Directing
Albert E. Smith
Born — Died
1875-06-04 — 1958-08-01
Place of birth
Faversham, Kent, England, UK
Known for
Directing
Credits
43 titles
Known for
NRA beautiful and ambitious young woman leaves her boyfriend for a famous sculptor, and later--after she models for his statue "Miss Ambition"--marries an old but wealthy art collector. However, things don't turn out quite the way she planned.
Miss Ambition
1918
8.0Babs Marvin loves David Darrow, a young lawyer. Babs' father, the powerful Senator Marvin, is supporting Eben Sprague for a seat in the State Legislature. Darrow discovers that Sprague is a crook and threatens to expose the candidate unless the senator agrees to switch his support to him. Babs opposes Darrow's decision, fearing that it will ruin his promising law career. Determined to defeat Darrow, she promotes the candidacy of the village pauper, Hank Dawes, and contrives an elaborate campaign based upon the slogan that Dawes' election would remove him from the welfare rolls. Dawes wins the election, but Darrow is consoled with Babs's love and the senator's support of his law career.
Babs
1920
7.0In the summer of 1914, Alsatian maiden Louise de Villars is attacked by two German soldiers. Hugh Brown, a visiting American, comes to her rescue and they fall in love. When war is declared, Hugh enlists in the French flying corps and shoots down thirty enemy planes. He is captured, but escapes with other prisoners while being transferred to another camp, and arrives at Louise's house to find camp commander, Baron Von Steinbach. To save Hugh from being executed, Louise offers herself to the lecherous Baron. Louise then kills him and escapes with Hugh to an American trench, where they are married by a chaplain on the final day of the war. Afterward, they leave Europe for Hoboken, New Jersey.
Daring Hearts
1919
NRA welcome guest of the French aristocracy, Monsieur Picard having been awarded the Croix De Guerre, is also a master thief who baffles the Parisian police. One night, while Picard watches an Apache dance, he learns that one of his three adopted children is seriously ill. When his car breaks down, Picard politely forces Helen Deprenay to loan him her auto, and leaves his cross as security. The next day, the police pursue Picard to the Deprenay home where the prefect warns Helen about Picard. Helen writes to the entreating Picard, and refuses to see him until he proves himself of worth to society. Disguised as Scotland Yard agent Armand DuBois, Picard is present at the Deprenay home when a necklace is stolen. After Helen covers for him, Picard catches the thief in an attempt to swindle the entire community in a stock market scheme. He informs the police that Picard no longer exists, and escapes with Helen to a new life.
A Rogue's Romance
1919
4.7He sits asleep at a bare table; old witch enters, raps three times, then disappears; cavalier sees table spread for a sumptuous repast. Mephistopheles appears; then the old witch, who suddenly changes to a beautiful young girl. The changes and magical appearances are startling and instantaneous.
The Cavalier's Dream
1898
6.5Notorious pirate Joaquin Santos lives by the saying, "Dead Men Tell No Tales". He conspires with the prominent Squire Rattray to take over and plunder the Lady Jermyn, a ship carrying a considerable amount of gold, and then destroy the ship and kill its crew. Rattray, who is in love with Santos' daughter Eve, agrees to pick up the pirate, his crew and their loot on his private yacht after the deed is done. However, young George Cole, a passenger on the Lady Jermyn who is also in love with Eve, survives the attack and sets out to find her.
Dead Men Tell No Tales
1920
Film credits
Behind the camera
NRA beautiful and ambitious young woman leaves her boyfriend for a famous sculptor, and later--after she models for his statue "Miss Ambition"--marries an old but wealthy art collector. However, things don't turn out quite the way she planned.
Miss Ambition
1918
8.0Babs Marvin loves David Darrow, a young lawyer. Babs' father, the powerful Senator Marvin, is supporting Eben Sprague for a seat in the State Legislature. Darrow discovers that Sprague is a crook and threatens to expose the candidate unless the senator agrees to switch his support to him. Babs opposes Darrow's decision, fearing that it will ruin his promising law career. Determined to defeat Darrow, she promotes the candidacy of the village pauper, Hank Dawes, and contrives an elaborate campaign based upon the slogan that Dawes' election would remove him from the welfare rolls. Dawes wins the election, but Darrow is consoled with Babs's love and the senator's support of his law career.
Babs
1920
7.0In the summer of 1914, Alsatian maiden Louise de Villars is attacked by two German soldiers. Hugh Brown, a visiting American, comes to her rescue and they fall in love. When war is declared, Hugh enlists in the French flying corps and shoots down thirty enemy planes. He is captured, but escapes with other prisoners while being transferred to another camp, and arrives at Louise's house to find camp commander, Baron Von Steinbach. To save Hugh from being executed, Louise offers herself to the lecherous Baron. Louise then kills him and escapes with Hugh to an American trench, where they are married by a chaplain on the final day of the war. Afterward, they leave Europe for Hoboken, New Jersey.
