John Emerson
director, producer, writer
- Birth name:
- Clifton Paden
- Born:
- 1874-05-29, Sandusky, Ohio, USA
- Died:
- 1956-03-07, Pasadena, California, USA
- Professions:
- director, producer, writer
Biography
Sandusky, Ohio, greeted John Emerson’s first cry on 29 May 1874, and from that Lake Erie town he would travel far—first on the page, then behind the camera. Between 1917 and 1936 he shaped stories that flickered across the new century’s screens: the Jazz Age odyssey *Reaching for the Moon*, the breezy wartime romp *Come on In*, and the earth-shaking drama *San Francisco*. Along the way he joined creative forces—and wedding vows—with sharp-witted novelist Anita Loos. His final curtain fell in Pasadena, California, on 7 March 1956, leaving behind a celluloid legacy that still lights darkened theaters.
