J. Searle Dawley: Difference between revisions

'''James Searle Dawley''' (October 4, 1877 &ndash; March 30, 1949) was an [[United States|American]] [[film director]], producer, [[screenwriter]], stage actor, and [[playwright]]. Between 1907 and the mid-1920s, while working for [[Edison Studios|Edison]], [[Rex Motion Picture Company]], [[Famous Players Film Company|Famous Players]], [[Fox Film|Fox]], and other studios, he directed more than 300 [[short film]]s and 56 [[Feature film|features]], which include many of the early releases of stars such as [[Douglas Fairbanks]], [[Mary Pickford]], [[Pearl White]], [[Marguerite Clark]], [[Harold Lloyd]], and [[John Barrymore]].<ref>[httphttps://archive.org/details/filmdaily3134newy/page/n241/mode/2up "J. Searle Dawley"], career profile, ''The Film Daily'' (New York, N.Y.), June 7, 1925, p. 71. [[Internet Archive]], San Francisco, California. Retrieved July 28, 2020.</ref><ref name="Katz">Katz, Ephraim; revised edition by Fred Klein and Ronald Dean Nolan. "Dawley, J. Searle." ''The Film Encyclopedia''. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, Inc., 2001, p. 340. {{ISBN|0-06-273755-4}}.</ref> He also wrote [[screenplay|scenarios]] for many of his productions, including one for his 1910 horror film ''[[Frankenstein (1910 film)|Frankenstein]]'', the earliest known screen adaptation of [[Mary Shelley]]'s 1818 novel.<ref name="PicartSmoot2001">{{cite book|last1=Picart|first1=Caroline Joan|last2=Smoot|first2=Frank|last3=Blodgett|first3=Jayne|title=The Frankenstein Film Sourcebook|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3f820XIzkN8C&pg=PA87|year=2001|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|isbn=978-0-313-31350-9|pages=86–87}}</ref> While film direction and screenwriting comprised the bulk of Dawley's career, he also had earlier working experience in theater, performing on stage for more than a decade and managing every aspect of [[stagecraft]]. Dawley wrote at least 18 plays as well for [[Repertory theatre|repertory companies]] and for several [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] productions.<ref name="IBDB">[httphttps://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/j-searle-dawley-395529 "J. Searle Dawley"], [[Internet Broadway Database]] (IBDB), The Broadway League, Manhattan, New York. Retrieved July 23, 2020.</ref>

Born in Colorado in May 1877, Dawley was the youngest of three sons of Angela (née Searle) and James Andres Dawley. Young "Jay" obtained his elementary education in Denver, continued his public schooling there through the eighth grade, and later attended the Scott Saxton College of Oratory, also located in Denver.<ref name="1916MPN">[httphttps://archive.org/details/motionpicturestu00moti/page/108/mode/2up?q=Dawley "Motion Picture Studio Directory"], "DAWLEY, J. Searle", ''[[Motion Picture News]]'' (New York, N.Y.), October 21, 1916, pp. 108. Internet Archive. Retrieved August 4, 2020.</ref>{{efn|In both the United States Census of 1930 and 1940, which are referenced in this article, Dawley stated that the highest level of education he attained was the eighth grade.}} According to his physical description recorded on his 1918 military registration card, Dawley as a child permanently lost sight in his right eye, an impairment that no doubt posed additional challenges for him later as a stage performer and as a film director, especially in composing scenes on sets and on location.<ref name="WWIReg"/>{{efn|The cause of Dawley's blindness in his right eye is not specified in available records. A closer inspection of Dawley's portrait (c. 1919) featured on this page shows that his eyes are noticeably set in different positions.}}

