Cecil B. De Mille — Blue Book of the Screen (1923) 🇺🇸
Cecil Blount De Mille can credit his success in part in the motion picture world to both heredity and environment, for both elements played an important part in his early life.
The son of Henry Churchill De Mille, partner and collaborator of David Belasco, De Mille literally grew up in the atmosphere of the theater. Although he was born in Asheville, Mass., forty-one years ago, most of his early life was spent in New York.
His father wished him to follow a military career and Cecil De Mille accordingly entered the Western Pennsylvania Military College. He deserted this in an attempt to enter the Spanish-American War, but his youth was against him. Subsequently he entered Franklin Sargent’s American Academy of Dramatic Arts, from which he graduated to the stage. His military college recently conferred the honorary degree of master of arts on De Mille.
Beginning his career as an actor, the youthful De Mille soon turned to stage direction and play writing. He is the author of The Return of Peter Grimm and The Royal Mounted. About twelve years ago Cecil B. De Mille [Cecil B. DeMille] united with Jesse L. Lasky in the production of a series of one-act plays. This partnership subsequently developed into the formation of the Jesse L. Lasky Feature Play Company — one of the parent organizations of the present Famous Players-Lasky Corporation — and the entrance of both Lasky and De Mille into motion picture work.
Coming to California in 1913, Cecil B. De Mille founded the present Lasky studio and made his screen debut as the director of Dustin Farnum in The Squaw Man. Since that time he has produced many Paramount pictures, such as Manslaughter, Fool’s Paradise, The Affairs of Anatol, Don’t Change Your Husband, Joan the Woman and The Whispering Chorus.
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Mr. De Mille collaborates with his technical man on the construction of his sets.
The head of a dinosaur made an improvised shoe-shine stand for Pauline Garon and Cecil De Mille, who was directing the prehistoric episode for one of his productions.
Collection: The Blue Book of the Screen (1923)