Joseph Menchen

{{Short description|American film producer}} thumb|Joseph Menchen c. 1913.

'''Joseph L. Menchen''' (1 April 1878 − 4 October 1940) was an American inventor, self-made businessman, film producer, screenwriter and literary agent.

Menchen was born on 1 April 1878 in Illinois.

In 1895, Menchen was a theatre electrician in Kansas City, Missouri.<ref>[http://fultonhistory.com/Newspaper%2010/New%20York%20NY%20Dramatic%20Mirror/New%20York%20NY%20Dramatic%20Mirror%201894%20Nov-Dec%201895%20Grayscale/New%20York%20NY%20Dramatic%20Mirror%201894%20Nov-Dec%201895%20Grayscale%20-%201237.pdf ''New York Dramatic Mirror'', 16 November 1895, p. 22]</ref> He was the owner of Joseph Menchen Electrical Co., New York, which sold electrical theatre lighting and stage effects.{{sfn|Menchen|1906}}

Menchen produced and co-directed (with Michel Carré) ''The Miracle (1912 film)'', an early full-length, hand-coloured, black-and-white British feature film.{{sfn|''Slough Observer''|1913|p=8}} In 1915, he was involved with the design of the Norris-Menchen flamethrower. He also owned the original film rights to the ''Arsène Lupin'' detective novels by Maurice Leblanc, which he sold to Robertson-Cole for $360,000 in 1920.<ref>[https://archive.org/stream/filmdailyvolume11112newy/filmdailyvolume11112newy_djvu.txt ''Wid's Daily'' (Volume 11-12) Jan-Jun 1920, 24 April 1920, p. 817]</ref> thumb|Publicity material for the 1912 film ''The Miracle'' Menchen died on 4 October 1940, aged 62, in California and was buried in Glendale.<ref>[https://newspaperarchive.com/ogden-standard-examiner/1940-10-09/page-6 ''Ogden Standard Examiner'', 9 October 1940, p. 6]</ref>

==References== '''Notes''' {{reflist|group=note|35em}}

'''Citations''' {{reflist}}

'''Sources'''

* {{cite book |last=Menchen |first=Joseph |title=Improved electrical theatrical appliances: Catalogue no. 4. September 1, 1906 |year=1906 |publisher=Joseph Menchen Electrical Company |location=New York |url=http://www.cineressources.net/images/ouv_num/186.pdf}}

* {{cite journal |ref={{harvid|''Slough Observer''|1913}} |title=The "Miracle" coming to Slough |journal=Slough, Eton and Windsor Observer |date=26 July 1913 |page=8, col. 3 |url=http://www.sopse.org.uk/asset_arena/image/original/sl/ol/sl-ol-slough_observer26071913157408-e-00-000.jpg}} This a zoomable image: for other formats [http://www.sopse.org.uk/ixbin/hixclient.exe?a=query&p=gateway&f=generic_largerimage_postsearch.htm&_IXFIRST_=6744&_IXMAXHITS_=1&m=quick_sform&tc1=i&tc2=e&s=ENhpfpnMYzG see here].)

==External links== * {{Commons category-inline|Joseph Menchen}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Menchen, Joseph}} Category:1878 births Category:1940 deaths Category:Film producers from Illinois Category:20th-century American inventors Category:American male screenwriters Category:20th-century American male writers Category:20th-century American screenwriters