Lucien Hubbard
Director B Reeves, Lucien Hubbard and Douglas Z Doty
Lucien Hubbard was born 21 Dec 1888 in Ft Thomas, Ky. the son of
Gilbert Frank and Rose Ann (Swingle). By the 1900 census he was living in
Bellevue Ky. and attended the schools there. One of his teachers there was
Miss Julia
Merrill and he graduated in 1905. He was married to Alice about 1915 who was
from Ohio. He became a writer for the Cincinnati Post and later
moved to Hollywood where he became a screenwriter and director. He died in Los
Angeles California 31 Dec 1971 and was buried in the Holy Cross Cemetery in
Culver City.
Hubbard is best known for producing the 1927 film Wings, for which he received the first Academy Award for Best Picture. Lucien produced and or wrote ninety-two films over the course of his career. He lived in the same house in Beverly Hills until the day he died; he was an avid polo player and would frequently ride out of the stables located, in those days, at the rear of his Hillcrest Road property, to Will Rogers' house in the Palisades; he also occasionally rode his horse to Paramount Studios where he had been elevated to president shortly after the Academy Award-winning Wings which he produced, was released. This film helped director William A Wellman's rise into major studio films.
Before coming to Los Angeles, he was night editor of The New York Times. He had written five screenplays on the side and decided one day to travel to Hollywood to see if he could sell any of them; he sold three and in 1923, his career was launched. A film he loved and the adaptation for, The Vanishing American (1925), was the first film to portray the Indian in a favorable light; he received an award from the Cherokee nation for this. He discovered and mentored many talents over the life of his career and was known as a very generous man with a sharp eye for good writers. He had two daughters, Betty and Janet and a brother, Harlan Hubbard. who also became a renowned artist and writer.
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Lucien Hubbard
Kentucky Post, Thursday, 30 April 1908, page 2
A jury in the case of Ben Brown, Joseph Herbert and Eugene Jones, charged with operating a poolroom in the White House in Covington, returned a verdict of not guilty in Covington Police Court this morning.
Lucien Hubbard, a newspaper reporter, was put on the stand and told of how he had entered the place before the raid. He said he saw the names of horses on the blackboard and saw the names of three horses posted, which he afterward learned, were the winner of the first race at Lexington Ky.
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Kentucky Post, Monday, 14 September 1914, page 3
Herbert Nagel is in New York City visiting Mr. and Mrs. Lucien Hubbard, formerly of this city.
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Cincinnati Post, Monday, 12 September 1921, page 5
Lon Chaney's first picture will be "Wolf Bred" a northwest story by Lucian Hubbard.
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San Francisco Chronicle, Thursday, 10 November 1921, page 6
Harry Carey will head the program at the Frolic starting Sunday in "The Fox" which was written by Carey and Lucien Hubbard.
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San Diego Union, Sunday, 27 November 1921, page 3
Harry Carey's first production "The Fox" is the best and most exciting picture this popular star has made. Lucien Hubbard, scenario editor at Universal City, adapted it to the screen with the same uncanny sense of dramatic values.
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San Francisco Chronicle, Sunday, 16 April 1922, page 43
Frank E Woods, chief supervisor of Famous Players Lasky, was elected president of the Screen Actors Guild of the Authors League of America at the organization's last meeting. Lucien Hubbard was elected secretary.
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Riverside Independent Enterprise, 23 June 1922, page 5
Especially written for Lon Chaney by Irving Thalberg, in collaboration with Lucien Hubbard, "The Trap" is said to be suited to Chaney's histrionic talents.
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Cincinnati Post, Monday, 4 December 1922, page 3
Lucien Hubbard, former Post reporter, wrote the scenario for "Human Hearts". Hubbard and King Baggott did first class work, giving the film a continuity as smooth as glass and holding ones interest throughout.
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Cincinnati Post, Saturday, 22 July 1922, page 7
Lucien Hubbard, former police reporter on The Post, now is chief of Universal's scenario department.
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San Francisco Chronicle, Sunday, 29 April 1923, page 45
America's least civilized inhabitants are to become motion picture players. They live in the Tonto Basin Ariz. the scene of Zane Grey's famous story, "To The Last Man". The author Victor Fleming, director and Lucien Hubbard, production editor are now in the primitive 100 miles from a railway.
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San Francisco Chronicle, Sunday, 11 May 1924, page 45
The younger generation is again the theme of a screen tale "Daughters of Today" which is at the California Theater. Lucien Hubbard wrote the story and Rollin S Sturgeon directed the picture.
