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Fred Niblo

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Filmmaker

The Resume

    (January 6, 1874-November 11, 1948)
    Born in York, Nebraska
    Birth name was Frederick Liedtke
    Actor and director
    Appeared in the films 'Get-Rich-Quick Wallingford' (1916) and 'Officer 666' (1918)
    Directed 'Fuss and Feathers' (1918), 'The Mask of Zorro' (1920), 'The Three Musketeers' (1921), 'Blood and Sand' (1922), 'Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ' (1925), 'The Temptress' (1926), 'Camille' (1926), 'The Mysterious Lady' (1928), 'Way Out West' (1930), and 'Diamond Cut Diamond' (1932)

Why he might be annoying:

    He got his new last name while a vaudeville performer, taking it from a theater owner.
    He used trip wires extensively during the chariot race in 'Ben-Hur,' resulting in several horses dying and dozens being seriously injured.
    The first talking film he directed, 'Redemption' (1930), was a critical and box office flop that badly damaged both his career and that of star John Gilbert.

Why he might not be annoying:

    He married George M. Cohan's older sister Josephine and managed the family act, the Four Cohans.
    Actress Marion Shilling said, 'He could empathize, see and feel a scene from an actor's viewpoint. He never talked down to us. He was a lovely human being.'
    Louis B. Mayer hired him to replace the original director of 'Ben-Hur' after the production ran into financial difficulties; he not only salvaged the film, it became one of the biggest blockbusters of the silent era. (Although, thanks to the cost overruns before Niblo was brought in and a generous profit-sharing arrangement with rights holder Abraham L. Erlanger, MGM still wouldn't make a profit until Ben-Hur's 1931 re-release.)

Credit: C. Fishel


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Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying