Dorothy Farnum (10 June 1900 – 27 January 1970) was an American actress and screenwriter. She was noted for her work at
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by amazon (company), Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded o ...
during the
silent era
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, wh ...
and later in Britain during the 1930s.
Career
Farnum was the daughter of actor
William Farnum
William Farnum (July 4, 1876 – June 5, 1953) was an American actor. He was a star of American silent film cinema and became one of the highest-paid actors during that time.
Biography
Farnum was born on July 4, 1876, in Boston, Massachus ...
The Los Angeles Times
October 17, 1927 ewspapers.com/ref> and niece of Dustin Farnum
Dustin Lancy Farnum (May 27, 1874 – July 3, 1929) was an American singer, dancer, and actor on the stage and in silent films. Although he played a wide variety of roles, he tended toward westerns and became one of the biggest stars of the genre ...
. She was educated in a convent boarding school. She mastered French history and literature, and became fluent in Spanish and German.
She acted in two movies released in 1915, ''The Cub'' and ''Over Night'', but she became famous for writing plays and novels and then turning them into screenplays. Her most popular screenplays were ''The Temptress
''The Temptress'' is a 1926 American silent romantic drama film directed by Fred Niblo and starring Greta Garbo, Antonio Moreno, Lionel Barrymore, and Roy D'Arcy. It premiered on October 10, 1926. The film melodrama was based on a novel by Vi ...
'' (1926), ''Sinner or Saint'' (1923), and ''Bardelys the Magnificent
''Bardelys the Magnificent'' is a 1926 American silent romantic film directed by King Vidor and starring John Gilbert and Eleanor Boardman. The film is based on the 1906 novel of the same title by Rafael Sabatini. It was the second film of the ...
'' (1926). ''Beau Brummel
George Bryan "Beau" Brummell (7 June 1778 – 30 March 1840) was an important figure in Regency England and, for many years, the arbiter of men's fashion. At one time, he was a close friend of the Prince Regent, the future King George IV, but ...
'' (1924) was very successful too. Most of her films were romantic dramas.
When asked about her writing process, she remarked to the ''Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...
'' in 1926: "You must think with your heart and feel with your head. When I write my scenes I try hard to progress not from one thought to another, but from one feeling to another. For the majority of people want to have their hearts excited and their minds let alone when they come into the world of low lights and soft music of a motion-picture theater."[Dorothy Farnum. (n.d.). Retrieved December 5, 2014, from https://wfpp.cdrs.columbia.edu/pioneer/ccp-dorothy-farnum/]
She was a member of the Warner Bros. scenario department during this time, and a large portion of her work focused solely on scenario adaptions. Dorothy worked with many famous, leading stars and was one of the top writers at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. She moved to Paris and then London, working for Gaumont British
The Gaumont-British Picture Corporation produced and distributed films and operated a cinema chain in the United Kingdom. It was established as an offshoot of the Gaumont Film Company of France.
Film production
Gaumont-British was founded in 18 ...
. She also worked at United Artists
United Artists Corporation (UA), currently doing business as United Artists Digital Studios, is an American digital production company. Founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks, the studi ...
. It was reported by ''The Washington Post'' in 1927 that at her peak of her profession, her salary was $2,500 a week.
She married Maurice Barber, the general manager of the Cinema Finance Company, in 1923. Farnum died on January 27, 1970, in North Andover, Massachusetts.
Partial filmography as writer
* '' The Broken Melody'' (1919)
* ''Good References
''Good References'' is a 1920 American silent romantic comedy drama film directed by Roy William Neill and starring Constance Talmadge, Vincent Coleman, Ned Sparks, Nellie Parker Spaulding, Mona Lisa, and Matthew Betz. It is based on the novel ...
'' (1920)
* '' Jim the Penman'' (1921)
* '' Salvation Nell'' (1921)
* ''The Iron Trail
''The Iron Trail'' is a 1921 American silent film, silent adventure film directed by Roy William Neill and written by Dorothy Farnum. The film stars Wyndham Standing, Thurston Hall, Reginald Denny (actor), Reginald Denny, Alma Tell, and Harlan K ...
'' (1921)
* ''The Secrets of Paris
''The Secrets of Paris'' is a 1922 American silent drama film directed by Kenneth S. Webb and starring Lew Cody, Gladys Hulette, and Effie Shannon.
Cast
Preservation
No copies of ''The Secrets of Paris'' are located in any archives, making ...
'' (1922)
*'' The Darling of the Rich'' (1922)
* '' His Wife's Husband'' (1922)
* ''Modern Marriage
''Modern Marriage'' is a 1923 American silent crime drama film directed by Lawrence C. Windom and Victor Heerman. It starred Francis X. Bushman and Beverly Bayne in one of their last appearances together.
Cast
Preservation status
A print of ' ...
'' (1923)
* ''Loyal Lives
''Loyal Lives'' is a 1923 American silent drama film directed by Charles Giblyn and starring Brandon Tynan, Mary Carr and Faire Binney.Jacqueline
Jacqueline may refer to:
People
* Jacqueline (given name), including a list of people with the name
* Jacqueline Moore (born 1964), ring name "Jacqueline", American professional wrestler
Arts and entertainment
* ''Jacqueline'' (1923 film), ...
