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- Soundtrack
Edwin Pearce Christy was an American composer, actor and stage producer, most famous for founding the most successful black-face minstrel show of the 19th century, Christy's Minstrels. Born in Philadelphia, his career as a minstrel and singer began in Buffalo, New York, where he performed singing in the Edwin Dean Company in 1836. By 1843, the group was growing in popularity and began touring in and around upstate New York until 1846, when Christy took over management of the group. As Christy's Minstrels, they began performing in New York City at Palmo's Opera House. After performing at an 1847 benefit in Cincinnati for young songwriter Stephen Foster, the group began to specialize in performances of Foster's works and were instrumental in spreading the popularity of the songs of America's first professional songwriter. Foster even sold his song, Old Folks at Home (aka Swanee River) to Christy for his exclusive use, although this was done most likely due to Foster's ongoing financial difficulties due to the lack of enforcement of music copyrights back then. In the early to mid-1850's, Christy's Minstrels were one of the top stage attractions in New York City. Christy himself retired as a performer in 1855 but continued in entertainment, running a chain of theaters called Christy's Opera House in several cities, while his stepson George continued with the minstrel group. However, due to marriage and other personal problems, and afraid of the financial damage he was suffering due to the effects of the Civil War, on May 20, 1862, Christy committed suicide by throwing himself from a window at his residence at 78 East 18th Street in Manhattan. He died the next day from his injuries and was buried in Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn.- Soundtrack
Thomas Dunn English was born on 20 June 1819 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. Thomas Dunn was married to Ann Maxwell Mead. Thomas Dunn died on 1 April 1902 in Newark, New Jersey, USA.- Writer
- Soundtrack
Robert Lowry was born on 12 March 1826 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. He was a writer, known for The Lone Ranger (2013), Aloha (2015) and Bad Girls (1994). He died on 25 November 1899 in Plainfield, New Jersey, USA.- George B. McClellan was born on 3 December 1826 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. He died on 29 October 1885 in Orange, New Jersey, USA.
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Septimus Winner was born on 11 May 1827 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. He is known for The Handmaid's Tale (1990), I'm from the City (1938) and Hollywood Barn Dance (1947). He was married to Hannah Jane Guyer. He died on 22 November 1902 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.- Joseph Jefferson III, often known as Joe Jefferson, was an American actor. He was the third actor of this name in a family of actors and managers, and one of the most famous 19th century American comedians. Beginning as a young child, he continued as a performer for most of his 76 years. Jefferson was particularly well known for his adaptation and portrayal of Rip Van Winkle on the stage, reprising the role in several silent film adaptations. After 1865, he created no other major role and toured with this play for decades.
- Ignatius Donnelly was born on 3 November 1831 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. He died on 1 January 1901 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.
- Soundtrack
Lewis H. Redner was born on 15 December 1831 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. Lewis H. died on 29 August 1908 in Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA.- Rev. John M. Snyder was a Unitarian minister, author and playwright. After graduating with honors from the Meadville Theological School in Meadville, Pennsylvania, Rev. Snyder was ordained a pastor in 1870 at the Hingham Unitarian Church in Hingham, Massachusetts. Three years later he became pastor at the Messiah Church in St. Louis, Missouri, a post he would hold for the next 26 years. In 1899 he returned to Massachusetts to become pastor at the Wellesley Hills Unitarian Church. It was at this posting that in 1904 he wrote the play "As Ye Sow", in an attempt to reach a larger audience than he could preaching from his pulpit. The following year "As Ye Sow" was produced on stage at Boston and in 1914 released as a motion picture. Rev. John M. Snyder died on 12 August, 1914, at Nantucket, Massachusetts, after a year long battle with throat cancer. At the time of his death Rev. Snyder had been pastor of the Nantucket Unitarian Church for five years
- Frank Chapman was born on 6 May 1845 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. He was an actor, known for The Defeat of the City (1917), A Departmental Case (1917) and Carew and Son (1916). He was married to Stella F. Congden. He died on 9 January 1940 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
- John I. Beggs was born on 17 September 1847 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. He was married to Sue Elizabeth Charles. He died on 17 October 1925 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA.
- Edwin Harley was born on 17 July 1848 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. He was an actor, known for Blackbirds (1915), Treasure Island (1917) and The Wayward Son (1915). He died on 29 October 1933 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA.
- Samuel H. Ashbridge was born on 5 December 1849 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. He died in 1906.
- George Berrell (16 December 1849 - 20 April 1933) was an American actor of both the 19th and early 20th Century stage and of the silent era. He appeared in numerous stage plays as well as 55 films over the course of a career that ran from 1850 to 1927.
He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and died in Los Angeles, California.
