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- Music Department
- Composer
- Actor
Erik Satie was born on 17 May 1866 in Honfleur, Calvados, France. He was a composer and actor, known for Badlands (1973), The November Man (2014) and Mr. Nobody (2009). He died on 1 July 1925 in Paris, France.- Jules Jordan was born in 1871 in Birmingham, England, UK. He was an actor, known for New Toys (1925). He died on 22 July 1925 in Toledo, Ohio, USA.
- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Although all too frequently neglected by fans of silent comedy, Max Linder is in many ways as important a figure as Charles Chaplin, Buster Keaton or Harold Lloyd, not least because he predated (and influenced) them all by several years and was largely responsible for the creation of the classic style of silent slapstick comedy.
Linder started out as an actor in the French theatre, but after making his screen debut in 1905 he quickly became an enormously famous and successful film comedian on both sides of the Atlantic, thanks to his character "Max," a top-hatted dandy. By 1912 he was the highest-paid film star in the world, with an unprecedented salary of one million francs. He began to direct films in 1911 and showed equal facility behind the camera, but his career suffered an almost terminal blow when he was drafted into the French army to fight in World War I. He was gassed, and the illness that resulted would blight his career. Although offered a contract in America, recurring ill health meant that his US films had little of the sparkle of his early French work, and a brief attempt to revive his career by making films for the recently-formed United Artists (one of whose founders, of course, was Chaplin) in the early 1920s came to little, although these later films are now regarded as classics. He returned to France and killed himself in a suicide pact with his wife in 1925.- Director
- Writer
- Producer
A prolific director--over 700 films, most of them short- or medium-length--Louis Feuillade began his career with Gaumont where, as well as directing his own features, he was appointed artistic director in charge of production in 1907. His work was largely comprised of film series; his first series, begun in 1910 and numbering 15 episodes, was 'Le Film Esthétique', a financially unsuccessful attempt at "high-brow" cinema. More popular was La vie telle qu'elle est (1911), which moved from the costume pageantry of his earlier work to a more realistic--if somewhat melodramatic--depiction of contemporary life. Feuillade also directed scores of short films featuring the characters Bébé and René Poyen. His most successful feature-length serials were Fantômas: In the Shadow of the Guillotine (1913), which chronicled the diabolical exploits of the "emperor of crime," and Les vampires (1915), which trailed a criminal gang led by Irma Vep (Musidora) and was noted for its imaginative use of locations and lyrical, almost surreal style.- Lucille Ricksen was born Ingeborg Erickson in Chicago, Illinois on August 22, 1910. She worked a child model and made her film debut at age 5. Her parents separated and her mother took her to Hollywood in 1920, and 10-year-old Lucille was offered a contract with Samuel Goldwyn and starred in a series of short films. She often had to work long hours but she always said she was having fun. In 1922 she starred opposite Marie Prevost in "The Married Flapper." The following year she was given a starring role in the drama "The Rendezvous"; although she was only 13, the studio lied that she was actually 16. The press called her "the youngest leading lady in movies". Lucille developed a close relationship with producer Sydney Chaplin (brother of Charlie Chaplin), who was 25 years her senior. She became one of Hollywood's busiest starlets and was chosen as one of the WAMPAS Baby Stars.
