, aided by the dulcet
tones of actor Michael York. Cameo interviews with Adolph Zukor, famed aviator Amelia Earhart,
Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Buddy Rogers and Lillian Gish, in conjunction with rare home movies give
the viewer an in-depth look into the early world of American cinema.
Synopsis:
“Mary Pickford, The Muse of the Movies” traces the life and work of this legendary silent film star,
movie pioneer, and shrewd businesswoman. Pickford’s life (1892-1979) also parallels an even
larger story, telling of the “birth of the cinema” itself. Pickford co-created United Artists Studios,
spearheaded the founding of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, as well as
established the Motion Picture Retirement Home. Mary, known as “America’s Sweetheart” was
the first actress to earn one million dollars, and only star to ever receive a 50% profit share of her
movies. She was the first actor, male or female, to have her name placed on the Cinema’s
marquee along with the film’s title, and she was the first to win an Oscar for Best Actress in a
“sound” motion picture for her performance in the 1929 film “Coquette.” In 1976, Mary was
presented with her second Academy Award for her humanitarian work.
In this documentary, through restored vintage audio recordings, Pickford narrates her own story
along with actor Michael York. Classic film clips, rare home movies, and cameo interviews with
Adolph Zukor (founder of Paramount Studios), famed aviator Amelia Earhart, Douglas Fairbanks,
Jr., Lillian Gish, Buddy Rogers (Pickford’s last husband), as well as the only interview ever given
by Pickford’s daughter, Roxanne Rogers Monroe, give the viewer an in-depth look into the early
world of the American cinema.
DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT
My interest in the film began in the mid-1980’s, when I ran into fellow Kansas University alumni,
actor Don Johnson, during a return to our alma mater. There, we met Buddy Rogers, who was
Pickford’s third husband. Buddy starred in the first motion picture to ever win a “Best Picture”
Oscar…William Wellman’s 1927 Silent Classic “Wings.” We hit it off, and Buddy and his wife,
Beverly, kept inviting me to entertainment industry events. They’d all get together, have a few
drinks and start telling stories about the old Hollywood. Buddy first introduced me to Mary’s films
and I was proud to call him my friend. After watching a few of Mary’s movies, I realized there was
a great documentary here. To give you just one small example, young Pickford was starting out
when Charlie Chaplin and D.W. Griffin were creating the language of cinema. There’s a
wonderful anecdote about short-sighted studio executives’ response to the use of “close up”
shots; they were appalled, and said they had paid to see all of the actors, including their feet.
Given my other projects and the herculean research effort to ensure accuracy, the project took a
few years to finish.
Some of the elements in the movie were buried deep in Mary's own library. I've still got rare
material I'd have loved to use, but I wasn't making a five-hour mini-series. I went to London and
met Kevin Brownlow - the acclaimed historian of the silent era and documentary filmmaker - and
he played an audio recording of Mary he'd done when he was researching his book "The
Parade's Gone By." He gave it to me to use in my film. That gave me the idea of having Mary
actually narrate much of her own story. In her later years she did lots of TV and radio
appearances - so I had to locate that material, clean up the recordings and edit them to the
quintessential images I’d chosen. I received material from the BBC, Australia, the Chaplin
Foundation in Paris, the George Eastman House in Rochester and the Pickford Archives.
I roped a friend of mine, Michael York, into doing the narration - and as always,
he was perfection itself. (Michael may be best known for his role in the Academy
Award® winner “Cabaret” and Zefirelli’s “Romeo and Juliet,” as well as the
classic comedies “The Three Musketeers” and “The Four Musketeers.”
However, his stellar career spans several decades, including recent voice over
work on the Hollywood blockbuster “Transformers.”)
The fact that Pickford isn't more well-known outside of the entertainment industry and cinephile
groups is often attributed to the custodians of her personal library. They were understandably
protective, but through persistence, I believe I managed to see every surviving piece of footage
with Mary, and over the years I feel I've really gotten to know her. With this movie I didn't want to
just stick your nose in the facts but to give an emotional sense of who she was and where she
came from. If anything proves the adage “art transcends the ages,” it is the film work of Mary
Pickford. Watching her it is easy to forget time. We are no longer aware of the intervening
decades. We just see the “Mary” that shines forever brightly through her movies.
Even if many of us know about her films, one thing most have not heard is Mary Pickford’s voice.
Maybe we’ve even seen her talkies, but that’s not the personal, confiding voice –the voice of the
real Mary – the one who was there as the midwife, as the muse for the birth of American movies.
She had such great warmth and personal charisma that you can’t help but feel you have gained
entrance to her intimate circle of friends. You will be delighted, and, on occasion, awe-struck by
her insights, wisdom and the clarity that she brings, not only to her work and the films she made,
but also to her own personal life.
Once again, I have to thank people like Kevin Brownlow and Professor Arthur Freedman UCLA
who recorded their interviews with Ms. Pickford. They did a fabulous job, given the state of the
art that existed with tape machines at the time.
When my fellow producer, Elizabeth Wood Coldicutt, came on board and
funded this project she made it possible to restore all these old
recordings. We found additional rare material at the Museum of Modern
Art in New York, and the Library of Congress in Washington. Buddy
allowed us to use clips from Mary’s films that she had purchased and
collected in her own film Library at the Pickford Foundation. But without
Elizabeth, this documentary would never have come to full fruition.
This film transcends the ages because the music we hear, the commentary
by Michael York, the efforts of writers, researches, archivists and Mary’s
own friends, who are interviewed in this documentary, all connect Mary’s
world with ours.
We are able to bring her into our moment, our time, and in this way her story
and her films haven’t ended at all. So, I welcome you… to the creation of
the New World and insight into this daring, unsinkable New Woman who
gave us new ways to dream.
PRODUCTION NOTES
Structure of the film
The film is organized in nine chapters corresponding to the nine muses:
Mary Pickford, The Muse of the Movies
Chapter 1: Intro “Something About Mary”
Chapter 2: D.W. Griffith and The Birth of the Cinema
Chapter 3: The Muse and The Movies Grow Together
Chapter 4: Features, Fortunes, and Famous Players
Chapter 5: Mary Discovers The Little Girl: (And Meets The Little Tramp, and Her Swashbuckling
Hero)
Chapter 6: The Muse Gives Birth to United Artists
Chapter 7: Mary’s Little Girl Grows Up
Chapter 8: Sound Investments in the Future: (Mary Loses Her Love, and Finds Her Buddy)
Chapter 9: The End of an Era, and New Beginnings
Each chapter surveys the career of Mary Pickford (1892-1979) in the larger context of the
explosive growth of the cinema and Hollywood in her working life-time – a phenomenon to which
her career and international superstar status contributed immeasurably.
The Nine Muses from Ancient Greek Mythology:
Fire - Initiation/Awakening –
# 1:Thalia - innocence and humor –
# 2: Clio - tradition/history –
# 3: Calliope - heroic voice, one voice that rises above all the others
Transition
# 4: Terpsichore - movement
# 5: Melpomene - dignity/tragedy, the avenues of miracles
# 6: Erato - lyrical voice/many voices, the balladeer, storyteller, lyrical ritual, bard.
Purifying
# 7: Euterpe - music
# 8: Polyhymnia - voice, the many voices, sacred choral music, many hymns, inspires, many who
sound as one
# 9: Urania - celestial, one voice, heavenly voice that cleanses and purifies
She was this country’s first “movie star,” and held a unique place in the evolution of the studio
“star system.” She was the first to earn a million dollars a year, to have her name in huge letters
comparable to the film’s title on a theater’s marquee and to win Best Actress Oscar for a sound
film, “Coquette.”
“Mary Pickford, The Muse of the Movies” represents a thirteen-year labour of love and massive
research: Elizabeth Wood Coldicutt and Nicholas Eliopoulos, a much-awarded producer-directorwriter-editor both in features and documentary, embarked on the project in 1995 - in the lifetime
and with the blessing of Buddy Rogers, Mary Pickford’s widower. The mass of rare material they
have assembled includes archival interviews with many of Pickford’s most important
collaborators, going back to the start of her career. Every available recording of sound interviews
with the star herself was traced, and these have been restored and edited so that she herself
“shares” with Michael York the role of narrator.