Little can be found about George Berrell beyond brief descriptions of his film career, however, he was an important though not famous actor, stage manager and director of the 19th Century American theater, and central to the growth of the theater in St. Louis. Born to a theatrical family, he first appeared as an infant on stage at the Walnut Street Theater in Philadelphia in 1850 . As a child he earned his keep and helped support his widowed mother, an actress, by carrying costume baskets for actors in any company of which she might be a member. John Wilkes Booth was one of those, and Berrell speaks affectionately of him in his unpublished autobiography, "Theatrical and Other Reminiscsences." In his late teens and early twenties he roamed the country, often afoot, with the goal of "growing up with the country," as he put it in the autobiography. Shortly after leaving Dr. Barton's Military Academy outside of Philadelphia, he was walking south along the Missouri River when a rider approached him from behind. Dismounting, he introduced himself as Turner Tinnell and as they traveled on by walk and tie, Turner offered Berrell a job teaching school on Keg Island, a Missouri River mud flat island. Berrell accepted and taught there for a year, his students being the children of Confederate fugitives, many former members of Quantrill's Raiders and cohorts of Frank and Jesse James. Illness forced him to leave and he returned to Philadelphia where his mother nursed him back to health. Later he explored the frontier, living for a while in Laramie, Wyoming, where he describes his involvement in the arrest of a corrupt city policeman name Louis Roudepouch.
For a number of years he alternated between traveling the country and working odd jobs, in lumber camps, on the railroad, in drug stores and post offices, doing whatever work he could find. In his late twenties or early thirties he returned to the theater and stayed there until around 1915 when he retired and started working in silent pictures, a job he did not consider on a par with acting in the theater. In 1917 he appeared in John Ford's first full-length film, "Straight Shooting."
The novel, "Shadows and Acts," by Wilson Roberts based in part on Berrell's unpublished autobiography, details his adventurous life and explores the conflicts engendered by his tempestuous relationship with Booth and his life-long friendship with the actress, Catherine Terrell, as well as his pursuit by Miranda Ives, the daughter of a serpent handling preacher he first encountered while teaching on Keg Island. The novel is due to be published in 2011. - Emilie Melville was born on 19 January 1851 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. She was an actress, known for The White Sister (1915) and Illusion (1929). She was married to Thomas Derby. She died on 20 May 1932 in San Francisco, California, USA.
- Ida Waterman was born on 10 March 1852 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. She was an actress, known for Amarilly of Clothes-Line Alley (1918), The Swan (1925) and The Enchanted Cottage (1924). She was married to Joseph Francoeur and Fred Waterman. She died on 22 May 1941 in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA.
- Marie Wainwright was born on 8 May 1853 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. She was an actress, known for Secret Strings (1918), Social Hypocrites (1918) and Polly with a Past (1920). She was married to Winston Henry Slaughter, Franklyn Roberts and Louis James. She died on 17 August 1923 in Scranton, Pennsylvania, USA.
- Charles Dungan was born on 18 June 1853 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. He is known for T'Other Dear Charmer (1918), The Man Without a Country (1917) and The Beloved Blackmailer (1918).
- John Drew was born on 13 November 1853 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. He died on 9 July 1927 in San Francisco, California, USA.
- James Daly was born on 30 November 1853 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. He was an actor, known for The Road o' Strife (1915), Sorrows of Happiness (1916) and The Fortune Hunter (1914). He was married to Clara Lambert. He died on 9 November 1933 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
- Francis Wilson was born on 2 February 1854 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. He died on 7 October 1935 in New York City, New York, USA.
- William Granger was born on 24 May 1854 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. He was an actor, known for The Other Tomorrow (1930) and 6 Day Bike Rider (1934). He died on 23 December 1938 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Director
- Actor
- Writer
Jay Hunt was born on 4 August 1855 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. He was a director and actor, known for The Black Sheep of the Family (1916), What Love Can Do (1916) and The Promise (1917). He was married to Florence Hale. He died on 18 November 1932 in Los Angeles, California, USA.- Art Department
- Writer
- Additional Crew
W.W. Denslow was born on 5 May 1856 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. He was a writer, known for Billy Bounce (1963), Number 13 (1962) and The Legends of Oz (1993). He was married to Mrs. Frances G. Doolittle, Ann Waters Holden and Annie McCartney. He died on 29 March 1915 in New York City, New York, USA.- Daniel Guggenheim was born on 9 July 1856 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. He died on 28 September 1930 in Port Washington, New York, USA.
- Kate Douglas Wiggin was born on 28 September 1856 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. She was a writer, known for Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm (1938), A Bit o' Heaven (1917) and Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm (1932). She was married to George Christopher Riggs and Samuel Bradley Wiggin (lawyer). She died on 24 August 1923 in Harrow, Middlesex, England, UK.
