Born Today October 28: Harry Garson

 

1882-1938

 

American film director and producer Harry Isaac Garson was born on this day in Rochester, New York. His career was almost entirely during the silent era. He got into films in 1919 as producer; he was one of two producers, along with Blanche Sweet, on the epic (for it's time) war film The Unpardonable Sin, directed by Marshall Neilan.  That same year, he was the "presenter" (basically an executive producer) on the very early Rudolph Valentino film Eyes of Youth (1919), having formed his own company Harry Garson Productions.  However, it as a director for which he has the most film credits.  His first outing helming a film came in 1920 on The Forbidden Woman, starring Clara Kimball Young (who also appeared in the above Valentino film and to whom he had a business relationship with from 1919-1922 [Note: some sources cite that they were actually married to for a hot minute, I do not think that was the case--involved maybe, but married??])--he had by this time changed his company name to "Garson Studios."  Young would also be a frequent actor in his films produced by his company in the early 1920's. His studio lasted through the year 1927, but his last directed silent feature film--The Lunatic--was made for another company: Thomas Productions in 1927 (a film that marked the debut of a truly great character actor in George Tobias). His last silent film was also his last working for his own company; it was a short film entitled The Fight for the Water Hole and also came out in 1927.  His first sound film did not come until well into the 1930's and that was on the poverty row horror picture The Beast of Borneo, released in April of 1934.  His last film was also released in 1934. The comedy What a Mother-in-Law! was co-directed with the Latvian born Harry S. Brown, and was filmed in Yiddish.  Garson died four years later on the 21st of September in Los Angles. He was just 55 years of age. There is no information on his burial, but it is known that he was Jewish and would have likely had a Jewish burial. 

 

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