Nell Shipman facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Nell Shipman
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Shipman in 1918
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| Born |
Helen Foster-Barham
October 25, 1892 Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
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| Died | January 23, 1970 (aged 77) Cabazon, California, U.S.
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| Occupation | Actress, screenwriter, director, producer, animal trainer |
| Years active | 1910–1947 |
| Spouse(s) |
Ernest Shipman
(m. 1910–1920)Charles H. Austin Ayers
(m. 1925–1932) |
| Partner(s) | Bert Van Tuyle (c.1918 – 1924) |
Nell Shipman (born Helen Foster-Barham; October 25, 1892 – January 23, 1970) was a Canadian actress, writer, and director. She also produced films and trained animals. She loved nature and animals, and her films often showed this. She was famous for adventure movies based on books by James Oliver Curwood.
Nell started her own film companies: Shipman-Curwood Producing Company and Nell Shipman Productions. In 1919, she and her husband, Ernest Shipman, made Back to God's Country. This was the most successful silent film in Canadian history.
About Nell Shipman's Life
Nell Shipman was born Helen Foster-Barham in Victoria, British Columbia. Her parents were Arnold and Rose Barham. She grew up in a regular family. From a young age, she loved animals very much. She cared about animal rights and spoke up for them in Hollywood. She even had her own zoo with over 200 animals!
In 1904, her family moved to Seattle, Washington. A year later, when she was 13, she left home. She joined a traveling theater group called Paul Gilmore.
When Helen was 18, she met and married Ernest Shipman. He was a theater manager, 39 years old. Their son, Barry Shipman, was born in 1912.
Nell later married a painter named Charles Ayers in New York City. They had two children, Charles and Daphne. They separated in 1934.
At the end of her life, Nell moved to Cabazon, California. She kept writing there. She passed away in 1970 when she was 77 years old.
Nell Shipman's Film Career
After marrying Ernest Shipman, the couple moved to Hollywood. This was where the American film industry was growing fast. Nell Shipman sold the rights to her book, Under the Crescent Moon, to Universal Studios. They wanted to make a series of six films from her book.
Nell Shipman started acting in movies for Universal, Selig, and Vitagraph studios. From 1915 to 1918, she played many main roles. Her first big role was in God's Country and the Woman (1915). This movie was based on a story by James Oliver Curwood. Nell Shipman directed, produced, and acted in this film. She was one of the first directors to film almost all of her movies outside, in real places.
Throughout her life, Nell wrote many movie scripts and short stories. One of her stories became the American film Wings in the Dark (1934). This movie starred famous actors like Myrna Loy and Cary Grant. In 1925, Shipman wrote three essays called "The Movie That Couldn't Be Screened." She also wrote a children's book in 1930. Most of Nell Shipman's work included parts of her own life.
Nell Shipman chose not to sign a contract with Samuel Goldwyn. She preferred to make independent films. This led her to start two film companies: Shipman-Curwood Producing Company and Nell Shipman Productions.
Neither Nell nor Ernest Shipman were able to repeat the huge success of Back to God's Country. Other directors made new versions of the film in 1927 and 1953.
Nell Shipman's last big project was her autobiography. This is a book she wrote about her own life. It was called The Silent Screen and My Talking Heart. The book was published after she died by Boise State University. The university also keeps many of her films and writings.
Shipman-Curwood Producing Company
In 1918, Nell Shipman started a film company called "Shipman-Curwood Producing Company." She partnered with James Curwood, the writer.
Her husband, Ernest Shipman, convinced some business people in Calgary, Canada, to invest money. They started a company called Canadian Photoplays Ltd. in 1919. They invested $250,000.
The company made one film. It was based on Curwood's short story, "Wapi the Walrus." Nell Shipman wrote the movie script herself. The film was shot in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and near Lesser Slave Lake, Alberta, Canada. It was released as Back to God's Country. This was done to connect it to her earlier success with God's Country and the Woman.
Back To God's Country was a very popular silent film in Canada and around the world. Even though the film was a hit, Curwood did not like that Nell changed his story. She made the main character a woman named Delores instead of the dog, Wapi.
Nell Shipman Productions
In 1919, Nell created "Nell Shipman Productions" with Bert Van Tuyle. She became an independent producer. She focused on topics she loved: wild animals, nature, strong female heroes, and filming in real outdoor locations. She produced, wrote, helped direct, and starred in The Girl From God’s Country (1921) and The Grub Stake (1923). These films were not as successful.
She moved her zoo of animals by boat to Priest Lake, Idaho. There, she made several short films at Lion Head Lodge. One of these films was The Grub Stake (1923). It cost a lot of money to make. The film was never shown to the public. This happened because the company that was supposed to distribute it went out of business.
In 1925, Nell Shipman's company closed down. In total, they made ten films.
Nell Shipman's Legacy
- From 1917 to 1920, Nell Shipman lived in a house that is now a museum. It is called The Doctor's House Museum in Glendale, California.
- “Nell Shipman Point” is a piece of land in Priest Lake, Idaho. It is named after her because her film The Grub Stake (1923) was filmed there.
- A Canadian writer named Sharon Pollock wrote a play about Nell Shipman's life. It is called Moving Pictures (1999).
- You can find all of Nell Shipman's surviving films on DVD from Boise State University. They have a special collection of her materials.
- Canada considers Nell Shipman to be the "First Lady of Canadian Cinema."
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