Nell Shipman
Encyclopedia
Nell Shipman was a Canadian actress, author and screenwriter
, producer
, director, and animal trainer
. She was a Canadian pioneer in early Hollywood
. She is best known for her work in James Oliver Curwood
stories and for portraying strong, adventurous women. In 1919, she and her producer husband, Ernest Shipman, made the most successful silent film in Canadian history, Back to God's Country. She was one of the first women to do a nude scene on screen when she did so in that movie.
. Her family moved to Seattle, Washington
when Nell was 13 years old. Around the same time, Nell started stage acting and joined theatrical stock companies before working in film. When Nell was 18 years old, she met and married 39 years old theatrical entrepreneur, Ernest Shipman (December 17, 1871 – August 7, 1931).
After marrying, Ernest and Nell Shipman moved to Hollywood to start working in the film industry. During this time, Nell sold the rights of her book, Under the Crescent Moon to Universal Studios
(they wanted to make a six film serial of the story). Nell also started acting in Universal, Selig & Vitagraph productions. Between 1915–1918, she played several leading roles including her big debut film God’s Country and the Woman (1915). In God’s Country and the Women, Nell Shipman directed, produced, and acted in the film based on James Oliver Curwood’s short story. Nell was one of the first directors to shoot her films almost entirely on location.
In 1918, Nell Shipman suffered from Spanish influenza and nearly died. During her recovery, she decided to create a production company called Shipman Curwood Producing Company. The first and only film the company would produce was major Canadian silent film hit Back to God’s Country (1919). This film was based on another short story written by Curwood and adapted to the screen by Nell herself. Nell also was the lead of the film and it featured a controversial nudity scene. Although the film was extremely successful (posting a 300% profit by grossing a million and a half dollars), Curwood was infuriated with Nell because she changed the scenario of his short story. She adapted the protagonist of the film from the Great Dane, Wapi to the female lead, Delores. Shipman also shaped her character into a heroine: she saved the male lead and in so doing created an independent character and feminist role model.
In 1920, Nell and Ernest Shipman were divorced. During this time, Nell moved back to Hollywood and created Nell Shipman Productions with Bert Van Tuyler as her co-director. She focused on the major themes she enjoyed: wild animals, nature, feminist heroes, and filming on location. When she was younger, she started to develop a respect toward animals, fought for animal rights in Hollywood, and spoke out against animal cruelty. The production company produced only four films. In 1921, the film The Girl From God’s Country was removed from Nell's control and was cut back from twelve reels to seven; when it released it was considered a box office failure.
When she was living in Spokane, Washington
, Nell Shipman made a film called The Grub Stake, which costs around $180,000 to produce. Unfortunately, the film was never distributed. The American distributor went bankrupt and during subsequent litigation, the film got involved. During this time, Nell tried to maintain her production company by making several short films in Priest Lake, Idaho. However, because of the bankruptcy, Nell’s production company collapsed. In 1925, she was forced to send her animals to the San Diego Zoo
because she was unable to afford the cost of maintaining them.
Shipman next moved across the country and traveled the world. Eventually, she started writing scripts and short stories. The most notable contribution at this time was the story which became the basis of Wings in the Dark
starring Myrna Loy
and Cary Grant
(1934). Nell finally moved to the California desert and continued writing there for the rest of her life. Her last project was her autobiography, The Silent Screen and My Talking Heart. She died in Cabazon, California
at the age of 77.
Nell Shipman lived for three years in what is known today as The Doctor's House Museum in Glendale, California
, from 1917 to 1920. She described it as on a "tree lined dirt road, away from the hub bub of Hollywood". It was here that her mother died of the flu epidemic.
Sharon Pollock
was commissioned to write a one act play about Shipman's life. It was performed in 1999 by the Theatre Junction
Resident Company of Artists in Calgary, and was directed by Brian Richmond.
All of Nell Shipman's surviving films are available on DVD from Boise State University.
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:...
, producer
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
, director, and animal trainer
Animal training
Animal training refers to teaching animals specific responses to specific conditions or stimuli. Training may be for the purpose of companionship, detection, protection, entertainment or all of the above....
