1914 in film

The year 1914 in film involved some significant events, including the debut of Cecil B. DeMille as a director.

Fandom movies:1914

Events

February 2 – Charlie Chaplin's first film, Making a Living, is released.
February 7 – Release of Charlie Chaplin's second film, the Keystone comedy Kid Auto Races at Venice, in which his character of The Tramp is introduced to audiences.
February 8 – Winsor McCay's Gertie the Dinosaur greatly advances filmed animation movement techniques.
February 10 – Release of the film Hearts Adrift; the name of Mary Pickford, the star, is displayed above the title on movie marquees.
February – Lewis J. Selznick and Arthur Spiegel organize the World Film Corporation, a distributor of independently produced films located in Fort Lee, New Jersey,
March 8 – D. W. Griffith's first feature film, Judith of Bethulia, is released. It is his last production for the Biograph Company.
March 20 – Tess of the Storm Country makes Mary Pickford an icon in the US and a celebrity around the world.
March 31 – The serial The Perils of Pauline is an early example of the damsel in distress in film.
April 12 – The 3,300-seat Mark Strand Theatre opens in New York City.
April 18 – Cabiria, directed by Giovanni Pastrone, is released in Italy, the first epic film, featuring the first extensive use of a moving camera dolly in a feature film, and introducing the long-running character Maciste.
May 8 – Paramount Pictures is formed as a film distributor by William Wadsworth Hodkinson.
June 13 – 1914 Lubin vault fire: a major fire destroys the main nitrate film vault of the Lubin Manufacturing Company in Philadelphia.
September – The Neptune Film Company opens the Neptune Studios at Borehamwood, north of London.
November 14 – The Kalem Company of California releases the first in the adventure film series The Hazards of Helen, initially starring actress/stuntwoman Helen Holmes, releasing a new episode every Saturday until February 1917.
November 19 – William Fox's Box Office Attractions Company releases its first production, Life's Shop Window.
December 3 – William S. Hart appears in his first feature film, The Bargain, which makes him a star.
December 21 – Release of the first American made feature-length comedy film, Tillie's Punctured Romance, which also contains Marie Dressler and Charlie Chaplin's feature film debuts.
December – Chaplin joins Essanay Studios for $1,250 per week.
Filoteo Alberini introduces a new 70 mm format, Panoramico, with the film Il sacco di Roma.

Highest-grossing films (U.S.)

The top eight 1914 released films by box office gross in North America are as follows:

Rank	Title	Studio	Gross
1	The Spoilers	General	$1,000,000
2	Dough and Dynamite	Paramount	$130,000
3	The Virginian	Paramount	$111,518
4	Rose of the Rancho	Paramount	$87,028
5	The Man from Home	Paramount	$62,091
6	What's His Name	Paramount	$61,560
7	The Call of the North	Paramount	$52,284
8	The Ghost Breaker	Paramount	$50,136

Notable films

Films produced in the United States unless stated otherwise

E

Evangeline, directed by Edward P. Sullivan and William Cavanaugh –
The Exploits of Elaine, film serial directed by Louis J. Gasnier and George B. Seitz, starring Pearl White

F

The Face on the Bar Room Floor, directed by and starring Charlie Chaplin
Fantômas, film serial directed by Louis Feuillade, based on the true crime novels by Pierre Souvestre and Marcel Allain –
The Fatal Mallet, directed by Mack Sennett, starring Charlie Chaplin and Mabel Normand
Figures de cire , directed by Maurice Tourneur –
A Film Johnnie, directed by George Nichols, starring Charlie Chaplin, Fatty Arbuckle and Mabel Normand
A Florida Enchantment, directed by Sidney Drew, starring Edith Storey

G

Gentlemen of Nerve, directed by and starring Charlie Chaplin, with Mabel Normand
Gertie the Dinosaur, animated film directed by Winsor McCay
Getting Acquainted, directed by and starring Charlie Chaplin, with Mabel Normand
The Ghost Breaker, directed by Cecil B. DeMille and Oscar C. Apfel, starring H. B. Warner
A Good Little Devil, directed by Edwin S. Porter, starring Mary Pickford

H

The Hazards of Helen, film serial directed by J. P. McGowan and J. Gunnis Davis, starring Helen Holmes
His Favorite Pastime, directed by George Nichols, starring Charlie Chaplin and Fatty Arbuckle
His Majesty, the Scarecrow of Oz, directed by J. Farrell MacDonald, based on the 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
His Musical Career, directed by and starring Charlie Chaplin
His New Profession, directed by and starring Charlie Chaplin, with Fatty Arbuckle
His Prehistoric Past, directed by and starring Charlie Chaplin
His Trysting Place, directed by and starring Charlie Chaplin, with Mabel Normand
Home, Sweet Home, directed by D. W. Griffith, starring Henry B. Walthall, Lillian Gish and Dorothy Gish
Der Hund von Baskerville , directed by Rudolf Meinert, based on the 1902 novel by Arthur Conan Doyle –

