He also was the first to film the almost unbelievable crush of commuters during the rush hour at New York's Grand Central Station.
In 1925, he was offered a lucrative contract as a producer in the nascent Hollywood and moved to Los Angeles.
In 1927, he wrote a script based on his father's life titled Beefsteak Joe, which he shared with fellow German-American Emil Jannings.
After many years without an on-screen credit, the two wrote the original story for the 1947 film The Shocking Miss Pilgrim.
The couple lived together until his death from Parkinson's disease in Los Angeles at the age of 94.