Oscar Apfel
Encyclopedia
Oscar C. Apfel was an American film actor, director
, screenwriter
and producer
. He appeared in 167 films between 1913 and 1939, and also directed 94 films between 1911 and 1927.
where he secured his first professional engagement in 1900. He spent eleven years on the stage on Broadway
then joined the Edison Company. Apfel first directed for the Edison Company (Thomas A. Edison, Inc.) in 1911-12, where he made the innovative short film The Passer-By (1912). In 1913, he became one of two main directors for the Jesse L. Lasky Feature Play Company, the other being Cecil B. DeMille
.
Apfel's directorial collaboration with DeMille was a crucial element in the development of DeMille's filmmaking technique. Apfel is often creditied as being one of the first men (along with DeMille) to bring Hollywood, then known as Hollywoodland, to the world stage. Legend has it that the two filmmakers were scouting for a location to shoot The Squaw Man (1914) in Flagstaff, Arizona
. However, the conspicuously snow-capped mountains contradicted the picture's sweltering western setting. So they climbed aboard a train and headed west. Eventually they found themselves in a sleepy district of Los Angeles
named Hollywoodland. The all year-round sunshine and cheap land made it an ideal place to shoot films.
In late 1914, Apfel left the Lasky Company and directed for various companies into the 1920s, gradually returning to acting.
On March 21, 1938, Apfel died in Hollywood, California from a heart attack
.
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:...
, 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:...
and 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...
. He appeared in 167 films between 1913 and 1939, and also directed 94 films between 1911 and 1927.
Biography
Born in Cleveland, OhioCleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
where he secured his first professional engagement in 1900. He spent eleven years on the stage on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
then joined the Edison Company. Apfel first directed for the Edison Company (Thomas A. Edison, Inc.) in 1911-12, where he made the innovative short film The Passer-By (1912). In 1913, he became one of two main directors for the Jesse L. Lasky Feature Play Company, the other being Cecil B. DeMille
Cecil B. DeMille
Cecil Blount DeMille was an American film director and Academy Award-winning film producer in both silent and sound films. He was renowned for the flamboyance and showmanship of his movies...
.
Apfel's directorial collaboration with DeMille was a crucial element in the development of DeMille's filmmaking technique. Apfel is often creditied as being one of the first men (along with DeMille) to bring Hollywood, then known as Hollywoodland, to the world stage. Legend has it that the two filmmakers were scouting for a location to shoot The Squaw Man (1914) in Flagstaff, Arizona
Flagstaff, Arizona
Flagstaff is a city located in northern Arizona, in the southwestern United States. In 2010, the city's population was 65,870. The population of the Metropolitan Statistical Area was at 134,421 in 2010. It is the county seat of Coconino County...
. However, the conspicuously snow-capped mountains contradicted the picture's sweltering western setting. So they climbed aboard a train and headed west. Eventually they found themselves in a sleepy district of Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
named Hollywoodland. The all year-round sunshine and cheap land made it an ideal place to shoot films.
In late 1914, Apfel left the Lasky Company and directed for various companies into the 1920s, gradually returning to acting.
On March 21, 1938, Apfel died in Hollywood, California from a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
.
Selected filmography
- The Squaw Man (1914)
- Brewster's MillionsBrewster's Millions (1914 film)Brewster's Millions is a 1914 comedy film directed by Oscar Apfel and Cecil B. DeMille. It's an adaptation of the novel written by George Barr McCutcheon. The novel had also been turned into a successful 1906 Broadway play that also starred Edward Abeles...
(1914) - The Master MindThe Master MindThe Master Mind is a 1914 American black & white silent crime/drama film directed by Oscar Apfel and Cecil B. DeMille. The plot revolves around a defense attorney who, unable to obtain the acquittal of an innocent young man, concocts a complicated and diabolical scheme to revenge himself upon the...
(1914) - The Only SonThe Only Son (1914 film)The Only Son is a 1914 drama film directed by Oscar Apfel and Cecil B. DeMille.-Cast:* Jim Blackwell - Thomas Brainerd, Sr. * A. MacMillan - Henry Thompson* Thomas W. Ross - Thomas Brainerd, Jr.* Jane Darwell - Mrs. Brainerd...