I

In the Land of the Head Hunters, directed by Edward S. Curtis

J

Judith of Bethulia, directed by D. W. Griffith, starring Blanche Sweet and Henry B. Walthall

K

Kid Auto Races at Venice, directed by Henry Lehrman, starring Charlie Chaplin
The Knockout, directed by Charles Avery, starring Fatty Arbuckle and Charlie Chaplin

L

Laughing Gas, directed by and starring Charlie Chaplin
Life's Shop Window, directed by J. Gordon Edwards, first film produced by William Fox

M

Mabel at the Wheel, directed by Mack Sennett, starring Mabel Normand and Charlie Chaplin
Mabel's Blunder, directed by and starring Mabel Normand
Mabel's Busy Day, directed by and starring Mabel Normand, with Charlie Chaplin
Mabel's Married Life, directed by and starring Charlie Chaplin, with Mabel Normand
Mabel's Strange Predicament, directed by and starring Mabel Normand, with Charlie Chaplin
The Magic Cloak of Oz, directed by J. Farrell MacDonald, starring Mildred Harris, based on the 1905 novel Queen Zixi of Ix by L. Frank Baum
Making a Living, directed by Henry Lehrman, the first film starring Charlie Chaplin
The Man from Home, directed by Cecil B. DeMille
The Masquerader, directed by and starring Charlie Chaplin, with Fatty Arbuckle
The Million Dollar Mystery, film serial directed by Howell Hansel, starring Florence La Badie
Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch, directed by Harold Entwistle

N

The New Janitor, directed by and starring Charlie Chaplin

O

The Oubliette, directed by Charles Giblyn, starring Lon Chaney

P

The Patchwork Girl of Oz, directed by J. Farrell MacDonald, based on the 1913 novel by L. Frank Baum
The Perils of Pauline, film serial directed by Louis J. Gasnier, starring Pearl White
The Property Man, directed by and starring Charlie Chaplin

R

Recreation, directed by and starring Charlie Chaplin
Rose of the Rancho, directed by Cecil B. DeMille, starring Bessie Barriscale
The Rounders, directed by and starring Charlie Chaplin, with Fatty Arbuckle

S

Salomy Jane, directed by William Nigh and Lucius J. Henderson, starring Beatriz Michelena
The Spoilers, directed by Colin Campbell, starring William Farnum and Kathlyn Williams
The Squaw Man, directed by Oscar Apfel and Cecil B. DeMille, starring Dustin Farnum
The Stain, directed by Frank Powell, starring Theda Bara
The Star Boarder, directed by George Nichols, starring Charlie Chaplin
A Study in Scarlet, directed by George Pearson, based on the 1887 novel by Arthur Conan Doyle –

T

Tango Tangles, directed by Mack Sennett, starring Charlie Chaplin, Fatty Arbuckle and Ford Sterling
Tess of the Storm Country, directed by Edwin S. Porter, starring Mary Pickford
Those Love Pangs, directed by and starring Charlie Chaplin
Tillie's Punctured Romance, directed by Mack Sennett, starring Marie Dressler, Mabel Normand, Charlie Chaplin and the Keystone Cops
Twenty Minutes of Love, directed by and starring Charlie Chaplin

U

Uncle Tom's Cabin, directed by William Robert Daly, starring Sam Lucas, based on the 1852 novel by Harriet Beecher Stowe

V

The Virginian, directed by Cecil B. DeMille, starring Dustin Farnum, based on the 1902 novel by Owen Wister

W

What's His Name, directed by Cecil B. DeMille, starring Max Figman and Lolita Robertson
The Wishing Ring: An Idyll of Old England, directed by Maurice Tourneur, starring Vivian Martin
The Wrath of the Gods, directed by Reginald Barker, starring Sessue Hayakawa and Frank Borzage