- Frances Trego Montgomery was a prolific writer of children's stories during the early twentieth century. She is best known for her popular "Billy Whiskers" series, which were about the misadventures of a mischievous but somewhat short-tempered goat. Many children, including the future President of the United States, John F. Kennedy, loved the books--twenty-five in all--and couldn't get enough of them. Other books by Mrs. Montgomery included an early science fiction book for children called "The Wonderful Electric Elephant." She died on board the Cunard liner S.S. Franconia while on an around-the-world tour; she had planned to write a book about her travels.
- Horace Hazeltine was born on 18 March 1858 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. He was a writer, known for The Sable Lorcha (1915), The Iron Ring (1917) and Her Good Name (1917). He was married to Pearl M and Lillie Walton Dougherty. He died on 17 January 1938 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Director
- Writer
Marie Hubert Frohman was born on 19 August 1858 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. Marie Hubert was a director and writer, known for The Fairy and the Waif (1915). Marie Hubert was married to Gustave Frohman. Marie Hubert died on 4 July 1939 in Bronxville, New York, USA.- Alice Gale was born on 5 December 1858 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. She was an actress, known for Heart and Soul (1917), Camille (1917) and Sins of Men (1916). She died on 27 March 1941 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, USA.
- Julian Reed was born on 23 February 1860 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. He was an actor, known for The Parson's Button Matcher (1915), Mr. Pickwick's Predicament (1912) and The Parson's Horse Race (1915). He was married to Goodwin, Mrs. Mary Darcey. He died on 28 May 1934 in Englewood, New Jersey, USA.
- Edward Jobson was born on 29 February 1860 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. He was an actor, known for The Saphead (1920), Burning Daylight (1920) and Someone in the House (1920). He died on 7 February 1925 in San Jose, California, USA.
- Tommy West was born on 25 March 1860 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. He was an actor, known for Country Blood (1915). He was married to Ellen S. Young and Georgia Rink. He died on 28 July 1932 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
- Minnie Palmer was born on 31 March 1860 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. She was a writer, known for My Sweetheart (1918). She was married to John R. Rogers (1842-1932). She died on 21 May 1936 in Bay Shore, Long Island, New York, USA.
- Writer
- Soundtrack
Owen Wister was an American writer and historian. He is best remembered for writing The Virginian and a biography of Ulysses S. Grant. In 1898, Wister married Mary Channing, his cousin. The couple had six children. Channing died during childbirth in 1913. Their daughter, Marina Wister, married artist Andrew Dasburg in 1933. Novels: The New Swiss Family Robinson (1882), The Dragon of Wantley: His Tale (1892), Lin McLean (1897), The Virginian: A Horseman of the Plains (1902), Philosophy 4: A Story of Harvard University (1903), A Journey in Search of Christmas (1904), Lady Baltimore (1906), Padre Ignacio: or, the Song of Temptation (1911), Romney: And Other New Works about Philadelphia (written 1912-1915). Non-fiction: Ulysses S. Grant (1901), Oliver Wendell Holmes, in the "American Men of Letters Series" (1902), The Bison, Musk-Ox, Sheep, and Goat Family, with G. B. Grinnell and Caspar Whitney in the "American Sportsman's Library" (1903), Benjamin Franklin, in the "English Men of Letters Series" (1904), The Seven Ages of Washington: A Biography (1907), The Pentecost of Calamity (1915), The Aftermath of Battle: With the Red Cross in France (1916), A Straight Deal: or the Ancient Grudge (1920), Neighbors Henceforth (1922), A Monograph of the Work of Mellor Meigs & Howe (1923), Roosevelt: The Story of a Friendship, 1880-1919 (1930) The Philadelphia Club, 1834-1934 (1934).- Mary Vaux Walcott was born on 31 July 1860 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
- Boies Penrose was born on 1 November 1860 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. He died on 31 December 1921 in Washington, District of Columbia, USA.
- Edward Amet was born on 10 November 1860 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. He was a director, known for Freedom of Cuba (1898), Bombardment of Matanzas (1898) and Dynamite Cruiser 'Vesuvius' (1898). He died on 16 August 1948 in Redondo Beach, California, USA.
- William Wrigley Jr. was born on 30 September 1861 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. He was an actor, known for Catalina, Here I Come (1927). He died on 26 January 1932 in Phoenix, Arizona, USA.