BIO - NICHOLAS ELIOPOULOS – DIRECTOR, PRODUCER, EDITOR
Nicholas Eliopoulos incorporates an award-winning career spanning over
three decades in the entertainment Industry. His diverse talents have
been acknowledged in the areas of writing, directing, producing, as well
as film and sound editing, in some of Hollywood’s most watched venues.
Mr. Eliopoulos has won two Emmy Awards, two Golden Reel Awards and
three Golden Scissors Awards. He has worked on such films as the
Academy Award® Best Picture winner “Out Of Africa;” the 20th Century
Fox hit comedy “Nine To Five” with Dolly Parton, Lily Tomlin, and Jane
Fonda; Universal’s “Best Little Whorehouse In Texas” with Burt Reynolds
and Dolly Parton, and assisted director Colin Higgins and Shirley McLaine
in the Emmy-winning mini-series “Out On A Limb.”
Mr. Eliopoulos has just completed producing/directing, as well as editing, his third documentary
feature “Mary Pickford, Muse of the Movies.” This special on the legendary silent film actress and
movie pioneer, Ms. Pickford, is narrated by actor Michael York, and covers the history of film from
the Nickelodeon Silents to the big screen Talkies. The Muse documentary was extremely well
received during its U.S. Premiere at the Telluride Film Festival, and a World Premiere at the
Pordenone International Film Festival (near Venice, Italy).
For Hollywood Central in the mid-west heartland, Mr. Eliopoulos is producing and directing his
fourth documentary feature entitled “Hello Dali, The Life & Paintings of Salvador Dali, The
Hollywood Years.” As a motion picture film editor, Nicholas edited the “nine camera” 35mm
Theatrical Comedy Concert Film for the Actor/Comedian Martin Lawrence entitled “Run Tel Dat.”
This feature was released by MTV Films, and Paramount Pictures. He has also edited episodes
of the successful NBC Series “Law And Order, Criminal Intent” with Vincent D’Onofrio, as well as
the acclaimed Dick Wolf NBC Series “Deadline,” which starred Oliver Platt, Bebe Neuwirth, Lily
Taylor, Hope Davis, and Tom Conti. Mr. Eliopoulos has Produced, Directed and Edited two other
acclaimed documentary features, “Russia, A Peoples Journey To Democracy,” covering the
former Soviet Union from the time of the Tsars through the fall of Communism for which he
interviewed Boris Yeltsin, as well as Mikhail Gorbachov and “Visions Of A New World,” with Ted
Danson, and hosted by Marsha Mason, which highlights nine positive thinkers’ vision of the
future.
He directed the half hour Special for MTV entitled “The Heart of Heartbeat” starring Whoopi
Goldberg and Bonnie Raitt on the making of Don Johnson's first music album. He served as Vice
President of Production and Development for the Don Johnson Company at Universal Studios,
Bungalow 75. During those two years at Universal, he developed scripts for the two hour
television movie “Mothership,” also the anti-drug special for kids entitled “The Last Cartoon,” plus
the half hour sitcom pilot “Flipside,” which he Associate Produced, all for NBC. For New Line
Cinema, he edited the comedy feature film “Woo” for Executive Producer John Singleton, as well
as “Boyz in the Hood,” “Rosewood” and “Hustle & Flow,” which starred Jada Pinkett Smith,
Tommy Davidson, Dave Chappelle and L.L. Cool J. He edited six original cable movies for BET
Pictures.
Mr. Eliopoulos edited a feature film introducing a young actress named Angelina Jolie for comedy
writer/director’s Renee Taylor and Joe Bologna entitled “Love Is All There Is.” He served as
Associate Producer for the off- Broadway play by Renee Taylor and Joseph Bologna “Bermuda
Avenue Triangle.” Nicholas edited the comedy feature film “The Thin Pink Line,” with an
ensemble cast including Mike Myers, Jason Priestley, Jennifer Aniston, Janeane Garofalo and
David Schwimmer. Nicholas directed and edited the Mars Lasar music video “The Eleventh
Hour,” and edited the music videos “Heartbeat” and P.O.D.’s “Selah.” He produced and directed
the animated short “Fly Me to the Moon,” for Gateways to Space, which features Nancy
Cartwright, the voice of Bart Simpson, and was on the short list for Academy Award®
consideration in Animation. Having served in animation supervisor for “Violet,” Lily Tomlin’s
fantasy sequence in the hit movie “Nine To Five,” he has currently utilized that experience in
writing the feature animated film “Cyberhop,” an Ultimate Hip Hop Dance Party in Outer Space.
Mr. Eliopoulos won his Emmy Awards for the CBS mini-series “Wallenberg, A Hero's Story, Parts
1 & 2,” starring Richard Chamberlain. His Golden Reel Awards were for “Out Of Africa,” and the
CBS mini-series “Peter the Great.” His Golden Scissors Awards were for Paramount’s “Foul
Play,” with Goldie Hawn, Chevy Chase, and Dudley Moore, Warner Bros. “European Vacation”
with Chevy Chase and “The Runner Stumbles” with Dick Van Dyke, which was director Stanley
Kramer’s last film.
Nicholas won a scholarship Award for his student films at the University of Kansas that sent him
to study film at University of Southern California. Mr. Eliopoulos holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree
in Speech and Drama from the University of Kansas, and was a two-year Editing Fellow at the
American Film Institute (when it was housed at the Greystone Mansion in Beverly Hills). He is an
active voting member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, as well as the
Academy of Television Arts and is a 25-year member of the Motion Picture Editors Guild.
BIO - ELIZABETH WOOD COLDICUTT, PRODUCER
Ms. Coldicutt is President and Founder of the Caroline Victoria Arts
Foundation (CVCAF), Rancho Mirage, CA. The CVCAF supports and
encourages student artists in all creative art forms, including visual
arts, media/film and photography. Currently six art
scholarship/endowments have been funded in various schools in
Canada, England and the United States. Ms. Coldicutt’s life-long
heroine is Mary Pickford – inspiring her to co-produce “Mary Pickford
– A Star” (1996) and “Star-Power – The Creation of United Artists”
(1997). Her current production, “Mary Pickford, The Muse of the
Movies” (2008), is a collaborative effort with Producer/Director
Nicholas Eliopoulos. This documentary feature honors Ms. Pickford’s
pioneering work and artistry during the birth of the American cinema.
The film is dedicated to the memory of Ms. Coldicutt’s daughter, Caroline Victoria Coldicutt. The
Caroline Victoria Arts Foundation (CVCAF) honors the artistic legacy of Caroline Victoria
Coldicutt, an artist, poet and student. The objective of the CVCAF is simple – to nurture student
artists as they harness their creative awareness and to support and encourage their imaginations
while helping them share their creativity and talent. Our goal is to become a significant contributor
to student artists and their support systems – one that will sustain and encourage their artistic
process.
BIO - MICHAEL YORK - NARRATOR
With an impressive body of work over the past 44 years on screen, stage,
television and with audio recording, Michael York retains the enthusiasm for
the actor’s life he first experienced growing up in England. Joining the
National Youth Theatre, he played Shakespeare in London and Europe, and
went on to perform extensively at Oxford University, graduating with an MA
in English.
He joined Laurence Olivier’s new National Theatre Company in 1965 and a
year later made his film debut in Franco Zeffirelli’s “The Taming of the
Shrew” with Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor. He was alsoTybalt in
Zeffirelli’s “Romeo and Juliet,” and John the Baptist in his “Jesus of
Nazareth.”
York’s more than 60 other screen credits include memorable roles in such films as Joseph
Losey’s “Accident,” Bob Fosse’s “Cabaret” with Liza Minnelli; “Something for Everyone” with
Angela Lansbury; the all-star “Murder on the Orient Express”; “The Last Remake of Beau Geste”;
as D’Artagnan in “The Three Musketeers”; the title role in “Logan’s Run” and opposite Burt
Lancaster in “The Island of Dr. Moreau.” He even played himself in Billy Wilder’s “Fedora.” He
was in all three “Austin Powers” movies and in both “Omega Code” films. He recently finished
filming “Mika & Alfred.”