On September 9, 1895, at the age of 17, Dawley performed professionally on stage for the first time at the [[Grand Opera House (Manhattan)|Grand Opera House]] in New York City, cast as François in the [[Lewis Morrison|Lewis Morrison Company]]'s production of ''[[Richelieu (play)|Richelieu]]''.<ref name="Slide1">Slide, Anthony. [httphttps://archive.org/details/aspectsofamerica0000slid/page/40/mode/2up "Forgotten Early Directors"], ''Aspects of American Film History Prior to 1920''. Metuchen, New Jersey and London: 1978, p. 40. Internet Archive. Retrieved July 29, 2020.</ref> It was at that time when Morrison, the head of the theatrical group, urged the young actor to stop using his nickname "Jay" Dawley as a performer and to choose a better, more distinguished credit for the company's cast listings. Dawley heeded the advice and began emphasizing and consistently using his middle name, which was his mother's maiden name, "Searle".<ref name="Slide1"/> Three years later, now billed as J. Searle Dawley, he was serving as stage manager for Morrison while still performing in several of the company's most popular presentations such as ''Faust'', ''Yorick's Love'', ''Master of Ceremonies'', and ''Frederick the Great''.<ref name="Lowery">Lowery, Carolyn. [httphttps://archive.org/details/firstonehundred00lowrgoog/page/n53/mode/2up "J. Searle Dawley"], ''The First One Hundred Noted Men and Women of the Screen''. New York: Moffat, Yard and Company, 1920, p. 40. Internet Archive. Retrieved July 30, 2020.</ref>

After experiencing some initial frustrations in his new position at Edison, Dawley quickly established himself as a reliable and prolific director for the studio. He demonstrated an ability to administer efficiently a wide range of releases for the company, often completing two or more films in a single week. Ultimately, he would direct over 200 one-reelers for Edison.<ref name="OAC">[httphttps://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/c8ng4s42/admin/#descgrp-1.2.2 "James Searle Dawley Papers"], Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Beverly Hills, California. Online Archive of California (OAC). Retrieved July 28, 2020.</ref> A few of his more notable releases during the remainder of 1907 and through 1909 include ''Cupid's Pranks'', ''[[Rescued from an Eagle's Nest]]'', ''Comedy and Tragedy'', ''[[The Boston Tea Party (1908 film)|The Boston Tea Party]]'', ''Bluebeard'', ''The Prince and the Pauper'', ''Hansel and Gretel'', an adaptation of [[Jules Verne]]'s novel ''Michael Strogoff'', as well as an adaptation of [[Johann von Goethe]]'s early nineteenth-century play ''[[Goethe's Faust|Faust]]'', a story Dawley had already performed many times on stage as a member of the Lewis Morrison Company.<ref name="Katz"/><ref>"J. Searle Dawley", American Film Institute (AFI), Los Angeles, California. Retrieved July 27, 2020.</ref> The 1908 action adventure ''[[Rescued from an Eagle's Nest]]'' is only a seven-minute film, but it is noteworthy for its special effects by Richard Murphy and for featuring an early screen performance by [[D. W. Griffith]].<ref name="silentera">[httphttps://www.silentera.com/PSFL/data/R/RescuedFromAnEaglesNes1908.html "Rescued from an Eagle's Nest" (1907)]", ''Progressive Silent Film List'', Silent Era Company, Washington State. Retrieved July 28, 2020.</ref>{{efn|D. W. Griffith's casting in ''Rescued from an Eagle's Nest'' was actually his third appearance on screen, although his previous film work was as an [[Film extra|extra]].}} In the [[Short film|short]], the future legendary director portrays a woodsman who rescues his child after the infant is carried away by an eagle.

By 1910, Dawley was directing ever-more elaborate productions for Edison, although the company resisted and would continue to resist the growing trend in the film industry to create longer motion pictures in two- and three-reel formats. Among the numerous "one-reelers" he created at that time were an adaptation of Charles Dickens' ''[[A Christmas Carol (1910 film)|A Christmas Carol]]'' (1910) and presentations of two historic naval battles: ''The Stars and Stripes'' (1910), which depicted [[John Paul Jones]]' victory over HMS ''[[HMS Serapis (1779)|Serapis]]'' in 1779, and ''[[The Battle of Trafalgar (1911 film)|The Battle of Trafalgar]]'' (1911), a portrayal of British [[Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson|Admiral Lord Nelson]]'s triumph in 1805 over a combined fleet of French and Spanish warships.<ref>[httphttps://archive.org/stream/filmindexjanjun105film#page/n587/mode/2up "Fourth of July Pictures"], ''The Film Index'' (New York, N.Y.), July 18, 1910, p. 3. Internet Archive. Retrieved July 29, 2020.</ref><ref name="TMPW2">[http://archive.org/details/moviwor09chal/page/n711/mode/2up "THE BATTLE OF TRAFALGAR (Edison)"], ''The Moving Picture World'', September 9, 1911, p. 695. Internet Archive. Retrieved July 26, 2020.</ref> Both of those productions required Dawley to oversee the creation of large maritime sets inside Edison's Bronx studio, including the construction of upper and lower decks of sailing vessels, as well as fabricating simulated views of sea battles using small-scale models and silhouettes of warships.<ref>[httphttps://archive.org/stream/nickelodeon05elec#page/14/mode/2up "Edison Photoplays and Player"], ''The Nickelodeon'', January 7, 1911, p. 14. Internet Archive. Retrieved July 30, 2020.</ref>{{efn|In the article in January 11, 1911 issue of ''The Nickelodeon'', there is a reference to the construction of the ship's deck at Edison's Bronx studio for the battle film ''Stars and Stripes'' (1910). Quarterdeck and lower deck sets, including cannon, rigging, and other ship's furnishings were modified and recycled for the production of ''The Battle of Trafalgar'', which was produced at the same site later in the year.}}