Daring Hearts
1919
NRA welcome guest of the French aristocracy, Monsieur Picard having been awarded the Croix De Guerre, is also a master thief who baffles the Parisian police. One night, while Picard watches an Apache dance, he learns that one of his three adopted children is seriously ill. When his car breaks down, Picard politely forces Helen Deprenay to loan him her auto, and leaves his cross as security. The next day, the police pursue Picard to the Deprenay home where the prefect warns Helen about Picard. Helen writes to the entreating Picard, and refuses to see him until he proves himself of worth to society. Disguised as Scotland Yard agent Armand DuBois, Picard is present at the Deprenay home when a necklace is stolen. After Helen covers for him, Picard catches the thief in an attempt to swindle the entire community in a stock market scheme. He informs the police that Picard no longer exists, and escapes with Helen to a new life.
A Rogue's Romance
1919
4.7He sits asleep at a bare table; old witch enters, raps three times, then disappears; cavalier sees table spread for a sumptuous repast. Mephistopheles appears; then the old witch, who suddenly changes to a beautiful young girl. The changes and magical appearances are startling and instantaneous.
The Cavalier's Dream
1898
6.5Notorious pirate Joaquin Santos lives by the saying, "Dead Men Tell No Tales". He conspires with the prominent Squire Rattray to take over and plunder the Lady Jermyn, a ship carrying a considerable amount of gold, and then destroy the ship and kill its crew. Rattray, who is in love with Santos' daughter Eve, agrees to pick up the pirate, his crew and their loot on his private yacht after the deed is done. However, young George Cole, a passenger on the Lady Jermyn who is also in love with Eve, survives the attack and sets out to find her.
Dead Men Tell No Tales
1920
10.0Based on the play The Shaughraun, this is the story of Robert Ffolliat, a young Irish lad, who is done out of his land and sent off to a penal colony in Australia following false accusations by the greedy Kinchella. Conn the Shaughraun comes to his rescue, helps him to escape from the prison ship and return to Ireland where he is united with his sweetheart.
My Wild Irish Rose
1922
7.0A harried propman backstage at a theater must put up with malfunctioning wind machines, roosters that spit nitroglycerine, and a gang planning to rob the theater's payroll.
The Show
1922
7.0Railroad executive Anthony Blake while navigating a divorce from his discontented wife brings his loyal secretary, Cara Deene, to live at a farm, paying her to act as his companion, which leads to scandalous misunderstandings.
What's Your Reputation Worth?
1921
5.0Shows the efficiency of modern life-saving methods and apparatus now in use by the fire departments. Shows the front of a building burning and two ladders raised against it. Through a thick cloud of smoke and sparks membes of the fire companies are ascending. Entering the windows they pass unfortunate occupants to their comrades, who in turn take them safely to the ground.—Edison Catalog
Firemen Rescuing Men and Women
1899
A woman replaces her injured beau on a spy mission.
The Despatch Bearer; or, Through the Enemy's Lines
1907
4.1In a charming dining room a very attractive young lady is seen seated at the table, evidently waiting for the caller who is to share a quiet little dinner for two. A moment later a dude of the regular chappy type enters and seats himself at the table. As soon as the meal commences the inevitable wicked small boy sneaks in unobserved, and producing a piece of rope ties one end securely to the dude's coat tails and fastens the other to the table-cloth.
Maude's Naughty Little Brother
1900
8.0A newlywed invites his old poker friend to meet his wife. But his friend has a plan to use their Ouiji board to recoup poker debt that he is owed.
A Little Ouija Work
1918
4.7Well-meaning but accident-prone bakery employee Larry is involved in numerous slapstick mishaps on the job. After accidentally causing the bakery owner to fall into a vat of cake batter Larry finds his job in jeopardy, but he redeems himself by foiling a robbery planned by the bakery foreman.
The Bakery
1921
4.9Larry falls afoul of wanted criminal Gentleman Joe, who runs a saloon full of tough guys and gunslingers.
The Fall Guy
1921
7.5Jimmy Aubrey lets the kids in the alley shoot arrows at him. After he grows tired of this, he treats them like satchels to get them out of his way. A policeman shows up and he is terrified; later, disguised as a policeman, he encounters Oliver Hardy, who is in brutal mode here.
The Backyard
1920
5.1Bears and Bad Men is a 1918 silent comedy film directed by Larry Semon[1] and featuring Stan Laurel.
Bears and Bad Men
1918
6.8A government official staying in a hotel puts some important secret papers in the hotel safe. A ring of spies out to get the papers manages to steal them from the safe, and a lady government agent enlists the help of the hotel's bumbling bellhop in getting back the papers and breaking up the spy ring.
The Bell Hop
1921
6.3Inept interior decorator Jimmy is hired to work at the home of a wealthy artist. From the moment he arrives, Jimmy's incompetence leads to disaster as he accidentally damages or destroys any piece of art that isn't securely fastened to the walls. Oliver Hardy appears in the film as "Babe," a millionaire character. Features the screen debut of Kathleen Myers.
