Alan Crosland

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Alan Crosland, 1921

Alan Crosland senior (born August 10, 1894 in New York City , New York , † July 16, 1936 in Hollywood , California ) was an American film director and stage actor . In 1927 he was the director of the first full-length sound film with Der Jazzsänger .

Life

The son of wealthy parents attended the prestigious Dartmouth College . For a while he worked as a journalist, then after a short career as a theater actor, Crosland switched to the film business. In 1917 he made his first film and soon afterwards with silent film stars such as Olive Thomas , Bebe Daniels , John Barrymore and Dolores Costello . With the successful Olive Thomas films The Flapper (1920) and Everybody's Sweetheart (1920), he rose to become one of the most famous directors. His career peaked with the Warner Bros. films Don Juan (1926) and The Beggar Poet (1927), both with John Barrymore in the lead roles. Don Juan was also the first major film to feature Vitaphone sound effects and so he was entrusted with directing The Jazzsinger, the first commercial sound film with speech sequences in 1927 . Although there had been experimental sound films before, it was the jazz singer who was successful at the box office that gave this new technology the breakthrough.

The sound film itself brought Alan Crosland no luck in the medium term: Although his films Die Liebe der Betty Patterson (1928) and The Song of the Flame (1930) were still considered at Oscar awards, Crosland's work was from the beginning of the 1930s generally less successful. When he died he only received orders for small, meaningless productions. Crosland died of a car accident at the age of 41. He is buried in Hollywood Forever Cemetery . His last film work The Case of the Black Cat was still in the production phase at the time and was completed by director William C. McGann .

Crosland was married three times and divorced three times, all of his wives were actresses: Juanita Fletcher (married 1917-1921), Elaine Hammerstein ( married 1925-1930) and Natalie Moorhead (married 1930-1935). His son from his first marriage, Alan Crosland junior (1918-2001), worked for several years as an editor in the film industry and then became a successful television director.

Filmography

  • 1917: Kidnapped
  • 1917: The Light in Darkness
  • 1917: Chris and His Wonderful Lamp
  • 1917: Knights of the Square Table
  • 1917: The Little Chevalier
  • 1917: The Story That the Keg Told Me
  • 1917: The Apple-Tree Girl
  • 1917: Friends, Romans and Leo
  • 1918: The Unbeliever
  • 1918: The Whirlpool
  • 1919: The Country Cousin
  • 1920: Jennie
  • 1920: Greater Than Fame
  • 1920: Youthful Folly
  • 1920: The Flapper
  • 1920: The Point of View
  • 1920: Everybody's Sweetheart
  • 1920: Broadway and Home
  • 1921: Worlds Apart
  • 1921: Is Life Worth Living?
  • 1921: Room and Board
  • 1922: Shadows of the Sea
  • 1922: Why Announce Your Marriage?
  • 1922: The Prophet's Paradise
  • 1922: The Snitching Hour
  • 1922: Slim Shoulders
  • 1922: The Face in the Fog
  • 1923: Enemies of Women
  • 1923: Under the Red Robe
  • 1924: A Queen's Love Vacation (Three Weeks)
  • 1924: Miami
  • 1924: Unguarded Women
  • 1924: Sinners in Heaven
  • 1925: Contraband
  • 1925: Compromise
  • 1925: Bobbed Hair
  • 1926: Don Juan
  • 1927: The Galley Ship (When a Man Loves)
  • 1927: The Bettelpoet (The Beloved Rogue)
  • 1927: The Last Days of San Francisco (Old San Francisco)
  • 1927: The Jazz Singer (The Jazz Singer)
  • 1928: The Love of Betty Patterson (Glorious Betsy)
  • 1928: The Scarlet Lady
  • 1929: On with the Show!
  • 1930: General Crack
  • 1930: The Furies
  • 1930: The Song of the Flame
  • 1930: Big Boy
  • 1930: Viennese Nights
  • 1930: Captain Thunder
  • 1931: Children of Dreams
  • 1932: The Silver Lining
  • 1932: Week Ends Only
  • 1933: Hello, Sister!
  • 1934: Massacre
  • 1934: Midnight Alibi
  • 1934: The Personality Kid
  • 1934: The Case of the Howling Dog
  • 1935: The White Cockatoo
  • 1935: It Happened in New York
  • 1935: Mister Dynamite
  • 1935: Lady Tubbs
  • 1935: King Solomon of Broadway
  • 1935: The Great Impersonation

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Crosland, Alan
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American film director
DATE OF BIRTH August 10, 1894
PLACE OF BIRTH New York City , New York
DATE OF DEATH July 16, 1936
Place of death Hollywood , California