Among Dawley's most notable directorial works and screenplays in this period is his 14-minute 1910 horror "[[Silent film|photoplay]]" ''[[Frankenstein (1910 film)|Frankenstein]]'', which is the earliest known screen adaptation of [[Mary Shelley]]'s [[Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus|1818 novel]].<ref name="PicartSmoot2001"/> The production, loosely based on that "harrowing tale", was also staged and filmed in three days at Edison's Bronx facilities in mid-January 1910.<ref>[httphttps://www.loc.gov/item/2017600664/ "Frankenstein"], Film, Video Collection, [[Library of Congress]] (LOC), Washington, D.C. Retrieved August 29, 2020.</ref><ref>[http://catalog.afi.com/Film/38876-FRANKENSTEIN?sid=67c8a40e-d7db-4c6c-a44c-01239ec62309&sr=10.89436&cp=1&pos=1 "Frankenstein (1910)"]. AFI. Retrieved July 29, 2020.</ref> Copies of the film survive and showcase another special effect employed by Dawley in simulating on screen the creation of Frankenstein's monster. The burning of a [[papier-mâché]] human figure molded around a skeletal frame was filmed separately in reverse or "back-cranked" in the hand-driven camera, then that footage was spliced into the master negative for producing the final prints for release and distribution.<ref>Obrapta, Clement Tyler. [httphttps://www.filminquiry.com/edison-frankenstein-adaptation/ "Inside Thomas Edison’s FRANKENSTEIN Adaptation"], November 20, 2019, ''Film Inquiry''. Retrieved July 29, 2020.</ref>{{efn|Papier-mâché was an inexpensive, popular medium used at Edison and at other studios for fabricating all types of large and small props for film sets. Refer to Wikipedia's page about Edison's 1911 production ''[[The Battle of Trafalgar (1911 film)|The Battle of Trafalgar]]'' for references to the use of papier-mâché on set.}} The reversal of the action on the red-tinted footage produced a "creation" scene in which the monster, with its wired arms flailing, appears to form slowly and then rise from within "a [[cauldron]] of blazing chemicals". In a March 1910 issue of ''The Film Index'', an advertisement for Dawley's film describes the effect as a "photographic marvel".<ref>[httphttps://archive.org/stream/filmindexjanjun105film#page/n237/mode/2up "EDISON FILMS/. Frankenstein"], ''The Film Index'', March 12, 1910, p. 10. Internet Archive. Retrieved July 25, 2020.</ref><ref>Marrero, Robert. ''Vintage Monster Movies''. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: J.B. Lippincott Company, 1975, pp. 4, 8-11, 30.</ref>

