Esmerelda (1915 film)
Encyclopedia
Esmerelda; sometimes Esmeralda is a 1915
silent
film starring Mary Pickford
and directed by James Kirkwood
. It was produced by Adolph Zukor
and stage impresario Daniel Frohman
. As with the previous Pickford vehicles Caprice
, Mistress Nell
and The Dawn of a Tomorrow
, Esmerelda is based on a short story and stage play Esmerelda written by Frances Hodgson Burnett
and William Gillette
and produced in the 1880s. The play was acted by Annie Russell
and later Viola Allen
both teenagers at the time, who later became well known adult theater actresses. The film is today lost
.
1915 in film
The year 1915 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* February 8 : D.W Griffith's The Birth of a Nation premieres at Clune's Auditorium Los Angeles and breaks box office and film length records, running at a total length of 3 hrs 10 minutes.* June 18 : The Motion Picture Directors...
silent
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...
film starring Mary Pickford
Mary Pickford
Mary Pickford was a Canadian-born motion picture actress, co-founder of the film studio United Artists and one of the original 36 founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences...
and directed by James Kirkwood
James Kirkwood, Sr.
James Kirkwood, Sr. was an American actor and director....
. It was produced by Adolph Zukor
Adolph Zukor
Adolph Zukor , born Adolph Cukor, was a film mogul and founder of Paramount Pictures.-Early life:...
and stage impresario Daniel Frohman
Daniel Frohman
Daniel Frohman was a Jewish American theatrical producer and manager, and an early film producer.Frohman was born in Sandusky, Ohio...
. As with the previous Pickford vehicles Caprice
Caprice (1913 film)
Caprice is a 1913 silent film feature produced by Daniel Frohman and Adolph Zukor and starring Mary Pickford. J. Searle Dawley directed. Though Zukor helped finance the film it was distributed on a 'State's Rights' arrangement primarily since no Paramount Pictures had yet to exist...
, Mistress Nell
Mistress Nell
Mistress Nell is a 1915 silent film historical adventure starring Mary Pickford. It is yet another story about Nell Gwyn taken from a Broadway play Mistress Nell that was very successful for stage actress Henrietta Crosman in 1900. This production was produced by Adolph Zukor's production company...
and The Dawn of a Tomorrow
The Dawn of a Tomorrow (1915 film)
The Dawn of a Tomorrow is a 1915 silent film starring Mary Pickford, produced by Adolph Zukor's Famous Players Film Company and directed by James Kirkwood. It is based on a 1909 stage play starring Eleanor Robson Belmont, her last stage role. This film was rereleased by Paramount in 1919 under...
, Esmerelda is based on a short story and stage play Esmerelda written by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Frances Hodgson Burnett
Frances Eliza Hodgson Burnett was an English playwright and author. She is best known for her children's stories, in particular The Secret Garden , A Little Princess, and Little Lord Fauntleroy.Born Frances Eliza Hodgson, she lived in Cheetham Hill, Manchester...
and William Gillette
William Gillette
William Hooker Gillette was an American actor, playwright and stage-manager in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries who is best remembered today for portraying Sherlock Holmes....
and produced in the 1880s. The play was acted by Annie Russell
Annie Russell
Annie Ellen Russell was an English born American stage actress.-Early life:Russell was born on in Liverpool, England, of Irish parents, Joseph Russell and Jane Mount. She moved to Canada when she was a child. She made her first appearance on the stage at eight years old at the Montreal Academy of...
and later Viola Allen
Viola Allen
Viola Emily Allen was an American stage actress who played leading roles in Shakespere and other plays, including many original plays. She starred in over two dozen Broadway productions from 1885 to 1916...
both teenagers at the time, who later became well known adult theater actresses. The film is today lost
Lost film
A lost film is a feature film or short film that is no longer known to exist in studio archives, private collections or public archives such as the Library of Congress, where at least one copy of all American films are deposited and catalogued for copyright reasons...
.
Cast
- Mary PickfordMary PickfordMary Pickford was a Canadian-born motion picture actress, co-founder of the film studio United Artists and one of the original 36 founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences...
- Esmerelda Rogers - Ida WatermanIda WatermanIda Waterman born Ida Shaw, was a stage and screen actress....
- Esmerelda's mother - Fuller Mellish - Esmerelda's father
- Arthur Hoops - Count de Montessin
- William Buckley - William Estabrook
- Charles WaldronCharles WaldronCharles Waldron , sometimes credited as Charles Waldron Sr., Chas. Waldron Sr., Charles D. Waldron or Mr. Waldron, was an American film and theatre actor.-Film:...
- David Hardy