Marin Sais
Encyclopedia
Marin Sais was an American
motion picture actress whose career was most prolific during the silent film
era of the 1910s and 1920s. Sais' acting career spanned over four decades and she is possibly best recalled for appearing in Western themed films.
into a family that was allegedly descended from one of the earliest Spanish
families to settle in California, Marin Sais began her acting career as a teenager after travelling to New York City
where she appeared in vaudeville
.
In 1910, at the age of twenty, Sais made her screen debut for New York City's Vitagraph Studios
in the short film adaptation of William Shakespeare
's Twelfth Night opposite the notable actors Florence Turner
and Julia Swayne Gordon
. Sais would go on to star in a number of well-received comedy shorts for Kalem Company
opposite actors Ruth Roland
, Marshall Neilan
and Edward Coxen
. In 1911, Sais made her first appearance in a Western entitled The Ranger's Stratagem - it would become a frequent career choice for the actress and in her later career she would rarely appear in other motion picture genres.
Throughout the 1910s, Sais' career as an actress continued to build momentum and the actress showed her versatility by appearing in such varied genres as comedy shorts, Westerns, dramas, and beginning in 1915 she began appearing in a James W. Horne
directed Kalem Company Nancy Drew
-style mystery serial The Girl Detective, with such titles as: The Riddle of the Rings, The Secret Code, The Disappearing Necklace and The Vanishing Vases. Sais also continued to work under the direction of Horne in dozens of Western shorts.
when a sudden sandstorm blew in. She and the film crew were stranded for a day, unable to get to the nearest settlement. She suffered seriously from exposure but recuperated after a few days of rest in Los Angeles, California
. In 1916 she began appearing as the character Barbara Brent in a Horne directed Western series of shorts.
By 1918 Sais was a highly popular and publicly recognizable film personality and was chosen by Japanese silent film matinee idol Sessue Hayakawa
to appear opposite him in a series of film collaborations, the first being the 1918 racial drama The City of Dim Faces followed by His Birthright, released the same year and also starring Hayakawa's actress wife Tsuru Aoki
. Sais' collaboration with Hayakawa ended with the 1919 film Bonds of Honor and the same year Sais appeared with Swedish actress Anna Q. Nilsson
in the moderately successful drama The Vanity Pool.
In 1920, Sais married silent Western actor Jack Hoxie
who she met on the set of the 1916 film Tigers Unchained. It was her second marriage. The two began appearing in a number of well-received Western action and adventure films. Although the couple would divorce seven years later, Sais would rarely appear in films outside of the Western genre from 1920 onward. One notable film of the period was the Bruce M. Mitchell directed 1924 film The Hellion
, which featured British actor Boris Karloff
in one of his first prominent roles.
oaters". During the 1930s, Sais appeared in approximately twenty films - all Westerns except for an uncredited role as Mrs. Harper in 1936 cult classic
Reefer Madness
.
Sais' acting career continued throughout the 1940s and into the 1950s, often in bit parts or in uncredited roles in poorly received, low budget Westerns. Two exceptions were the popular 1945 Sam Newfield
directed Western Lightning Raiders, starring Buster Crabbe
and her role as The Duchess in the long-running 1949 Red Ryder serials starring Jim Bannon
. By the early 1950s, she made a tentative foray into the new medium of television with a guest appearance on The Lone Ranger
. Sais' last role before retirement was a small part in the made-for-TV movie The Great Jesse James Raid in 1953.
As a star in her 20s, prior to the end of World War I
, Sais' home was in Glendale, California
. In her later years, Marin Sais retired to the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital
in Woodland Hills, California where she was a resident for many years. She died in 1971 of cerebral arteriosclerosis at the age of 81.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
motion picture actress whose career was most prolific during the silent film
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...
era of the 1910s and 1920s. Sais' acting career spanned over four decades and she is possibly best recalled for appearing in Western themed films.
Early life and career
Born in San Rafael, CaliforniaSan Rafael, California
San Rafael is a city and the county seat of Marin County, California, United States. The city is located in the North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area...
into a family that was allegedly descended from one of the earliest Spanish
Spanish people
The Spanish are citizens of the Kingdom of Spain. Within Spain, there are also a number of vigorous nationalisms and regionalisms, reflecting the country's complex history....
families to settle in California, Marin Sais began her acting career as a teenager after travelling to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
where she appeared in vaudeville
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
.