1914 film release dates

January – The House of Bondage, a lost 1914 silent film drama directed by Pierce Kingsley and starring Lottie Pickford.
January 3 – Engelein, German silent comedy film written and directed by Urban Gad
January 12 – Fantomas Part Four: Fantômas Contre Fantômas
January 14 – Captive Souls, a Hungarian film directed by Michael Curtiz
January 22 – Absinthe, American silent drama film starring King Baggot and Leah Baird and directed by Herbert Brenon
February 2 – Making a Living, the first film starring Charlie Chaplin.
February 5 – O Mimi San, starring Sessue Hayakawa, Tsuru Aoki and Mildred Harris
February 7 – Kid Auto Races at Venice, starring Charlie Chaplin
February 8 – Gertie the Dinosaur, an animated film that incorporated many cinematic innovations
February 9 – Mabel's Strange Predicament, starring Mabel Normand and Charlie Chaplin
February 12 – The Squaw Man, directed by Oscar Apfel and Cecil B. DeMille, starring Dustin Farnum
March 1 – How Moscha Came Back, silent film comedy short directed by Phillips Smalley
March 8 – Judith of Bethulia, directed by D. W. Griffith, starring Blanche Sweet
March 24 – The Avenging Conscience, directed by D. W. Griffith, starring Blanche Sweet and Henry B. Walthall; loosely based on the works of Edgar Allan Poe
March 31 – The Perils of Pauline,, starring Pearl White
April 6 – The Old Curiosity Shop directed by Thomas Bentley, starring Alma Taylor
April 15 – Brewster's Millions
April 18 – Cabiria, directed by Giovanni Pastrone
April 18 – Mabel at the Wheel, starring Mabel Normand, Harry McCoy, and Charlie Chaplin
April 23 – A Little Madonna
May ? – Fantomas Part Five: Le Faux Magistrat
May 11 – The Master Mind
May – Mr. Barnes of New York
June 8 – The Wrath of Gods, starring Sessue Hayakawa, Tsuru Aoki and Frank Borzage
June 12 – Der Hund von Baskerville aka The Hound of the Baskervilles, directed by Rudolf Meinert, written by Richard Oswald, starring Alwin Neuß and Hanni Weiss; originally released in two parts, later edited down into a feature version.
June 15 – The Only Son
June 22 – The Million Dollar Mystery,, starring Florence La Badie
July 13 – My Official Wife, starring Clara Kimball Young
July 13 – The Man on the Box
July 17 – The Stain, starring Theda Bara
July 22 – By the Sun's Rays
August 10 – The Call of the North, starring Robert Edeson
September 7 – The Virginian, starring Dustin Farnum
September 22 – Ireland a Nation
September 23 – The Aztec Treasure
September 28 – The Patchwork Girl of Oz
September 28 – The Magic Cloak of Oz, starring Mildred Harris
October 14 – His Majesty, the Scarecrow of Oz, starring Mildred Harris
October 14 – Mabel's Blunder
October 22 – What's His Name, starring Max Figman
November 2 – Salomy Jane
November 7 – The Hazards of Helen, starring Helen Holmes
November 7 – His Musical Career, starring Charlie Chaplin
November 9 – The Man from Home
November 9 – The Wishing Ring
November 13 – Demolition of the Monument at San Stefano, directed by Fuat Uzkınay, considered to be the first Turkish movie –
November 15 – Rose of the Rancho, starring Bessie Barriscale
November 19 – Life's Shop Window, first film produced by William Fox's Box Office Attractions Company, the forerunner to Fox Film
December 7 – The Ghost Breaker directed by Cecil B. DeMille and Oscar C. Apfel, starring H. B. Warner and Rita Stanwood; remade in 1922 and again in 1940.
December 7 – His Prehistoric Past, written, directed, and starring Charlie Chaplin
December 7 – In the Land of the Head Hunters
December 14 – The Last Egyptian, produced and written by L. Frank Baum, directed by Joseph Farrell MacDonald, also starring Howard Davies and Jefferson Osborne.
December 21 – Tillie's Punctured Romance, directed by Mack Sennett, starring Marie Dressler, Mabel Normand and Charlie Chaplin. First comedy feature film.
December 28 – A Study in Scarlet, directed by George Pearson; based on the Arthur Conan Doyle story
December 28 – Cinderella, starring Mary Pickford
December 28 – The Exploits of Elaine,, directed by Louis Gasnier and George B. Seitz, starring Pearl White and Sheldon Lewis

Short film series

Broncho Billy Anderson Harold Lloyd

''Charlie Chaplin''