His television work comprises over 80 credits, including “The Forsyte Saga,” “Great
Expectations,” “Space,” “The Heat of the Day,” “A Knight in Camelot,” ”The Night of the Fox” and
“The Lot” (Emmy nomination). Recently in Larry David’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” he was a guest
character in “The Simpsons,” and in the 100th episode of “Law and Order: Criminal Intent.”
Broadway and regional theater credits include “Someone Who’ll Watch Over Me,” “Bent,” “The
Crucible,” ”Ring Round the Moon,” the world premiere of Tennessee Williams’ “Outcry” and the
title role in “Cyrano de Bergerac.” He was in the musical of “The Little Prince” and recently toured
the U.S. in “Camelot,” playing King Arthur.
York’s distinctive voice can be heard in over 90 audio book and film narrations as varied as “The
Book of Psalms,” “Memories, Dreams, Reflections,” “The Vampire Lestat,” and his own children’s
book, “The Magic Paw Paw.”
Grammy-nominated for “Treasure Island,” he won awards for “The Fencing Master,” “The Lion,
the Witch and the Wardrobe,” “Creating True Peace” and “Goodbye to Berlin.” Recent recordings
include “How Do I Love Thee?” as well as “Peter and the Wolf” and “The Carnival of the Animals.”
He is currently the narrator of “The Word of Promise” Audio Bible and these recent film
documentaries: “Chris and Don – A Love Story,” the sleeper hit of last year’s Telluride Film
Festival, “Testimony,” a film about Pope John Paul II which will premiere in the Vatican for Pope
Benedict XVI, and “Mary Pickford, The Muse of the Movies,” a documentary feature on the life
and films of the legendary silent film star Mary Pickford.
In addition to performing with music at the Kennedy Center, the Aspen, Bard and Ravinia
Festivals and the Hollywood Bowl, he has starred in William Walton’s “Henry V” and in the first
concert performance of his “Christopher Columbus.” He was Peer in a concert version of “Peer
Gynt,” and Salieri in a special version of “Amadeus,” also at the Bowl. His recording of the
Tennyson/Strauss “Enoch Arden,” was followed by several international concert performances.
He recently headlined “Strauss Meets Frankenstein” with the Long Beach Opera. York also
enjoys writing. His latest (2005) book is “Are My Blinkers Showing?” (“What a delight. Ahh, the
actor’s life, well used.” LA Times). “Dispatches from Armageddon,” (2002) was reviewed by Prof.
Richard Brown as “One of the most readable, literate, and insightful works ever written on the
process of making movies.” York also co-authored “A Shakespearean Actor Prepares,” a finalist
in the Independent Publisher Book Awards, 2001 and hailed by the ‘Spectator’ as “A triumph... It
deserves to become a classic.” In 1991 he wrote an autobiography, “Accidentally on Purpose”
(“Travelling Player” in the UK) about which the Associated Press enthused, “Michael York inherits
the mantle of his fellow countryman, David Niven, as a premiere storyteller.”
York’s wife Pat is a celebrated photographer. The two met in 1967 when she was assigned to
photograph him. Married a year later, they have made their home in Los Angeles since 1976. Pat
has exhibited all over the world - in Moscow, New York, Paris, Belgium, London, Washington,
Cologne, Basel and Zurich. “Imaging and Imagining: the film world of Pat York” opened at LA’s
Motion Picture Academy, subsequently travelling to Prague, Mannheim and Hong Kong. York
also lectures internationally -- on Shakespeare and the history and art of acting. His contribution
to his profession has been recognized with the award of Britain’s OBE, France’s Arts et Lettres
and a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Michael York’s official website is www.michaelyork.net
BIO - M. DAVID MULLEN, CINEMATOGRAPHER – (WITH JOE MUSTACCHI)
Mr. Mullen (born June 26, 1962 as Merritt David Mullen III) is an eminent
Japanese-born cinematographer famed for his photography on “Twin Falls
Idaho,” “Northfork,” “Akeelah and the Bee” and “The Astronaut Farmer.”
David is known for working with Directors Michael and Mark Polish. He has
just finished as Director of Photography on the Polish Brother’s “Stay Cool”
starring Hilary Duff, and has also just completed “Jennifer’s Body,” written
by Academy Award® winner Diablo Cody of “Juno” fame, starring “The
Transformers’’ Megan Fox. In spring 2004, he was accepted into the
American Society of Cinematographers. He studied cinematography at the
California Institute of the Arts from 1988 to 1991. His mentor was Kris
Malkiewicz; he later collaborated with him on the Third Edition of
Cinematography. By the time he entered CalArts, he was 27 years old, and while an experienced
cinematographer on a technical level, learning everything he could from the UCLA film library.
M. David Mullen Filmography:
Stay Cool (2009)
Assassination of a High School President (2008)
Astronaut Farmer (2006)
D.E.B.S. (2004)
Shadowboxer (2005)
Jennifer’s Body (2009)
Big Love –HBO Series (2007)
Akeelah and the Bee (2006)
Dot
When Do We Eat? (2005)
Out for Blood (2004)
New Suit (2003)
Tom's Nu Heaven (2003)
Jackpot (2001)
Devil in the Flesh 2 (2000)
Ritual (2000)
Twin Falls Idaho (1999)
Night Caller (1998)
Cupid (1997)
Soulmates (1997)
Mary Pickford, The Muse of the Movies (Interviews-1996)
Dead Cold (1995)
The River Bottom (1994)
A Foreign Affair (2003)
Northfork (2003)
Infested (2002)
Alone with a Stranger (2000)
The Perfect Tenant (2000)
The Clean & Narrow (1999)
Captured (1998)
The Tomorrow Man (1998)
The Fiancé (1997)
Daddy's Girl (1996)
The Last Big Thing (1996)
Lipstick Camera (1994)
BIO - MARY PICKFORD
“Something about Mary” – from the beginning
Mary Pickford was the original sweetheart of American filmgoers. It’s easy to see why. Her image
has become a very icon of the silent film era, her blonde curls always seemingly enveloped in a
halo of light. Likely it was creative photography—Vaseline on the lens and some elegant
backlighting—but perhaps the illumination emanated from Mary herself.
According to most film historians, Mary Pickford was the first real movie star. Her career was
highlighted by an Academy Award and memorable roles ranging from Rebecca of Sunnybrook
Farm to Pollyanna. At the height of her career in the
early 1920s, she was the most famous person in the world. More than kings and queens,
presidents or leaders of industry, Pickford captured the hearts of the populace and set a standard
for celebrity unrivalled for more than 75 years.
Born Gladys Smith on April 8, 1892 in Toronto, Pickford began her career in show business as a
child, earning $8 a week to support her family after her father’s untimely death. She took a liking
to the theater and in 1907 caught the attention of Broadway producer David Belasco who cast the
15-year-old in The Warrens of Virginia. But not before the most powerful man in American theater
changed young Gladys’ name to Mary Pickford.
Her film career stretched from 1908 to 1935 and encompassed a staggering 236 productions,
which is why most people think of her as a movie actress—but she was much more than merely a
performer. Pickford, by all accounts, was a one-woman tour de force that combined business
savvy, street smarts and an uncompromising work ethic with sincerity, compassion for others and
a philanthropic disposition that even by today’s standards was nothing short of phenomenal.
It could be said that Mary Pickford was a founder of Hollywood itself. In addition to acting, she
was also a noted producer, director and writer who exercised a degree of control over her career
and her films that was unheard of during that era. By age 24, Pickford was Hollywood’s first
millionaire, commanding a $350,000 salary per movie and the first actress to receive a
percentage of a film’s earnings. In 1919, Pickford joined forces with future husband Douglas
Fairbanks, Charlie Chaplin and film pioneer D.W. Griffith to form United Artists, a film distribution
company that was geared to meet the needs of filmmakers instead of studio heads.
