Edward Sedgwick
Edward Sedgwick | |
---|---|
![]() Sedgwick in 1933 | |
Born | [1] Galveston, Texas,U.S. | November 7, 1889
Died | March 7, 1953 | (aged 63)
Resting place | Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City |
Other names | Edgar Sedgwick Ed Segwick |
Alma mater | St. Mary's University of Galveston |
Occupations |
|
Years active | 1915–1953 |
Spouse | Ebba Havez |
Relatives | Eileen Sedgwick(sister) Josie Sedgwick(sister) |
Edward Sedgwick(November 7, 1889 – March 7, 1953) was an Americanfilm director,writer,actorandproducer.[2]
Early life
[edit]He was born in Galveston, Texas, the son of Edward Sedgwick, Sr. and Josephine Walker, both stage actors. At the age of four, young Edward Sedgwick joined his show business family in what was then the Sedgwick Comedy Company, a vaudeville act, doing a "singing speciality".[1]He played child parts and did vaudeville acts until he was seven, when he was given his first comedy part, that of an Irish immigrant, in a comedy written by his father calledJust Over.[1]
During this time, he was only on stage during the summer months. In winter his father took him back to Galveston and sent him to school.[1]He graduated fromSt. Mary's University of Galveston,and was then sent to thePeacock Military Academyin San Antonio, from which he graduated with the rank of first lieutenant.[1]After graduation, he seriously contemplated a military life but the lure of the stage proved stronger and so he rejoined his father's company, now known as "The Five Sedgwicks." The troupe consisted of his parents, himself and his two sisters. Forced to close the act due to his father's illness, Sedgwick went into musical comedy and soon had a company of his own, known as "The Cabaret Girls," produced, directed and managed by himself. The company was very successful, and it was only after repeated offers fromRomaine Fieldingthat he was induced, at the end of his third successful season, to disband his company and become a film-actor.[1]
The two other family members were Edward's twin sistersEileenandJosie,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 theTom Mixwestern unit. Sedgwick's love of baseball came in handy for the ballpark sequences of Mix'sStepping Out,Buck Jones’Hit and Run,William Haines’Slide, Kelly, Slide,Buster Keaton’sThe Cameraman,andRobert Young’sDeath on the Diamond.
Career
[edit]Sedgwick signed with MGM in the late 1920s. There, he found a kindred spirit in fellow baseball buffBuster Keaton.Sedgwick (known informally as "Ed" or "Junior" ) directed most of Keaton's MGM features:The Cameraman,Spite Marriage,Free and Easy,Doughboys(in which Sedgwick appears on screen as a dumb soldier),Parlor, Bedroom and Bath,Speak Easily,andWhat! No Beer?.In 1936 Sedgwick briefly became a producer-director atHal Roach Studios.There, he madeMister CinderellaandPick a Star,both starringJack Haley.The latter film featured a guest appearance byLaurel and Hardy.
He directed the 1938 filmThe GladiatorstarringJoe E. BrownandDickie Moore.
By the 1940s, Sedgwick had fewer opportunities to direct. WhenLaurel and Hardyreturned to MGM in late 1942, Sedgwick was chosen to direct them inAir 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 agagmanforRed Skelton,had suggested that Sedgwick would be an ideal director for the upcomingA Southern Yankee.But Sedgwick was not up to the challenge: though he received sole directorial credit,S. Sylvan Simondirected the film in its entirety.[3]Sedgwick's final released film wasUniversal'sMa and Pa Kettle Back on the Farm.
Sedgwick's 1923 silent filmThe First Degreewas long thought to have been alost filmuntil a complete copy was discovered at theChicago Film Archives,part of a collection of agricultural films donated fromPeoria, IL.[4]Chicago Film Archiveshas preserved and digitally transferred the film.[5]
Death
[edit]Sedgwick died of aheart attackinNorth Hollywood, Californiaat the age of 63. He is buried inHoly Cross CemeteryinCulver City.
