Charles Pacific Morrison (1878–1924), an American

silent film 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) ...

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), l ...

, was born April 3, 1878 in

Morrison, Colorado The Town of Morrison is a home rule municipality in Jefferson County, Colorado, United States. The population was 428 at the 2010 census. Red Rocks Amphitheatre is located nearby. History This small foothills settlement is named after George ...

. The grandson of pioneer town founder George Morrison, he was known as "Chick" to many who knew him, a nickname conjunction of his first and middle names. A keen

horse rider Equestrianism (from Latin , , , 'horseman', 'horse'), commonly known as horse riding ( Commonwealth English) or horseback riding (American English), includes the disciplines of riding, driving, and vaulting. This broad description includes t ...

, he often appeared in riding contests and rodeos throughout the American west. At Morrison he trained horses for trick and fancy riding as well as break in wild horses. In 1909

Essanay Studios The Essanay Film Manufacturing Company was an early American motion picture studio. The studio was founded in 1907 in Chicago, and later developed an additional film lot in Niles Canyon, California. Its various stars included Francis X. Bushman, ...

brought one such horse to Morrison to film some of their famous ''

Broncho Billy Gilbert M. "Broncho Billy" Anderson (born Maxwell Henry Aronson; March 21, 1880 – January 20, 1971) was an American actor, writer, film director, and film producer, who was the first star of the Western film genre. He was a founder and star ...

'' series of 2-reel thrillers. Morrison got the director's attention through his expert horsemanship, daring maneuvers, as well as his control over the animals, and was used as a double for the lead actor in some of the more dangerous scenes. Morrison left Colorado that year for California. From that point onward he appeared in feature films, rapidly growing to prominence in the film making industry. Soon he played leads, and his success and experience as an animal trainer, especially with horses, put him in great demand for some of the largest pictures made in his era. Morrison appeared in about 45 films, including ones with

Charlotte Burton Charlotte E. Burton (May 30, 1881 – March 28, 1942) was an American silent film actress. Career Born in San Francisco, Burton was signed by the American Film Manufacturing Company in 1912 where she worked for several years. She joine ...

in films such as '' Rose of San Juan'', '' Quicksands'' and ''

Calamity Anne, Heroine ''Calamity Anne, Heroine'' is a 1913 American short silent Western film directed by Lorimer Johnston starring Louise Lester as Calamity Anne. It is the fourth film in the Calamity Anne series. Other cast * Charlotte Burton * J. Warren Ker ...

''. During his career he worked for

Hal Roach Studios Hal Roach Studios was an American motion picture and television production studio. Known as ''The Laugh Factory to the World'', it was founded by producer Hal Roach and business partners Dan Linthicum and I.H. Nance as the Rolin Film Company on Ju ...

, the

Broncho Billy Anderson Gilbert M. "Broncho Billy" Anderson (born Maxwell Henry Aronson; March 21, 1880 – January 20, 1971) was an American actor, writer, film director, and film producer, who was the first star of the Western film genre. He was a founder and star ...

and

Selig Polyscope Company The Selig Polyscope Company was an American motion picture company that was founded in 1896 by William Selig in Chicago. The company produced hundreds of early, widely distributed commercial moving pictures, including the first films starring To ...

, and

Universal Studios Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Americ ...

. Chick's career met a tragic end on June 20, 1924. That day while filming at Hal Roach in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wo ...

, Morrison's favorite horse, ''Young Steamboat'', fell backward upon him, killing him instantly at the age of 46. The horse had accompanied Morrison to Hollywood, a horse Chick had often told friends was especially wild and difficult to tame and train. Chick Morrison was the older brother of another early western film actor,

Pete Morrison George D. "Pete" Morrison (August 8, 1890 – February 5, 1973) was an American silent western film actor born in Westminster, Colorado. During his childhood he lived in Morrison, Colorado (named for his grandfather George Morrison) and Id ...

Selected filmography

* ''

White Eagle White Eagle(s) may refer to: History and politics * Coat of arms of Poland, a white eagle * Crusade of Romanianism, or White Eagles, a 1930s far-right movement in Romania * Task Force White Eagle, a Polish military unit during the War in Afghanist ...

