HENRY "PATHE" LEHRMAN (1886-1946)

Lehrman (right) and Ford Sterling try to out-mug one another in Love and Vengeance (Sterling, 1914)

CAREER OVERVIEW / LEHRMAN IN THE NEWS / THE CRITICS RAVE / A LOST MASTERPIECE?

Henry Lehrman has a modern-day reputation as a thoroughly dislikable man, who nonetheless was Mack Sennett's only serious rival until Hal Roach became a force on the comedy scene. The nickname "Pathe" was bestowed upon him by D.W. Griffith when the young actor wandered onto the Biograph lot claiming to be an accomplished European director. The bemused director never gave Lehrman his chance to direct, but like so many others, "Pathe" learned his craft from observing the master at work.

When Mack Sennett snatched Mabel Normand and Fred Mace from the Biograph comedy roster to found Keystone, Lehrman was his choice for staff director. An argument can be made that Lehrman was at least as responsible as Sennett for Keystone's success. Lehrman-directed comedies such as The Bangville Police and For the Love of Mabel (both 1913) helped define the Keystone style.

Legend has it that "Pathe's" other, less jocular nickname, was "Suicide", which gives just a hint of Lehrman's dark side. There is a possibly apocryphal story that Lehrman instructed a stunt driver to drive right into the camera and veer off at the last second. Unfortunately, Lehrman failed to tell the terrified cameraman who dove into the path of the turning car. If this incident happened, it did not make the trade press. What is undeniable is the contempt that Lehrman was held in by his contemporaries. Chaplin implored Sennett to assign him another director. He hounded Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle into obscurity by calling for the innocent comedian's head in the wake of the Virginia Rappe scandal. He was miserly in giving anyone in his companies credit except himself. Injuries were common on his sets, not the least of which was Billie Ritchie's fatal encounter with an ostrich while making a Fox/Sunshine comedy. He had acrimonious splits with at least five companies, three of which he founded! Many of these companies folded soon after Lehrman's departure, testament to the director's reputation as a competent, if rarely inspired, comedy craftsman. Whatever else may be said about the man, Henry Lehrman knew comedy from the inside out.

Lehrman's film work from 1915 forward is difficult to review due to their low survival rates. From contemporary reviews and the few films that are accessible, L-Kos seem to have been considered cheap Keystone ripoffs. When Lehrman had a budget, as he did with Fox/Sunshine, the results could be admirable. His 1920's feature film work was uninspired, and he ended his career as a loyal staffer with 20th Century-Fox. If more of the Fox/Sunshines were to turn up, Lehrman's reputation might be re-assessed. But for now he is best remembered for his earliest work with Keystone and the lucky coincidence that he was Charlie Chaplin's first director.

Slapstick comedy owes much to Henry Lehrman, who perhaps had a greater influence on film comedy than his betters: Chaplin, Keaton and Lloyd. It is from Lehrman that Jack White learned his trade. Along with another Lehrman vet, Lloyd Hamilton, White founded Mermaid Comedies, the first comedy unit of Educational Pictures. He turned out some of the best middle-grade comedies of the 1920's, and passed on comedy technique to younger brother Jules. Jules White ran the comedy unit of Columbia Pictures for almost a quarter-century. And much of today's slapstick is the direct inspiration of the Columbia Three Stooges shorts that were television staples for two generations of kids. Look at a Henry Lehrman Keystone and compare it with one of the better Three Stooges shorts. The technology is different, the technique the same.

Henry Lehrman lives on in Adam Sandler.

