Frank J. Marion facts for kids
Frank Joseph Marion (born July 25, 1869 – died March 28, 1963) was an American pioneer in making movies. He was born in Tidioute, Pennsylvania. He had a wife named Florence and five children: four daughters and one son. He was married to Florence until she passed away.
Making Movies: Frank Marion's Career
Around the year 1900, the movie industry was just beginning. Frank Marion worked at Biograph Studios in New York City. He was a sales manager and also helped write movie scripts.
In 1907, Frank Marion and Samuel Long, who also worked at Biograph, decided to start their own movie company. They got money from a rich businessman named George Kleine from Chicago. They used the first letters of their last names (Kleine, Long, Marion) to name their new company: the Kalem Company.
The Kalem Company quickly became very successful. Frank Marion was not just a good businessman; he also cared about people. He made a big change by raising actors' pay to five dollars a day. This forced other movie companies to pay their actors more too!
Kalem Company also made history in another way. A talented actress named Gene Gauntier suggested an idea. She had made popular "Girl Spy" movies for Kalem. Marion listened to her and sent Gauntier, director Sidney Olcott, and a film crew to Ireland in 1910. There, they filmed A Lad From Old Ireland. This was the very first American movie ever filmed outside the United States!
Two years later, Marion sent Olcott's team to Palestine. They filmed From the Manger to the Cross (1912). This movie was so important that in 1998, the United States Library of Congress chose it for the National Film Registry. This means it's considered a very important film in American history.
In November 1917, because of his great experience in the movie world, Frank Marion was chosen for an important job. He directed offices in Spain and Italy that helped share information through films during a big world event.
After ten years, the Kalem Company was sold to Vitagraph Studios. Frank Marion then became part of the management team at Vitagraph.
His Final Years
Frank Marion passed away in 1963 in Stamford, Connecticut.