In 1910, at the age of twenty, Sais made her screen debut for New York City's Vitagraph Studios
Vitagraph Studios
American Vitagraph was a United States movie studio, founded by J. Stuart Blackton and Albert E. Smith in 1897 in Brooklyn, New York. By 1907 it was the most prolific American film production company, producing many famous silent films. It was bought by Warner Bros...
in the short film adaptation of William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
's Twelfth Night opposite the notable actors Florence Turner
Florence Turner
Florence Turner was an American actress, who became known as the "Vitagraph Girl" in early silent films.Born in New York City, she was pushed into appearing on the stage at age three by her ambitious mother...
and Julia Swayne Gordon
Julia Swayne Gordon
Julia Swayne Gordon , was an American actress. She appeared in 228 films between 1908 to 1933.Born in Columbus, Ohio, she starred in the first film version of the Lady Godiva legend in 1911...
. Sais would go on to star in a number of well-received comedy shorts for Kalem Company
Kalem Company
The Kalem Company was an American film studio founded in New York City in 1907 by George Kleine, Samuel Long , and Frank J. Marion.The company immediately joined other studios in the Motion Picture Patents Company that held a monopoly on production and distribution...
opposite actors Ruth Roland
Ruth Roland
Ruth Roland was an American stage and film actress and film producer.-Early life and career:Born in San Francisco, California, her father managed a theatre and she became a child actress who went on to work in vaudeville...
, Marshall Neilan
Marshall Neilan
Marshall Ambrose Neilan was an American motion picture actor, screenwriter, film director, and producer.-Early life:...
and Edward Coxen
Edward Coxen
Albert Edward Coxen was an English-born American actor. He appeared in over 200 films during his career.-Early life:...
. In 1911, Sais made her first appearance in a Western entitled The Ranger's Stratagem - it would become a frequent career choice for the actress and in her later career she would rarely appear in other motion picture genres.
Throughout the 1910s, Sais' career as an actress continued to build momentum and the actress showed her versatility by appearing in such varied genres as comedy shorts, Westerns, dramas, and beginning in 1915 she began appearing in a James W. Horne
James W. Horne
James Wesley Horne was an early American actor, screenwriter and film director. He began his career as an actor under director Sidney Olcott at Kalem Studios in 1913 and directed his first film for the company two years later....
directed Kalem Company Nancy Drew
Nancy Drew
Nancy Drew is a fictional young amateur detective in various mystery series for all ages. She was created by Edward Stratemeyer, founder of the Stratemeyer Syndicate book packaging firm. The character first appeared in 1930. The books have been ghostwritten by a number of authors and are published...
-style mystery serial The Girl Detective, with such titles as: The Riddle of the Rings, The Secret Code, The Disappearing Necklace and The Vanishing Vases. Sais also continued to work under the direction of Horne in dozens of Western shorts.
Rise to stardom
In December 1915, Sais was filming a lead role on location in the Mojave DesertMojave Desert
The Mojave Desert occupies a significant portion of southeastern California and smaller parts of central California, southern Nevada, southwestern Utah and northwestern Arizona, in the United States...
when a sudden sandstorm blew in. She and the film crew were stranded for a day, unable to get to the nearest settlement. She suffered seriously from exposure but recuperated after a few days of rest in Los Angeles, California
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...
. In 1916 she began appearing as the character Barbara Brent in a Horne directed Western series of shorts.
By 1918 Sais was a highly popular and publicly recognizable film personality and was chosen by Japanese silent film matinee idol Sessue Hayakawa
Sessue Hayakawa
was a Japanese and American Issei actor who starred in American, Japanese, French, German, and British films. Hayakawa was the first and one of the few Asian actors to find stardom in the United States as well as Europe. Between the mid-1910s and the late 1920s, he was as well known as actors...
to appear opposite him in a series of film collaborations, the first being the 1918 racial drama The City of Dim Faces followed by His Birthright, released the same year and also starring Hayakawa's actress wife Tsuru Aoki
Tsuru Aoki
was a popular Japanese-American stage and screen actress whose career was most prolific during the silent film era of the 1910s through the 1920s. Aoki may have been the first Asian actress to garner top-billing in American motion pictures.-Life and career:...
. Sais' collaboration with Hayakawa ended with the 1919 film Bonds of Honor and the same year Sais appeared with Swedish actress Anna Q. Nilsson
Anna Q. Nilsson
Anna Quirentia Nilsson was a Swedish born American actress who achieved success in American silent movies.-Background:...
in the moderately successful drama The Vanity Pool.
