Balshofer Family History & Genealogy

Cinematographer, Director, Film Producer. He is most remembered for being a pioneer in the film industry making silent black-and-white movies. His productions include “The Square Deceiver” in 1917, “Broadway Bill” in 1918, “Isle of Love” in 1920, and “The Three Buckaroos” in 1922. At the turn of the 20th Century, he was a stereoscopic slide photographer employed for three years with Lubin Studios in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He joined the New York Motion Picture Company in 1909 directing his first film, “Disinherited Son's Loyalty,” that same year. He later directed the first Davy Crockett movie made starring Charles French. After making in 1910 the silent movies, “A Mexican Lotharo” and “A Mexican Love Affair,” he realized that there was a Spanish-speaking audience. He attempted to make in 1927 a Spanish-speaking talkie with very little success. With the decline of his career with the “talkie” movies, he left being in front of the camera with film production to became a studio executive. In 1967, he co-author withArthur C. Miller the significant film history book “One Reel A Week.” The book, which is still in print, chronicles the pioneer film industry in the northeastern United States as well as Hollywood, California; he stated his career in New Jersey before moving to California. These two men were life-time friends as one of Miller's first jobs was to be Balshofer's assistant as a cinematographer. He also wrote a novel, in 1919 “Over the Rhine: The World's Greatest Love Story,” which is still available. In 1915, he co-founder Quality Pictures Corporation with Joseph W. Engel and Richard Rowland . Between 1914 to 1915, he co-founded the Sterling Film Company with Ford Sterling, who was famous for his part in the silent movies Keystone Cops. In 1916 he co-founded Yorke-Metro Film Corporation with Joseph W. Engel and Richard Rowland; he was the president of the studio. During the silent movie era, he was the cinematographer for 43 films, director of 65 films, producer of 85 films, and wrote 19 screenplays.