In 1924 Ricksen made 10 films, including "Vanity's Price," "The Galloping Fish," and "The Valley Of The Wolf." Unfortunately, the 14-year-old started to suffer from exhaustion and malnutrition. She was diagnosed with tuberculosis and became bedfast. Her mother kept a bedside vigil, but the stress brought on a fatal heart attack. Following her mother's death, Lucille was looked after by family friends including actress Lois Wilson. During one of her conscious moments Lucille said "Mother wouldn't want me--die--Mother said--Wonderful future--Going to do big things--Won't die! I won't!" But on March 13, 1925, she passed away from complications of tuberculosis, still at only 14 years old. There were rumors that her death had actually been caused by a botched abortion. Lucille was cremated and she was buried with her mother at Forest Lawn in Glendale, California. Her final film, "The Denial," came out 10 days after her death. - Writer
- Additional Crew
H. Rider Haggard was born on 22 June 1856 in Bradenham, Norfolk, England, UK. H. Rider was a writer, known for The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, King Solomon's Mines (1985) and Allan Quatermain. H. Rider was married to Mariana Louisa Margitson. H. Rider died on 14 May 1925 in London, England, UK.- Jennie Lee was born on 4 September 1848 in Sacramento, California, USA. She was an actress, known for The Birth of a Nation (1915), Hearts of Oak (1924) and The Children Pay (1916). She was married to William Courtright. She died on 5 August 1925 in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Queen Alexandra was born Princess Alexandra Caroline Mary Charlotte Louisa Julia on December 1, 1844. She was the granddaughter of the king of Denmark. She lived an uneventful childhood in the palaces of Denmark with her sister, Marie, who became the mother of Tsar Nicholas II of Russia. When Alex, as she was called, turned 16 she was considered a great beauty, and won the hand of the heir to the throne of England. She and Prince Albert Edward, or "Bertie", were married on March 10, 1863. They had six children including the future King George V. The first 40 years of marriage were very turbulent for Alexandra. As well as the six children, she had to contend with a brother-in-law (the husband of Bertie's sister Helena) whose family wanted a stake in the Schleswig-Holstein lands that had belonged to the kings of Denmark for generations. Finally in 1901 her mother-in-law, Queen Victoria, died, making her husband King Edward VII and she, in turn, Queen Consort. During her time as Queen she did many things to make England better, including the establishment of The Red Cross.
In 1910, however, something happened to change everything. Her husband of almost 50 years died. On his death bed she did a very magnanimous thing: she allowed his mistress, Alice Keppel, to say goodbye to him. After his death she lived at the house in which she had lived during her marriage. Unfortunately, she also lived with the increasing deafness that plagued her life as well as that of her son Albert Victor, who would have become king if he had not died. Alexandra died in 1925 of a heart attack and is buried at Windsor near her husband and mother and father-in-law. - Director
- Writer
- Producer
Began as an actor, then as director and producer at the Suburban Garden Theatre in St. Louis, then at the Academy of Music in New York, where he was hired by William Fox to direct films in 1914. He directed 22 films starring Theda Bara, who called him "the nicest director I ever worked with." His grandson is the director Blake Edwards.- William Jennings Bryan is an American orator and politician from Nebraska. Beginning in 1896, he emerged as a dominant force in the Democratic Party, running three times as the party's nominee for President of the United States in the 1896, 1900, and 1908 elections. He served in the United States House of Representatives and as the United States Secretary of State under Woodrow Wilson.
Born and raised in Illinois, WilliamBryan moved to Nebraska in the 1880s. He won election to the House of Representatives in the 1890 elections, serving two terms before making an unsuccessful run for the Senate in 1894. The Democratic convention nominated Bryan for president, making Bryan the youngest major party presidential nominee in U.S. history. Subsequently, Bryan was also nominated for president by the left-wing Populist Party, and many Populists would eventually follow Bryan into the Democratic Party. In the intensely fought 1896 presidential election, Republican nominee William McKinley emerged triumphant. Bryan gained fame as an orator, as he invented the national stumping tour when he reached an audience of 5 million people in 27 states in 1896.
Bryan retained control of the Democratic Party and won the presidential nomination again in 1900. In the election, McKinley again defeated Bryan, winning several Western states that Bryan had won in 1896. Bryan's influence in the party weakened after the 1900 election and the Democrats nominated the conservative Alton B. Parker in the 1904 presidential election. Bryan regained his stature in the party after Parker's resounding defeat by Theodore Roosevelt and voters from both parties increasingly embraced the progressive reforms that had long been championed by Bryan. Bryan won his party's nomination in the 1908 presidential election, but he was defeated by William Howard Taft. Along with Henry Clay, Bryan is one of the two individuals who never won a presidential election despite receiving electoral votes in three separate presidential elections.