In 1920, Sais married silent Western actor Jack Hoxie
Jack Hoxie
Jack Hoxie was an American rodeo performer and motion picture actor whose career was most prominent in the silent film era of the 1910s through the 1930s...
who she met on the set of the 1916 film Tigers Unchained. It was her second marriage. The two began appearing in a number of well-received Western action and adventure films. Although the couple would divorce seven years later, Sais would rarely appear in films outside of the Western genre from 1920 onward. One notable film of the period was the Bruce M. Mitchell directed 1924 film The Hellion
The Hellion
The Hellion is a 1924 Western film directed by Bruce M. Mitchell and featuring Boris Karloff.-Cast:* J.B. Warner - Tex Gardy* Marin Sais - The Hellion* Aline Goodwin - The Daughter* Boris Karloff - The Outlaw...
, which featured British actor Boris Karloff
Boris Karloff
William Henry Pratt , better known by his stage name Boris Karloff, was an English actor.Karloff is best remembered for his roles in horror films and his portrayal of Frankenstein's monster in Frankenstein , Bride of Frankenstein , and Son of Frankenstein...
in one of his first prominent roles.
Later career and death
By the mid-1920s Marin Sais' career was declining and she began appearing in a number of lower budget Westerns. It was a trend that would follow Sais throughout her career into the talkie era of the 1930s and give her the dubious title of "Queen of the B-movieB-movie
A B movie is a low-budget commercial motion picture that is not definitively an arthouse or pornographic film. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified a film intended for distribution as the less-publicized, bottom half of a double feature....
oaters". During the 1930s, Sais appeared in approximately twenty films - all Westerns except for an uncredited role as Mrs. Harper in 1936 cult classic
Cult Classic
Cult Classic is a Blue Öyster Cult studio recording released in 1994, containing remakes of many of the band's previous hits.-Track listing:# " The Reaper" - 5:05# "E.T.I...
Reefer Madness
Reefer Madness
Reefer Madness is a well-known 1936 American propaganda exploitation film revolving around the melodramatic events that ensue when high school students are lured by pushers to try "marijuana" — from a hit and run accident, to manslaughter, suicide, attempted rape, and descent into madness...
.
Sais' acting career continued throughout the 1940s and into the 1950s, often in bit parts or in uncredited roles in poorly received, low budget Westerns. Two exceptions were the popular 1945 Sam Newfield
Sam Newfield
Sam Newfield, born Samuel Neufeld, also known as Sherman Scott or Peter Stewart, was an American B-movie director, with over 250 feature films to his credit, and a large number of shorts, training films, industrial films, TV episodes, and pretty much anything anyone would pay him for...
directed Western Lightning Raiders, starring Buster Crabbe
Buster Crabbe
Clarence Linden "Buster" Crabbe was an American athlete and actor, who starred in a number of popular serials in the 1930s and 1940s.-Birth:...
and her role as The Duchess in the long-running 1949 Red Ryder serials starring Jim Bannon
Jim Bannon
Jim Bannon was an actor in radio and Hollywood western films during the 1940s and 1950s. He is best remembered as the fourth cinema Red Ryder from 1949 - 1950...
. By the early 1950s, she made a tentative foray into the new medium of television with a guest appearance on The Lone Ranger
The Lone Ranger
The Lone Ranger is a fictional masked Texas Ranger who, with his Native American companion Tonto, fights injustice in the American Old West. The character has become an enduring icon of American culture....
. Sais' last role before retirement was a small part in the made-for-TV movie The Great Jesse James Raid in 1953.
As a star in her 20s, prior to the end of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, Sais' home was in Glendale, California
Glendale, California
Glendale is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2010 Census, the city population is 191,719, down from 194,973 at the 2000 census. making it the third largest city in Los Angeles County and the 22nd largest city in the state of California...
. In her later years, Marin Sais retired to the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital
Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital
The Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital is a retirement community, with individual cottages, and a fully licensed, acute-care hospital, located at 23388 Mulholland Drive in Woodland Hills, California...
in Woodland Hills, California where she was a resident for many years. She died in 1971 of cerebral arteriosclerosis at the age of 81.
External links
- Marin Sais at the New York Times Movies
- Marin Sais at MSN Movies
- Marin Sais at Silent Ladies & Gents
- Marin Sais at AFI Catalog. Silent Films
- profile portrait of Main Sais(moviecard)
