Delmer William Lord

Delmer William Lord. . , Canadian Film Director, Actor and Producer , October 7, 1894 - March 23, 1970, Born in North Grimsby Township on October 7, 1894, Delmer William Lord was a well-known Canadian film director, actor and producer whose career spanned from the era of silent film to the early days of television. He directed over 300 Hollywood short films. He is best known for his work with The Three Stooges, directing many of their best loved short films., Lord was the eldest son of Edward Henry Lord and Eliza Catherine Lane. His father was an immigrant farmer from England who had come to Canada in 1888. His mother was born to a farming family in Gainsborough Township (West Lincoln) in 1877. Lord was delivered by Dr. James Alway, a well-known local doctor, and spent his childhood in the Grimsby and Saltfleet area before moving to Niagara Falls, New York at age 9 after the passing of his father., Interested in a career in theatre, Lord travelled to New York City where he soon met fellow Canadian Mack Sennett and, in 1916, was offered a job at Sennett's new Keystone Studios in Hollywood, California. At Keystone, Lord appeared in countless popular films and was one of the original Keystone Kops along with Ford Sterling and Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle. Later on Lord tried his hand at directing and proved his ability with a number of very popular shorts. He also directed two feature-length pictures for Universal Studios 'Topsy and Eva' (1927) and 'Barnum was Right' (1929). He made a successful transition from silent film to sound, eventually being nominated for an Academy Award for "The Loud Mouth" (1932)., Hit by the effects of the Great Depression, Keystone Studios closed in 1935, but that same year Lord began working with Columbia Pictures. He directed numerous comedy shorts, including, most notably, The Three Stooges. Working closely with the actors, he honed their comedic timing and laid the blueprint for The Three Stooges' signature style. Some of the Three Stooges' shorts he directed include 'Hoi Palloi' (1935), 'Pop Goes the Easel' (1935), 'Three Little Beers' (1935) and 'Healthy Wealthy and Dumb' (1938). Some of Lord's final works were as a producer and writer in the early days of television before he retired in 1952. On March 23, 1970, Delmer William Lord died in Calabasas, California at age 75. His legacy lives on through his well-known and loved films featuring - among others - Bing Crosby, Buster Keaton, Walter Brennan, Joan Davis, Madeline Hurlock and most memorably The Three Stooges - Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Curly Howard and Shemp Howard. ,