CAREER OVERVIEW:

• Born March 30, 1886, Vienna, Austria
• 1909-1912: Acts with the Biograph Company, where he meets Mack Sennett.
• 1912: Does some work for Kinemacolor and IMP.
• 1912-1914: Becomes a charter member of Keystone, where he writes, acts, and directs.
• 1914: With Keystone Cops Chief Ford Sterling, Lehrman splits with Sennett and founds Sterling Comedies, to be released through Universal.
• 1914-1917: After a dispute with Sterling, Lehrman founds L-Ko (Lehrman-Knockout) Comedies, also releasing through Universal.
• 1917-1919: Lehrman splits with Universal, and begins producing Sunshine Comedies for release through Fox. His first, Roaring Lions and Wedding Bells, is a smash, inaugurating a seemingly endless series of comedies about lions on the loose.
• 1920-1921: After a split with Fox, Henry Lehrman Comedies releases through First National.
• 1921: Becomes a minor player in Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle's arrest and trials for the death of Virginia Rappe, Lehrman's fiancee. May have done some gag writing for Larry Semon around this time.
• 1921-1927: Directs feature length comedies and serials for Pathe, Warner Brothers, Columbia and others.
• 1927: Signed by Hal Roach to work as a gag/story man, the relationship is soon severed.
• 1928-1946: Lehrman becomes a jack-of-all-trades for Fox, later 20th Century-Fox; writing, directing and producing.
• Died November 7, 1946, Hollywood, CA

LEHRMAN IN THE NEWS:

Henry Lehrman, former director at Keystone, has returned to Los Angeles from his vacation, bringing a comedy company from New York. He will [illegible] on an LKO brand of funny ones under the Universal stamp. Billie Ritchie, an English comedian, Henry Bergman, weighing 303 pounds, and Gertrude Selby, a vaudeville star, are members of the company.

HENRY M. LEHRMAN. The subject of this interesting sketch, now president of the "L-KO" Motion Picture Kompany of Los Angeles, Cal., was born in Vienna, Austria in 1883. He spent his boyhood days there, and was educated at the Vienna Commercial University. He later served as a lieutenant in the Austrian army, being stationed at the fortress in the city of Przemyal. His regiment is still stationed there, and many of his former comrades are now fighting as members of Lieut. Lehrman's garrision.

When 24 years of age, about seven years ago, Lieut. Lehrman came to America, landing in New York. He could not speak a word of English. He began studying the language of this country under the personal-contact system, and by close application soon mastered the principal features.

Five years ago, he became interested in motion pictures through attending the small theaters of New York, where the scenes in their, at that time, crude state attracted him. He realized even then the wonderful possibilities of motion picture work, for, like many educated and highly-sensitive Europeans, he has an extensive imagination.

He secured a position as an extra man with the Biograph Company of New York. For a year and a half he struggled hard to win recognition. He had many obsticles thrown in his way, but he won out.

During these years of hard work and slow progress, he met Mr. David W. Griffith, the noted director, then rehearsing the actors and players in motion picture work, who [illegible]...

...[illegible] leads to the Lehrman comedies, he produced a number of brilliant and popular plays. It was Miss Normand who induced him to join the Keystone Film Company, which was then being organized. With this organization Mr. Lehrman soon established a new line of comedies, which one public approval from the start. He continued with this company for about eighteen months, when he was offered important connections with other companies, finally signing up with the Universal Film Company, who organized a special company for Mr Lehrman, with an individual trade-mark known as the "L-KO" Motion Picture Kompany, of which Mr. Lehrman is president and general director; he also controls the corporation. This notable company is now making headquarters in Los Angeles, where, under the direction of Mr. Lehrman, the company is producing high-class comedies under the "L-KO" brand. A specialty is made of three-reel productions, following along the lines of "After Her Millions", which proved so successful.

Mr. Lehrman has had a remarkable career, and when it is considered that he never uses a script or has a scenario to follow, conceiving and executing as he proceeds, his success has been most notable.

Mr. Lehrman's view of comedy is anything that resembles life-that is true to nature. He now plans a series of comedy pictures based on exposition life and specialties, the principal object being a combination of educational features that will blend and harmonize with comedy. This will make scenes more attractive and individual, as well as educational and instructive.

Mr. Lehrman rehearses the players over and over again, making corrections and alterations according to his original ideas as [illegible]...

LEHRMAN MAKING FIRST FOX COMEDY. Motion picture comedy in its highest development today is the product of the brain of one man. That man is Henry Lehrman, hardly thirty years old, who has gained fame for himself as director, actor and producer.

