Louis J. Gasnier

Biography

French-born Louis J. Gasnier was a stage actor / director / producer in Paris when he was hired by Pathe to direct comedy shorts. After discovering and showcasing comedian Max Linder, Gasnier was sent by Pathe to the U.S. in 1912 to run its operation there. He helped to make Pathe a major player in the U.S. market by cleverly concentrating on the serial format, coming out with such landmark serials as The Perils of Pauline (1914). Like many silent-film directors, however, Gasnier couldn't successfully make the transition to sound. Many of his sound films were ultra-low-budget cheapies destined for the independent states-rights market, and he often required the collaboration of dialogue directors (who received co-director credit) to handle the actors' line readings. Gasnier's most famous film has to be the cult classic Reefer Madness (1938) (aka "Reefer Madness"), an unintentionally hilarious anti-marijuana polemic.