David Horsley
Encyclopedia
David Horsley was an English
born pioneer of the movie industry who built the first movie studio
in Hollywood.
Born in West Stanley, Durham
, England
, a small coal mining village where his entire family worked in the mines. At age nine, he fell on the railway tracks and his hand was badly injured when the train ran over it. Without proper medical care, and fearful of deadly gangrene poisoning, his arm was amputated about two inches below the elbow.
In 1884, the family emigrated to the United States
, settling in Bayonne, New Jersey
where as a young man he built a bicycle business and ran a pool hall. It was then that he met a former employee of Biograph Studios
, Charles Gorman, and along with his brother William Horsley (1870–1956), they formed the Centaur Film Company
. By 1910 their operation was producing three movies a week, including the Mutt and Jeff comedies.
David and William Horsely, along with other movie independents
, succeeded in defeating the monopolistic hold on the industry of Thomas Edison's
Motion Picture Patents Company
. However, weather conditions on the east coast made filming an uncertain proposition because camera technology at the time relied on sunshine. Frustrated, and realizing that California
afforded the opportunity to make films year round, David Horsley moved his operations to the west coast.
The first motion picture ever filmed in Hollywood was taken on October 26, 1911 in the orchards of H J Whitley's estate. Although the movie never really had a name it is a true piece of Hollywood history. In the fall of 1911, the Nestor Motion Picture Company
opened the first motion picture studio in Hollywood in the Blondeau Tavern building at the corner of Sunset Boulevard
and Gower Street. With Horsley was Al Christie
who served as General Manager and in charge of Christie Comedies plus Charles Rosher
who lent his expertise as the studio's full-time cameraman. Other east coast films companies recognized Horsley's advantage and quickly followed his lead.
In May 1912, the Universal Film Company
was formed and David Horsley and other small studios merged, each accepting shares in Universal as payment for their business. Horsley received $175,000 in preferred stock and $204,000 in common stock in the new Universal Film Company and was also appointed the company's treasurer. However, the peaceful merger soon turned sour and in 1913 Horsley sold his interest to Carl Laemmle
. A wealthy man, David Horsley travelled to his birthplace and around Europe
.
After returning to California, and investing in a failed exotic animal show, David Horsley went back into the motion picture business with David Horsley Studios and using the animals from the failed show, established the Bostock Jungle Films Company. By the spring of 1917, he had outfitted his new operations in Los Angeles at Main and Washington streets however a series of setbacks cost Horsley his entire fortune and left him in debt.
David Horsley died in Los Angeles
. He is interred in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery
, Hollywood.
His son, David Stanley Horsley (1906–1976), trained as a cinematographer and became an expert in special effects photography, working in the film industry for nearly thirty years.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
born pioneer of the movie industry who built the first movie studio
Movie studio
A movie studio is a term used to describe a major entertainment company or production company that has its own privately owned studio facility or facilities that are used to film movies...
in Hollywood.
Born in West Stanley, Durham
Durham
Durham is a city in north east England. It is within the County Durham local government district, and is the county town of the larger ceremonial county...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, a small coal mining village where his entire family worked in the mines. At age nine, he fell on the railway tracks and his hand was badly injured when the train ran over it. Without proper medical care, and fearful of deadly gangrene poisoning, his arm was amputated about two inches below the elbow.
In 1884, the family emigrated to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, settling in Bayonne, New Jersey
Bayonne, New Jersey
Bayonne is a city in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. Located in the Gateway Region, Bayonne is a peninsula that is situated between Newark Bay to the west, the Kill van Kull to the south, and New York Bay to the east...
where as a young man he built a bicycle business and ran a pool hall. It was then that he met a former employee of Biograph Studios
Biograph Studios
Biograph Studios was a studio facility and film laboratory complex built in 1912 by the Biograph Company, formerly American Mutoscope and Biograph Company, at 807 E. 175th Street, in the Bronx, New York....