During both World Wars, Pickford travelled and far and near with many of her fellow actors selling
war bonds to support American troops. Pickford also made an indelible mark as one of the
founders of what is today the Motion Picture and Television Fund. In 1921, along with Chaplin,
Fairbanks and Griffith, she began the Motion Picture Relief Fund to assist film-industry workers
who had fallen on hard times. Following Pickford’s lead, the biggest names in Hollywood soon
joined the cause, and the MPRF became a major force in the industry. The Fund would
eventually go on to help hundreds of actors, directors and writers who lost jobs when talking
pictures were introduced in the late 1920s. Whatever the need, the Fund was there to help its
own.
Seeing the success of the Fund she had helped create, Pickford continued to raise money
however she could. In 1932, she came up with the idea for a payroll pledge program, whereby
members of the industry would donate a percentage of their earnings every week to the Fund,
creating widespread awareness, as well as raising much-needed cash.
The MPRF would eventually become the Motion Picture and Television Fund, which today is a
comprehensive service organization for people in the entertainment business. While busy
establishing the MPRF, Pickford joined several other moviemakers to start the Academy of
Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. AMPAS would quickly create the Academy Awards, which to
this day remain the motion picture industry’s preeminent honors.
In 1933, at age 41, Pickford retired from acting but remained one of the most financially
successful people in Hollywood. She produced several films and retained her co-ownership in
United Artists, which had grown to become a thriving film studio, until 1956 when she shifted all
her attentions to philanthropic endeavors.
Mary Pickford died on May 29, 1979 at the age of 87. She is remembered as a great actress,
pioneer and humanitarian. Her accomplishments were incredible by any standard, but even more
impressive considering they were achieved during at a time sexual inequality. She was a largerthan-life figure who embraced humanity and left a legacy for anyone who has ever dreamed of
conquering the world while making it a better place.
This article was originally printed in the Spring 2006 edition of Legacy magazine, a publication of
the Motion Picture and Television Fund (MPTF). It is reprinted with permission. In 1921 when
MPTF was founded it was a revolutionary idea – the notion of a whole industry taking care of its
own, providing a safety net for anyone who was part of movies and television, from grip to
principal player. The MPTF mission remains the same today as then: to protect and preserve the
health and quality of life of those who devote so much of their lives to a career in the
entertainment industry. For more information about MPTF, please visit our website at
www.mptvfund.org.
TIMELINE: Mary Pickford, The Movies, and Entertainment Chronology
1870:
1878
1882
1888
A half century of tremendous industrial growth begins in the U.S. Millions of European
immigrants will arrive over the coming decades, seeking work.
October 19: Eadweard Muybridge’s photographs of a horse’s stride are published in
Scientific American. The groundbreaking images lead to further experimentation in the
area of motion pictures.
David Belasco enters Broadway and makes a name for himself as a theater producer.
George Eastman puts the easy to use Kodak camera on the market. It lets people take
the first “snapshots,” using a new invention – photographic film.
1890-92Thomas Edison’s assistant, William Dickson, develops a motion picture camera called
the Kinetograph. Two years later he will unveil a primitive projector called the
Kinetoscope. For the first time ever, it is possible to project film images.
1892 April 8: Gladys Louise Smith, the future Mary Pickford, is born in Toronto to Irish working
class parents: John Charles and Charlotte.
1893 Pickford’s sister Charlotte (Lottie) is born; the exact date is not registered.
1895 Auguste and Louis Lumiere’s Cinematographe, a projector that shows 16 frames per
second, is used for the world’s first public film screening.
Pickford’s brother John (Jack) is born. No date is registered.
1896 Vaudeville entertainment enters its heyday in America, presenting short motion picture
films interspersed with juggling, music, magic tricks, and skits.
1898 The Spanish American War begins. Theodore Roosevelt’s Rough Riders secure victory
at San Juan Hill in Cuba on July 1.
February 11: Pickford’s father, John Charles, dies from a cerebral haemorrhage.
1900 January 8: Not yet eight years old, Pickford debuts in her first stage performance of
The Silver King at Toronto’s Princess Theatre. The building is the city’s first public
structure with electric lights and can seat more than 1,500 people. On opening night,
Pickford performs for Canadian soldiers on their way to South Africa to serve in the Boer
War. The mood in the theatre is electric and young Gladys is swept away by the
excitement.
April 9: Pickford plays the lead in a Vaudeville sketch, The Littlest Girl.
1901: April 8: At the age of nine, Pickford plays Little Eva, the daughter of a slave owner in
Uncle Tom’s Cabin.
Fall: Pickford and her family travel to Buffalo, New York, learning their lines on the way,
to perform in At the Little Red Schoolhouse. Their trip is the beginning of more than five
years of touring with various acting companies.
With the arrival of electricity, Broadway sets out white lights stretching from 13th to 46th
Street, inspiring the nickname “the Great White Way.”
1904 Marcus Loew founds Loews Theatres. It will become the longest-lived theater chain in
America.
1905 John Harris and Harry Davis coin the term “nickelodeon” when they open a theater in
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The name is derived from the cost of entry – a nickel – and
the Greek word for theater, “odeon.”
1907 Tired of life on the road, Pickford, still known as Gladys Smith, auditions for David
Belasco on Broadway. The producer changes her name to Mary Pickford and gives her
a salary of $25 a week ($568 in 2008).
December 3: Pickford makes her Broadway debut in a William De Mille play, “The
Warrens of Virginia.”
1908 The Motion Picture Patents Company, known simply as “the trust” is established to
control the film industry. Ten producers are granted licenses to use equipment
authorized by the Trust. Everyone else is running illegal film production operations.
Director D.W. Griffith’s first film, The Adventures of Dollie, debuts in New York.
1909 When the show she is performing in folds and Belasco cannot guarantee future roles,
Pickford is pushed by her mother to find work in film. She goes to Biograph Studios in
New York and watts for an interview with D.W. Griffith. She sees film acting as a step
down, but her family’s financial need leaves her little choice. She joins Biograph, earning
a salary of $100 a week ($2325 in 2008 dollars). With the quick production timetables of
the era, she will act in dozens of short films, including a 1911 piece, The Dream, with costar Owen Moore.
1911 January 7: Pickford marries Owen Moore. Her mother disapproves of Moore; Pickford
feels compelled to hide the marriage from her family and the public for several months.
1912
1913
1914
1915
1916
1917
1918
1919
1920
1921
1923
February11: The first issue of Motion Picture Story Magazine is published, and its
competitor, Photoplay, appears soon after, signalling the birth of fan culture. Photoplay
will vote Pickford “Number One actress of the Year 15 times.”
July 12: New York society elites attend the premiere of Queen Elizabeth, a film starring
Sarah Bernhardt, at the Lyceum Theatre. The event helps extend film’s reach to the
upper class.
The New York Hat is released. It is the 70th – and last – film Pickford will make for
Biograph and D.W. Griffith.
William Fox establishes the Fox Film Foundation, which becomes one of Hollywood’s
foremost studios.
Adolph Zukor woos Mary Pickford for his company, Famous Players, at $500 a week
(over $10,870 in 2008 dollars). She is 21 and the highest paid actress in the world.
A British born actor Charlie Chaplin, lands his first film contract in the U.S. with Keystone
Studios.
Pickford stars in Tess of the Storm Country, her fifth feature, and first in a series for
Famous Players. Her celebrity hits extravagant new levels following films like Tess and
Rags, as she portrays a new type of heroine, feisty and independent.
The US Government orders the Motion Picture Patents Company disbanded due to trade
violations.
Griffith’s controversial Birth of a Nation stuns audiences with its inflammatory social
commentary and revolutionary film techniques.
Adolph Zukor’s Famous Players Film Company renews Pickford’s salary to record
$10,000 a week (over $196,000 in 2008 dollars).
Griffith’s second masterwork, Intolerance, is released in theaters to counter controversy
over his earlier film, Birth of a Nation.
American enters World War 1. Pickford tours the US with Fairbanks, Chaplin and Marie
Dressler to support America’s involvement. Demand for motion pictures increases as
Americans seek an escape during war time.