Within a few weeks Mr. Lehrman's first comedy for William Fox's Folxfilm brand will be released. He is making it now and all the genius which has been manifested in his previous comedies will be used to evoke laughs from the most serious-minded observer.

Henry Lehrman began work in motion pictures while they were still in their infancy. He started with the Pathe company as an extra, but quickly rose to the fore as a comedy actor.

He soon joined with Mack Sennett in forming the Keystone company. This partnershio lasted about three years. Then Lehrman withdrew and took charge of the Ford Sterling company which released through Universal.

A short time later he formed the L-Ko company, continuing to release on the Universal program. With this company he remained until his recent arrangement with William Fox.

The first comedy which Mr. Lehrman is making for William Fox has a cast headed by himself, Billie Ritchie, Gertrude Selby and Dot Farley. "Montana Kid," the famous comedy dog, is also down among the principals.

MISS RAPPE'S FIANCE THEATENS VENGEANCE. HENRY LEHRMAN, PRODUCER HERE, SAYS HE WOULD KILL ARBUCKLE IF FREED. At the request of Henry Lehrman, the fiancee of Virginia Rappe, the body of the screen actress will be buried in Los Angeles. Mr. Lehrman was overcome by grief in his apartment at 25 West Fifty-first Street yesterday and he declared that he hoped Roscoe Arbuckle would speedily answer for the alleged wrongs to the girl.

"From information I received from San Francisco," he said, "I belive Arbuckle is guilty. For his sake I wish that he will receive full measure of justice so there will be no other crime neccessary. You know what the death of Virginia means to me. I will not attempt to express it. She died game, like a real woman, her last words being to punish Arbuckle, that he outraged her and she begged the nurse not to tell this, as she did not want me to know."

"I am making arrangements for the funeral in Los Angeles. She loved it so much, and I want her near me."

Mr. Lehrman and Miss Rappe had been engaged about a year. They met five years ago in California and motion picture work brought them together.

"I had known Virginia ever since she came to the Coast about five years ago," he said. "Arbuckle had been a friend and we visited him at his home. Her death came as a terrific shock to me. I first heard of it about 1 o'clock on Friday afternoon. The telegram just told me that she was dead and I had no inkling as to what had happened until I saw it in the newspapers.

"Later I got word from a friend that it was all true. Would I kill Arbuckle? Yes. I feel just as would any other man with red blood in his veins. I will not deny that I have said I would kill him if we were to meet. I hope the law will punish him and that he will receive full justice for the crime.

"Arbuckle is the result of ignorance and too much money. He was originally a bar boy, although he has been in the chorus and done other things. I directed him for a year and a half, and I had to warn him to keep out of the women's dressing rooms. There are some people who are a disgrace to the film business. They get enormous salaries and have not sufficiant balance to keep right. They are the kind who resort to cocaine and opium and who participate in orgies that are of the lowest character. They should be driven out of the picture business. I am no saint, but I have never attended one of their parties. Virginia's friends were decent people, and I know she would not have associated with any one she knew to be vile."

Miss Rappe, Mr. Lehrman said, was born in New York but brought up in Chicago. Her parents are dead, and she had no relatives as far as he knew.

HENRY LEHRMAN MARRIES. FIANCE OF VIRGINIA RAPPE WEDS JOCELYN LEIGH, FORMER ACTRESS. Santa Ana, Cal., April 28. Henry Lehrman, motion picture producer, was married here yesterday to Miss Jocelyn Leigh, former actress, it was learned today. The two motored here from Los Angeles and sought to avoid publicity.

Mr. Lehrman was the fiance of Miss Virginia Rappe, whose death after a party in San Francisco resulted in the arrest of Roscoe C. (Fatty) Arbuckle and his subsequent acquittal on a manslaughter charge.