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San Diego Union, Sunday, 29 March 1925, page 19
"The Thundering Herd" was adapted from the novel of the same name by Zane Grey and centers around the glamorous days of 1876. Lucien Hubbard scenarized the story.
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Kentucky Post, Wednesday, 10 June 1925, page 13
Former Cincinnatians will do most of the work in the production of "The Vanishing American" a picturization of the Zane Grey story. William K Howard who used to sell pictures here and now is under contract with Famous Players Lasky Co. which will bring him $1,000,000 in the next five years, will direct the picture The story has been adapted for the screen by Lucian Hubbard, former Cincinnati newspaper man.
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San Francisco Chronicle, Sunday, 11 October 1925, page 45
Jesse Lasky, traveling with a pack train of mules and with Zane Grey and Lucien Hubbard for companions, through the unfrequented parts of Arizona three years ago, conceived the idea of an epic picture telling the story of the Indians and "The Vanishing American" is the result.
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San Francisco Chronicle, Saturday, 10 April 1926, page 9
Work on the story of "The Rough Riders" is progressing satisfactorily with Hector Turnbull, associate Paramount producer, and Lucien Hubbard, supervising editor.
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Cincinnati Post, Saturday, 24 July 1926, page 7
A New Years Eve celebration on the Mojave Desert, Paramount players were in the Morango Valley filming "Desert Gold" when parties are held. After dinner the principals staged a vaudeville show with Lucien Hubbard acting as announcer.
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San Francisco Chronicle, Sunday, 20 November 1927, page 95
The work of making "Rose Marie" has begun at the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studio. Lucien Hubbard is producing the film and has obtained rights of the musical including "Indian Love Call".
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Kentucky Post, Saturday, 26 May 1928, page 11
LYRIC: Joan Crawford, James Murray, Creighton Hale and House Peters have leads in the move of "Rose Marie" opening Sunday. Lucien Hubbard directed a story of a Canadian girl adjusting heart troubles.
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Kentucky Post, Sunday, 19 August 1928, page 5
Add one to the list of musical comedies which have been filmed. "Rose Marie" is the latest and marks the debut of Lucien Hubbard, former Post reporter; as a movie director. For a decade past, Hubbard has been writing scenarios and continuities, but now he takes the megaphone himself. Not only did he write the continuity from the Hammerstein musical play, but he also saw his adaptation through to the finish.
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Cincinnati Post, Saturday, 19 January 1929, page 7
While in Hollywood Chester Martin will be the guest of Lucien Hubbard, former Post reporter, now a director for Paramount, whose production "Wings" will be shown soon at the Orpheum.
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Kentucky Post, Sunday, 10 February 1929, page 10
"Wings" was the pet of the Paramount studios. It was recognized as the great achievement that would carry fame not only the names of William Wellman, the director and Lucien Hubbard, the producer, but also the featured players.
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Cincinnati Post, Saturday, 2 November 1929, page 5
The best subject under water is the new and flattering title given Lionel Barrymore by Director Lucien Hubbard of "The Mysterious Island".
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San Francisco Chronicle, Wednesday, 11 December 1929, page 13
"Singing in the Rain" is exactly what Betty and Jane Hubbard and their father, Lucien Hubbard, Hollywood film producer have been doing all during their months vacation which ended yesterday when the Matson liner brought them back to California from Honolulu. The family is on the way back to Los Angles where Hubbard will begin work on a new production for Warner Brothers.
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San Diego Union, Sunday, 5 October 1930, page 36
Paul Fejos has been signed to film "The Great Lover". Lucien Hubbard is adapting the play for the talking screen.
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Kentucky Post, Sunday, 7 June 1931, page 12
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer modernized the dialog of "Paid" which was written and produced in 1912 by Bayard Veiller. Because of the lapse of 18 years, Lucien Hubbard and Charles MacArthur were put to work to bring the crook talk up today. "Paid" is the screen attraction Sunday and Monday at the Broadway, Covington.
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Kentucky Post, Monday, 7 September 1931, page 2
The life of John D Rockefeller may come to the talking screen with George Arliss in the role of the famous oil magnate. While Arliss visited in his native England during the summer Warner Brothers First National had Lucien Hubbard, associate producer, at work on the story of Rockefeller's rise to one of the world's financial powers.