Pickford, at age 25, stars in the popular Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm and the Poor Little
Rich Girl, playing young girls in both features.
November: World War I ends.
Pickford stuns audiences with her dramatic acting in Stella Maris. Some critics say the
film is her best work.
January 1: Prohibition begins. The Eighteenth Amendment is ratified, placing a
nationwide ban on the manufacture and transportation of intoxicating beverages.
Pickford, along with actors Douglas Fairbanks and Charlie Chaplin, and director D.W.
Griffith, form United Artists to produce and distribute their own films.
Pickford stars in Daddy-Long-Legs, her first film as an independent producer.
March 28: Pickford and Fairbanks both divorce their spouses so they can marry. Their
marriage is hailed as “the marriage of the century” and the public embraces them as
Hollywood royalty. The couple resides in southern California, in a spacious former
hunting lodge the press calls “Pickfair.” Over the years, it will serve as a gathering place
for politicians, journalists, artists and foreign diplomats.
United Artists releases Pollyanna, with Pickford playing the lead; it grosses $1.1 million
($11.7 million in 2008 dollars).
Pickford plays both a young boy and his mother in the screen version of Little Lord
Fauntleroy. The movie is a box office success. Critics and fans alike commend the
innovative cinematography and Pickford’s pleasing performances.
Warner Brothers, one of the first large film studios, is founded.
Rosita, collaboration between Pickford and German director Ernst Lubitsch, makes over
a million dollars and plays to more sophisticated audiences.
1924
1926
1927
1928
1929
1930
1931
1932
1933
1934
1936
1937
Columbia and Metro Goldwyn (later named Metro Goldwyn Mayer, M.G.M.) are
established, joining Warner Brothers as major players in the growing film business.
Warner Brothers releases Don Juan, the first film to feature sound effects and music.
With this film, the industry initiates a shift towards talkies, which will turn the silent film
industry upside down.
The National Broadcasting Corporation is established as a radio network.
Pickford departs from her usual upbeat roles to star in Sparrows, a dark film climaxing
with an exciting escape scene in which Pickford helps captive children escape from a
“baby farm.”
Pickford stars in My Best Girl with her future husband Buddy Rogers. It will be her last
silent film.
Pickford and Fairbanks help found the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
The Jazz Singer is released, with Al Jolson in the starring role. The first film to feature
talking and singing, it electrifies the industry.
May 20: Charles Lindbergh makes the first solo flight across the Atlantic, travelling from
New York to Paris in 33-1/2 hours.
September 7: Philo Farnsworth, an inquisitive Utah boy, conceives of television.
Pickford’s mother Charlotte dies of breast cancer. The event leaves Pickford devastated
and she cuts off her famous curls in front of journalists. The story makes the front page
of the New York Times.
Radio-Keith Orpheum (R.K.O.) joins the ranks of the major Hollywood studios. The
company is created in the merger of the Radio Corporation of America (R.C.A.), Film
Booking Office (F.B.O.) and Keith-Albee-Orpheum, a major Vaudeville corporation.
Hollywood is valued as a $65 million industry with more than 300,000 employees.
October 29: The stock market crash on Black Tuesday leaves millions of Americans
penniless and devastated. The Great Depression follows, casting a grim shadow over
America.
Pickford appears in her first talkie, Coquette. The sound quality is shaky, but the film
does well at the box offices, grossing $1.4 million ($17.5 million in 2008).
Pickford and Fairbanks star together in The Taming of the Shrew. It is a misguided effort
to bolster their stardom, and the film is not a box office success.
April 3: Pickford receives an Academy Award for her performance in Coquette. Unable
to make the transition to the talkies, she will find her star on the wane.
Pickford stars in the film musical Kiki, which is the biggest flop of all her films.
Franklin D. Roosevelt becomes the 32nd president and introduces the “New Deal” to
help Americans recover from the Depression.
Adolph Hitler becomes Germany’s chancellor.
Pickford stars in her last film, Secrets, (her best sound film with good reviews) but which
loses money at the box office.
January 2: Pickford’s brother Jack dies from various health problems.
Prohibition ends in America.
Pickford begins a string of radio ventures with the Mary Pickford Stock Radio Company.
Critics pan her screen and stage adaptations for radio and Pickford takes a break from
the airwaves until 1936, when she hosts Parties at Pickfair, a radio program providing
celebrity gossip from Pickfair events. The show dwells in the ratings cellar, driving
Pickford away from radio until the 1940s.
December 9: Pickford’s sister Lottie dies of a heart attack.
January 10: Under the strain of two faltering public careers, the “marriage of the century”
ends in divorce. Though Pickford and Fairbanks retain strong feelings for each other,
they will both remarry.
June 24: Pickford marries Buddy Rogers, her co-star from My Best Girl (1927).
1938
Mary Pickford Cosmetics are introduced to the market. Pickford appears in
advertisements for the new products.
1939 August: Germany and Russia sign a non-aggression pact, paving the way for Germany
to invade Poland and start World War II. The U.S. will join the Allied effort in 1941.
Pickford will host parties for the troops at Pickfair.
Dec 12: Fairbanks dies of a heart attack. Pickford is crushed.
1941 The Society of Independent Motion Picture Producers is founded by Pickford, Charlie
Chaplin, Walt Disney, Orson Welles, Samuel Goldwyn, David O. Selznick, Alexander
Korda, and Walter Wanger. The Society aims to preserve the rights of independent
producers in an industry overwhelmingly controlled by studios. Citizen Kane (1941) and
Fantasia (1940) are among the acclaimed film produced by Society members.
1943 Pickford becomes a mother at age 51. She adopts six-year-old Ronald Charles Rogers.
Less than a year later she will adopt a baby girl, Roxanne.
1945 Pickford launches Comet Pictures with Columbia Pictures’ Ralph Cohn. The company
releases Sleep, My Love (1948), one of Pickford’s strongest later productions.
1948 July 23: D.W. Griffith dies. The master filmmaker had spent the last years of life out of
step with is times and out of work.
1949 With her husband, Buddy Rogers, and a friend, Malcolm Boyd, Pickford opens PickfordRogers-Boyd, a radio and television production company with offices in New York.
1956 Pickford sells her shares in United Artists for $3 million ($23.4 million in 2008 dollars),
ending her involvement in the nearly 40 year business venture she founded.
1958 Mary Pickford Foundation, an organization that still exists today, is formed.
1965 The Cinematheque Francaise hosts a retrospective of Pickford’s films. Pickford makes a
last trip to Paris for the event, where fans rave about her work, then returns to Pickfair
and disappears from the public eye.
1976 January 10: Adolph Zukor dies at age 103.
1976
1977
1979
1999
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences presents Pickford with a lifetime
achievement award. She accepts the award from Pickfair. Audiences are shocked by
the old, almost unrecognizable Pickford wearing a wig and false eyelashes.
Charlie Chaplin dies on Christmas Day at age 88.
May 29: Pickford dies at her home at age 87, leaving a legacy of 141 short films and 52
features. Her career spanned nearly a quarter-century, but she did not act in a film for
the last 46 years of her life.
April 21: Buddy Rogers dies at age 94.
The Producers wish to thank PBS – Public Broadcasting System – for gathering this historic
chronology on Mary Pickford and the events of her time
QUOTES AND REVIEWS “MARY PICKFORD, THE MUSE OF THE MOVIES”
An actress, pioneering businesswoman, and international superstar, Mary Pickford carved out a
career that set the stage for Hollywood’s explosive growth, for a generation of empowered
women, and for a new form of celebrity. A double Oscar winner in her day, this adoring movie
portrait revisits the life and times of the woman who was “America’s Sweetheart” …and so much
more.
- Telluride Film Festival – World Premiere - 2008 Official Entry
The visual quality is often vault-perfect, and the audio-only interview material with
Pickford......offers a sense of her mental toughness and some shadings concerning her choices
and regrets. Archival interviews with Gish, Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and Pickford's third husband,
Charles "Buddy" Rogers, are colorful, and home movies and behind-the-scenes footage of
Chaplin, Fairbanks senior and even Griffith give a feel for prankish, fun-filled times at Pickfair, the
studio and on tour.
-Todd McCarthy - Variety
Making movies is no easy task and especially when you have to deal with so many different film
elements. MARY PICKFORD, THE MUSE OF THE MOVIES is a wonderful film and both a
fascinating look at the development and growth of Hollywood and a surprising reminder of the
power Ms. Pickford gained in those early years.
- Gary Meyer – Co-Director Telluride Film Festival.
A truly miraculous achievement is bringing Mary “really” to life through the way the film uses her
actual recorded voice from restored audio interviews. She is not just the subject of the film, but
very much its centre and main participant. It is a true posthumous autobiographical documentary.
- David Robinson, Director - “Pordenone International Film Festival” - European Premiere “Mary Pickford: The Muse of the Movies" is a wonderful, heartfelt film that evokes a special time
in the history of cinema.
-Ken Burns, - Documentary Filmmaker - Florentine Films - Walpole, New Hampshire
"This evocative film provides a rich and rounded portrait of Mary Pickford, whose significance in
the history of film cannot be overstated. It's especially interesting to revisit key moments in
Pickford's life and career through her own words.
-Leonard Maltin, film critic (Entertainment Tonight), and movie historian.
I was blown away at the wealth of vintage images and rare footage in the film. The movie really
recreates the feel of Pickford’s world.
-Robert W. Butler, Film Reviewer, Kansas City Star
If anything proves the adage “art transcends the ages” it is the film work of Mary Pickford.
Watching “Mary Pickford, The Muse Of The Movies” it is easy to forget about time, and no longer
be aware of the intervening decades. This film connects Mary’s world with ours. It is not a just
story about yester year, but a story that lives right now, as you watch it. I was amazed by Mary’s
insights, wisdom, and clarity she brings, not only to her work, but her own personal life as well.
This documentary solidifies the fact that Mary Pickford and her films are never-ending and will live
forever.
- John C. Tibbetts, Author, Film Professor, and Historian.
CREDITS
CAST - Featured artists (as themselves)
Mary Pickford
Charles Buddy Rogers
Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.
Lillian Gish
Amelia Earhart
Douglas Fairbanks, Sr.
Charlie Chaplin
D.W. Griffith
Adolph Zukor (founder of Paramount Studios)
Roxanne Monroe (Mary Pickford’s daughter)
Michael York (narrator)
Walt Disney
Lionel Barrymore
Mack Sennett
CREW - MAIN TITLE CREDITS:
Earthlight, A Motion Picture Company and White Castle Productions present
Mary Pickford, The Muse of the Movies
Edited and Directed by Nicholas Eliopoulos
Produced by Elizabeth Wood Coldicutt and Nicholas Eliopoulos
Executive Producers: Thomas D. Coldicutt Jr., Stephen P. Jarchow, Paul Colichman
Written by Janelle Balnicke
Narrated by Michael York, along with the original voice of Mary Pickford
Interviews photographed by M. David Mullens and Joe Mustacchi
Original Music Score by David Michael Frank
Titles and Graphics by Adrienne Humphreys
Production entities: Earthlight, White Castle Productions, in collaboration with The Mary Pickford
Foundation, Museum of Modern Art New York, George Eastman House, Library of Congress,
International Documentary Association, Caroline Victoria Coldicutt Foundation for the Arts
Billing Block:
A HERE FILMS RELEASE OF AN EARTHLIGHT, A MOTION PICTURE COMPANY
AND WHITE CASTLE PRODUCTIONS PRESENTATION IN ASSOCIATION WITH HERE MEDIA
“MARY PICKFORD, THE MUSE OF THE MOVIES”
NARRATED BY MICHAEL YORK ALONG WITH THE ORIGINAL VOICE OF MARY PICKFORD
ORIGINAL MUSIC BY DAVID MICHAEL FRANK TITLES AND GRAPHICS BY ADRIENNE HUMPHREYS
INTERVIEWS PHOTOGRAPHED BY M. DAVID MULLENS AND JOE MUSTACCHI
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS THOMAS D. COLDICUTT, JR. STEPHEN P. JARCHOW PAUL COLICHMAN
PRODUCED BY ELIZABETH WOOD COLDICUTT AND NICHOLAS ELIOPOULOS WRITTEN BY JANELLE BALNICKE
EDITED AND DIRECTED BY NICHOLAS ELIOPOULOS
© 2008. WHITE CASTLE PRODUCTIONS, INC. AND EARTHLIGHT, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Mary Pickford films:
Mary Pickford’s One-Reelers: (1909-1913)
Unless otherwise indicated, D.W. Griffith directed all films.
1. The Violin Maker of
Cremona. 6/7/09.
4. Faded Lilies. 6/14/09.
2. The Lonely Villa. 6/10/09.
3. The Son's Return. 6/14/09.
5. Her First Biscuits. 6/17/09.
7. The Way of Man. 6/28/09.
10. The Cardinal's
Conspiracy. 7/12/09.
13. The Slave. 7/29/09.
16. His Wife's Visitor. 8/19/09.
8. The Necklace. 7/1/09.
11. The Renunciation. 7/19/09.
6. The Peach-Basket Hat.
6/24/09.
9. The Country Doctor. 7/8/09.
12. Sweet and Twenty.
7/22/09.
15. They Would Elope. 8/9/09.
18. Oh, Uncle! 8/26/09.
19. The Seventh Day.
8/26/09.
22. 1776 or The Hessian
Renegades. 9/6/09.
25. In Old Kentucky. 9/20/09.
28. His Lost Love. 10/18/09.
31. The Gibson Goddess.
11/2/09.
34. A Midnight Adventure.
11/18/09.
37. The Test. 12/16/09.
40. The Woman From
Mellon's. 2/3/10
43. The Thread of Destiny: A
Story of the Old Southwest.
3/7/10.
46. As It Is In Life. 4/4/10.
49. The Unchanging Sea.
5/5/10.
52. Ramona: A Story of the
White Man's Injustice to the
Indian. 5/23/10.
55. A Child's Impulse.
6/27/10.
58. Never Again! 6/30/10.
61. An Arcadian Maid. 8/1/10.
14. A Strange Meeting. 8/2/09.
17. The Indian Runner's
Romance. 8/23/09.
20. The Little Darling. 9/2/09.
23. Getting Even. 9/13/09.
26. The Awakening. 9/30/09.
29. In the Watches of the Night.
10/25/09.
32. The Restoration. 11/8/09.
35. The Mountaineer's Honor.
11/25/09.
38. To Save Her Soul.
12/27/09.
41. The Englishman and the
Girl. 2/17/10.
44. The Twisted Trail: A Story
of Fate in the Mountain Wilds.
3/24/10.
47. A Rich Revenge: A Comedy
of the California Oil Fields
4/7/10.
50. Love Among the Roses.
5/9/10.
53. In the Season of Buds.
6/2/10.
56. May and December.
6/30/10. (directed by Frank
Powell)
59. What the Daisy Said.
7/11/10.
62. When We Were In Our
21. The Sealed Room. 9/2/09.
24. The Broken Locket.
9/16/09.
27. The Little Teacher.
10/11/09.
30. What's Your Hurry?
11/1/09.
33. The Light That Came.
11/11/09.
36. The Trick That Failed.
11/29/09.
39. All on Account of the Milk.
1/15/10. (directed by Frank
Powell)
42. The Newlyweds. 3/3/10.
45. The Smoker. 3/31/10.
48. A Romance of the
Western Hills. 4/11/10.
51. The Two Brothers: In the
Days of the Padres. 5/14/10.
54. A Victim of Jealousy.
6/9/10.
57. Muggsy's First
Sweetheart. 6/30/10.
60. The Call to Arms. 7/25/10.
63. The Sorrows of the
64. Willful Peggy. 8/25/10.
67. The Masher. 10/13/10.
70. Simple Charity. 11/14/10.
73. White Roses. 12/22/10.
76. Three Sisters. 2/2/11.
Most of these films were
directed by Thomas H. Ince.
80. Maid or Man. 1/30/11.
83. While The Cat's Away.
2/9/11.
86. A Manly Man. 2/27/11.
89. In Old Madrid. 3/20/11.
92. Second Sight. 5/1/11.
95. The Master and the Man.
5/15/11.
98. In the Sultan's Garden.
7/3/11.
101. At a Quarter of Two.
7/13/11.
104. The Call of the Song.
8/13/11.
107. The Rose's Story.
10/2/11.
110. His Dress Shirt.
10/30/11.
'Teens. 8/15/10.
65. Muggsy Becomes a Hero.
9/1/10.
68. A Lucky Toothache.
10/14/10.
71. Song of the Wildwood Flute.
11/21/10.
74. When A Man Loves. 1/5/11.
77. A Decree of Destiny. 3/6/11.
78. Their First
Misunderstanding. 1/9/11.
81. At the Duke's Command.
2/6/11.
84. Her Darkest Hour. 2/13/11.
87. The Message in the Bottle.
3/9/11.
90. Sweet Memories. 3/27/11.
93. The Fair Dentist. 5/8/11.
96. The Lighthouse Keeper.
5/18/11.
99. For the Queen's Honor.
7/6/11.
102. Science. 7/24/11.
105. The Toss of a Coin.
8/31/11.
108. The Sentinel Asleep.
10/9/11.
111. From the Bottom of the
Sea. 11/20/11
The Majestic Company:
George Loane Tucker directed the first film;
the others were probably directed by Owen Moore.
112. The Courting of Mary. 11/26/11.
113. Love Heeds Not the Showers. 12/3/11.
114. Little Red Riding Hood. 12/17/11.
115. The Caddy's Dream. 12/31/11.
116. Honor Thy Father. 2/9/12.
Unfaithful. 8/22/10.
66. A Gold Necklace. 10/6/10.
69. Waiter No. 5. 11/5/10.
72. A Plain Song. 11/28/10.
75. The Italian Barber. 1/9/11.
The IMP Company:
79. The Dream. 1/23/11.
82. The Mirror. 2/9/11.
85. Artful Kate. 2/23/11.
88. The Fisher-Maid. 3/16/11.
91. The Stampede. 4/17/11.
94. For Her Brother's Sake.
5/11/11.
97. Back to the Soil. 6/8/11.
100. A Gasoline Engagement.
7/10/11.
103. The Skating Bug.
7/31/11.
106. 'Tween Two Loves.
9/28/11.
109. The Better Way.
10/12/11.
American Biograph:
Unless otherwise stated, all were directed by Griffith.
117. The Mender of Nets.
2/15/12.
120. The Female of the
Species. 4/15/12.
123. The Old Actor. 5/6/12.
126. Home Folks. 6/6/12.
129. An Indian Summer.
7/8/12.
132. With the Enemy's Help.
8/19/12.
the only film longer than one
reel among Miss Pickford's
short films.)
136. A Feud in the Kentucky
Hills. 10/3/12.
139. The Informer. 11/21/12.
118. Iola's Promise. 3/14/12.
121. Just Like a Woman.
4/18/12.
124. A Lodging for the Night.
5/9/12.
127. Lena and the Geese.
6/17/12.
130. The Narrow Road.
8/1/12.
133. A Pueblo Legend.
8/29/12.
134. Friends. 9/23/12.
137. The One She Loved.
10/21/12.
140. The New York Hat.
12/6/12.
119. Fate's Interception.
4/8/12.
122. Won By a Fish. 4/22/12.
(directed by Mack Sennett)
125. A Beast at Bay. 5/27/12.
128. The School Teacher and
the Waif. 6/27/12.
131. The Inner Circle. 8/12/12.
(A Pueblo Legend was the first
Biograph two reeler, and
135. So Near, Yet So Far.
9/30/12.
138. My Baby. 11/14/12.
141. The Unwelcome Guest.
3/15/13.
Features (1913-1933)
Famous Players (Paramount and Paramount Artcraft):
Famous Players was later called Paramount and Paramount Artcraft. The name in parentheses
following the title is that of the director.
1. In the Bishop's Carriage (Edwin S. Porter) 4 reels. 9/10/13.
Cast: David W. Hall, House Peters.
2. Caprice (J. Searle Dawley) 4 reels. 11/10/13.
Cast: Ernest Truex, Owen Moore, Louise Huff, Howard Missimer.
3. Hearts Adrift (Edwin S. Porter) 4 reels. 2/10/14.
Cast: Harold Lockwood.
4. A Good Little Devil (Edwin S. Porter) 5 reels. 3/1/14.
Cast: Ernest Truex, William Norris, Edward Connelly.
5. Tess of the Storm Country (Edwin S. Porter) 5 reels. 3/30/14.
Cast: Harold Lockwood, Olive Fuller Gordon, David Hartford.
6. The Eagle's Mate (James Kirkwood) 5 reels. 7/1/14.
Cast: James Kirkwood, Ida Waterman.
7. Such a Little Queen (Hugh Ford) 5 reels. 9/21/14.
Cast: Carlyle Blackwell, Russell Bassett, Arthur Hoops, Harold Lockwood.
8. Behind the Scenes (James Kirkwood) 5 reels. 8/26/14.
Cast: James Kirkwood, Lowell Sherman, Ida Waterman, Russell Bassett.
9. Cinderella (James Kirkwood) 4 reels. 12/28/14.
Cast: Owen Moore, Georgia Wilson.
10. Mistress Nell (James Kirkwood) 5 reels. 2/1/15.
Cast: Owen Moore, Arthur Hoops, Ruby Hoffman.
11. Fanchon, The Cricket (James Kirkwood) 5 reels. 5/10/15.
Cast: Jack Pickford, Lottie Pickford, Gertrude Norman, Jack Standing, Fred Astaire, Adele
Astaire.
12. The Dawn of a Tomorrow (James Kirkwood) 5 reels. 6/7/15.
Cast: David Powell, Forest Robinson, Robert Cain.
13. Little Pal (James Kirkwood) 5 reels. 7/1/15.
Cast: Russell Bassett, George Anderson.
14. Rags (James Kirkwood) 5 reels. 8/2/15.
Cast: Marshall Neilan, Joseph Manning, J. Farrell MacDonald.
15. Esmeralda (James Kirkwood) 4 reels. 9/6/15.
Cast: Ida Waterman, Fuller Mellish, Arthur Hoops, Charles Waldron.
16. A Girl of Yesterday (Allan Dwan) 5 reels. 10/7/15.
Cast: Gertrude Norman, Frances Marion, Jack Pickford, Donald Crisp, Marshall Neilan, Glenn
Martin.
17. Madame Butterfly (Sidney Olcott) 5 reels. 11/8/15.
Cast: Marshall Neilan, W.T. Carleton, Olive West, Caroline Harris.
18. The Foundling (John B. O'Brien) 5 reels. 1/2/16.
Cast: Edward Marindel, Maggie Weston, Mildred Morris, Marcia Harris.
19. Poor Little Peppina (Sidney Olcott) 7 reels. 3/2/16.
Cast: Eugene O'Brien, Edwin Mordant, Edith Shayne, Cesare Gravina, Jack Pickford, W.T.
Carleton.
20. The Eternal Grind (John B. O'Brien) 5 reels. 4/17/16.
Cast: John Bowers, Robert Cain, Loretta Blake, Dorothy West.
21. Hulda From Holland (John B. O'Brien) 5 reels. 7/31/16.
Cast: Frank Losee, John Bowers, Russell Bassett.
22. Less Than the Dust (John Emerson) 7 reels. 11/2/16.
Cast: David Powell, Mary Alden, Cesare Gravina, Russell Bassett.
23. The Pride of the Clan (Maurice Tourneur) 7 reels. 1/8/17.
Cast: Matt Moore, Kathryn Browne, Warren Cook.
24. The Poor Little Rich Girl (Maurice Tourneur) 6 reels. 3/5/17.
Cast: Madelaine Traverse, Charles Wellesly, Gladys Fairbanks, Frank McGlyn, Herbert Prior,
Marcia Harris.
