Frank J. Marion

Frank J. Marion
Born	Frank Joseph Marion July 25, 1869 Tidioute, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died	March 28, 1963 (aged 93) Stamford, Connecticut, U.S.
Alma mater	Syracuse University
Occupation	motion picture pioneer
Known for	Kalem Company
Spouse	Florence Hall (m. 1897)
Children	5

Frank Joseph Marion (July 25, 1869 – March 28, 1963) was an American motion picture pioneer.

Personal life

Marion was born in Tidioute, Pennsylvania. He graduated from Syracuse University in 1890.^[1] At Syracuse, he was involved in student journalism on campus and the fraternity Delta Kappa Epsilon. He would later serve as a trustee of the university for over 50 years.^[2]

Marion married Florence Hall in 1897. They had 4 daughters and a son. They were married until her death.^[3]

Career

At the turn of the 20th century when the film industry was still in its infancy, Marion was employed at Biograph Studios 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,^[4] 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.^[5]

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, upon the urging of Gene Gauntier, who had brought the company success with the Girl Spy serial films in which she had starred,^[6] Marion sent Gauntier, director Sidney Olcott and a crew to Ireland in 1910 to make A Lad From Old Ireland, the first ever U.S. motion picture to be shot on location outside of the United States.^{[citation needed]}

Two years later, Marion sent Olcott's crew to Palestine where they filmed From the Manger to the Cross (1912). In 1998, this film 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.^{[citation needed]}

Marion Hall at Syracuse University

After ten years in business, the Kalem Company was sold to Vitagraph Studios and Marion became part of Vitagraph management. In 1913, he donated funds to establish a photography building at his alma mater, Syracuse University.^[1] The Marion residence hall, constructed in 1954, is named after him.^[2]

Selected filmography

• The Country Doctor (1927)

Death

Frank Marion died in 1963 in Stamford, Connecticut, aged 93.

References

1. "Photography Building". Special Collections Research Center. Syracuse University Libraries. Retrieved February 18, 2024.
2. Moore, Sophia (September 28, 2021). "The history behind the names of SU dorm buildings". The Daily Orange. Retrieved February 18, 2024.
3. IMDB entry. Accessed March 22, 2024.
4. "Samuel Long Dead. President of Kalem Company Entered Film Business 18 Years Ago". New York Times. July 29, 1915.
5. IMDB entry. Accessed March 22, 2024.
6. Tracy, Tony (2016). "Outside the system: Gene Gauntier and the consolidation of early American cinema". Film History. 1 (28): 71–106. doi:10.2979/filmhistory.28.1.03. S2CID 148252931.

External links

• Frank Marion at IMDb
• (in French) Profile, sidneyolcott.com. Accessed March 22, 2024.