Lillian Case Russell (born Lulu E. Case; April 3, 1876 – June 2, 1947), often credited as L. Case Russell, was an American

screenwriter A screenwriter (also called scriptwriter, scribe, or scenarist) is a person who practices the craft of writing for visual mass media, known as screenwriting. These can include short films, feature-length films, television programs, television ...

during Hollywood's silent era. She was married to actor John Lowell Russell.

Biography

Lulu E. Case was born in Yankton,

Dakota Territory The Territory of Dakota was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1861, until November 2, 1889, when the final extent of the reduced territory was split and admitted to the Union as the states of ...

on April 3, 1876. She graduated from Yankton High School in 1893. She worked as a

schoolteacher A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. w ...

in her hometown before moving to

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

to pursue a career as a

writer A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles, genres and techniques to communicate ideas, to inspire feelings and emotions, or to entertain. Writers may develop different forms of writing such as novels, short sto ...

; she wrote for a number of newspapers and magazines around the turn of the century. She married actor John Lowell Russell in

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

in 1901; they had two children, future

cinematographer The cinematographer or director of photography (sometimes shortened to DP or DOP) is the person responsible for the recording of a film, television production, music video or other live-action piece. The cinematographer is the chief of the camera ...

John L. Russell and future actress Evangeline Russell. By 1925, they had relocated to

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, where she wrote scripts for

Vitagraph Vitagraph Studios, also known as the Vitagraph Company of America, was a United States motion picture studio. It was founded by J. Stuart Blackton and Albert E. Smith in 1897 in Brooklyn, New York, as the American Vitagraph Company. By 1907 ...

and he worked as an actor. She wrote more than 30 scripts between 1914 and 1926. Many of her films were for Blazed Trail Productions, which specialized in

Westerns The Western is a genre of fiction typically set in the American frontier (commonly referred to as the "Old West" or the "Wild West") between the California Gold Rush of 1849 and the closing of the frontier in 1890, and commonly associated wit ...

. She enjoyed fostering young talent in the industry, and wrote two of the earliest books on

screenwriting Screenwriting or scriptwriting is the art and craft of writing scripts for mass media such as feature films, television productions or video games. It is often a freelance profession. Screenwriters are responsible for researching the story, dev ...

. She was found dead in the pool at her son John's house in

North Hollywood, California North Hollywood is a neighborhood and district in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles, California. The neighborhood contains the NoHo Arts District, El Portal Theater, several art galleries, and the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Th ...

, in 1947; the cause of death was listed as drowning.

Partial filmography

*'' All for a Girl'' (1915) *'' The Two Edged Sword'' (1915) *'' The Black Butterfly'' (1916) *'' The Soul of a Magdalen'' (1917) *'' Somewhere in Georgia'' (1917) (short) *'' To the Death'' (1917) *'' The Light Within'' (1918) *'' The Life Mask'' (1918) *''

Tempered Steel Tempering is a process of heat treating, which is used to increase the toughness of iron-based alloys. Tempering is usually performed after hardening, to reduce some of the excess hardness, and is done by heating the metal to some temperature be ...

'' (1918) *'' Merely Players'' (1918) *'' The Water Lily'' (1919) *''

Fruits of Passion ''Fruits of Passion'' (; ) is a 1981 French-Japanese co-production directed by Shūji Terayama and starring Klaus Kinski. The film is loosely based on the novel ''Retour à Roissy'' by Anne Desclos, written as a sequel to the ''Story of O''. Pl ...

'' (1919) *'' The Clouded Name'' (1919) *'' The Heart of Big Dan'' (1920) *'' Cousin Kate'' (1921) *''

The Wakefield Case ''The Wakefield Case'' is a 1921 American silent mystery film directed by George Irving, produced by Lois Weber and starring Herbert Rawlinson. The plot focuses on a theft at the British Museum. It was released through World Film Company. Plot ...

'' (1921) *'' Ten Nights in a Bar Room'' (1921) *''

Lost in a Big City ''Lost in a Big City'' is a 1923 American silent film, silent drama film directed by George Irving (American actor), George Irving and starring John Lowell (actor), John Lowell, Charles Byer and Jane Thomas (actress), Jane Thomas.Munden p.452 Ca ...

'' (1923) *'' The Broken Violin'' (1923) *'' Floodgates'' (1924) *'' Red Love'' (1925) *'' The Big Show'' (1926)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Case Russell, Lillian 1876 births 1947 deaths Screenwriters from South Dakota American women screenwriters 20th-century American women writers 20th-century American screenwriters