25. A Romance of the Redwoods (Cecil B. DeMille) 7 reels. 5/14/17.
Cast: Elliott Dexter, Charles Ogle, Tully Marshall, Raymond Hatton.
26. The Little American (Cecil B. DeMille) 5 reels. 7/2/17.
Cast: Jack Holt, Hobart Bosworth, James Neil, Guy Oliver, Ben Alexander, Walter Long,
Raymond Hatton.
27. Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm (Marshall Neilan) 6 reels. 9/3/17.
Cast: Eugene O'Brien, Helen Jerome Eddy, Charles Ogle, Marjorie Daw, Josephine Crowell,
ZaSu Pitts, Wesley Barry.
28. A Little Princess (Marshall Neilan) 5 reels. 11/12/17.
Cast: ZaSu Pitts, Norman Kerry, Katherine Griffith, Anne Schaefer, Theodore Roberts, Gertrude
Hort, Gustav von Seyffertitz.
29. Stella Maris (Marshall Neilan) 6 reels. 1/21/18.
Cast: Conway Tearle, Marcia Manon, Ida Waterman, Josephine Crowell.
30. Amarilly of Clothes-line Alley (Marshall Neilan) 5 reels. 3/10/18.
Cast: Norman Kerry, Herbert Standing, William Scott, Ida Waterman, Wesley Barry, Kate Price.
31. M'Liss (Marshall Neilan) 5 reels. 5/12/18.
Cast: Theodore Roberts, Tully Marshall, Thomas Meigham, Charles Ogle, Monte Blue.
32. How Could You, Jean? (William Desmond Taylor) 5 reels. 6/23/18.
Cast: Casson Ferguson, Herbert Standing, Spottiswoode Aitken, ZaSu Pitts.
33. Johanna Enlists (William Desmond Taylor) 5 reels. 9/15/18.
Cast: Anne Schaefer, Fred Huntley, Monte Blue, Douglas MacLean,
Emory Johnson, Wallace Beery.
34. Captain Kidd, Jr. (William Desmond Taylor) 5 reels. 4/21/19.
Cast: Douglas MacLean, Robert Gordon, Spottiswoode Aitken.
First National:
35. Daddy-Long-Legs (Marshall Neilan) 7 reels. 5/12/19.
Cast: Mahlon Hamilton, Marshall Neilan, Wesley Barry.
36. The Hoodlum (Sidney Franklin) 6 reels. 9/1/19.
Cast: Max Davidson, Dwight Crittenden, Andrew Arbuckle, Ralph Lewis, Buddie Messenger.
37. Heart o' the Hills (Sidney Franklin) 6 reels. 12/1/19.
Cast: John Gilbert, Sam DeGrasse, Claire MacDowell.
United Artists:
In a bold move to create artistic independence for filmmakers, Pickford joined with Douglas
Fairbanks, Charlie Chaplin and D.W. Griffith in 1919 to form their own distribution company,
calling it United Artists.
38. Pollyanna (Paul Powell) 6 reels. 1/18/20.
Cast: William Courtleigh, Helen Jerome Eddy.
39. Suds (John Francis Dillon) 5 reels. 6/27/20.
Cast: William Austin, Theodore Roberts, and Lavender (the horse).
40. The Love Light (Frances Marion) 7 reels. 1/9/21.
Cast: Fred Thompson, Evelyn Dumo, Raymond Bloomer.
41. Through the Back Door (Alfred E. Green and Jack Pickford) 6 reels. 5/17/21.
Cast: Gertrude Astor, Elinor Fair, Wilfred Lucas, John Harron, Adolphe Menjou, Peaches
Jackson.
42. Little Lord Fauntleroy (Alfred E. Green and Jack Pickford) 10 reels. 9/16/21.
Cast: Claude Gillingwater, Kate Price.
43. Tess of the Storm Country (John S. Robertson) 10 reels. 11/12/22.
Cast: Lloyd Hughes, Gloria Hope, Jean Hersholt.
44. Rosita (Ernst Lubitsch) 9 reels. 9/3/23.
Cast: George Walsh, Holbrook Blinn, Irene Rich, George Periolat.
45. Dorothy Vernon of Haddon Hall (Marshall Neilan) 10 reels. 5/25/24.
Cast: Allan Forrest, Anders Randolph, Clare Eames, Estelle Taylor, Lottie Pickford, Marc
McDermott.
46. Little Annie Rooney (William Beaudine) 10 reels. 9/18/25.
Cast: William Haines, Gordon Griffith, Carlo Schipa, Vola Vale.
47. Sparrows (William Beaudine) 9 reels. 9/26/26.
Cast: Gustav von Seyffertitz, Mary Louise Miller, Roy Stewart.
48. My Best Girl (Sam Taylor) 9 reels. 11/13/27.
(Ms. Pickford's last silent film)
Cast: Charles "Buddy" Rogers, Hobart Bosworth, Mack Swain, Lucien Littlefield.
49. Coquette (Sam Taylor) 9 reels. 3/30/29.
Cast: John Mack Brown, George Irving, Louise Beavers, Matt Moore.
50. The Taming of the Shrew (Sam Taylor) 8 reels. 10/26/29.
Cast: Douglas Fairbanks, Geoffrey Wardwell, Dorothy Jordan, Clyde Cook.
51. Kiki (Sam Taylor) 10 reels. 3/14/31.
Cast: Reginald Denny, Margaret Livingston.
52. Secrets (Frank Borzage) 9 reels. 3/16/33.
Cast: Leslie Howard, C. Aubrey Smith, Blanche Frederici, Ned Sparks, Ethel Clayton, Bessie
Barriscale
Other than the starring roles in feature length films, Ms. Pickford also made several screen
appearances during her film career. In 1918, she appeared in the World War I bond-selling
propaganda films: 100% American and War Relief. In Douglas Fairbanks' production of The
Gaucho (1927), Ms. Pickford had a brief appearance as the Madonna. In another of Fairbanks’
films, The Black Pirate (1926), Mary donned a black wig and stood in for Billie Dove whom was
forced to leave the picture during the last few days of shooting due to prior commitments. Ms.
Pickford was shot from behind and over-the-shoulder, and her face was never seen on the
screen.
About Here Films
Here Films, the acquisition and distribution division of Here Media, Inc., is dedicated to
showcasing quality independent films; distributing powerful and thought-provoking world cinema;
and nurturing innovative, emerging filmmakers.
Here Films releases 8-12 films per year, which include co-productions and acquired titles. Recent
and upcoming releases include Academy Award® winner “Departures,” the historical dramas
“The Little Traitor” starring Alfred Molina and “Eichmann” starring Thomas Kretschmann, awardwinning comedy “Patrik, Age 1.5,” Cannes Fortnight winner “I Killed My Mother,” Kenneth
Branagh’s made for cinema opera “The Magic Flute,” Berlin Silver Bear winner “About Elly,” 2009
Sundance entry “Zion and His Brother” and 2009 Berlin entry “El Niño Pez.”
About Here Media
Here Media, Inc. produces and distributes niche content across all platforms worldwide. Here
Media’s iconic brands distribute gay media and world cinema programming with universal,
humanistic appeal. Its distribution platforms include theaters, television, VOD, broadband, online,
print and mobile. It earns subscription, advertising and licensing revenue from its award-winning
content.
Here Media owns and operates a variety of media assets including:
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Here Studios, a full service motion picture studio.
Here Films, a motion picture distribution company.
here! Networks, a premium television network featuring programming that appeals to a gay and
lesbian audience airing in 96 of the top 100 US markets, including every top 10 market.
Iconic print brands including Out, Advocate and HIV Plus, as well as Alyson Books.
Online properties including Gay.com, Planetout.com, Advocate.com, Out.com and SheWired.com
which provide broadband video and social networking.
Paul Colichman is Chief Executive Officer of Here Media and Stephen P. Jarchow is Chairman.
Together, they have produced and/or distributed over 200 motion pictures including Academy
Award® winners “Gods and Monsters” and “Departures.”