Edward Sedgwick
Encyclopedia
Edward Sedgwick was a film director
, writer
, actor
and producer
.
, the son of Edward Sedgwick, Sr. and Josephine Walker, both stage actors. Young Edward Sedgwick joined his show business family as one of the Five Sedgwicks, a vaudeville act. The two other family members were Edward's twin sisters Eileen
and Josie Sedgwick, who both later pursued successful silent-movie acting careers. Sedgwick broke into films as a comedian in 1915, frequently cast as a zany baseball player. He then became a serial director six years later in 1921, and moved on to the Tom Mix
western unit. Sedgwick's love of baseball came in handy for the ballpark sequences of Mix's Stepping Out
, Buck Jones
’ Hit and Run
, William Haines
’ Slide, Kelly, Slide
, Buster Keaton
’s The Cameraman, and Robert Young
’s Death on the Diamond.
Sedgwick signed with MGM in the late 1920s. There, he found a kindred spirit in fellow baseball buff Buster Keaton
. Sedgwick (known informally as "Ed" or "Junior") directed all of Keaton’s MGM features, both sound and silent: The Cameraman, Spite Marriage
, Free and Easy, Dough Boys (in which Sedgwick appears on screen as a dumb soldier), Parlor, Bedroom and Bath
, Speak Easily
, Sidewalks of New York
, and What! No Beer?
. In 1936 Sedgwick briefly became a producer-director at Hal Roach Studios. There, he made Mister Cinderella and Pick a Star
, both starring Jack Haley
. The latter film featured a guest appearance by Laurel and Hardy
.
Considered a relic of a bygone era by the 1940s, Sedgwick had fewer opportunities to direct (he had been replaced by a younger director an MGM feature in 1942). When Laurel and Hardy
returned to MGM in late 1942, Sedgwick was chosen to direct them in Air Raid Wardens
. It was his last assignment for five years, but he remained on the MGM payroll, sharing an office with the almost-as-idle Buster Keaton.
In 1948, Keaton, employed as a gagman for Red Skelton
, had suggested that Sedgwick would be an ideal director for the upcoming A Southern Yankee
. But Sedgwick was not up to the challenge: though he receives sole directorial credit on Southern Yankee, S. Sylvan Simon
directed the film in its entirety. Sedgwick's final film was Universal
's Ma and Pa Kettle Back on the Farm. He died in North Hollywood, California
.
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:...
, writer
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:...
, actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
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...
.
Biography
He was born in Galveston, TexasGalveston, Texas
Galveston is a coastal city located on Galveston Island in the U.S. state of Texas. , the city had a total population of 47,743 within an area of...
, the son of Edward Sedgwick, Sr. and Josephine Walker, both stage actors. Young Edward Sedgwick joined his show business family as one of the Five Sedgwicks, a vaudeville act. The two other family members were Edward's twin sisters Eileen
Eileen Sedgwick
Eileen Sedgwick was an American actress of the silent era. She appeared in 115 films between 1915 and 1930.She was born in Galveston, Texas and died in Marina del Rey, California from pneumonia...
and Josie Sedgwick, who both later pursued successful silent-movie acting careers. Sedgwick broke into films as a comedian in 1915, frequently cast as a zany baseball player. He then became a serial director six years later in 1921, and moved on to the Tom Mix
Tom Mix
Thomas Edwin "Tom" Mix was an American film actor and the star of many early Western movies. He made a reported 336 films between 1910 and 1935, all but nine of which were silent features...
western unit. Sedgwick's love of baseball came in handy for the ballpark sequences of Mix's Stepping Out
Stepping Out (1919 film)
Stepping Out is a 1919 silent drama film directed by Fred Niblo.-Cast:* Enid Bennett - The Wife* Niles Welch - The Husband* Julia Faye - The Secretary* Gertrude Claire - The Husband's Mother* William Conklin - Frank Wilson...
, Buck Jones
Buck Jones
Buck Jones was an American motion picture star of the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s, best known for his work starring in many popular western movies...
’ Hit and Run
Hit and run
Hit and run typically refers to:* Hit and run , the crime of failing to stop and identify oneself after a vehicular collision* Hit and run , a baseball play in which runners are in motion before the ball is hit...
, William Haines
William Haines
Charles William "Billy" Haines was an American film actor and interior designer. He was a star of the silent era until the 1930s, when Haines' career was cut short by MGM Studios due to his refusal to deny his homosexuality...
’ Slide, Kelly, Slide
Slide, Kelly, Slide
Slide, Kelly, Slide is a 1927 comedy film, released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, directed by Edward Sedgwick, and starring William Haines and Harry Carey.-Cast:* William Haines - Jim Kelly* Sally O'Neil - Mary Munson* Harry Carey - Tom Munson...
, Buster Keaton
Buster Keaton
Joseph Frank "Buster" Keaton was an American comic actor, filmmaker, producer and writer. He was best known for his silent films, in which his trademark was physical comedy with a consistently stoic, deadpan expression, earning him the nickname "The Great Stone Face".Keaton was recognized as the...
