Joe May
| Joe May | |
|---|---|
Cast and crew of Die Herrin der Welt with Joe May at center with hands in pockets
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| Born |
Joseph Otto Mandel January 7, 1880 Vienna, Austria |
| Died | April 29, 1954 (aged 73) Hollywood, California, United States |
| Occupation | Film director, producer |
| Spouse(s) | Mia May |
Joe May (7 November 1880, in Vienna – 29 April 1954, in Hollywood), born Joseph Otto Mandel, was a film director and film producer born in Austria and one of the pioneers of German cinema.
After studying in Berlin and a variety of odd jobs, he began his career as a stage director of operettas in Hamburg. In 1902 he had married the actress Mia May (born Hermine Pfleger) and took his stage name from hers.
As Joe May, he made ten films for Continental-Art Film GmbH in Berlin; the first, In der Tiefe des Schachtes (In the Depths of the Pit) was released in November 1912, followed by Vorglühen des Balkanbrandes (The Balkan Traitors) (starring Ernst Reicher)
In the spring of 1914 May directed the first three of the 'Stuart Webbs' films, a popular series in which Reicher played a gentleman detective modelled on Sherlock Holmes: Die geheimnisvolle Villa (The Black Triangle); Der Mann im Keller (The Man in the Cellar); and Der Spuk im Haus des Professors (The Spook in the Professor's House).
May and Reicher fell out with the managers of Continental over the 'Stuart Webbs' films, and left Continental together. Having formed their own production company, Stuart Webbs-Film GmbH, they made the next in the 'Stuart Webbs' series, Das Panzergewölbe (The Armoured Vault) in June 1914, using Continental-Kunstfilm's new studios at 9 Franz Joseph-Strasse, Weissensee for the filming.
When the First World War broke out in August 1914, May had to return to his native Vienna to do his military service, and on his return to Berlin he and Reicher split up. Reicher leased the studio at 9 Franz Joseph-Strasse from Continental, and continued to make the 'Stuart Webbs' films with his Reicher & Reicher company until 1918. May's last film at Continental was Der geheimnisvolle Nachtschatten (The Secret Shadows of Night) which he produced in December 1914, with Harry Piel directing.
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Wikipedia