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Don Oliver Newland (1896–1951) was an American film director and producer whose career consisted largely of itinerant work. From the 1920s until his death, he traveled to cities throughout the United States making films that employed local citizens as stars and extras. Using a standard script, Newland personalized each film according to its location – ''Belvidere's Hero'', ''Staunton's Hero'', ''Janesville's Hero'', ''Huntingdon's Hero'', ''Tyrone's Hero'', ''Wilmington's Hero'', and so on. Newland was born June 8, 1896, in Battle Creek, Michigan, the son of Dr. J.S. Newland and the former Josephine Roche.〔Staunton (Va.) Daily News Leader,''Some Light is Finally Shed on Origins of Obscure Silent Film Shot in Staunton'', February 12, 2005〕 He enlisted in the United States Army on Aug 28, 1918, in Chicago, Illinois and was assigned to 4th Company, Development Battalion No. 1. He spent less than five months in the military, being discharged at Camp Wadsworth, S.C., on Jan 9, 1919, as part of the country's general demobilization after World War I.〔United States War Department Honorable Discharge, Don Newland, A.S.N. 4246246, issued May 26, 1936〕 ==Film Work== While records indicating precisely when Newland entered film production have not surfaced, newspaper publicity for his ''Hero'' films credited him with producing one-reelers with Mary Pickford, James Kirkwood, Flora Finch and John Bunny. Since Bunny died in 1915, Newland would have started in films while still a teenager. He also was credited with directing comedies for Mack Sennett.〔Staunton (Va.) News Leader, ''Applications Coming in for Star Role in Cinema'', Sep 27, 1929, pg. 1〕 In the early 1920s, Newland began the frenetic itinerant work that would take him all over the United States capturing communities and their citizens in two-reeler comedies that used the same simple, customizable plot.〔Massillon (Ohio) Evening Independent, ''Massillon Film Showing Delayed,'' Oct 17, 1922, pg. 1〕 Operating as the Consolidated Film Producing Co. of Los Angeles, California, he was generally commissioned by local newspapers to produce the films,〔Cumberland (Md.) Evening Times, ''Hollywood is Transferred to Cumberland as Times Movie Gets Under Way at Strand'', Jan 30, 1931, pg. 9〕 which always contained the role of a reporter and a prominent look at how the local newspaper was produced〔Cumberland (Md.) Evening Times, ''Local Movie is Scheduled for Tomorrow,'' Feb 4, 1931, pg. 12〕 – although the papers often stressed that the project was not an advertising film.〔Delphos (Ohio) Daily Herald, ''Mayor of Delphos Approves Making of Delphos' Hero,'' Nov 12, 1932, pg. 2〕 Contests were frequently held in each community to determine who the "leading lady" would be.〔Sandusky (Ohio) Register, ''Search for Connie's Likeness is Still On,'' Feb 25, 1923, pg. 16〕 Filming usually took place in no more than three days, with Newland directing a cameraman and one or two crew members. A standard bit of action was to stage a head-on car crash on a city street using "trick photography;" two cars would be placed bumper to bumper and a smoke bomb released under the radiators. The cars would then be backed away from each other and the film, when developed and reversed, would appear to show a head-on collision.〔Staunton (Va.) News Leader, ''Staunton Movie's Plot Thickening; Many Novel Shots'', Oct 5, 1929, pg. 1〕 Developing and editing took another couple of days, and within a week of Newland's arrival in town, the ''Hero'' film would be shown to the community at a local movie theater.〔Wellsboro (Pa.) Agitator, "''Local Movie to be Shown,'' Feb 1, 1928, pg. 1〕 When sound pictures became the standard after 1929, Newland adjusted to meet the technological advance.〔Tyrone (Pa.) Daily Herald, ''Talkie Director in Tyrone for Picture'', May 4, 1934, pg. 6〕 It is believed that only one print of each of his films was made. Some have survived and enjoyed revivals in the communities in which they were shot.〔The Canton (Ohio)-Independent Sentinel, ''Bradford County Historical Society to Show 1934 Movie Made in Towanda,'' July 10, 2009〕 Currently only four of these "Hero" films are known to exist. These films are ''Janesville's Hero'' (1926), ''Belvidere's Hero'' (1926), ''Huntingdon's Hero'' (April 1934), and ''Tyrone's Hero'' (May 1934). 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Don O. Newland」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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