- Langdon Mitchell was born on 17 February 1862 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. He was a writer, known for Becky Sharp (1935) and The New York Idea (1920). He was married to Marion Lea (actress). He died on 21 October 1935 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
- Charles Brandt born in Philadelphia in 1862. well-known stage performer from the 1880s. cheerful, white-haired gentleman who starred and supported in more than 60 movies for the Lubin Film Company from 1911, often seen as professionals or fathers in dramas and comedies, first appeared in 'His Chorus Girl Wife' directed by Harry Solter and starring Florence Lawrence in 1911, perhaps he will be best remembered in the role of Sam Graham in 'The Fortune Hunter' directed by Barry O'Neil, starring William Elliott and Ethel Clayton in 1914. in 1917 he moved to the World Film Company followed by the Betzwood Film Co in 1918 last seen in 'The Master Mind' directed by Kenneth S. Webb and starring Lionel Barrymore for the First National Film Company in 1920. died in Philadelphia in 1924 age 62
- Writer
- Additional Crew
Randolph Lewis was born on 24 April 1863 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. He was a writer, known for A Rich Man's Plaything (1917), The Soul of Satan (1917) and Miss U.S.A. (1917). He was married to Terese. He died on 3 September 1934 in Los Angeles, California, USA.- James O'Neill was born on 21 July 1863 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. He was an actor, known for The Whisper Market (1920), The Temptations of Satan (1914) and The Million Dollar Robbery (1914). He died on 8 October 1938 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Actress
Helen Dunbar was born on 10 October 1863 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. She was an actress, known for Siege (1925), Romeo and Juliet (1916) and The Squaw Man (1918). She died on 28 August 1933 in Los Angeles, California, USA.- American actress Anita Hendrie was born in Philadelphia in 1864 to physician William Scott Hendrie and M. Louise Morton. She began working in the theatre from the 1880's. Anita was a wonderful dark haired lady who appeared in at least 70 silent drama films often playing maids, mothers or wives under the direction of D.W. Griffith at the Biograph Film Co in 1908-09, making her film debut as Jessie Marshall in 'The Helping Hand' with Flora Finch in 1908. Her most notable role was as the Mother in 'The Golden Louis' starring Owen Moore in 1909.
She left the Biograph in 1909, moved to the IMP studios briefly in 1911 and won the starring role as the Mother of Don Alvarez in 'The Secret of the Palm' directed by Joseph W. Smiley and starring King Baggot. Her last screen appearance as Mrs. Bennet Allan in 'The Better Influence' with Herbert Prior at the Majestic Film Co in 1912.
Anita was married to actor/director David Miles from 1902 until his death in 1915. Anita died in Brooklyn, New York in 1940 age 76. - American journalist, novelist and playwright Richard Harding Davis was born in Philadelphia, PA, in 1864 (literary talent ran in his family: his father was a newspaper editor and his mother was a writer). He attended Lehigh University in Pennsylvania and Johns Hopkins University in Maryland, and in 1886 he began his literary career as a journalist on the "Philadelphia Record" newspaper. Three years later he went over to "The New York Sun". The next year he was hired as managing editor of "Harper's Weekly" magazine, and in that capacity traveled all over the US, Central America and the Mediterranean. He showed a facility for war coverage, reporting on the Greco-Turkish War, the Boer War in South Africa, the Cuban front of the Spanish-American War and World War I. His coverage of the German invasion of Belgium in that war brought his name to the international forefront, and was considered by many to be the quintessential example of war correspondence.
His first effort as a fiction writer, "Gallagher", was published in "Scribner's" magazine in 1890 and began his long and successful career as a writer and novelist. His second wife was stage actress Bessie McCoy, whom he married in 1912 (his first marriage lasted from 1899 to 1910), and Davis began yet a third successful career as a playwright (he wrote 25 plays altogether) and became a celebrated member of the New York City "social set". Many of his novels and plays have been made into successful films.
He died of heart disease in 1916 at his home in Mt. Kisco, NY. - Writer
- Producer
Paul Laffitte was born on 24 October 1864 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. Paul was a writer and producer, known for Mister Hobo (1935), Rothchild (1933) and The Assassination of the Duke de Guise (1908). Paul died on 29 June 1949 in Saint-Maur-des-Fossés, Val-de-Marne, France.- Barney Gilmore was born on 27 March 1865 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. He was an actor and writer, known for The Fight for Millions (1913), The Game of Three (1915) and Kelly from the Emerald Isle (1913). He was married to Mina B. Long. He died on 19 April 1949 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Victory Bateman was born on 6 April 1865 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. She was an actress, known for Tess of the D'Urbervilles (1924), A Trip to Paradise (1921) and Romeo and Juliet (1916). She was married to George Cleveland and Harry Mestayer. She died on 2 March 1926 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
- George Nash was born on 1 July 1865 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. He was an actor, known for The Jungle (1914), Yorktown (1924) and The Great Gatsby (1926). He was married to Julia Hay. He died on 30 December 1944 in Amityville, Long Island, New York, USA.