Around 1910, the
East Coast filmmakers began to take advantage of the mild
California winter climates, and after
Nestor Studios, run by Canadian
Al Christie, built the first permanent
movie studio in
Hollywood, a number of the movie companies expanded or relocated to the new Hollywood.[1] At the same time, because there was no sound in movies, several
French filmmakers had their motion pictures distributed in the United States.[2]
List of Canadian film pioneers in Hollywood
Among those Canadians who took part in the early years of Hollywood were:
In his book Stardust and Shadows: Canadians in Early Hollywood,
Charles Foster recounted his experiences meeting some of these Canadians while on leave from the
Royal Air Force during
World War II. Foster visited Hollywood where he was introduced to Canadian and silent movie director
Sidney Olcott. Through Olcott he learned of Hollywood's Canadian community. Although total strangers, young Foster was welcomed with open arms. This social gathering of "
Canucks" also included Walter Pidgeon,
Deanna Durbin, Fifi D'Orsay, and others who worked in the movie business.[4]
Several of these Canadian pioneers achieved enormous wealth and worldwide fame, such as Louis B. Mayer and Mary Pickford who were, in their day, two of the most powerful personalities in Hollywood. From the late 1920s to the mid-1930s, Canadian female actresses were amongst the greatest box office draws. The
Academy Award for Best Actress was won by Canadian women three years in a row:
Foster recounts the feelings and deep loyalty of Louis B. Mayer. Although he had become a naturalized American citizen, Mayer was known to hire Canadian compatriots on the spot, as
Saint John,
New Brunswick native Walter Pidgeon later recalled:
Without another word he called his secretary,
Ida Koverman. "Ida..." he said, "prepare a contract for this man from Saint John, he will tell you his name, and Ida, add another fifty dollars a week on the contract for a good Canadian." We shook hands and just like that I was under contract to MGM. "You do act, don't you?" he asked. I nodded and left the room.[5]
Several Canadian expatriates also saw their careers decline and died before the age of 55.
Florence Lawrence, the "first real
movie star", the
Biograph Girl[5] in Hollywood history, who appeared in more than 270 movies, committed suicide at the age of 52. She is buried in unmarked grave in the
Hollywood Cemetery.[6]Marie Prevost, who was a leading lady during the mid-1920s, suffered from depression after the death of her mother in 1926. In 1937, she died of acute
alcoholism and malnutrition at the age of 38.
Florence La Badie died of injuries she sustained in a car accident in August 1917 at the age of 29.
Jack Pickford, Mary Pickford's younger brother, died at age 36 from what was then known as
multiple neuritis,[7] while his sister
Lottie died of a heart attack at age 43.