Filmography
[edit]- The Haunted Pajamas(1917)
- Fantômas(1920)
- Live Wires(1921)
- The Rough Diamond(1921)
- Bar Nothing(1921)
- Boomerang Justice(1922)
- The Bearcat(1922)
- The Flaming Hour(1922)
- Chasing the Moon(1922)
- Do and Dare(1922)
- Out of Luck(1923)
- Romance Land(1923)
- Single Handed(1923)
- The Gentleman from America(1923)
- Dead Game(1923)
- Shootin' for Love(1923)
- The First Degree(1923)
- Blinky(1923)
- The Ramblin' Kid(1923)
- The Thrill Chaser(1923)
- Hook and Ladder(1924)
- Ride for Your Life(1924)
- 40-Horse Hawkins(1924)
- Broadway or Bust(1924)
- The Sawdust Trail(1924)
- Hit and Run(1924)
- The Ridin' Kid from Powder River(1924)
- The Hurricane Kid(1925)
- The Saddle Hawk(1925)
- Let 'er Buck(1925)
- Lorraine of the Lions(1925)
- The Phantom of the Opera(1925)
- Two-Fisted Jones(1925)
- The Runaway Express(1926)
- Tin Hats(1926)
- The Flaming Frontier(1926)
- Under Western Skies(1926)
- There You Are!(1926)
- Slide, Kelly, Slide(1927)
- The Bugle Call(1927)
- Spring Fever(1927)
- West Point(1927)
- Circus Rookies(1928)
- The Cameraman(1928)
- Spite Marriage(1929)
- Free and Easy(1930)
- Estrellados(1930)
- Doughboys(1930)
- Remote Control(1930)
- Parlor, Bedroom and Bath(1931)
- Maker of Men(1931)
- A Dangerous Affair(1931)
- The Big Shot(1931)
- The Passionate Plumber(1932)
- Speak Easily(1932)
- What! No Beer?(1933)
- Horse Play(1933)
- Saturday's Millions(1933)
- The Poor Rich(1934)
- I'll Tell the World(1934)
- Death on the Diamond(1934)
- Here Comes the Groom(1934)
- Father Brown, Detective(1934)
- Murder in the Fleet(1935)
- The Virginia Judge(1935)
- Mr. Cinderella(1936)
- Pick a Star(1937)
- Riding on Air(1937)
- Fit for a King(1937)
- The Gladiator(1938)
- Burn 'Em Up O'Connor(1939)
- Beware Spooks!(1939)
- So You Won't Talk(1940)
- Air Raid Wardens(1943)
- Easy to Wed(1946)
- A Southern Yankee(1948)
- Excuse My Dust(1951)
- Ma and Pa Kettle Back on the Farm(1951)
- I Love Lucy(1953)
References
[edit]- ^abcdefRobert Grau (1914)The Theatre of Sciencepp.372-3, Broadway publishing company, New York
- ^"Edward Sedgwick".latimes.com.Retrieved2023-08-11.
- ^Zmuda, Michael.The five Sedgwicks: pioneer entertainers of Vaudeville, film and television.McFarland & Company, Inc., 2015.
- ^Babler, Olivia; Desouki, Yasmin (August 2020)."Lost Film From 1923 Uncovered in CFA Collection".Chicago Film Archives.Retrieved2020-08-10.
- ^"Long-lost 1923 silent movie turns up at Chicago Film Archives".chicagotribune.com. 2020-08-03.Retrieved2020-08-03.
External links
[edit]Media related toEdward Sedgwickat Wikimedia Commons
Works by or aboutEdward SedgwickatWikisource
- Edward SedgwickatIMDb
- 1889 births
- 1953 deaths
- Male actors from Texas
- Film producers from Texas
- American male silent film actors
- American male screenwriters
- Burials at Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City
- People from Galveston, Texas
- Film directors from Texas
- 20th-century American male actors
- Screenwriters from Texas
- 20th-century American male writers
- 20th-century American screenwriters