Edgar Jones

Biography

Edgar Jones was a stage actor discovered by Siegmund Lubin and signed for pictures at Lubin Manufacturing Company. Jones quickly established himself as a popular actor in 1- and 2-reel Westerns and dramas, often paired with Louise Huff or Clara Williams. He also quickly branched out into producing and directing his own films. Of of the dozens of films Jones made at Lubin between 1912 and 1915, maybe a dozen survive. After Lubin folded in 1916, Jones freelanced for a few years as an actor and director. In 1919, Jones opened his own movie studio in Augusta, Maine with local businessmen William B. Williamson and Blaine Viles. The studio would create "north woods" films that took advantage of the the area's lakes, rivers, forest land, and four season. Jones gathered a stock company of actors and crew who all lived in Augusta. Along with Jones, the original actors included Evelyn Brent, Carlton Brickert, and Ben Hendricks, Jr. After a case of pneumonia from winter filming, Brent left the company and was replaced by Edna May Sperl. Four of these 2-reelers survive. Local writer Holman Day joined the company and provided scenarios based on his popular novels and short stories. About the time the company was set to start filming a feature film, The Rider of the King Log, which was to star Jones and Sperl, Day maneuvered a take-over of the company in 1921 which changed from Edgar Jones Productions to Holman Day productions. Jones, Sperl, Brickert, and Hendricks all departed Augusta. Jones retained a screen credit as producer on the film, which was the first feature film shot in Maine. In 1922 Jones starred with Sperl in a feature film called Lonesome Corners, which was written, produced, and directed by Jones for Playgoers Pictures and shot in Maine. It proved to be be Jones' last film work. He returned to stage acting and toured the country for many years in his own acting company.