'' (

1922 Events January * January 7 – Dáil Éireann, the parliament of the Irish Republic, ratifies the Anglo-Irish Treaty by 64–57 votes. * January 10 – Arthur Griffith is elected President of Dáil Éireann, the day after Éamon de Valera ...

) * ''

Black Beauty ''Black Beauty: His Grooms and Companions, the Autobiography of a Horse'' is an 1877 novel by English author Anna Sewell. It was composed in the last years of her life, during which she was bedridden and seriously ill.Merriam-Webster (1995). ...

'' (1921) * ''

The Duke of Chimney Butte ''The Duke of Chimney Butte'' is a 1921 American silent western film directed by Frank Borzage and starring Fred Stone, Vola Vale and Josie Sedgwick.Munden p.206 Cast * Fred Stone as Jeremeah Lambert * Vola Vale as Vesta Philbrook * Josie Sedgwi ...

'' (1921) * ''

A Gamblin' Fool ''A Gamblin' Fool'' is a 1920 American short silent Western film released by Universal Film Mfg. Co. (later to become Universal Pictures), written by Ford Beebe, directed by Leo D. Maloney and featuring Hoot Gibson. Cast * Hoot Gibson * Dor ...

'' (

1920 Events January * January 1 ** Polish–Soviet War in 1920: The Russian Red Army increases its troops along the Polish border from 4 divisions to 20. ** Kauniainen, completely surrounded by the city of Espoo, secedes from Espoo as its own m ...

) * ''

The Big Catch ''The Big Catch'' is a 1920 American short silent Western film released by the Universal Film Mfg. Co. (later to become Universal Pictures), written by Ford Beebe, directed by Leo D. Maloney and starring Hoot Gibson. Cast * Hoot Gibson * Dorot ...

'' (1920) * '' The Caveman'' (1915) * ''

The Certainty of Man ''The Certainty of Man'' is a 1914 American silent short drama film starring Charlotte Burton, Sydney Ayres, Charles Morrison, Jack Richardson, Vivian Rich Vivian Rich (May 26, 1893 – November 17, 1957) was an American silent film actr ...

'' (

1914 This year saw the beginning of what became known as World War I, after Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir to the Austrian throne was assassinated by Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip. It also saw the first airline to provide schedule ...

) * ''

A Blowout at Santa Banana ''A Blowout at Santa Banana'' is a 1914 American silent comedy-drama short film starring Sydney Ayres, Vivian Rich, and Harry Van Meter. The film was shot in Santa Barbara by the American Film Manufacturing Company, aka Flying "A" Studios, an ...

'' (1914) * ''

American Born ''American Born'' is a 1913 American drama silent short film starring Sydney Ayres, Harry Van Meter, Charles Cummings, Jacques Jaccard, Louise Lester, Charles Morrison, Jack Richardson and Vivian Rich Vivian Rich (May 26, 1893 – Novemb ...

'' (

1913 Events January * January 5 – First Balkan War: Battle of Lemnos – Greek admiral Pavlos Kountouriotis forces the Turkish fleet to retreat to its base within the Dardanelles, from which it will not venture for the rest of the ...

) * ''

Calamity Anne's Dream ''Calamity Anne's Dream'' is a 1913 American silent short Western film directed by Allan Dwan and starring Louise Lester as Calamity Anne. The film also stars Harry von Meter, Dorothy Eliason Jacques Jaccard, Charles Morrison, Jack Richardso ...

'' (1913) * '' The Tale of the Ticker'' (1913) * ''

In the Mountains of Virginia ''In the Mountains of Virginia'' is a 1913 American silent short drama film directed by G.P. Hamilton starring Harry Van Meter, Jacques Jaccard, Louise Lester, Charles Morrison, Jack Richardson, and Vivian Rich Vivian Rich (May 26, 1893 � ...

'' (1913) * ''

'' (1913) * '' Rose of San Juan'' (1913)

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Morrison, Chick American male film actors People from Morrison, Colorado American male silent film actors Male Western (genre) film actors 1878 births 1924 deaths Deaths by horse-riding accident in the United States Accidental deaths in California 20th-century American male actors