Charles Brabin
Encyclopedia
Charles J. Brabin was an American
film director
and screenwriter
. He was active during the silent era
, then pursued a short-lived career in talkies
.
Born in Liverpool, England, he was educated at St. Francis Xavier College
. Brabin sailed to New York
in the early 1900s and, while holding down odd jobs there, he tried his hand as a stage actor. He joined the Edison Company around 1908, first acting then writing then directing. His last film was A Wicked Woman for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
in 1934.
Brabin wed silent-film "vamp" star Theda Bara
in 1921, remaining married to her until her death from abdominal cancer
in April 1955 and becoming one of the rare long-lasting Hollywood marriages.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
and screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
. He was active during the silent era
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
, then pursued a short-lived career in talkies
Sound film
A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decades would pass before sound motion pictures were made commercially...
.
Born in Liverpool, England, he was educated at St. Francis Xavier College
St. Francis Xavier's College (Liverpool)
St. Francis Xavier's College is a Roman Catholic secondary school and sixth form college located in Woolton, Liverpool, England. Year 7 to Year 11 are male only, whereas the Sixth Form are coeducational....
. Brabin sailed to New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
in the early 1900s and, while holding down odd jobs there, he tried his hand as a stage actor. He joined the Edison Company around 1908, first acting then writing then directing. His last film was A Wicked Woman for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. is an American media company, involved primarily in the production and distribution of films and television programs. MGM was founded in 1924 when the entertainment entrepreneur Marcus Loew gained control of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures Corporation and Louis B. Mayer...
in 1934.
Brabin wed silent-film "vamp" star Theda Bara
Theda Bara
Theda Bara , born Theodosia Burr Goodman, was an American silent film actress – one of the most popular of her era, and one of cinema's earliest sex symbols. Her femme fatale roles earned her the nickname "The Vamp" . The term "vamp" soon became a popular slang term for a sexually predatory woman...
in 1921, remaining married to her until her death from abdominal cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
in April 1955 and becoming one of the rare long-lasting Hollywood marriages.
Selected filmography
- What Happened to Mary (1912, 12-episode serial)
- An Unsullied Shield (1913)
- The Man Who DisappearedThe Man Who DisappearedThe Man Who Disappeared was a 1914 American drama film serial directed by Charles Brabin. The film is considered lost.-Cast:* Marc McDermott - John Perriton* Herbert Yost - Nelson Wales * Miriam Nesbitt - Mary Wales...
(serial, 1914) - The RavenThe Raven (1915 film)The Raven is a stylized silent 1915 movie biography of Edgar Allan Poe starring Henry B. Walthall as Poe. The movie was written and directed by Charles Brabin from a novel and play by George Cochran Hazelton.-Plot summary:...
(1915) - Kathleen Mavourneen (1919)
- While New York SleepsWhile New York SleepsBold text'While New York Sleeps is a crime drama produced by Fox Film Corporation and directed by Charles Brabin, then husband of Theda Bara. The film tells three distinct episodic stories using the same actors, Estelle Taylor and Marc McDermott...
(Now I'll TellNow I'll TellNow I'll Tell is a 1934 American drama film starring Spencer Tracy, Helen Twelvetrees, and Alice Faye. The film was directed and written by Edwin J. Burke and is based on a novel by Mrs. Arnold Robinson. The film is about a gambler who gets in trouble with the mob by fixing fights and loses his...
) (1920) - So BigSo Big (1924 film)So Big is a 1924 silent film based on Edna Ferber's novel of the same name. It was produced by independent producer Earl Hudson the film was distributed through Associated First National...
(1924) - Ben-HurBen-Hur (1925 film)Ben-Hur is a 1925 silent film directed by Fred Niblo. It was a blockbuster hit for newly merged Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. This was the second film based on the novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ by Lew Wallace...
(1925, uncredited) - Twinkletoes (1926)
- Valley of the Giants (1927)
- The Bridge of San Luis ReyThe Bridge of San Luis Rey (1929 film)The Bridge of San Luis Rey is a film released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in both silent and part-talkie versions. The was film directed by Charles Brabin and starred Lili Damita and Don Alvarado...
(1929) - The Ship from Shanghai (1929)
- Sporting BloodSporting BloodSporting Blood is a 1931 American MGM sports drama film directed by Charles Brabin. The film stars Clark Gable , Ernest Torrence and Madge Evans.-Plot:...
(1931) - The Beast of the CityThe Beast of the CityThe Beast of the City is a 1932 pre-Code gangster movie featuring cops as vigilantes and known for its singularly vicious ending. Written by W.R...
(1932) - The Mask of Fu ManchuThe Mask of Fu ManchuThe Mask of Fu Manchu is a Pre-Code adventure film released in 1932, featuring Boris Karloff as Fu Manchu and Myrna Loy as his daughter. The movie revolves around Fu Manchu's quest for the sword and mask of Genghis Khan. Lewis Stone plays his nemesis...
(1932) - Rasputin and the EmpressRasputin and the EmpressRasputin and the Empress is a 1932 film about Imperial Russia starring the Barrymore siblings—John , Ethel , and Lionel Barrymore . It is the only film in which all three appeared together...
(1932) - Stage MotherStage Mother (film)Stage Mother is a 1933 American musical drama. A backstage musical, the film follows the story of Kitty Lorraine, a frustrated vaudeville performer who pushes her daughter into becoming a star dancer. Selfishness, deceit and blackmail drive mother and daughter apart until a last-reel reconciliation...
(1933)