’s The Cameraman, and Robert Young
Robert Young (actor)
Robert George Young was an American television, film, and radio actor, best known for his leading roles as Jim Anderson, the father of Father Knows Best and as physician Marcus Welby in Marcus Welby, M.D. .-Early life:Born in Chicago, Illinois, Young was the son of an Irish immigrant father...
’s Death on the Diamond.
Sedgwick signed with MGM in the late 1920s. There, he found a kindred spirit in fellow baseball buff Buster Keaton
Buster Keaton
Joseph Frank "Buster" Keaton was an American comic actor, filmmaker, producer and writer. He was best known for his silent films, in which his trademark was physical comedy with a consistently stoic, deadpan expression, earning him the nickname "The Great Stone Face".Keaton was recognized as the...
. Sedgwick (known informally as "Ed" or "Junior") directed all of Keaton’s MGM features, both sound and silent: The Cameraman, Spite Marriage
Spite Marriage
Spite Marriage is a silent comedy film starring Buster Keaton and Dorothy Sebastian. Keaton and Edward Sedgwick co-directed. It is the second film Keaton made for MGM and his last silent film...
, Free and Easy, Dough Boys (in which Sedgwick appears on screen as a dumb soldier), Parlor, Bedroom and Bath
Parlor, Bedroom and Bath
Parlor, Bedroom and Bath is a comedy film starring Buster Keaton, released by Metro-Goldwyn Mayer in 1931. It was one of Keaton's early talking pictures, released in the aftermath of his silent career. The film was released in the United Kingdom as Romeo in Pyjamas...
, Speak Easily
Speak Easily
Speak Easily is a 1932 American comedy film starring Buster Keaton, Jimmy Durante, and Thelma Todd, and directed by Edward Sedgwick. The studio also paired Keaton and Durante as a comedy team during this period in The Passionate Plumber and What! No Beer? Keaton later used many of the physical...
, Sidewalks of New York
Sidewalks of New York
Sidewalks of New York may refer to:*Sidewalks of New York , a movie starring Buster Keaton in 1931*Sidewalks of New York , a movie written and directed by Edward Burns in 2001...
, and What! No Beer?
What! No Beer?
What! No Beer? is a 1933 comedy film starring Buster Keaton and Jimmy Durante, and directed by Edward Sedgwick. The studio had also paired Keaton and Durante as a comedy team during this period in The Passionate Plumber and Speak Easily....
. In 1936 Sedgwick briefly became a producer-director at Hal Roach Studios. There, he made Mister Cinderella and Pick a Star
Pick a Star
Pick a Star is a 1937 musical comedy film starring Rosina Lawrence, Jack Haley, Patsy Kelly and Mischa Auer, directed by Edward Sedgwick, produced by Hal Roach, and released through Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer...
, both starring Jack Haley
Jack Haley
John Joseph "Jack" Haley was an American stage, radio, and film actor best known for his portrayal of the Tin Man and Kansas farmworker Hickory in The Wizard of Oz.-Career:...
. The latter film featured a guest appearance by Laurel and Hardy
Laurel and Hardy
Laurel and Hardy were one of the most popular and critically acclaimed comedy double acts of the early Classical Hollywood era of American cinema...
.
Considered a relic of a bygone era by the 1940s, Sedgwick had fewer opportunities to direct (he had been replaced by a younger director an MGM feature in 1942). When Laurel and Hardy
Laurel and Hardy
Laurel and Hardy were one of the most popular and critically acclaimed comedy double acts of the early Classical Hollywood era of American cinema...
returned to MGM in late 1942, Sedgwick was chosen to direct them in Air Raid Wardens
Air Raid Wardens
Air Raid Wardens is a 1943 Laurel and Hardy comedy film. This was the first of their films made at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.-Synopsis:Set during World War II, Stan and Ollie try their hand at various business ventures...
. It was his last assignment for five years, but he remained on the MGM payroll, sharing an office with the almost-as-idle Buster Keaton.
In 1948, Keaton, employed as a gagman for Red Skelton
Red Skelton
Richard Bernard "Red" Skelton was an American comedian who is best known as a top radio and television star from 1937 to 1971. Skelton's show business career began in his teens as a circus clown and went on to vaudeville, Broadway, films, radio, TV, night clubs and casinos, all while pursuing...
, had suggested that Sedgwick would be an ideal director for the upcoming A Southern Yankee
A Southern Yankee
A Southern Yankee is an American comedy film, directed by Edward Sedgwick, starring Red Skelton and Arlene Dahl, and released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. A semi-remake of Buster Keaton's The General , Skelton plays a Union soldier who spies for the Confederacy during the American Civil War....
. But Sedgwick was not up to the challenge: though he receives sole directorial credit on Southern Yankee, S. Sylvan Simon
S. Sylvan Simon
S. Sylvan Simon was an American stage/film director and producer. He began his film career at Warner Bros. in 1935, directing screen tests. In 1937, he moved to MGM, where he worked on the Marx Brothers' The Big Store, supervising many of the slapstick sequences...
directed the film in its entirety. Sedgwick's final film was Universal
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
's Ma and Pa Kettle Back on the Farm. He died in North Hollywood, 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...
.