MARY PICKFORD

Mary Pickford

From 1909 to 1933, MARY PICKFORD was not only one of busiest stars in the film industry, she was also one of its most successful producers. From early in her career, Mary Pickford oversaw every aspect of the making of her films, from hiring talent and crew to overseeing the script, the shooting, the editing, to the final release and promotion of each project. She was the catalyst behind the formation of the United Artists Corporation so that film artists could have both control and ownership of their own work. With those benefits also came responsibilities and financial risk. Under UA, Mary Pickford, Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks, D.W. Griffith, and eventually other stars financed their own films. They refused “block-booking” schemes that could have shielded them from losses. Each film had to stand on its own. Mary Pickford considered film to be a medium of popular art, and quality was always her first concern. When she retired in 1933, Ms. Pickford continued to produce films for United Artists, and she and Chaplin remained partners in the company until her retirement in 1954.