We have recently come into possession of a stamp of Edwin for the archive. This poster stamp was an advertising label, slightly larger than a postage stamp and in this case, created by Paramount Studios as a promotional product. The discovery of a stamp with Edwin listed as “Paramount Director” and using the same photo which is shown in the website gallery, is yet another new discovery.
After further research, it was confirmed that Edwin did work with Paramount Studios on one movie, “The Spoilers” in 1930 starring Gary Cooper. At this time in Edwin’s career, he was working with a powerhouse of people within the Hollywood movie industry. Edwin was already working with all of the big production companies which would eventually spawn “The Big 5” from the Hollywood Golden Era. His involvement with Paramount was one of five from the Big 5 list, Paramount, Fox, RKO Pictures, Warner Bros and MGM.
Since his early years as a Director, Edwin worked with Metro Pictures Company which would later become the first part of the MGM name. Then in 1918 after some 17 movies with Metro, Edwin made his first and only movie with the Goldwyn Productions company headed by Samuel Goldwyn and who would later become the second part of the MGM name.
In 1921 Edwin began a five movie collaboration with Louis B. Mayer and his production company, Louis B. Mayer Productions. With this string of movies, Edwin had completed working with all three original companies which would become MGM Studios in 1924.
After just one movie with Goldwyn, Edwin goes back to Metro for another nine movies but changes productions companies often. He made a few movies with Harold Lockwood and it was common that a production company comes along with the actor or actress. In this case it was Yorke Film Corporation.
In 1919 we have our first record of Edwin using his own production company, Edwin Carewe Productions. This was with a movie called “False Evidence” which was filmed in the Santa Cruz and Felton areas of Northern California.
In 1921, Edwin began a long standing relationship with the production company First National Pictures, which was formed in 1917 by a consortium of movie theaters in direct competition to Adolf Zukor who had founded Paramount. Edwin made some 17 movies in partnership with First National, which would ultimately become Warner Bros in 1928. This checks off the third name on the list of the Big 5.
From 1919 to 1920, Edwin made three movies which were distributed by Pathe Exchange, a subsidiary of the world’s largest film production company, Pathe Company in France. In 1927, Pathe Exchange became American Pathe with a new controlling interest by Joseph P. Kennedy, the philanthropic father to J.F.K. It was through these moves and mergers that RKO Radio Pictures was formed. This checks off the forth name on the list of the Big 5.
This leaves us with Fox Film Corporation. As it turns out, Edwin did work with the founder of Fox Studios, William Fox on one film. The 1922 movie, “Silver Wings” was the only time the two ever worked together. It just so happens that Edwin shared the Director role with another up and coming and future four time Academy winner, Director John Ford. They obviously knew each other well enough to co-Direct this movie together.
There were other important movie studios of the Silent Era which are still in business today. Later in his career, Edwin would work with Universal Studios on two movies, both with the same titles, the 1927 and 1931 “Resurrection.” This was not the first time Edwin would remake a movie that he had made earlier in his career. Universal Studios was founded in 1912 by Carl Laemmle.
In the 1928 movie “Revenge,” Edwin began a three movie partnership with Mary Pickford and her film production company, United Artists. Mary had formed United Artists in 1919 with fellow actors D.W. Griffith, Douglas Fairbanks and Charlie Chaplin. Ultimately, United Artists would become a part of MGM in 1981.
There had been only one other time in Edwin’s long and distinguished Directing career that he had a partnership with Charlie Chaplin. Back in 1921 for the movie “Habit,” both Charlie Chaplin and Louis B. Mayer worked with Edwin on this film with their respective production companies.
With this new discovery of a stamp created of Edwin Carewe by Paramount, this has led to a greater review of his work as a Director and many of the relationships he held with most if not all the big powerhouse names in Hollywood during the Silent Era. Edwin worked with all seven of the big names and which we can justifiably call The Big 7 movie studios of all time. Were there any other Directors of this era who had as much versatility? He was referred to by others at the time as “The Duke.” Was Edwin the First Duke of Hollywood?
Director, Edwin Carewe
Paramount Movie Studios