William Bowman | |
|---|---|
&sq=Facebook&lang=en&file=File:Bowman_2.jpeg) Bowman in Motion Picture News, 1916 | |
| Born | William J. Bowman February 27, 1884 Bakersville, North Carolina United States |
| Died | January 1, 1960 (aged 75) Los Angeles, California United States |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, film director, writer |
| Years active | 1896-1921 |
| Spouse(s) | Evelyn M. Bowman (m. 1925-?) |
William J. Bowman (sometimes cited William J. Bauman; February 27, 1884 – January 1, 1960) was an American stage and film actor, writer, and director noted for his work in the early 1900s on silent productions for studios in New York, New Jersey, Chicago, and in Los Angeles during the first decade of filmmaking in and around Hollywood. His direction of a series of films with matinee idol Francis X. Bushman in 1915 and his direction of the serials The Invisible Hand in 1920 and The Avenging Arrow in 1921 form only a small part of Bowman's extensive filmography.
William J. Bowman's surname in some silent-era film reviews and news items, as well in some modern references on American film history, is occasionally misidentified or also cited as William J. "Bauman."[1][2] It is significant that in the extensive "Studio Directory" published by the trade magazine Motion Picture News in January and October 1916 no "William J. Baumen" is mentioned among more than 2,000 "authorized" biographies of actors, actresses, directors, writers, technicians, executives, and "Other Members of the Film Industry."[3] Only William J. Bowman, as a director, is profiled.[4] The lack of any reference to a William J. Bauman in the editions of that directory, the absence of even a basic profile on him in earlier or later film-industry publications, and the attribution of credits to both men for the same films—such as The Starbucks, The Beautiful Unknown, and The Terror of the Fold—indicate that Bowman and Bauman were actually the same person.[5][6][7]
- ^ Bowers, Q. David (1995). "Bowman, William J.", Thanhouser Films: An Encyclopedia and History, Thanhouser Company Film Preservation, Inc., Portland, Oregon. Retrieved October 9, 2018.
- ^ An example of the confused spelling of Bowman's surname, as discussed later on this page, is given in a May 14, 1915 news item in the trade paper Variety, which announces "William J. Bauman" joining Metro's staff of directors. "Film Flashes", Variety (New York, N.Y.), May 14, 1915, p. 18, col. 1. Internet Archive, San Francisco, California. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
- ^ "Studio Directory of Motion Picture News, 1916", Motion Picture News (MPN), New York N.Y., January 29, 1916, p. 1 facing p. 617; "Studio Directory", MPN, October 21, 1916, p. 17-18 in directory. Internet Archive. Retrieved October 31, 2018.
- ^ "Studio Directory", "BOWMAN, William J." MPN, October 21, 1916, pp. 104-105. Retrieved October 15, 2018.
- ^ According to the 1910 and 1920 federal census, no William J. Bauman is listed working in the film industry in either California, New York, New Jersey, or Illinois at those times. In California in 1920 only two residents named "William J. Bauman" of appropriate ages are recorded to be living in the state in that year's census. One worked as a driver for a bakery in San Francisco; the other, as a retail merchant in Long Beach. Consequently, the absence of finding an actor or director named William J. Bauman in federal records or a specific biography under that name in film-industry publications of the era (as found for Bowman) support the contention that William J. Bowman and William J. Bauman were actually the same person whose film credits simply varied in their attributions.
- ^ There is one other "Bauman" listed in the 1916 Motion Picture News studio directory, an entry for "John M. Bauman". He is profiled as a native of Connecticut, who worked in the given period as a mechanical engineer and cameraman for the Thanhouser Company in New Rochelle, New York.
- ^ "Studio Directory", "BAUMAN, John M." MPN, October 21, 1916, pp. 137. Internet Archive. Retrieved October 15, 2018.