Frank J. Marion
Encyclopedia
Frank Joseph Marion was an American
motion picture pioneer. He was born in Tidioute, Pennsylvania
. He had a wife named Florence and 3 kids. He was married to Florence until her death.
in New York City
as a sales manager as well as a screenwriter
in collaboration with head writer Wallace McCutcheon. In 1907, Marion along with Biograph production manager Samuel Long, left the company to form their own film production business. Needing capital, they obtained financial backing from wealthy Chicago
businessman and film distributor, George Kleine. Using their last name initials KLM, they called their new venture the Kalem Company
.
Immediately successful, Marion proved to be an innovator and a businessman with a social conscience when he raised actor's wages to five dollars a day, thereby forcing the rest of the industry to follow suit. The Kalem company achieved a first in the film industry when Frank Marion sent director Sidney Olcott
and a crew to Ireland
in 1910 to make the first ever motion picture to be shot on location outside of the United States. Two years later, he sent Olcott's crew to Palestine
where they filmed From the Manger To the Cross
which in 1998 was selected for the National Film Registry
of the United States Library of Congress
. In November, 1917, given his experience in the film industry, Marion was appointed to be the director of the offices the Committee on Public Information created in Spain and Italy.
After ten years in business, the Kalem Company was sold to Vitagraph Studios
and Frank Marion became part of Vitagraph management.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
motion picture pioneer. He was born in Tidioute, Pennsylvania
Tidioute, Pennsylvania
Tidioute is a borough in Warren County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 792 at the 2000 census. The name is an Iroquoian word meaning "protrusion of land", referring to a sharp bend in the Allegheny River.-Geography:...
. He had a wife named Florence and 3 kids. He was married to Florence until her death.
Career
At the turn of the 20th century when the film industry was still in its infancy, Frank Marion was employed at Biograph StudiosBiograph Studios
Biograph Studios was a studio facility and film laboratory complex built in 1912 by the Biograph Company, formerly American Mutoscope and Biograph Company, at 807 E. 175th Street, in the Bronx, New York....
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
as a sales manager as well as a screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
in collaboration with head writer Wallace McCutcheon. In 1907, Marion along with Biograph production manager Samuel Long, left the company to form their own film production business. Needing capital, they obtained financial backing from wealthy Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
businessman and film distributor, George Kleine. Using their last name initials KLM, they called their new venture the Kalem Company
Kalem Company
The Kalem Company was an American film studio founded in New York City in 1907 by George Kleine, Samuel Long , and Frank J. Marion.The company immediately joined other studios in the Motion Picture Patents Company that held a monopoly on production and distribution...
.
Immediately successful, Marion proved to be an innovator and a businessman with a social conscience when he raised actor's wages to five dollars a day, thereby forcing the rest of the industry to follow suit. The Kalem company achieved a first in the film industry when Frank Marion sent director Sidney Olcott
Sidney Olcott
Sidney Olcott was a Canadian-born film producer, director, actor and screenwriter.-Biography:Born John Sidney Alcott in Toronto, he became one of the first great directors of the motion picture business...
and a crew to Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
in 1910 to make the first ever motion picture to be shot on location outside of the United States. Two years later, he sent Olcott's crew to Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
where they filmed From the Manger To the Cross
From the Manger to the Cross
From the Manger to the Cross or Jesus of Nazareth is a 1912 American motion picture filmed on location in Palestine which tells the story of Jesus' life. Directed by Sidney Olcott who also appeared in the film, actress and screenwriter Gene Gauntier wrote the script and portrayed the Virgin Mary...
which in 1998 was selected for the National Film Registry
National Film Registry
The National Film Registry is the United States National Film Preservation Board's selection of films for preservation in the Library of Congress. The Board, established by the National Film Preservation Act of 1988, was reauthorized by acts of Congress in 1992, 1996, 2005, and again in October 2008...
of the United States Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
. In November, 1917, given his experience in the film industry, Marion was appointed to be the director of the offices the Committee on Public Information created in Spain and Italy.
After ten years in business, the Kalem Company was sold to Vitagraph Studios
Vitagraph Studios
American Vitagraph was a United States movie studio, founded by J. Stuart Blackton and Albert E. Smith in 1897 in Brooklyn, New York. By 1907 it was the most prolific American film production company, producing many famous silent films. It was bought by Warner Bros...
and Frank Marion became part of Vitagraph management.