Nell Shipman

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Nell Shipman
Born	Helen Foster-Barham October 25, 1892(1892-10-25) Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Died	January 23, 1970 (aged 77) Cabazon, California, USA
Occupation	actress, screenwriter, director, producer, animal trainer
Spouse(s)	Charles Austin Ayers (1925-1964) (his death) Ernest Shipman (1910-1920) 1 Child Bert Van Tuyle (?-?) (divorce)

Nell Shipman (October 25, 1892 – January 23, 1970) was a Canadian actress, screenwriter, producer, and animal trainer. She was a Canadian pioneer in early Hollywood.

Shipman was born Helen Foster-Barham in Victoria, British Columbia. She is best known for her work in James Oliver Curwood stories and for portraying strong, adventurous women. In 1919, she and her producer husband, Ernest Shipman (December 17, 1871 – August 7, 1931), made the most successful silent film in Canadian history, Back to God's Country. She was one of the first women to do a nude scene on screen when she did so in that movie.

Her family moved to Seattle, Washington when Nell was 13 years old. Around the same time, Nell started stage acting and joined theatrical stock companies before working in film. When Nell was 18 years old, she met and married 39 years old theatrical entrepreneur, Ernest Shipman.

After marrying Ernest, the couple moved to Hollywood to start working in the film industry. During this time, Nell sold the rights of her book, Under the Crescent Moon to Universal studios (they wanted to make a six film serial of the story). Nell also started acting in Universal, Selig & Vitagraph productions. In between 1915-1918, she played several leading roles including her big debut film God’s Country and the Woman (1915). In God’s Country and the Women (1915), Nell directed, produced, and acted in the film which was inspired by James Oliver Curwood’s short story. Nell was one of the first directors to shoot her films almost entirely on location. In 1918, Nell suffered from the Spanish flu and nearly died from the epidemic. During her recovery, she decided to create a production company called Shipman Curwood Producing Company. The first and only film the company produced was major Canadian silent film hit Back to God’s Country (1919). This film was based on another short story written by Curwood and adapted to the screen by Nell herself. Nell also was the lead of the film and it featured the controvercial nudity scene. Although the film was extremely successful (posting a 300% profit by grossing a million and a half), Curwood was infuriated with Nell because change the scenario of Curwood’s short story. She adapted the protagonist of the film from original (the Great Dane, Wapi) to the female lead (Delores). Nell also shaped her character into being a heroine; she saved the man, was an independent character that was the extreme feminist role model.

In 1920, Nell and Ernest had a falling out and divorced. During this time, Nell moved back to Hollywood and created Nell Shipman Productions. Although her company only produced a couple of films, she focused on the major themes she enjoys: wild animals, nature, feminist heroes, and filming on location. When Nell was younger, she started to develop a major respect toward animals, fought for animal rights in the Hollywood world, and spoke out against animal cruelty.

Nell went on to start her own production company with Bert Van Tuyler as her co-director. Nell’s production company went on to produce four films. In 1921 the film “The Girl From God’s Country” was removed from Nell and was cut back from twelve reels to seven and when it released it was considered a box office failure.

When Nell was living in Spokane, Washington, she made a film called The Grub Stake, which costs around $180,000 to produce. Unfortunately, the film never saw the light of day. The American distributor of the picture went bankrupt and during the litigation process, the film got involved. During this time, Nell tried to maintain her production company through making several short films in Priest Lake, Idaho. But, because of the bankrupt scenario, Nell’s production company collapsed. In 1925, Nell had to send her animals to the San Diego Zoo because she was unable to afford the cost of maintaining them.

After this event, Nell Shipman moved across the country and traveled the world. Eventually she settled down and started writing scripts and short stories. The most notable contribution she made in this time is writing the story that helped create the film Wings in the Dark (1934) starring Myrna Loy and Cary Grant. Eventually Nell moved to the California desert and continued writing for the rest of her life. The last thing she wrote was her autobiography, The Silent Screen and My Talking Heart. She died in Cabazon, California at the age of 77.

Nell Shipman lived for three years in what is known today as The Doctor's House Museum in Glendale California, from 1917 to 1920. She described it as on a "tree lined dirt road, away from the hub bub of Hollywood" It was here that her mother died as a victim of the flu epidemic.

[1]

Nell Shipman with bear cub

Canadian playwright Sharon Pollockwas commissioned to write a one act play on Shipman's life. It was performed in 1999 by the Theatre Junction Resident Company of Artists and directed by Brian Richmond.

All of Nell's films are available on DVD from Boise State University.

[edit] Filmography

(Either or all: writer/director/producer/star)

• The Ball of Yarn (1910)
• Outwitted by Billy (1913)
• One Hundred Years of Mormonism (1913)
• God's Country and the Woman (1915)
• The Pine's Revenge (1915)
• Under the Crescent (1915)
• The Pine's Revenge (1915)
• The Fires of Conscience (1916)
• Through the Wall (1916)
• Baree, Son of Kazan (1917)
• The Black Wolf (1917)
• My Fighting Gentleman (1917)
• The Girl From Beyond (1918)
• The Home Trail (1918)
• Cavanaugh of the Forest Rangers (1918)
• The Wild Strain (1918)
• Back to God's Country (1919)
• Something New (1920)
• The Girl from God's Country (1921)
• A Bear, A Boy and A Dog (1921)
• The Grub-Stake (1923)
• The Light on Lookout (1924)
• The Trail of the North Wind (1924
• White Water (1924)
• Wolf's Brush (1924))
• The Golden Yukon (1927)
• Wings in the Dark (1935)
• The Story of Mr. Hobbs (1947)

[edit] Bibliography

[edit] External links

• Nell Shipman Website
• Canadian Film Encyclopedia [A publication of The Film Reference Library/a division of the Toronto International Film Festival Group]
• Nell Shipman -- femfilm.ca: Canadian Women Film Directors Database
• Nell Shipman at the Internet Movie Database
• Nell Shipman Biography
• Canadian Encyclopedia Article on Nell Shipman
• Nell Shipman
• Answers on Nell Shipman
• Nell Shipman Story
• Silent Era Nell Shipman
• [• http://library.boisestate.edu/Special/FindingAids/fa81bio.htm Nell Shipman Collection at Boise State]

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