George D. Baker
Encyclopedia
George D. Baker was an American motion picture director whose career began near the dawn of the silent film era.
on the 22nd of April, 1868,
the second son and third child of Charles E. and Arminta Baker. Three or four years later a baby girl would close the gender gap before Baker’s father, an accountant and financial advisor, chose to relocate his family to the rural town of Beatrice, Nebraska
sometime in the early 80s . Upon his high school graduation, Charles Baker offered his son two options, a traditional college education or art classes in Paris. George Baker declined both offers and chose instead to attend the Dramatic Conservatory of Chicago, where he may have first met Walker Whiteside
, another student of Prof. Kayzer's from around that time.
in Hamlet
as Laertes and would later tour with companies headed by Nance O'Neil, McKee Rankin, David Higgins, Russ Wytal Brady and others. Baker spent a number of seasons in vaudeville with Sadie Martinot, Marie Dupont and Eva Taylor. He later worked as a producer, actor and playwright in partnership with James W. Castle on theatrical productions of Graustark, based on the book by George Barr McCutcheon
and The Brothers Grim
fairy tale
, The Goose Girl
. Baker would some years later adapt both stories for film. Baker also penned the plays His Brother’s Birthright and As the Sun Went Down.
Sometime around 1908 Baker joined Vitagraph Studios
and began directing comedies starring John Bunny
and Flora Finch
and later went on direct such films as The Dust of Egypt, Tarantula, A Night Out and A Price for Folly. After three and a half years with Vitagraph, Baker joined Metro Studios where he soon rose to the position of Director General of Metro’s West Coast
productions.
While vacation in New York, after four years with Metro, Baker received a number of tempting job offers from competing studios. He chose instead to take advantage of his popularity by severing his ties with Metro to work as a freelance director on projects of his own choosing. George Baker wrote the scenarios for a number of the films and was responsible for almost all the continuity work on films he directed. He continued to work well into the 1920s before retiring in his late Fifties.
Early life
George Duane Baker was born at Champaign, IllinoisChampaign, Illinois
Champaign is a city in Champaign County, Illinois, in the United States. The city is located south of Chicago, west of Indianapolis, Indiana, and 178 miles northeast of St. Louis, Missouri. Though surrounded by farm communities, Champaign is notable for sharing the campus of the University of...
on the 22nd of April, 1868,
the second son and third child of Charles E. and Arminta Baker. Three or four years later a baby girl would close the gender gap before Baker’s father, an accountant and financial advisor, chose to relocate his family to the rural town of Beatrice, Nebraska
Beatrice, Nebraska
Beatrice is a city in and the county seat of Gage County, Nebraska.Beatrice is located south of Lincoln on the Big Blue River. It is surrounded by agricultural country. The population was 12,459 at the 2010 census.-History:...
sometime in the early 80s . Upon his high school graduation, Charles Baker offered his son two options, a traditional college education or art classes in Paris. George Baker declined both offers and chose instead to attend the Dramatic Conservatory of Chicago, where he may have first met Walker Whiteside
Walker Whiteside
Walker Whiteside was an American actor who had played Hamlet, Othello, King Lear and Shylock while still in his teens.-Early life:...
, another student of Prof. Kayzer's from around that time.
Career
He debuted with the young Shakespearian actor Walker WhitesideWalker Whiteside
Walker Whiteside was an American actor who had played Hamlet, Othello, King Lear and Shylock while still in his teens.-Early life:...
in Hamlet
Hamlet
The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
as Laertes and would later tour with companies headed by Nance O'Neil, McKee Rankin, David Higgins, Russ Wytal Brady and others. Baker spent a number of seasons in vaudeville with Sadie Martinot, Marie Dupont and Eva Taylor. He later worked as a producer, actor and playwright in partnership with James W. Castle on theatrical productions of Graustark, based on the book by George Barr McCutcheon
George Barr McCutcheon
George Barr McCutcheon was an American popular novelist and playwright. His best known works include the series of novels set in Graustark, a fictional East European country, Brewster's Millions, a play and several films....