Births

January 5 – George Reeves, American actor
January 6
*David Bruce, American film actor
*Danny Thomas, American comedian, actor, singer, producer, and philanthropist
January 13 – Osa Massen, Danish actress
January 14 – Harold Russell, American actor
January 15 – Dimples Cooper, Filipina actress
January 17 – Howard Marion-Crawford, English character actor
January 28 – Tom Neal, American actor and boxer
January 30 – John Ireland, Canadian-American actor and film director
January 31 – Carey Loftin, American stuntman, stunt coordinator and actor
February 3 – Mary Carlisle, American actress, singer and dancer
February 6 – Thurl Ravenscroft, American actor and bass singer.
February 15 – Kevin McCarthy, American actor
February 17
*Arthur Kennedy, American actor
*Wayne Morris, American actor
February 18 – Mahmoud Zulfikar, Egyptian film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor.
February 21 – Zachary Scott, American actor
February 26 – Robert Alda, American actor
March 2 – Martin Ritt, American director, producer, and actor
March 3 – Charlotte Henry, American actress
March 5 – Fred Clark, American character actor
March 8 – Yves Brainville, French film and television actor
March 20 – Wendell Corey, American actor
March 27 – Richard Denning, American actor
April 2 – Alec Guinness, English actor
April 4 – Richard Coogan, American actor
April 14 – John Hubbard, American actor
April 16 – John Hodiak, American actor
April 24 – Larry J. Blake, American actor
April 30 – Christopher Rhodes, English actor
May 5 – Tyrone Power, American actor
May 10 – Charles McGraw, American actor
May 18 – Robert J. Wilke, American film and television actor
May 19 – Beverly Roberts, American actress and singer
May 24 – Lilli Palmer, German actress and writer
May 31 – Hannes Schiel, Austrian actor
June 7 – Khwaja Ahmad Abbas, Indian film director, screenwriter, novelist, and journalist.
June 11 – Gerald Mohr, American character actor
June 12 – William Lundigan, American actor
June 18 – E. G. Marshall, American actor
June 19 – Harry Lauter, American character actor
June 21 – Wensley Pithey, South African character actor
July 2 – Ethelreda Leopold, American actress
July 20 – Masa Niemi, Finnish comic actor
July 23 – Julie Mitchum, American actress
July 25 – Woody Strode, American athlete, actor, and author
July 29
*Irwin Corey, American actor and stand-up comedian
*Alexander Gauge, British character actor
July 30 – Brian Worth, English actor
July 31 – Louis de Funès, French actor and comedian
August 2 – Beatrice Straight, American actress
August 5 – Parley Baer, American actor
August 13 – Norman Spencer, British film producer, production manager, screenwriter, and supercentenarian.
August 14 – Andrea Leeds, American actress
August 31 – Richard Basehart, American actor
September 9 – James Seay, American character actor
September 12 – Desmond Llewelyn, Welsh actor
September 20 – Kenneth More English actor
September 27 – Sophie Sooäär, Estonian actress and singer
October 1 – Maciej Maciejewski, Polish screen and stage actor
October 9 – Edward Andrews, American actor
October 26 – Jackie Coogan, American actor and comedian
October 28 – Dody Goodman, American character actress
October 30 – Anna Wing, British actress
November 2 – Ray Walston, American actor
November 6 – Jonathan Harris, American character actor
November 8 – Norman Lloyd, American actor, producer and director
November 9
*Alan Caillou, English actor and screenwriter
*Hedy Lamarr, Austrian-American actress and inventor
November 10 – William Henry, American actor
November 13
*Amelia Bence, Argentine actress
*Henri Langlois, French film preservationist
*Alberto Lattuada, Italian director
November 20 – Richard Fiske, American actor
November 22 – Frank Graham, American radio announcer and voice actor
November 23
*Roger Avon, British film and television actor
*Ellen Drew, American actress
December 2 – Bill Erwin, American actor
December 10 – Dorothy Lamour, American actress and singer
December 13 – Larry Parks, American actor
December 22 – Emil Sitka, American actor
December 26 – Richard Widmark, American actor and producer
December 28 – Lee Bowman, American actor

Deaths

January 9 – Gladys Rankin, American actress as Mrs. Sidney Drew; writer as George Cameron
January 11 – William A. Russell, 35, American actor
March 25 – Frédéric Mistral, 83, French writer, Mirèio
June 19 – Brandon Thomas, 65, British writer, Charley's Aunt
July 1
* Grace McHugh, American actress died while filming the movie Across the Border
* Owen Carter, American cinematographer died while trying to save Grace McHugh, Across the Border
August 21 – Charles J. Hite, 38, President and CEO of Thanhouser Film Corporation
August 22 – David Davie Shelby, 66, actor.
October 24 – Gustav Wied, 56, Danish playwright and novelist
November 14 – Stellan Rye, 34, Danish film director, ''Dur Verfuhrte, Evinrude, The Student of Prague''