Otis Turner
director, producer, writer
- Born:
- 1862-11-29, Fairfield, Indiana, USA
- Died:
- 1918-03-28, Los Angeles, California, USA
- Professions:
- director, producer, writer
Biography
Born 29 November 1862 amid the cornfields of Fairfield, Indiana, Otis Turner swapped the quiet Midwest for the flicker of klieg lights, becoming one of early cinema’s busiest storytellers. Between 1908 and 1916 he steered the camera through the ten-chapter science-fiction serial The Black Box (1915), the tinted fantasy travelogue The Fairylogue and Radio-Plays (1908) that melted stage magic into moving pictures, and the breezy one-reeler Get the Boy (1916). Off-set he shared life—and probably late-night script sessions—with actress Etta French, his wife and frequent collaborator. Turner’s final fade-out came 28 March 1918 in Los Angeles, California, leaving behind a trail of reels that helped wire the dreams of a brand-new art form.