, Charles Gorman, and along with his brother William Horsley (1870–1956), they formed the Centaur Film Company
Centaur Film Company
Centaur Film Company - Nestor Studios merged with Universal Studios in 1912.-Formation:David Horsley met a former employee of Biograph Studios, Charles Gorman, and along with his brother William Horsley , they formed the Centaur Film Company in a converted store.By 1910, their operation was...
. By 1910 their operation was producing three movies a week, including the Mutt and Jeff comedies.
David and William Horsely, along with other movie independents
Independent film
An independent film, or indie film, is a professional film production resulting in a feature film that is produced mostly or completely outside of the major film studio system. In addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies, independent films are also produced...
, succeeded in defeating the monopolistic hold on the industry of Thomas Edison's
Thomas Edison
Thomas Alva Edison was an American inventor and businessman. He developed many devices that greatly influenced life around the world, including the phonograph, the motion picture camera, and a long-lasting, practical electric light bulb. In addition, he created the world’s first industrial...
Motion Picture Patents Company
Motion Picture Patents Company
The Motion Picture Patents Company , founded in December 1908, was a trust of all the major American film companies , the leading film distributor and the biggest supplier of raw film stock, Eastman Kodak...
. However, weather conditions on the east coast made filming an uncertain proposition because camera technology at the time relied on sunshine. Frustrated, and realizing that California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
afforded the opportunity to make films year round, David Horsley moved his operations to the west coast.
The first motion picture ever filmed in Hollywood was taken on October 26, 1911 in the orchards of H J Whitley's estate. Although the movie never really had a name it is a true piece of Hollywood history. In the fall of 1911, the Nestor Motion Picture Company
Nestor Studios
The Nestor Motion Picture Company was a motion picture studio/production company located in Bayonne, New Jersey, and Hollywood, California, which was owned and operated by David Horsley and his brother, William Horsley....
opened the first motion picture studio in Hollywood in the Blondeau Tavern building at the corner of Sunset Boulevard
Sunset Boulevard
Sunset Boulevard is a street in the western part of Los Angeles County, California, that stretches from Figueroa Street in downtown Los Angeles to the Pacific Coast Highway at the Pacific Ocean in the Pacific Palisades...
and Gower Street. With Horsley was Al Christie
Al Christie
Al Christie was a Canadian-born motion picture director, producer and screenwriter.-Career:Born Alfred Ernest Christie, in London, Ontario, Canada, he was one of a number of Canadian pioneers in early Hollywood who made their way to Hollywood, California, attracted by the newly developing motion...
who served as General Manager and in charge of Christie Comedies plus Charles Rosher
Charles Rosher
Charles Rosher, A.S.C. was a two-time Academy Award-winning cinematographer who worked from the early days of silent films through the 1950s...
who lent his expertise as the studio's full-time cameraman. Other east coast films companies recognized Horsley's advantage and quickly followed his lead.
In May 1912, the Universal Film Company
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
was formed and David Horsley and other small studios merged, each accepting shares in Universal as payment for their business. Horsley received $175,000 in preferred stock and $204,000 in common stock in the new Universal Film Company and was also appointed the company's treasurer. However, the peaceful merger soon turned sour and in 1913 Horsley sold his interest to Carl Laemmle
Carl Laemmle
Carl Laemmle , born in Laupheim, Württemberg, Germany, was a pioneer in American film making and a founder of one of the original major Hollywood movie studios - Universal...
. A wealthy man, David Horsley travelled to his birthplace and around Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
.
After returning to California, and investing in a failed exotic animal show, David Horsley went back into the motion picture business with David Horsley Studios and using the animals from the failed show, established the Bostock Jungle Films Company. By the spring of 1917, he had outfitted his new operations in Los Angeles at Main and Washington streets however a series of setbacks cost Horsley his entire fortune and left him in debt.
David Horsley died in Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
. He is interred in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery
Hollywood Forever Cemetery
Hollywood Forever Cemetery, originally called Hollywood Memorial Park Cemetery, is one of the oldest cemeteries in Los Angeles, California. It is located at 6000 Santa Monica Boulevard in the Hollywood...
, Hollywood.
His son, David Stanley Horsley (1906–1976), trained as a cinematographer and became an expert in special effects photography, working in the film industry for nearly thirty years.