The Decorator
1920
Persons who have visited the "Hub," no doubt carried away with vivid recollections of Boston's famous system of Underground Transportation and this film takes the audience from the bright sunshine into the dim obscurity of the subway. The Underground stations and rows of Electric Arc lamps are plainly shown and, after traversing the tunnel for a considerable distance, the car finally emerges opposite the railroad depot.
Panoramic View of Boston Subway from an Electric Car
1901
Larry Semon in a double role as a poor man chasing an opportunity to steal secret plans (for a reward of $1,000.83 from a rich man) and as the headmistress of a girl's college.
Plans and Pajamas
1917
7.5Young Irish physician Peter Blood is exiled as a slave to Barbados, where he and his friend Jeremy are purchased by Colonel Bishop at the behest of his niece Arabella. With other slaves he captures a Spanish galleon and becomes the terror of the Caribbean privateers until offered a commission in the English Navy. He defeats the French at Port Royal, and as a reward he is named governor of Jamaica and marries Arabella.
Captain Blood
1924
6.5Semon as a detective trying to deal with some roughnecks.
Dull Care
1919
"Down goes the Spanish flag, and up floats the Stars and Stripes. Down falls the symbol of tyranny and oppression that has ruled in the new world for four hundred years, and up goes the Banner of Freedom. In the distance are the turrets and battlements of Morro, the last foothold of Spain in America."
Raising Old Glory Over Morro Castle
1899
NRStanley Deane, raised by a British governor, defends mill workers and falls for Alice, daughter of mill owner Amos Buckingham.
The Bottom of the Well
1917
7.0A countryman goes to see a spiritualist and is frightened by what he sees.
A Visit to the Spiritualist
1899
6.7The Rent Collector is a 1921 American silent comedy film featuring Larry Semon & Oliver Hardy.
The Rent Collector
1921
7.0The headwaiter does tricks with spaghetti that the greatest spaghetti handlers in the world never heard of. The sight makes your mouth water. Besides food, the scenes are garnished with a couple of trayfuls of beautiful girls.
The Head Waiter
1919
6.2A repairman falls in love with a blacksmith's daughter, who's having trouble with their greedy landlord, and helps them get one over on him.
Squeaks and Squawks
1920
5.3The Shamrock is seen after its defeat in the 1899 America's Cup, along with the Erin, which served as its tow boat across the Atlantic.
"Shamrock" and "Erin" Sailing
1899
Vitagraph’s Battle of Santiago Bay (1898) blended real Spanish–American War footage with tabletop trickery. Albert E. Smith’s authentic San Juan material looked underwhelming, so he and partner J. Stuart Blackton staged the naval clash on a miniature set: cardboard ships afloat in shallow water, firecracker “explosions,” and clouds of smoke from cigars and cigarettes. Spliced together, the hybrid film was embraced as genuine by audiences and became one of the most popular war films of its day.
Battle of Santiago Bay
1898
8.0A jazz-mad Nancy Burrard is a young matron easing her boredom by flirting with married men.
Borrowed Husbands
1924
1.5The Humpty Dumpty Circus is the first animated short film created in stop-motion technique. It features a circus with acrobats and animals in motion.
Humpty Dumpty Circus
1898
8.0No synopsis available yet.
The Stage Hand
1920
3.9A magician steps upon the stage carrying a hoop covered with white paper. Then in quick succession the flags of Germany, Russia, Ireland, England and China are brought forth, and from each a soldier is produced corresponding with the flag of each nation. The magician adds a bit of comedy to the scene by producing a decidedly Hibernian policeman from the flag of Erin's Isle. The magician then waves his hand and the flags of all nations slowly dissolve and blend into one huge American flag.
The Congress of Nations
1900
10.0A street cleaner who gets into a heated altercation with his superintendent. In the chaotic aftermath of the fight and while performing his daily rounds, the street cleaner accidentally steals a baby.
Springtime
1920
4.8This is a new adventure in which our friend, Mr. Hooligan, appears in an entirely new capacity. On a stage a professor of magic is performing some wonderful experiments, and when he requests some assistance Happy Hooligan immediately volunteers his services and climbs upon the platform.
Hooligan Assists the Magician
1900
Although we are led to believe that the ancient alchemists were all powerful, this picture somewhat reverses the order of things...
The Clown and the Alchemist
1900
3.7The Astor Battery became famous after the Spanish-American war and these young men are on display in this Edison short, which was shot on Saturday, January 21, 1899. We see a parade cross Broadway onto Union Square with the mounted police, the band and then the Astor Battery. The footage of this short is still in very good condition, which adds a lot considering how little footage is available of these men.
Astor Battery on Parade
1899
James J. Jeffries throwing the medicine ball. An absolutely perfect picture of the champion heavyweight of the world.
Jeffries Throwing the Medicine Ball
1901

