Leaders All — Earl Hudson, Author Producer (1924) 🇺🇸

Leaders All — Earl Hudson

Because he has been gifted with remarkable imagination and an unusual degree of inventiveness; because fortifying these is a genuine ability to execute the tasks he undertakes; because he has a bent for aiming high and attaining his mark; because he has the capacity for taking infinite pains and of simultaneously following through with a multitude of details; and because he is a sticker.

The remarkable rise of Earl Hudson, supervisor of productions for First National, has been one of the outstanding events in the motion picture industry during the past half year. As one of his old-time associates remarked the other day, “He is going so fast you can’t see him for dust.”

Nevertheless among those who have most intimately known Mr. Hudson and the quality of his work during the past ten years the success attained by the First National supervisor has been no occasion for surprise.

Rather it was a confirmation of a long held conviction that he was a “comer,” of the feeling that when he should be permitted to step out from behind a superior his worth quickly would become patent to the industry as a whole.

A decade ago an observing associate remarked that “Earl Hudson’s head is overflowing with ideas — most of them sound. When he gets a few more years over those shoulders of his and he himself is able to select the good and reject the others there’ll be no stopping him.”

Plainly the added years have passed, and Mr. Hudson is coming into his own. The road he has traveled has not been all “cakes and ale.” He has had his rough rows to hoe. He has faced what to many would have been deep discouragement, but it never interfered with his aim at a difficult target.

Earl Hudson was born in Elgin, Ill., thirty-two years ago. Upon finishing his public school education he entered the Elgin National Watch factory, and for a year he worked at a bench setting jewel pins.

Recurring visions of the life of a cowboy became too strong. The lad ran away from home to the Panhandle district of Texas. For eighteen months he lived on various ranches.

News of the illness of his grandmother turned him homeward. Lack of carfare did not keep him in Texas. By means of freight trains and blind baggage he made his way back to Elgin, and once there he again took up his old job at the watch factory.

Not for long did he remain at the bench. The Elgin Daily News beckoned to him, with a salary of $6 weekly, and he became a reporter.

From Elgin the young man quickly graduated to Chicago, where he was employed as a news gatherer for the Chicago City News Association. Then in turn he worked for several of the dailies, mostly on police and court news — seeing life in the raw.

During that period a motion picture convention came to Chicago as conventions for many years have had a habit of doing. Mr. Hudson was assigned to cover it. It was his first contact with the industry, and it appealed to that active imagination of his.

In the course of the convention Joe Brandt, the advertising manager for Universal, engaged the reporter to do “convention publicity” for his company.

As a result of the material turned in the newspaper man was offered a place in the Universal’s home publicity office. Following there were several other connections — in one of which first-hand experience was gained of laboratory work and another of distribution. Also there had been a connection as staff and business writer on Motion Picture News.

Then came the opportunity to capitalize the experience which had been so rich in variety: as a member of the publicity department of First National, as assistant to C. L. Yearsley.

Here the “active imagination” to which reference has been made was given full play. Mr. Hudson’s fertility in resource was responsible for one attention compelling manoeuvre after another. Exhibitors were constantly reminded in an unusual and yet always dignified way that First National was actively in business.

After several years in the publicity department Mr. Hudson was made assistant to General Manager J. D. Williams. In a room adjoining that occupied by J. D. the new-comer was brought into active contact with problems of production. The solution of many of these were turned over to him. When Mr. Williams resigned and Richard A. Rowland took his place Mr. Hudson continued in the same capacity.

First National reached the decision to install a production unit of its own. Mr. Rowland selected Mr. Hudson as the man to undertake the experiment, for such in a measure it was. The experimental stage, however, was quickly passed.

At first there was one unit under the Hudson supervision. Later another was added. At the present time four distinct units are working under the one head.

From the beginning of his motion picture career Mr. Hudson in his spare time has done much writing for the screen. He sold a number of stories, all of which were filmed anonymously.

During the fifteen months he has been supervising production at the west coast studios of First National he has made these pictures:

“Her Temporary Husband,” “The Perfect Flapper,” “Painted People,” “Lilies of the Field,” “The Woman on the Jury,” “Flaming Youth,” “Single Wives,” “The Love Flirt,” “Sundown” and “For Sale.”

In every case he has personally supervised the picture from beginning to end — from the writing of the first line of continuity until the final cutting and editing of the film.

For Sale and Sundown were original stories. The adaptation and story treatment of Painted People, Lilies of the Field, Flaming Youth, The Woman on the Jury, Single Wives and The Perfect Flapper were his.

Mr. Hudson is now supervising the production of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s fantastic story The Lost World. Stories which he has adapted, for which he has worked out themes and screen treatment and which are now being prepared under his direction for production by units under his jurisdiction are:

“Wilderness,” to star Corinne Griffith; “So Big,” to star Colleen Moore; “Inez from Hollywood,” all star; “The Boss of Little Arcady,” all star; “If Ever I Marry Again,” with male and female co-featured players; “Sailors’ Wives,” all star; “The Interpreters’ House,” starring vehicle for man; “The One Way Streets,” all star; “Pandora La Croix,” all star.

That is a real record of achievement. That it is so recognized by the company Mr. Rowland publicly has attested on numerous occasions.

Mr. Hudson is married and has three daughters.

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Collection: Exhibitors Trade Review, 26 July 1924

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