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How did W.S. Van Dyke first enter the film industry?

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W.S. Van Dyke W.S. Van Dyke (standing, right) directing Myrna Loy and William Powell during the filming of *The Thin Man* (1934); cinematographer James Wong Howe is on the left.

W.S. Van Dyke entered the film industry by working as an uncredited assistant director on D.W. Griffith's landmark 1915 film, The Birth of a Nation.1

Prior to this, Van Dyke had a diverse background in the performing arts and manual labor. Born to a mother who was a touring vaudeville actress, he began performing onstage at age three and later toured with her theatrical company. Before his transition into film, he also held various jobs, including working as a lumberjack, a miner, and a door-to-door salesman. Following his initial experience with Griffith, he began directing his own feature films in 1917, starting with The Land of Long Shadows.1