Henry Bannister Merwin (1873 – 22 February 1922), was an American poet, magazine editor, novelist, film director and

screenwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. ...

during the

silent era A silent film is a film with no synchronized Sound recording and reproduction, recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) ...

. He wrote as many as 141 films between

1909 Events January–February * January 4 – Explorer Aeneas Mackintosh of the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition escaped death by fleeing across ice floes. * January 7 – Colombia recognizes the independence of Panama. * J ...

and

1921 Events January * January 2 ** The Association football club Cruzeiro Esporte Clube, from Belo Horizonte, is founded as the multi-sports club Palestra Italia by Italian expatriates in Brazil. ** The Spanish liner ''Santa Isabel'' breaks ...

. He was associated with

Edison Studios Edison Studios was an American film production organization, owned by companies controlled by inventor and entrepreneur, Thomas Edison. The studio made close to 1,200 films, as part of the Edison Manufacturing Company (1894–1911) and then ...

and the

London Film Company The London Film Company was a British film production company active during the silent era. Founded in 1913, the company emerged as one of the dominant forces in production during the First World War. With strong financial backing the company cons ...

. Merwin often wrote with his wife,

Anne Merwin Anne Merwin (born Anne Nelson; April 9, 1887 – September 12, 1962) was an American screenwriter known for writing short Edison comedies in the silent era. She was married to director Bannister Merwin, who also worked for Edison. Later, both Ann ...

. He was born in

Lichfield Lichfield () is a cathedral city and civil parish in Staffordshire, England. Lichfield is situated roughly south-east of the county town of Stafford, south-east of Rugeley, north-east of Walsall, north-west of Tamworth and south-west ...

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

, United States and died in

London, England London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a major s ...

, United Kingdom.

Selected filmography

Screenwriter

* ''For the Cause of the South'' (1912) * ''

In His Father's Steps ''In His Father's Steps'' is an American silent film. Release The film was released in the United States on August 6, 1912. It played at the Empress Theatre in Wellington, New Zealand, in December, 1912, and in Masterton and at the New Queen's ...

'' (1912) * ''

Holding the Fort ''Holding the Fort'' was an ITV (TV network), ITV sitcom, situation comedy starring Peter Davison, Patricia Hodge and Matthew Kelly. Plot The situation was a role-reversal comedy, in which the premise was that Russell Milburn (Davison) become ...

'' (1912) * ''

Helping John ''Helping John'' is a 1912 short American silent comedy written Bannister Merwin, directed by Harold M. Shaw, and produced by the Edison Company at its main studio in New York City, in the Bronx. Production Although some modern film references c ...

'' (1912) * ''

The Sunset Gun ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in ...

'' (1912) * ''

Liberty Hall Liberty Hall ( ga, Halla na Saoirse), in Dublin, Ireland, is the headquarters of the Services, Industrial, Professional, and Technical Union (SIPTU). Designed by Desmond Rea O'Kelly, it was completed in 1965. It was for a time the tallest bu ...

'' (1914) * '' The Black Spot'' (1914) * ''

She Stoops to Conquer ''She Stoops to Conquer'' is a comedy by Oliver Goldsmith, first performed in London in 1773. The play is a favourite for study by English literature and theatre classes in the English-speaking world. It is one of the few plays from the 18th ...

'' (1914) * '' A Turf Conspiracy'' (1918) * '' The Silver Greyhound'' (1919) * ''

The Land of Mystery El Borak, otherwise known as Francis Xavier Gordon, is a fictional character created by Robert E. Howard. Gordon was a Texan gunfighter from El Paso who had travelled the world and settled in Afghanistan. He is known in Asia for his exploits in ...

'' (1920) * '' London Pride'' (1920) * ''

The Pursuit of Pamela ''The Pursuit of Pamela'' is a 1920 British silent comedy drama film directed by Harold M. Shaw, starring Edna Flugrath, Templar Powell and Douglas Munro, and based on a play by C. B. Fernald. Premise Following her wedding a bride runs away fr ...

'' (1920) * ''

True Tilda True most commonly refers to truth, the state of being in congruence with fact or reality. True may also refer to: Places * True, West Virginia, an unincorporated community in the United States * True, Wisconsin, a town in the United States * Tr ...

'' (1920) * '' The Golden Dawn'' (1921) * '' The Magistrate'' (1921)

Director

* ''

Her Heritage ''Her Heritage'' is a 1919 British silent crime film directed by Bannister Merwin and starring Jack Buchanan, Phyllis Monkman and Edward O'Neill.Burton & Chibnall p.84 Cast * Jack Buchanan as Bob Hales * Phyllis Monkman as Lady Mary Strod ...

'' (1919)

References

External links

* * * 1873 births 1922 deaths American film directors 20th-century American screenwriters {{US-film-director-1870s-stub