After the Democrats won the presidency in the 1912 election, Woodrow Wilson rewarded Bryan's support with the important cabinet position of Secretary of State. Bryan helped Wilson pass several progressive reforms through Congress. Bryan resigned from his post in 1915. - Wladyslaw Stanislaw Reymont was born on 7 May 1867 in Kobiele Wielkie, Poland, Russian Empire [now Kobiele Wielkie, Lódzkie, Poland]. He was a writer, known for Chlopi (1922), Ziemia obiecana (1927) and Komediantka (1987). He was married to Aurelia Szablowska. He died on 5 December 1925 in Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Poland.
- David Powell was born on 17 December 1883 in Glasgow, Scotland, UK. He was an actor, known for Missing Millions (1922), The Dawn of a Tomorrow (1915) and Fine Feathers (1915). He died on 16 April 1925 in New York City, New York, USA.
- Actor
- Director
- Writer
George Field was born on 18 March 1877 in San Francisco, California, USA. He was an actor and director, known for Blood and Sand (1922), Young Wild West's Mexican Mix-Up (1912) and Young Wild West Cornered by Apaches (1912). He was married to Winifred Greenwood. He died on 9 March 1925 in California, USA.- Actress
- Writer
- Director
Lucille McVey was a writer at Vitagraph when she met Sidney Drew shortly after his wife's death. They married almost immediately although he was more than twice her age. She scripted and he directed a number of domestic comedies, said to be more subtle and wholesome than those previously filmed. After his death she lost interest in films. She died in 1925 after a lingering illness.- Actress
- Writer
- Art Department
Lottie Lyell has been called Australia's first movie star - which makes it all the more tragic that little of her work survives. That which does provides ample proof of her prodigious and versatile talent. The actress called the `gladsome centaur' by one critic (for her formidable talent as a horsewoman) acted, directed, scripted, and edited numerous films, with her partner, eminent film director and producer, Raymond Longford. Her best known role is undoubtedly that of Doreen in `The Sentimental Bloke' (1919), an adaptation of the popular poem by Australian poet C.J. Dennis. Its wide appeal, gentle humour and clever use of Australian slang made it one of the best loved films of early Australian cinema, as well as a commendable success in overseas markets such as England and America. Some critics commented that: `Doreen in the book charms us so little that we often feel like throwing things at her; but the little Australian girl who plays Doreen on the film is so sprightly and honest, so womanly and sweet, so un affectedly Australian and human, that we find ourselves really believing in Doreen' (`The Triad', 10th November 1919) Together, Lyell and Longford formed their own production company which, though successful, was liquidated in 1924 for reasons still unclear. Sadly, Lottie Lyell passed away at the age of 34 of tuberculosis, depriving the Australian film industry of one of its most influential early figures. `Everyones' Magazine called her `One who has left the mark of her genius on Australian screen progress'.- Courtenay Foote was born on 22 November 1878 in England. He was an actor, known for Tess of the D'Urbervilles (1924), Dorothy Vernon of Haddon Hall (1924) and Little Old New York (1923). He died on 4 May 1925 in Italy.
- Writer
- Director
- Producer
Michel Verne was born on 3 August 1861 in Paris, France. He was a writer and director, known for La Destinée de Jean Morénas (1916), Les Indes noires (1917) and In Search of the Castaways (1914). He was married to Jeanne Raboul and Clémence-Thérese Taton. He died on 5 March 1925 in Toulon, Var, France.- Fred R. Stanton was born on 28 August 1877 in Newark, New Jersey, USA. He was an actor, known for The Son of the Wolf (1922), The Great Secret (1917) and Jenny Be Good (1920). He died on 27 May 1925 in Hollywood, California, USA.
