Lois Weber

"I'll never be convinced that the general public does not want serious entertainment rather than frivolous."

Lois Weber (1882-1939) spoke those words nearly a century ago to explain why she made the films that she did. A writer, director, producer, and actress, she began her film career for Gaumont films in New Jersey in 1908 and later came to Hollywood in 1913 to work for Universal Films. Because "polite" society looked down on the movie business as immoral and fit only for second-class citizens, the fledgling industry was wide open to talented women, minorities, and immigrants.

While other studios were content to turn out one- or two-reel westerns and slapstick comedies, she was decades ahead of her time in making feature-length socially conscious films dealing with controversial subjects. This led to censorship and even outright bans of her movies in some localities. Her 1916 film Where Are My Children dealt with birth control and 1915's Hypocrites caused a sensation when it showed female nudity. She was also unafraid to tackle other sensitive subjects such as anti-semitism and abortion. But studio owner Carl Laemmle, Sr. didn't care. Because she always came in on time, under budget, and her movies made money, she enjoyed a certain cachet that allowed her to make what she wanted. Indeed, she was Universal's top director and drew a salary of $5,000 per week.

She joins Frances Marion, Mabel Normand, and Mary Pickford as female titans of early Hollywood.
Her last film was 1934's White Heat (not the James Cagney film) which she directed and co-wrote the screenplay. It was her only sound film and was one of the first films to be shown on television.