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Early Hollywood had a surprising number of females behind the camera. Remember, this was a new industry! The demand for film was increasing daily, so the demand for labor was also increasing. The moguls didn't care if it was a man or a woman who edited the film, wrote the film, directed the film - AS LONG AS THEY HAD A FILM. One of those fabulous girl bosses? Lois Weber.
1879 - 1939
Lois was born in Pennsylvania to a devout religious family. As a child, she showed great musical talent in playing the piano, and eventually became a professional pianist as a teenager. She began singing and playing the organ with the Salvation Army, which led to singing in a touring theatre company. Lois saw her stage career as a sort of "ministry", a way to be a "missionary" and share her faith in God with the theatrical industry. Then she met Phillips...
Young Lois
Phillips Smalley was a stage manager for a play that Lois was in, and they eventually got married...after a whopping 3 days of knowing each other! Talk about moving at lightning speed! They stayed involved in the theatre for some time, settling in New York. It was there that Lois began writing motion picture "scenarios" (pre-scripts) for an early motion picture company called American Gaumont Chronophones, which made short movies with the sound on records, to play alongside the film. THIS. WAS PRE-TALKIES, PEOPLE! For Lois, writing led to directing films in 1908 for Gaumont's New York studio.
The Naked Truth showing the truth in her mirror, in The Hypocrites (1915)
One of Lois' films (that has not aged well in modern times) - a racist, pro-birth control and anti-abortion production, Where Are My Children (1916)
Lois (far left) directing ballet star Anna Pavlova in The Dumb Girl of Portici (1916)
For several years, Lois wrote, produced, directed AND occasionally starred in films for several small companies. Phillips often acted in her films and was always involved in her productions - although some people remembered him as doing a lot of nothing on set! Lois' films usually focused on real-life, controversial issues such as hypocrisy in the church, abortion and birth control. One of her most notable films, The Hypocrites (1915), caused quite a fuss in many censorship boards due to a character appearing completely nude! This character was shown in overlays, and her "sensitive areas" were sufficiently blurry - but it was enough to cause outrage in certain areas, Chicago in particular. Lois, never one to shrink at criticism, stood up for her art. Unsurprisingly, Lois was not a fan of the Hays Code when it began to form.
Advertising for one of Lois' films in 1920
More advertising (approx. 1921)
The Smalleys (as they were sometimes billed in the credits) eventually settled in Los Angeles and Lois formed her own company, Lois Weber Productions. She had contracts with such notable moguls as Jesse L. Lasky, Louis B. Mayer and Carl Laemmle - at different times in her career, of course! Lois was the first American female director to establish and run her own studio, and to be granted membership to the Motion Picture Directors' Association!
By 1920, Lois had established a name for herself as a top-tier director whose style was distinctly original... as well as receiving a fair amount of criticism from jealous (male) reviewers who consistently found fault with her films! Haters gonna hate... When Lois began her company, she purchased a mansion with property. Instead of a conventional "studio" lot, Lois used the property for outdoor shots, and the rooms inside the mansion were used for interior scenes. It had a "homey", comfortable atmosphere, which was in stark contrast with major studios of the time!
Although Lois was a very busy woman, she tried to maintain the role of "homemaker" for Phillips...on top of being a producer/director/writer. *phew* It is said that she managed to have a vegetable garden, prepare meals, host parties, etc. A friend once said that when Lois was at home, she was no longer "Lois Weber" - she became "Mrs. Phillips Smalley", the devoted wife. However, Phillips had quite a reputation for being a womanizer, and for all of the effort they seemed to put into making their marriage "look" happy....it truly wasn't. In 1923, their divorce from the previous year became public, and Lois took some time off. But she wasn't done yet...
After regaining her confidence, Lois continued directing. Times were changing, and some directors were having a hard time adjusting to the new, wild flapper era of the 20's. But not Lois! She managed to turn out films for modern audiences, and proved that she could still make a great movie - with or without ol' skirt-chasing Phillips. Darn you, Phillips. But wait - there's more! One of the actors in her later films was (guess who??) PHILLIPS! So even though Lois was remarried by then and her career was reborn...she gave the slob a job. Although his part in the film wasn't very big, so...subtle clapback, maybe??
The boss lady, doing what she did best
Well, when sound films became a thing, Lois was ready - after all, she'd worked with sound in the late 1900's! Unfortunately, the studios weren't thinking of the late 1900's - they were thinking of the here and now, so they weren't impressed with her background. Stage directors (not silent film veterans) were in demand for sound movies, as they were already trained to direct dialog - and many silent movie directors became jobless. She stayed busy for a while with real estate ventures, and (unsurprisingly) appeared to have some sort of bitterness with studios and their executives. At one point she said she'd return to directing...
"When I find a producer who thinks I have intelligence enough to be let alone and go ahead with my own unit."
In the early 1930's, Lois got work at United Artists as a script doctor, and Universal hired her as a talent scout. She did get to direct one short talkie called White Heat, in 1933. Today, the film is considered lost - dang it all! Lois sadly passed away in 1939 from a bleeding ulcer. Her death was hardly mentioned in the industry trade papers, with only a brief mention by Variety and the Los Angeles Examiner. Gossip columnist Hedda Hopper gave her a more generous send-off in her column at the Los Angeles Times, however! In 1960, Lois was posthumously awarded a star in the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and it is our hope that her story inspires future generations of female filmmakers! Have a look at the super-scandalous The Hypocrites (1915) below!
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