- Actor
- Producer
A stage actor since his early teenage years, Lester Cuneo made his first film, a comedy short, in 1910. It was quite successful, and he soon began appearing in a series of comedy shorts, which he also directed. Tiring of comedies, he decided to make himself a cowboy star and turned to making westerns. He was also successful in that endeavor, and soon became one of the country's first western stars. Unlike many other cowboy actors, however, Cuneo also played dramatic parts in other pictures. His career was interrupted by World War I, and after completing his military service, he returned to Hollywood and resumed his career in Westerns. He formed his own production company and made his own films, and his character was known as "The Smiling Daredevil." His pictures were initially successful, but their success didn't last long. Cuneo's career went downhill, and after a series of personal and professional failures, he shot himself to death in 1925.- Writer
- Actor
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Songwriter ("Darktown Poker Club"), author and agent who wrote special material for musical comedy and vaudeville, also scenarios for Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, and Harold Lloyd, and a press agent for Lew Dockstader's Minstrels. A charter member of ASCAP (1914), Havez' other novelty and popular-song compositions included "Everybody Works but Father", "When You Ain't Got No Money then You Needn't Come Around", "I'm Looking For an Angel", "Do Not Forget the Good Old Days", "You're On the Right Road, Sister", and "He Cert'ny Was Good to Me".- Mary Thurman was born Mary Christiansen on April 27, 1895, in Richfield, Utah. She was one of seven children raised in the Mormon faith. Sadly her father passed away when she was nine. Mary attended the University of Utah and got a job as a teacher. In 1915 she took a trip to Hollywood. A talent scout saw her and she became one of the famous Mack Sennett bathing beauties. She also began appearing in Sennett's comedy shorts. Mary started out as an extra and quickly worked her way up to leading lady. Between 1916 and 1918 she made more than twenty films. Mary married her childhood sweetheart Victor E. Thurman but the couple divorced in 1919. Mary costarred with Rosco "Fatty" Arbuckle in Leap Year and with William Desmond in The Prince And Betty.
Although she had become a popular comedienne she dreamed of being a serious actress. She signed with producer Allan Dwan who cast her in the 1920 drama In The Heart Of A Fool. Her performance got rave reviews. Allan would direct Mary in several more films including The Sin of Martha Queed and A Broken Doll. Off screen Mary and Allan fell in love and were engaged for a short time. In the fall 1925 she began work on the movie Down Upon The Suwanee River. While filming in Florida she came down with a serious case of pneumonia. She struggled with the illness for months and passed away on December 22, 1925. Mary was only thirty years old. Her mother and her best friend, actress Juanita Hansen, were by her side when she died. Mary was buried in Richfield City Cemetery in her hometown of Richfield, Utah. - Marguerite Marsh was born Marguerite Clarice Marsh on April 18, 1888 in Lawrence, Kansas. Marguerite was the oldest of seven children, After her father died her mother moved the family to Los Angeles, California. She briefly worked as a nurse before deciding to pursue a career on the stage. In 1907 she married Donald Loveridge and had a daughter named Leslie. Marguerite was signed by Biograph studios in 1911 and made her film debut in The Primal Call. The dark haired beauty had bit parts in numerous shorts including A Siren Of Impulse, The Leading Man, and Too Many Maids. For several years she used the stage name Marguerite Loveridge. Her marriage to Donald ended in 1913. Then she started dating comedian Fred Mace. Meanwhile her younger sister Mae Marsh had become a popular movie star. The two sisters worked together in the film Fields Of Honor.
Her romance with Fred ended in 1916 when she refused to marry him. Sadly he died just a few months later. Marguerite had leading roles in the dramas The Phantom Honeymoon and The Eternal Magdalene. She also appeared in the 1918 serial The Master Mystery with magician Harry Houdini. In her free time she enjoyed reading and studying astrology. Although she made more than eighty movies she never became as successful as her sister Mae. Her final film was the 1923 British drama The Lion's Mouse. She suffered a nervous breakdown during the Fall of 1925. Then she went to live with her mother in New York City. Tragically on December 8, 1925 she died from bronchial pneumonia. Marguerite was only thirty-seven years old. She was buried at Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx, New York. - Director
- Writer
- Producer
Fred Hibbard was born on 18 January 1894 in Bucharest, Romania. He was a director and writer, known for Hurry Up (1922), West Is West (1923) and Wrecks (1923). He was married to Ethel Lynne. He died on 6 January 1925 in Los Angeles, California, USA.- Director
- Actor
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Ray Grey was born on 19 February 1890 in San Diego, California, USA. He was a director and actor, known for Down on the Farm (1920), Loose Change (1922) and Stand Pat (1922). He was married to Florence Anna Pauly. He died on 18 April 1925 in Glendale, California, USA.- Harry L. Rattenberry was born on 14 December 1857 in Sacramento, California, USA. He was an actor, known for Oliver Twist (1916), With Father's Help (1915) and All in the Same Boat (1915). He died on 9 December 1925 in Hollywood, California, USA.
- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Paul Cazeneuve was born on 11 May 1871 in Revel, Haute-Garonne, France. He was an actor and director, known for The Adventurer (1920), The Spirit of Good (1920) and Her Honor the Mayor (1920). He was married to Orpha Alba. He died on 22 June 1925 in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA.- Edward Flanagan was born on 15 August 1880 in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. He was an actor, known for The Hunch (1921), Don't Call Me Little Girl (1921) and They Do It on $8 Per (1919). He was married to Charlotte Abigail Rix. He died on 18 August 1925 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Yat-sen Sun was born on November 12, 1866 in Hsiang-shan, Kwangtung Province, China. He was married to Ching-Ling Soong and Lu Mu-chen. He died on March 12, 1925 in Peking, China.
Sun was survived by his first and second wives, a daughter, and a son, Sun Fo. His first marriage, at the age of 18, to Lu Mu-chen (1867-1952) had been traditionally arranged. She was the mother of his three children. The elder of their two daughters, Chin-yen, died in 1913. Sun's second marriage, to Soong Ch'ing-ling, in Tokyo on 25 October 1914 was controversial because he and his first wife had not been divorced. Sun never divorced his first wife, nonetheless, Soong Ch'ing-ling remained Sun's constant companion until the end of his life. - Sandow was already a great admirer of Greek and Roman statues of gladiators and mythical heroes when his father took him to Italy as a boy. By the time he was 19, he was already performing strongman stunts in side shows. The legendary Florenz Ziegfeld saw the young strongman and hired him for his carnival show. He soon found that the audience was far more fascinated by Sandows' bulging muscles than by the amount of weight he was lifting, so Ziegfeld had Sandow perform poses which he dubbed "muscle display performances." The legendary strongman added these displays in addition to performing his feats of strength with barbells. He also added chain-around-the-chest breaking and other colorful displays to Sandows routine. Sandow quickly became a sensation and Ziegfeld's first star.
Sandow's resemblance to the physiques found on classic Greek and Roman sculpture was no accident. He actually measured the marble artworks in museums and helped to develope "The Grecian Ideal" as a formula for the perfect physique. He built his physique to those exact proportions. Because of this, he is considered to be the father of modern bodybuilding, having been one of the first athletes to intentionally develope his musculature to pre-determined dimensions.
Sandow performed all over Europe and came to America to perform at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. He could be seen in a black velvet-lined box with his body covered in white powder to appear even more like a marble statue come to life. His popularity grew since he was cultured, highly intelligent, and well-mannered. He also dressed very well and had a charming European accent, coupled with deep blue eyes and hearty laugh. He wrote several books on bodybuilding, nutrition and encouraged a healthy lifestyle as being as important as having a sound mind.
He was married to Blanche Brooks Sandow, had 2 daughters, but was probably unfaithful to her, since he was constantly in the company of women who paid money to feel his flexed muscles back stage after his stage performances. He also had a close relationship to a male musician he hired to accompany him during his shows. The man was Martinus Sieveking, a handsome pupil of Sandow. The degree of their relationship has never been determined, but they lived together in New York for a time.