By 1911, Dawley was one of four full-time directors under contract with Edison. The New York-based trade journal ''The Nickelodeon'' in its February 11 issue that year introduces the four men to its readers and highlights Dawley's speciality among his fellow directors:{{quote|The producers of the Edison Company, by which is meant the stage directors who superintend and are responsible for the action of the picture as well as the development of the plot used, are four in number—Messrs. J. Searle Dawley, [[Ashley Miller (director)|Ashley Miller]], C. Jay Williams and [[Oscar C. Apfel]]. A producer naturally, like any other man, develops a particular aptitude for some certain line of work. Mr. Dawley, for example, has put on some of the biggest and most sumptuous productions the Edison Company has ever produced. As specimens of his work may be mentioned "The Stars and Stripes," "Through the Clouds," "The Red Cross Seal", "Eldora, the Fruit Girl," "An Eventful Evening," "The Black Bordered Letter," "The Doctor" and "The Price of Victory."<ref>[httphttps://archive.org/stream/nickelodeon05elec#page/156/mode/2up "Producers of Edison Photoplays"], ''The Nickelodeon'', February 11, 1911, p. 157. Internet Archive. Retrieved July 30, 2020.</ref>{{efn|In the early silent era in the United States, the terms "producer" and "director" were not positions that were as clearly defined from one another as in subsequent decades. Often the terms were used synonymously and applied interchangeably in film reviews and news items about motion-picture productions. In the quoted extract from the 1911 ''Nickelodeon'' article, the writer even attempts to clarify the responsibilities of a director.}}}}

Dawley by 1912 increasingly spent more time writing screenplays and adapting scenarios for Edison, such as ''Mary Stuart'', ''Partners for Life'', and ''Charge of the Light Brigade''.<ref name="Katz"/> For the latter film, which he did direct and complete in California, he incorporated scenic footage he took while passing through [[Cheyenne, Wyoming]], when he and his company of players and crew traveled from New York to California, meandering their way across the country on an "extensive picture making tour".<ref>[httphttps://archive.org/stream/moviwor13chal#page/n345/mode/2up "Edison Players Go West"], ''The Moving Picture World'' (New York, N.Y.), July 27, 1912 p. 342. Retrieved July 27, 2020.</ref> It was at this time when Dawley tried to convince [[Thomas Edison]], the prolific inventor and head of the entire Edison corporation, to allow him to create longer films, to expand beyond the company's production of only one-reel pictures, which generally had maximum running times of just 15 minutes.<ref>Karin, Bruce F. ''How Movies Work''. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company, 1987, pp. 46-47.</ref>{{efn|According to the cited source by Karin, a full 1000-foot reel of film in the silent era had a maximum running time of 15 minutes. Silent films were usually projected at a "standard" speed of 16 frames per second, much slower than the 24 frames of later sound films.}} Edison, however, who apparently had little confidence in the attention span of moviegoers, brushed aside the experienced director's recommendation, and tersely replied, "'Dawley, the public won't sit through two reels.'"<ref name="GraceDawley">"Movies Were Better Than Ever to Film Pioneer's Wife: GRACE DAWLEY", ''Los Angeles Times'', February 18, 1966, p. C1. ProQuest.</ref>

Dawley resigned from Famous Players on May 16, 1914.<ref>[httphttps://archive.org/stream/motionp09moti#page/n887/mode/2up "J. Searle Dawley"], ''[[The Motion Picture News]]'' (New York, N.Y.), June 13, 1914, p. 73. Internet Archive. Retrieved August 11, 2020.</ref> Although he had been with that studio for only a year, the volume and quality of his work there established his reputation in the film industry as "the man who made Famous Players famous".<ref name="Variety">[httphttps://archive.org/stream/variety36-1914-10#page/n174/mode/2up "The World Film Corporation"], advertisement, ''Variety'' (New York, N.Y.), October 24, 1914, p. 27. Internet Archive. Retrieved August 6, 2020.</ref> Dawley departed Famous Players to join Frank L. Dyer and J. Parker Read, Jr. in establishing the film company [[Dyreda Art Film Corporation|Dyreda]], the name of which was formed by combining the first two letters in each man's surname. Their independent company in the fall of 1914 made arrangements with [[World Film Company|World Film Corporation]] to distribute Dyreda releases and later merged with [[Metro Pictures]].<ref name="Variety"/>

