page_title: Emilie Johnson
section_title: 1927
hierarchical_section_title: Emilie Johnson / Hollywood decade / 1927
caption_attribution_description: English: Lobby card for the American drama film The Fourth Commandment (1927).
context_page_description: Emilie Johnson was a Swedish-American author, scenarioist and movie producer. She was the mother of American actor, director, producer, and writer Emory Johnson. In 1912 he dropped out of college and embarked upon his new career in the movie business. Emory started working for Essanay Studios as an assistant camera operator.
  In 1913, Emilie and her husband moved from San Francisco, California to Essanay company bungalows in Niles, California to support her son. In 1915, she started writing stories for the screen.
  In the 1920s, Emilie Johnson and her son became famous as the only mother-son directing/writing team in Hollywood. She wrote all of the stories and screenplays her son used for his successful career in directing melodramas. The Johnson team continued producing melodramas until the late twenties. By the early thirties, their string of successes had ended. Emilie died in Los Angeles, California in 1941. She was living with her son at the time of her death.
context_section_description: Emilie was now approaching 60 years old, while Emory was still in his thirties. In March, Universal released the Fourth Commandment. Emilie wrote the story. This tale starts by showing a devoted son living with his mother and his wife. His wife becomes jealous of her mother-in-law's devotion to her son. She orders his mother to leave home. They eventually get divorced, and she marries a millionaire. They have a son. Her husband goes broke, and she loses everything. The disgraced divorced wife is forced to move in with her son and his wife. The circle is now complete; she starts to experience the same hardships her first mother-in-law had endured.
  In September, Emilie "assisted" in the writing of The Lone Eagle, according to the credits.
  This Emory Johnson movie is a World War I aviation film. Billy is an American aviator who gets an assignment to the Royal Fling Corps. The unit is located on the western front and sees plenty of action. During one encounter with the enemy, Billy is accused of cowardice. Then he meets Mimi, a French girl. She inspires him to prove his bravery in battle. During the next air skirmish, Billy's best friend shoots down a German ace, but is killed in the process. The German aviator's brother, upset over his sibling's death, challenges the Allies to a sky duel. After loads of action, Billy shoots the German ace down. After the Armistice is signed, Billy marries Mimi, they return to the United States.
caption: 4th Commandment lobby card
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