Sandow knew many famous people in his lifetime... among his friends were Arthur Conan Doyle; Thomas Edison, who made early motion pictures of Sandow; the King of England; Isabella Gardner of Boston and many other celebrities of the day. Sandow invented many bodybuilding exercises, some still used today, and equipment such as a lightweight dumbbell-shaped hand exerciser that was spring-loaded. He was quite generous with his time and money -- out of his own pocket, he paid the housing costs of foreign athletes at the Olympic Games held in London. Sandow was the promoter and judge at the first bodybuilding contest ever held, in New York on September 14, 1901. Sandow also made a world tour in 1903. He died prematurely in 1925 at age 58 of a stroke shortly after pushing his car out of the mud.
Sandow was a charming, intelligent and industrious man who worked very hard for what he earned. He also inspired countless men to look at their bodies as something at least as important as their minds, since for several decades in the 19th century, more men were working in offices as clerks, bankers and other jobs which turned many bodies pale and weak. He changed countless attitudes about health and fitness, and we continue to feel its effects today. - Jane Connelly was born on 2 May 1883 in Port Huron, Michigan, USA. She was an actress, known for The Man from Beyond (1922). She was married to Erwin Connelly. She died on 25 October 1925 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Pierre Bressol was born on 12 January 1874 in Marseille, Bouches-du-Rhône, France. He was an actor and director, known for Une goutte de sang (1920), Le mystère de la villa Mortain (1919) and Les figures de cire (1919). He died on 9 April 1925 in Paris XIII, Paris, France.- Jack Chenault was born on 26 September 1888 in Columbus, Ohio, USA. He was an actor, known for Within Our Gates (1920). He died on 22 May 1925 in Chicago, Illinois, USA.
- Louÿs' refined evocations, not to say re-inventions, of the society of Hellenistic Greece proved extremely popular in both France and the English speaking world, especially due to the somewhat risque nature of such works as Aphrodite (1896) and Les Chansons de Bilitis (1894). He lived his entire life in Paris, travelling occasionally around the Mediterranean coast where so many of his works of art were set. He had close friends among the writers of his day but otherwise kept among himself rather apart from literary cliques except for that of Mallarme.
- Stefan Zeromski was born on 14 October 1864 in Strawczyn, Poland, Russian Empire [now Strawczyn, Swietokrzyskie, Poland]. He was a writer, known for Wierna rzeka (1936), Story of a Sin (1933) and Wiatr od morza (1930). He was married to Anna Zawadzka and Oktawia Radziwllowicz. He died on 20 November 1925 in Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Poland.
- Zip Monberg was born on 9 August 1890 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He was an actor, known for Adventures of Tarzan (1921), A Lion in the House (1919) and Dainty Damsels and Bogus Counts (1919). He was married to Virginia Theckla McMaster. He died on 7 March 1925 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Writer
- Music Department
Sergei Esenin was born on 3 October 1895 in Konstantinovo, Ryazan Governorate, Russian Empire [now Ryazan Oblast, Russia]. He was a writer, known for Poj pesnyu, poet (1973), The Hollow (2007) and Mongol Shuudan: Moskva (1996). He was married to Sophia Tolstaya, Isadora Duncan, Zinaida Reich and Anna Izryadnova. He died on 28 December 1925 in Leningrad, RSFSR, USSR [now St. Petersburg, Russia].- Director
- Actor
- Writer
Born in Montreal, Canada, Frederick A. Thomson--not to be confused with cowboy star Fred Thomson--had a 20-year career on the stage as an actor and producer before entering the film industry. He was a longtime director at Vitagraph, although he would occasionally appear in the studio's films as an actor. He directed his last film in 1921, and after appearing in A Tailor-Made Man (1922) for United Artists in 1922, he left the business.
He died in Hollywood of heart problems in 1925. He was 55.- Baseball was a popular sport in its first 30 years, but it had always lacked one thing: a superstar. The 19th century was full of great players who won great popularity, but one thing the period lacked was a superstar the masses could idolize. The sport eventually did find its first superstar in the form of Christy Mathewson, a handsome, college-educated gentleman who stood as the shining star in the brutal world of early baseball.