. She was a Canadian pioneer in early Hollywood
Canadian pioneers in early Hollywood
Motion pictures have been a part of the culture of Canada since the beginning.-History:Around 1910, the East Coast filmmakers began to take advantage of California winters and after Nestor Studios, run by Canadian Al Christie, built the first permanent movie studio in Hollywood a number of the...
. She is best known for her work in James Oliver Curwood
James Oliver Curwood
James Oliver Curwood was an American novelist and conservationist. His writing studio, Curwood Castle, is now a museum in Owosso, Michigan.-Biography and career:Curwood was born in Owosso, the youngest of four children...
stories and for portraying strong, adventurous women. In 1919, she and her producer husband, Ernest Shipman, made the most successful silent film in Canadian history, Back to God's Country. She was one of the first women to do a nude scene on screen when she did so in that movie.
Life and career
Shipman was born Helen Foster-Barham in Victoria, British ColumbiaVictoria, British Columbia
Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia, Canada and is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of about 78,000 within the metropolitan area of Greater Victoria, which has a population of 360,063, the 15th most populous Canadian...
. Her family moved to Seattle, Washington
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
when Nell was 13 years old. Around the same time, Nell started stage acting and joined theatrical stock companies before working in film. When Nell was 18 years old, she met and married 39 years old theatrical entrepreneur, Ernest Shipman (December 17, 1871 – August 7, 1931).
After marrying, Ernest and Nell Shipman moved to Hollywood to start working in the film industry. During this time, Nell sold the rights of her book, Under the Crescent Moon to Universal Studios
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
(they wanted to make a six film serial of the story). Nell also started acting in Universal, Selig & Vitagraph productions. Between 1915–1918, she played several leading roles including her big debut film God’s Country and the Woman (1915). In God’s Country and the Women, Nell Shipman directed, produced, and acted in the film based on James Oliver Curwood’s short story. Nell was one of the first directors to shoot her films almost entirely on location.
In 1918, Nell Shipman suffered from Spanish influenza and nearly died. During her recovery, she decided to create a production company called Shipman Curwood Producing Company. The first and only film the company would produce was major Canadian silent film hit Back to God’s Country (1919). This film was based on another short story written by Curwood and adapted to the screen by Nell herself. Nell also was the lead of the film and it featured a controversial nudity scene. Although the film was extremely successful (posting a 300% profit by grossing a million and a half dollars), Curwood was infuriated with Nell because she changed the scenario of his short story. She adapted the protagonist of the film from the Great Dane, Wapi to the female lead, Delores. Shipman also shaped her character into a heroine: she saved the male lead and in so doing created an independent character and feminist role model.
In 1920, Nell and Ernest Shipman were divorced. During this time, Nell moved back to Hollywood and created Nell Shipman Productions with Bert Van Tuyler as her co-director. She focused on the major themes she enjoyed: wild animals, nature, feminist heroes, and filming on location. When she was younger, she started to develop a respect toward animals, fought for animal rights in Hollywood, and spoke out against animal cruelty. The production company produced only four films. In 1921, the film The Girl From God’s Country was removed from Nell's control and was cut back from twelve reels to seven; when it released it was considered a box office failure.
When she was living in Spokane, Washington
Spokane, Washington
Spokane is a city located in the Northwestern United States in the state of Washington. It is the largest city of Spokane County of which it is also the county seat, and the metropolitan center of the Inland Northwest region...
, Nell Shipman made a film called The Grub Stake, which costs around $180,000 to produce. Unfortunately, the film was never distributed. The American distributor went bankrupt and during subsequent litigation, the film got involved. During this time, Nell tried to maintain her production company by making several short films in Priest Lake, Idaho. However, because of the bankruptcy, Nell’s production company collapsed. In 1925, she was forced to send her animals to the San Diego Zoo
San Diego Zoo
The San Diego Zoo in Balboa Park, San Diego, California, is one of the most progressive zoos in the world, with over 4,000 animals of more than 800 species...
because she was unable to afford the cost of maintaining them.
Shipman next moved across the country and traveled the world. Eventually, she started writing scripts and short stories. The most notable contribution at this time was the story which became the basis of Wings in the Dark
Wings in the Dark
Wings in the Dark is a 1935 motion picture starring Myrna Loy and Cary Grant focusing on a daring aviatrix and an inspired aviation inventor thrust into an unbearably desperate situation...
starring Myrna Loy
Myrna Loy
Myrna Loy was an American actress. Trained as a dancer, she devoted herself fully to an acting career following a few minor roles in silent films. Originally typecast in exotic roles, often as a vamp or a woman of Asian descent, her career prospects improved following her portrayal of Nora Charles...
and Cary Grant
Cary Grant
Archibald Alexander Leach , better known by his stage name Cary Grant, was an English actor who later took U.S. citizenship...