(1914) - The Man on the BoxThe Man on the BoxThe Man on the Box is a 1914 comedy-drama film directed by Oscar Apfel and Cecil B. DeMille. It was based on the 1904 book by Harold MacGrath.-Cast:* Horace B. Carpenter - Russian ambassador* Jane Darwell - Mrs. Chadwick* William Elmer - Troop commander...
(1914) - The Call of the NorthThe Call of the NorthThe Call of the North is a 1914 silent adventure-drama film directed by Oscar Apfel and Cecil B. DeMille.-Cast:* Robert Edeson - Ned & Graehme Stewart* Theodore Roberts - Galen Albert* Winifred Kingston - Virginia* Horace B...
(1914) - The Ghost BreakerThe Ghost BreakerThe Ghost Breaker is a 1914 drama film directed by Cecil B. DeMille and Oscar Apfel and based on the Broadway play of the same name by Paul Dickey and Charles W. Goddard. It is considered widely to be the first film of a long line based on the genre of haunted house horror...
(1914) - After FiveAfter FiveAfter Five is a 1915 comedy film directed by Cecil B. DeMille and Oscar Apfel.-Cast:* Edward Abeles - Ted Ewing* Sessue Hayakawa - Oki, the Valet* Betty Schade - Nora Hildreth* Jane Darwell - Mrs...
(1915) - Ravished ArmeniaRavished ArmeniaRavished Armenia is the title of both a book written in 1918 by Arshaluys Mardiganian about her experiences in the Armenian Genocide and the Hollywood film based on it that was filmed in 1919....
(1919) - Bulldog Drummond (1922)
- The Lion's MouseThe Lion's MouseThe Lion's Mouse is a 1923 British-Dutch silent crime film directed by Oscar Apfel.-Cast:* Wyndham Standing as Dick Sands* Mary Odette as Mouse* Rex Davis as Justin O'Reilly* Marguerite Marsh as Olga Beverley* Carl Tobi as Stephen...
(1923) - Helping GrandmaHelping GrandmaHelping Grandma is a 1931 Our Gang short comedy film directed by Robert F. McGowan. It was the 103rd Our Gang short that was released.-Plot:...
(1931) - Five Star FinalFive Star FinalFive Star Final is a 1931 American film about crime and the excesses of tabloid journalism. It was written by Robert Lord and Byron Morgan from the play by Louis Weitzenkorn, and directed by Mervyn LeRoy. The movie stars Edward G. Robinson and features H. B...
(1931) - Impatient MaidenImpatient MaidenImpatient Maiden is a drama film directed by James Whale, starring Lew Ayres and Mae Clarke, and released by Universal Pictures. The screenplay was written by Richard Schayer and Winifred Dunn, based on the novel The Impatient Virgin by Donald Henderson Clarke.-Cast:*Lew Ayres as Dr...
(1932) - Business and PleasureBusiness and PleasureBusiness and Pleasure is a 1932 comedy film directed by David Butler, starring Will Rogers and featuring Boris Karloff.-Cast:* Will Rogers - Earl Tinker* Jetta Goudal - Madame Momora* Joel McCrea - Lawrence Ogle* Dorothy Peterson - Mrs. Tinker...
(1932) - High PressureHigh Pressure (film)High Pressure is a 1932 American comedy film directed by Mervyn LeRoy and starring Evelyn Brent.- Cast :* William Powell as Gar Evans* Evelyn Brent as Francine Dale* George Sidney as Colonel Ginsburg* John Wray as Jimmy Moore...
(1932) - One Man's JourneyOne Man's JourneyOne Man's Journey was a 2005 documentary series on PBS, featuring the canoe travels of naturalist and filmmaker Robert Perkins.-References:-External links:...
(1933) - The Old Fashioned Way (1934) [not credited]
- Man on the Flying TrapezeMan on the Flying TrapezeMan on the Flying Trapeze is a 1935 comedy film starring W. C. Fields as a henpecked husband. As with his other roles of this nature, Fields is put-upon throughout the film, but triumphs in the end.-Plot:...
(1935) - Romance in ManhattanRomance in ManhattanRomance in Manhattan is an American comedy/romance film directed by Stephen Roberts, starring Francis Lederer and Ginger Rogers, and released by RKO Radio Pictures.- Plot :...
(1935)