Matty, as he was known, seemed to have been the embodiment of Frank Meriwell, the virtuous baseball hero in a popular serial of the time. His only character flaw seemed to have been his arrogance, but his performance on the field justified this arrogance. He had a good grasp of the standard pitches, the fastball, the curve ball and the change-up, and he had perfected a reverse-curve ball that made him one of the most dominating pitchers of the era. It is known today as a screwball, but players back them called it a fade-away, for it seemed to fade away from the hitter's line of sight. He threw all of these pitches with pinpoint precision. To top it off, Mathewson had a degree of intelligence that was almost impossible to find in early baseball. He was book-smart, having been educated at Bucknell College, in a sport where many of the players could barely read and write, and was known to have been a terrific checkers player. And he was smart on the field. It was Christy Mathewson who coined the phrase, "You can learn little from victory. You can learn everything from defeat."
Mathewson was a child of a wealthy farmer. He played an active role during his three years in college, and was a star athlete in three sports. During the summers he would play in various minor-league teams. He was purchased by the Giants, but was released after going 0-3 in his first major league season in 1900. He was later signed by both the Philadelphia Athletics (of the brand-new American League) and the Cincinnati Reds. To complicate things, the Reds mysteriously traded Mathewson to the Giants for the burned-out fireballer Amos Rusie. Forced to decide whether to return to the Giants or enter the American League, Mathewson decided to stick with the latter. He was good but not great in his first two full seasons with the Giants. He pitched a no-hitter, but went 34-34. The Giants manager tried to convert Mathewson to an infielder in 1902, but when new manager John J. McGraw arrived, he encouraged Mathewson to give pitching all he had, and Mathewson delivered. He won at least 30 games in the next three seasons (30, 33, 31) and, alongside Joe McGinnity, led the Giants to consecutive pennants in 1904 and 1905. In 1905 he pitched in his first World Series. Having already pitched a no-hitter, he continued his dominance by hurling three complete game shutouts as the Giants easily topped the A's. Mathewson won a career-high 37 games in 1908, but the one win he couldn't get turned out to be the most important. A playoff game was required between the Giants and the Cubs after they were tied in the regular season (after a legendary game that deserves a thread of its own), as he lost 4-2 to Mordecai Brown. The Cubs went on to win the World Series, and never won again: The Curse of the 1908 Giants (that darned Billy goat gets too much credit.)
Mathewson never failed to win at least 20 games in a staggering 12 consecutive seasons (1903-1914). His 300th win came in his 23-win 1912 season. Needing only 11 wins to get to the milestone after 1911, Mathewson won the first ten games quickly. His 300th career victory came on June 13, 1912 against none other than the Chicago Cubs. He was unable to get even with Brown. Instead, he topped staff ace 'Larry Cheney' for a 4-3 victory. Mathewson teamed up with Rube Marquard to bring the Giants another pennant that year, but suffered a rare mental lapse in the deciding game of the World Series and eventually lost to the Boston Red Sox. After a 24-win season in 1914, Mathewson's arm began fading in 1915, and went 8-14 while pitching half as much as he used to. Mathewson was asked to manage the Reds in the middle of 1916, and so Giants management agreed to trade the fading Mathewson to Cincinnati, where he finally got his revenge for the embarrassing loss to Brown in his 373rd and final career win.
Mathewson continued to manage the Reds after his career ended, and he turned the pitiful Reds from a cellar-dweller to a .500 club. In 1918, he was one of many players (and former players) that enlisted in the Army to fight in the Great War. Mathewson was assigned to train recruits how to put on gas masks, and was unfortunately exposed to mustard gas during a drill, and it permanently injured his lungs. After the war, Mathewson went to coach for the Giants, but was bothered by a nasty cough. Doctors discovered that Matty had contracted tuberculosis, a potentially fatal lung disease. Mathewson moved to a sanitarium, where he stayed for a few years to recuperate. As soon as he showed improvement, Mathewson purchased the Boston Braves in 1923 with James McDonough and Emil Fuchs, the former attorney for the Giants. However, the team was always in dire financial straits, and Fuchs was eventually forced to sell the team when not even bringing Babe Ruth over from the Yankess could turn things around. Matty's health steadily worsened, and eventually he had to return to the sanitarium.