In the years prior to [[World War I]], as the motion picture industry in the United States continued to expand production and its influence on American culture, some media critics and sectors of the general public began increasingly to accuse the film industry of immoral, destructive behavior both on and off the screen. Dawley in 1915 became one of the 26 founding members of the [[Motion Picture Directors Association]] (MPDA), which was established in Los Angeles, California that year. Among the professional organization's expressed goals was "'to exert every influence to improve the moral, social and intellectual standing of all persons connected with the motion picture producing business.'"<ref name="NewHistDic">{{cite book|last=Slide|first=Anthony|title=The New Historical Dictionary of the American Film Industry|date=|publisher=London and New York: Routledge, 2013|isbn=978-1135925543|pages=131–132|url=httphttps://books.google.com/?id=KnzsAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA131&dq=%22Motion+Picture+Directors+Association%22#v=onepage&q=%22Motion%20Picture%20Directors%20Association%22&f=false|via=GoogleBooks|accessdate=12 March 2019}}</ref> The following year, on November 14, a New York chapter was created for directors on the East Coast, which for a few more years would remain the center of motion picture production until California attained that status. In addition to encouraging responsible professional and personal behavior in the film community, the MPDA also pledged in its founding principles to aid any of its "distressed members" as well as "their wives, widows and orphans."<ref name="NewHistDic"/> Dawley served as the second president of the New York chapter and remained an active and influential member of the association as the chairman of its board of trustees.<ref name="Lowery"/>

Dawley returned to Famous Players (later [[Paramount Pictures]]) in 1916, and among many other projects, he directed [[Marguerite Clark]] in a series of pictures that brought her fame in the film world second only to Mary Pickford.<ref>[httphttps://lantern.mediahist.org/catalog/variety87-1927-06_0065 "Foreign news: 'Tough for Has'-beens'."] ''Variety'' (London edition), June 8, 1927, p. 2. Retrieved August 6, 2020.</ref> Dawley's films with Clark include ''[[Mice and Men (1916 film)|Mice and Men]]'' (1916), ''[[Out of the Drifts]]'' (1916), ''[[Molly Make-Believe]]'' (1916), ''[[Silks and Satins]]'' (1916), ''[[Little Lady Eileen]]'' (1916), ''[[Miss George Washington]]'' (1916), ''[[Snow White (1916 film)|Snow White]]'' (1916), ''[[The Valentine Girl]]'' (1917), ''[[Bab's Diary]]'' (1917), ''[[Bab's Burglar]]'' (1917), ''[[Bab's Matinee Idol]]'' (1917), ''[[The Seven Swans]]'' (1917), ''[[Rich Man, Poor Man (1918 film)|Rich Man, Poor Man]]'' (1918), and ''[[Uncle Tom's Cabin (1918 film)|Uncle Tom's Cabin]]'' (1918).<ref>[httphttps://catalog.afi.com/Person/105619-Marguerite-Clark?sid=6bca6ea5-65af-483b-bef7-d3aa5edc5790&sr=10.028262&cp=1&pos=0&isMiscCredit=false "Marguerite Clark"], catalog, [[American Film Institute]] (AFI), Los Angeles, California. Retrieved August 6, 2020.</ref>

After two years with Famous Players, Dawley left the studio once again, a departure that coincided with his getting married in June 1918 and then taking several months off work for an extended honeymoon to Alaska and other locations.<ref>[httphttps://archive.org/stream/filmdailyvolume556newy#page/151/mode/2up "Back from Alaska"], ''Wid's Daily'' (New York, N.Y.), August 14, 1918, p. 1. Internet Archive. Retrieved July 30, 2020.</ref> Once he and new wife Grace returned home to New York, he began [[Freelancer|freelancing]] as a director for several years before joining Fox Films in 1921.{{efn|Dawley's 1918 military registration card documents that at that time he and his wife Grace were residing at 215 51st Street in Manhattan.}} The last [[feature film]] he directed was the drama ''Broadway Broke'' (1923), which was produced by [[Murray Garsson|Murray W. Garsson Productions]] and distributed by [[Lewis J. Selznick]].<ref name="TFD">[httphttps://archive.org/stream/filmdaily2526newy#page/n1201/mode/2up "Broadway Broke"], ''The Film Daily'', December 30, 1923, p. 9. Internet Archive. Retrieved July 28, 2020.</ref> In its December 30, 1923 review of ''Broadway Broke'', the trade paper ''The Film Daily'' judges Dawley's direction as being "particularly good", adding that he "certainly made fine use of [the] material and provided [A-1] entertainment".<ref name="TFD"/> Months later, Dawley made his final directorial works, two experimental sound shorts he did in collaboration with [[United States|American]] inventor [[Lee Deforest]]: ''Abraham Lincoln'' (1924) and ''Love's Old Sweet Song'' (1924).