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Kentucky Post, Sunday, 29 November 1931, page 10
"The Star Witnexx, the new picture at the Liberty Theater, Covington for three days starting Sunday. The story is by Lucien Hubbard, former Cincinnati and Post reporter some years ago.
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San Diego Union, Monday, 15 May 1933, page 7
John G Adolfi, motion picture director, died in a hunting camp May 14 in British Columbia, was announced by Lucien Hubbard, film writer, who said the news reached him in a long distance conversation with Darryl Zanuck, producer. Hubbard said he suffered a stroke of cerebral hemorrhage Tuesday.
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Kentucky Post, Wednesday, 1 August 1934, page 4
Mr. and Mrs. Lucien Hubbard and children who motored through their home in Beverly Hills Calif. to New York City, whence they sailed for a European trip, were the guests last week of Mr. Hubbard's mother, Mrs. Rose Hubbard and son, Harlan of Highland av.
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San Diego Union, Sunday, 30 December 1934, page 23
Arthur Byron, who vanished in "The President Vanishes" now reappears. Lucien Hubbard, signed him for the role of Bellwood in "Shadow of Doubt."
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Evening Tribune, San Diego Calf. Saturday, 18 May 1935, page 7
For the first time since he played the Czar in "Rasputin" Ralph Morgan was selected by Lucien Hubbard, producer for "Calm Yourself" a romantic comedy.
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Kentucky Post, Monday, 13 April 1936, page 4
Mrs. Rose Hubbard of Highland avenue, is returning home this week after spending the past month with her son, Lucien Hubbard and family in Beverly Hills, Calif. En route she will visit her sister, Mrs. L C Crockett in San Antonio Tex.
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San Francisco Chronicle, Wednesday, 12 August 1936, page 7
"Women Are Trouble" produced by Lucien Hubbard and Michel Fessier, discovered last year by the magazine, Esquire, features Stuart Erwin, Paul Kelly and Florence Rice.
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San Francisco Chronicle, Thursday, 1 April 1937, page 13
Paramount's remake of "Beau Geste" is to be made in color, and will be produced by Lucien Hubbard, who left MGM for Paramount at the time of Irving Thalberg's death.
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San Francisco Chronicle, Friday, 12 November 1937, page 16
Betty Grable and Jackie Coogan arrived in San Francisco yesterday for a personal appearance at last night's showing of "Ebb Tide." Accompanying the young couple were Lucien Hubbard, producer and James Hogan, director of the film.
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Kentucky Post, Friday, 18 February 1938, page 11
Mr. and Mrs. F J Terrell of Ward avenue, had for their dinner guests recently Mrs. Rose Hubbard and son, Harland of Ft Thomas. Mrs. Hubbard and son will leave shortly to visit another son, Lucien Hubbard of Beverly Hills Calif.
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San Francisco Chronicle, Monday, 18 April 1938, page 11
Paramount Producer Lucien Hubbard brewed and poured tea for Director James Hogan and members of the "The Texans" cast.
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San Diego Union, Tuesday, 18 April 1939, page 5
Robert Taylor owes his success to the help of two persons, Ben Piazza, casting director and Lucien Hubbard, producer who groomed, advised and prepared him for the stardom that came.
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San Francisco Chronicle, Monday 2 December 1940, page 10
Producer Lucien Hubbard plans to send a camera crew down to Florida to get background shots for a sequel to "Youth Will Be Served" and when asked why he didn't take the shots in California, he said, "Because if we shot in California orange groves in the picture, the public would know it was phony, because their oranges aren't so big down Florida way."
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San Diego Union, Sunday, 21 June 1942, page 37
Lucien Hubbard turns his directive talent toward the Mississippi river in the early steam boating days in "Rivers to the Sea." His novel is centered in the efforts of Nicholas Roosevelt to float the first stern wheeler on the Mississippi in 1811 and sail her down to New Orleans. It all comes out excitingly in New Orleans and Mr. Hubbard knows his stuff.
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San Francisco Chronicle, Sunday, 2 April 1944, page 66
Another battle wise associate is Lucien Hubbard, formerly a war correspondent in the South Pacific for Reader's Digest.
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San Francisco Chronicle, Sunday, 28 October 1951, page 82
In 1940 before our entry into World War II, Colonel Adamson returned to active service as Chief of Air Force Personnel Narratives. Adamson directed the writing of the human interest history of the AAF in all theaters of war. Among outstanding authors who took part in this project: Lucien Hubbard.