Josephine Rector

Rector, born as Josephine Pickel, grew up in Montana where her father was a miner. She had no problem with Western culture since she was used to riding horses, and outdoor activities. In the 1890s, Josephine used to follow her father, a miner, over the Chilkoot Pass to retrieve some gold in the waters of the Yukon. This lifestyle helped her with her acting, later on, in the Essanay Company, who specialized in Western-style films.

Josephine Rector started working with Essanay before they moved their second office in Niles. She later met Jack O'Brien, Anderson's secretary, around the beginning of 1911, in Los Gatos, California. She wrote her first film, Across the Plains, in 1911. Rector discussed her ideas of writing to O'Brien, who encouraged her to send them to Hayward Daily Review's account. Not long after that, her colleague Anderson, and company, left San Francisco, while Josephine stayed to live with both her sons. Gilbert M. Anderson was a difficult individual to work with on set and when he asked Rector to come to San Francisco, she replied: "No, I’ve had enough of you". When her oldest son died around that time, she was rehired seven months later by the same crew, who moved back to San Rafael for work. Anderson realized how valuable Josephine's work is to the company and asked her: "Send all the stories you have and also let me know how your account stands… I appreciate your work and realize you are a great help to us".

On April 1, 1912, they set up camp near the Wesley Hotel where they would film.{{cite book |last1=Kiehn |first1=David |title=Broncho Billy and the Essanay Film Company |date=2003 |publisher=Farwell |location=Berkeley, Calif. |isbn=0972922652 |edition=1.}} She then worked with them one more time in San Rafael and became the head of the scenario department, in April 1912, in Niles, where she also acted in a couple of parts. She started working with them for fifteen dollars a week and would sometimes be in front of the camera too. Rector would make sure Essanay was ready with all the scripts needed. She had her own office in the Essanay studio, located in Niles, where she writes her scripts. Josephine left the Essanay organization in April 1914.

In May 1914, after marrying Hal Angus, a fellow actor, they worked for the Pacific Motion Picture Company, a company in which they created in order to make films. Unfortunately, it was not successful. In 1915, she worked for the Yolo Film Company. Later on, she ran a flower shop until 1926 with Hal, in Hayward, California and after that, she became a housewife.

Several months before she died, Rector confirmed, in an interview, that she equally liked acting as much as writing and was remembering the times when there were no doubles.

In an Oakland Tribune interview, a few decades later, Josephine Rector reveals that some of the best scripts were inspired by pulp magazines from the Oakland Public Library. The Dance at Eagle Pass (1913), one of Rector's greatest work, refers to one of these magazines.

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• [https://wfpp.cdrs.columbia.edu/pioneer/ccp-josephine-rector/ Josephine Rector] at the Women Film Pioneers project

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Category:American actresses

Category:1958 deaths

Category:1885 births

Category:Women film pioneers

Category:20th-century American screenwriters

Category:20th-century American women writers