LEHRMAN TO DIRECT SYD'S NEXT. Following in rapid-fire succession the addition of Lloyd Bacon and Paul Ludwig Stein to their directorial staff, Warner Brothers announce the signing of Henry Lehrman, veteran comedy director, to direct Syd Chaplin's next production.

Lehrman is well known in motion pictures, having been identified with the business for the past five years. He has made more than 400 pictures, and was both Charlie Chaplin's and Roscoe Arbuckle's director. His recent association was with the Fox Film studios as director general of comedies on the West Coast, where he supervised the making of 36 pictures.

ROACH SIGNS UP HENRY LEHRMAN AND L.J. GASNIER. Henry Lehrman has been engaged by Hal Roach to take charge of the story department of Roach studios. He will have the handling of story material for the different directors producing Pathe comedies.

The Roach directorial staff has also been augmented by the signing of Louis J. Gasnier, noted director of features, who assumes charge of a new unit immediately.

Charley Chase has again donned make-up and is under way with another rollicking farce, as yet untitled. Chase has a new leading lady in the dainty person of Edna Marion, while Caryl Lincoln and Lincoln Plummer are also cast in excellent roles. James Parrott is directing.

HENRY LEHRMAN, FILM VETERAN, 60. PRODUCER AND DIRECTOR OF EARLY CHAPLIN AND PICKFORD MOVIES DIES - WORKED FOR FOX. Henry Lehrman, an early motion-picture producer and director who once supervised Charlie Chaplin and Mary Pickford, died here of a stroke last night at his home. His age was 60.

Born in Vienna, Mr. Lehrman came to the United States in 1908 representing the Pathe Brothers, and then joined the Biograph Company. He was associated with D.W. Griffith, Mack Sennett, Carl Laemmle and the Fox Film Company, for which he produced the Sunshine Comedies.

Mr. Lehrman directed Chaplin in what is reputed to be the comedian's first picture, "A Day at the Beach" in "The Kid Automobile Racer," probably the quickest "quickie" production in Hollywood history, which was filmed in forty-five minutes at a Santa Monica track in 1913, and in Mr. Chaplin's first hit picture, "Making a Living," which took one hour to film.

He had worked in recent years in the script department for Twentieth Century-Fox.

Other prominent stars Mr. Lehrman had directed were Nancy Carroll, Mary Astor, Owen Moore and Ford Sterling. He was for awhile vice president of Sunshine Comedies, and made hundreds of short subjects and a score of full length pictures for the Fox interests in the Nineteen Twenties.

THE CRITICS RAVE:

FIRST SUNSHINE COMEDY. The first of the new Sunshine Comedies released by William Fox for the general service is entitled "Roaring Lions and Wedding Bells". Released Nov. 11 with the second "A Milk-Fed Vamp" scheduled to follow Nov. 25. The Sunshine lives up to its trademark. It not only casts a laughing ray from start to finish, but it also has some uproariously funny scenes in which wild animals have as much prominence as the men and women in the film. If the succeeding subjects furnish as much honest laughter as the first film, then their success is assured. Henry Lehrman directed it. Lehrman has staged thousands of funny scenes and directed innumerable camera "bits", but he seems to have outdone himself with his first Sunshine. After looking at "Roaring Lions and Wedding Bells", the task of making film comedies seems to be getting tougher, harder, and more difficult and calls for almost superhuman and impossible feats of man and beast to keep up their piston-rod comedy effect. This first Sunshine is funny and capable of handing the most tired business man the surcease from his physical and mental toll that he has been looking for. The principals are working all the time. So are some trained lions and ostriches. A trained elephant also shows some amazing camera training. All sorts of mixups, confusions, chases, monkeyshines, clashes, jams, roughhouse, slapstick, photographic tricks, illusions, legitimate screen artifice, natural didoes and the Lord knows what-not are utilized in making the Sunshine subject rank among the best in modern day film comedies. It can't miss, either ahead or following a dramatic.

A LOST MASTERPIECE?

One would love to see Roaring Lions and Wedding Bells, if nothing else to see if it lives up to Mark's semi-literate but delirious review!

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