His death crushed not only the baseball world, but also the nation, for they had lost one of their earliest and most beloved sports heroes. Nobody was sadder than John J. McGraw, who loved Mathewson as though he was the son McGraw never had. In 1936, Mathewson was one of the first five men that were elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. It may be arguable that there were better pitchers than Matty, but there's no denying that Mathewson was one of baseball's finest gentlemen. - Andrew Hicks was an actor, known for The First Woman (1922) and Is Money Everything? (1923). He died on 27 May 1925.
- Shorty Hamilton was born on 9 September 1879 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He was an actor, known for Denny from Ireland (1918), It Happened Out West (1923) and The Snail (1918). He was married to Ethel Spurgint (actress). He died on 7 March 1925 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Writer
- Soundtrack
Aristide Bruant was born on 6 May 1851 in Courtenay, Loiret, France. He was a writer, known for Rushmore (1998), La loupiote (1937) and La loupiote (1922). He died on 11 February 1925 in Paris, France.- Ester Rachel Kaminska was born on 10 March 1870 in Porozów, Poland, Russian Empire [now Porazava, Belarus]. She was an actress, known for The Slaughter (1913), Tkies khaf (1924) and Mirele Efros (1912). She was married to Abraham Izaak Kaminski. She died on 25 December 1925 in Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Poland.
- William Canfield was born in 1860. He was an actor, known for Love Never Dies (1916), A Knight of the Range (1916) and The Voice on the Wire (1917). He died on 14 February 1925 in New York City, New York, USA.
- Alphonse Winckler was born on 3 October 1839 in Champagnole, France. He died on 21 April 1925 in Nice, Alpes-Maritimes, France.
- Wilton Taylor was born in 1869. He was an actor, known for Terror Island (1920), Treasure Island (1920) and One Hour Before Dawn (1920). He died on 24 January 1925.
- Kay Van der Aa Kühle was born on 25 June 1877. Kay was a director, known for Guldhornene (1914), Søstrene Morelli (1917) and Panopta I (1918). Kay died on 18 April 1925.
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Charles Lawlor was born on 2 June 1852 in Dublin, Ireland, UK [now Republic of Ireland]. Charles is known for 42 (2013), Gambler's Choice (1944) and Not So Dumb (1930). Charles died on 31 May 1925 in New York City, New York, USA.- Eduardo Scarpetta was born on 13 March 1853 in Naples, Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. He was a writer and actor, known for Un turco napoletano (1953), Miseria e nobiltà (1954) and Sette ore di guai (1951). He died on 23 November 1925 in Naples, Campania, Italy.
- Renold Dewey Jones grew up in Redondo Beach, California. He and his younger brother John P. were raised by his mother Minnie and his stepfather George Horton. R.D., as he was called, married Vera Bennett, a daughter of one of the families that founded Inglewood, California. They had two sons, Walter "Wally" Clough Jones and Roy "Rusty" Bennett Jones. Mr. Andrew Bennett ran The Granada Theatre on Market Street in Inglewood. The Granada Theatre was later damaged in a fire and eventually sold to Fox, which changed its name to The Fox Theatre.
R.D. Jones drowned while performing a stunt in Coos, Oregon, for the Lasky Studios film The Ancient Highway (1925). He was a stunt man for Jack Holt while working at The Famous Players / Lasky Studios. He was also a cameraman for director Harry Beaumont, and worked with director Cecil B. DeMille on Manslaughter (1922) as both a stuntman and cameraman. The only known footage of him is a "screenshot" promotional, shot at Lasky Studios in the 1920s, part of the Rudolph Valentino Collection DVD, by Flicker Alley. - Actor
- Writer
- Director
Harry Furniss was born in 1854 in Wexford, Ireland. He was an actor and writer, known for Mrs. Scrubbs' Discovery (1914), Rival Reflections (1914) and An Old Appointment (1912). He died on 15 January 1925 in Hastings, England, UK.