(1934). Nell finally moved to the California desert and continued writing there for the rest of her life. Her last project was her autobiography, The Silent Screen and My Talking Heart. She died in Cabazon, California
Cabazon, California
Cabazon is a census-designated place in Riverside County, California, United States. The population was 2,535 at the 2010 census, up from 2,229 at the 2000 census.-History:...
at the age of 77.
Nell Shipman lived for three years in what is known today as The Doctor's House Museum 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...
, from 1917 to 1920. She described it as on a "tree lined dirt road, away from the hub bub of Hollywood". It was here that her mother died of the flu epidemic.
Cultural legacy
The Canadian playwrightPlaywright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
Sharon Pollock
Sharon Pollock
Sharon Pollock is a Canadian playwright, actor, director, who lives in Calgary, Alberta. She has been Artistic Director of Theatre Calgary , Theatre New Brunswick and Performance Kitchen & The Garry Theatre, the latter which she herself founded in 1992. In 2007, she was made a Fellow of the Royal...
was commissioned to write a one act play about Shipman's life. It was performed in 1999 by the Theatre Junction
Theatre junction
Theatre Junction is a contemporary theatre company based in Calgary, Alberta.Theatre Junction was founded in 1991 by Mark Lawes. In its original inception, Theatre Junction performed modern work as part of a classical, text based program...
Resident Company of Artists in Calgary, and was directed by Brian Richmond.
All of Nell Shipman's surviving films are available on DVD from Boise State University.
Filmography
(Either or all: writer/director/producer/star)- The Ball of Yarn (1910)
- Outwitted by Billy (1913)
- One Hundred Years of MormonismOne Hundred Years of MormonismOne Hundred Years of Mormonism is a 1913 film depicting the early history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.The six-reel film took its title from the 1905 book by Mormon educator John Henry Evans...
(1913) - God's Country and the Woman (1915)
- The Pine's Revenge (1915)
- Under the CrescentUnder the CrescentUnder the Crescent is a 1915 drama film serial directed by Burton L. King. The film is considered to be lost.-Cast:* Ola Humphrey - The American Actress* William C. Dowlan - Stanley Clyde* Edward Sloman - Prince Ibrahim Tousson...
(1915) - The Pine's RevengeThe Pine's RevengeThe Pine's Revenge is a 1915 silent drama film directed by Joe De Grasse and featuring Lon Chaney, Sr. The film is now considered to be lost.-Cast:* Cleo Madison - Grace Milton* Arthur Shirley - Dick Rance* Lon Chaney, Sr. - Black Scotty...
(1915) - The Fires of Conscience (1916)
- Through the Wall (1916)
- Baree, Son of Kazan (1917)
- The Black Wolf (1917)
- My Fighting Gentleman (1917)
- The Girl From Beyond (1918)
- The Home Trail (1918)
- Cavanaugh of the Forest Rangers (1918)
- The Wild Strain (1918)
- Back to God's Country (1919)
- Something New (1920)
- The Girl from God's Country (1921)
- A Bear, A Boy and A Dog (1921)
- The Grub-Stake (1923)
- The Light on Lookout (1924)
- The Trail of the North Wind (1924)
- White Water (1924)
- Wolf's Brush (1924)
- The Golden Yukon (1927)
- Wings in the Dark (1935)
- The Story of Mr. Hobbs (1947)
External links
- Nell Shipman Website
- Canadian Film Encyclopedia [A publication of The Film Reference Library/a division of the Toronto International Film Festival Group]
- Nell Shipman at Canadian Women Film Directors Database
- Nell Shipman Biography
- Canadian Encyclopedia Article on Nell Shipman
- The Nell Shipman Exhibit at City of Glendale, CA
- Nell Shipman Story
- Silent Era Nell Shipman
- Nell Shipman Collection at Boise State University
- Famous Canadian Women
- Barry Shipman (Nell's son)