and The Brothers Grim
The Brothers Grim
The Brothers Grim is the 44th episode of the FOX television series, The O.C. The episode was written by J. J. Philbin and was directed by Michael Lange. It originally aired on Thursday March 24, 2005...
fairy tale
Fairy tale
A fairy tale is a type of short story that typically features such folkloric characters, such as fairies, goblins, elves, trolls, dwarves, giants or gnomes, and usually magic or enchantments. However, only a small number of the stories refer to fairies...
, The Goose Girl
The Goose Girl
The Goose Girl is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm. Since the second edition published in 1819, The Goose Girl has been recorded as Tale no. 89....
. Baker would some years later adapt both stories for film. Baker also penned the plays His Brother’s Birthright and As the Sun Went Down.
Sometime around 1908 Baker joined Vitagraph Studios
Vitagraph Studios
American Vitagraph was a United States movie studio, founded by J. Stuart Blackton and Albert E. Smith in 1897 in Brooklyn, New York. By 1907 it was the most prolific American film production company, producing many famous silent films. It was bought by Warner Bros...
and began directing comedies starring John Bunny
John Bunny
John Bunny was an American actor and was one of the first comic stars of the motion picture era. Between 1910 and his death in 1915 Bunny was one of the top stars of early silent film, as well as an early example of celebrity...
and Flora Finch
Flora Finch
Flora Finch was an English-born film actress who starred in over 300 silent films, including over 200 for the Vitagraph Studios film company.-Early life and career:...
and later went on direct such films as The Dust of Egypt, Tarantula, A Night Out and A Price for Folly. After three and a half years with Vitagraph, Baker joined Metro Studios where he soon rose to the position of Director General of Metro’s West Coast
West Coast of the United States
West Coast or Pacific Coast are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the United States. The term most often refers to the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Although not part of the contiguous United States, Alaska and Hawaii do border the Pacific Ocean but can't be included in...
productions.
While vacation in New York, after four years with Metro, Baker received a number of tempting job offers from competing studios. He chose instead to take advantage of his popularity by severing his ties with Metro to work as a freelance director on projects of his own choosing. George Baker wrote the scenarios for a number of the films and was responsible for almost all the continuity work on films he directed. He continued to work well into the 1920s before retiring in his late Fifties.
Death
Besides his stage and film work, Baker had also done illustrations for newspapers and magazines and was known as an accomplished still photographer. He was well read with a special interest in the arts. George Duane Baker died at the age of sixty-five on June 2, 1933 at Hollywood, California.Selected Filmography
- 1916 The Wager (Screenwriter)
- 1916 The Tarantula (Director/Screenwriter)
- 1917 Sowers and Reapers (Director/Screenwriter)
- 1917 The White Raven (Director)
- 1917 His Father’s Son (Director)
- 1917 Outwitted (Director)
- 1918 The Shell Game (Director)
- 1918 Revelation (Director)
- 1918 Toys of Fate (Director)
- 1918 Her Inspiration Screenplay
- 1919 As the Sun Went Down (Screenwriter)
- 1919 The Lion’s Den (Director)
- 1919 Peggy Does Her Darndest (Director)
- 1919 Castles in the Air (Director)
- 1920 The Man Who Lost Himself (Director)
- 1920 The Cinema Murders (Director)
- 1920 A Whiff of Heliotrope (Director)
- 1921 Buried Treasure (Director)
- 1921 Proxies (Director)
- 1921 The Hunch (Director)
- 1921 Garments of Truth (Director)
- 1922 Don't Write Letters (Director)
- 1922 I Can Explain (Director)
- 1922 Little Eva Ascends (Director)
- 1923 Slave of Desire (Director)
- 1924 Revelation (Director)
- ? What Shall it Profit (Screenwriter)
- ? Long Live the Queen (Screenwriter)