'' (1923)
* '' Sinner or Saint'' (1923)
* ''Daring Youth
''Daring Youth'' is a 1924 American silent comedy-drama film directed by William Beaudine, starring Bebe Daniels, Norman Kerry, and Lee Moran. It is loosely based on William Shakespeare's ''The Taming of the Shrew''.
Plot
As described in a ...
'' (1924)
* ''Beau Brummel
George Bryan "Beau" Brummell (7 June 1778 – 30 March 1840) was an important figure in Regency England and, for many years, the arbiter of men's fashion. At one time, he was a close friend of the Prince Regent, the future King George IV, but ...
'' (1924)
* '' Tess of the D'Urbervilles'' (1924)
* ''Lover's Lane
A lovers' lane is a secluded area where people kiss, make out, or engage in sexual activity. These areas range from parking lots in secluded rural areas to places with extraordinary views of a cityscape or other features.
"Lovers' lanes" are ty ...
'' (1924)
* ''Being Respectable
''Being Respectable'' is a 1924 American drama film directed by Phil Rosen and written by Dorothy Farnum. The film stars Marie Prevost, Monte Blue, Louise Fazenda, Irene Rich, Theodore von Eltz and Frank Currier. The film was released by Warner ...
'' (1924)
* ''Babbitt
Babbitt may refer to:
Fiction
*Babbitt (novel), ''Babbitt'' (novel), a 1922 novel by Sinclair Lewis
**Babbitt (1924 film), ''Babbitt'' (1924 film), a 1924 silent film based on the novel
**Babbitt (1934 film), ''Babbitt'' (1934 film), a 1934 film ...
'' (1924)
* '' Rose of the World'' (1925)
* '' Recompense'' (1925)
* ''Off the Highway
''Off the Highway'' is a 1925 American silent drama film directed by Tom Forman and starring William V. Mong, Marguerite De La Motte and John Bowers.Goble p.892
Plot
Cast
* William V. Mong as Caleb Fry / Tatterly
* Marguerite De La Motte a ...
'' (1925)
* ''Torrent
Torrent or torrents may refer to:
* A fast flowing stream
Animals
* Torrent duck, a species of the family Anatidae
* Torrent fish
* Torrent frog, various unrelated frogs
* Torrent robin, a bird species
* Torrent salamander, a family of sala ...
'' (1926)
* ''The Temptress
''The Temptress'' is a 1926 American silent romantic drama film directed by Fred Niblo and starring Greta Garbo, Antonio Moreno, Lionel Barrymore, and Roy D'Arcy. It premiered on October 10, 1926. The film melodrama was based on a novel by Vi ...
'' (1926)
* ''Bardelys the Magnificent
''Bardelys the Magnificent'' is a 1926 American silent romantic film directed by King Vidor and starring John Gilbert and Eleanor Boardman. The film is based on the 1906 novel of the same title by Rafael Sabatini. It was the second film of the ...
'' (1926)
* ''Dream of Love
''Dream of Love'' is a 1928 American silent biographical drama film directed by Fred Niblo, and starring Joan Crawford and Nils Asther. The film is based on the 1849 French tragedy ''Adrienne Lecouvreur'' by Eugène Scribe and Ernest Legouvé ...
'' (1928)
* ''The Unholy Night
''The Unholy Night'' is a 1929 American pre-Code mystery film directed by Lionel Barrymore and starring Ernest Torrence.
Plot
The well-to-do Lord Montague is assaulted on a fog enshrouded London street on his way to his club, but manages to es ...
'' (1929)
* ''Call of the Flesh
''Call of the Flesh'' is a 1930 American Pre-Code musical film directed by Charles Brabin. The film stars Ramon Novarro, Dorothy Jordan, and Renée Adorée. It featured several songs performed by Novarro and originally included a sequence photo ...
'' (1930)
* ''A Free Soul
''A Free Soul'' is a 1931 American pre-Code drama film that tells the story of an alcoholic San Francisco defense attorney who must defend his daughter's ex-boyfriend on a charge of murdering the mobster she had started a relationship with, who ...
'' (1931)
* ''Jenny Lind
Johanna Maria "Jenny" Lind (6 October 18202 November 1887) was a Swedish opera singer, often called the "Swedish Nightingale". One of the most highly regarded singers of the 19th century, she performed in soprano roles in opera in Sweden and a ...
'' (1932)
* '' The Constant Nymph'' (1933)
* '' Autumn Crocus'' (1934)
* '' Jew Süss'' (1934)
* ''Evensong
Evensong is a church service traditionally held near sunset focused on singing psalms and other biblical canticles. In origin, it is identical to the canonical hour of vespers. Old English speakers translated the Latin word as , which became ...
'' (1934)
* ''Lorna Doone
''Lorna Doone: A Romance of Exmoor'' is a novel by English author Richard Doddridge Blackmore, published in 1869. It is a romance based on a group of historical characters and set in the late 17th century in Devon and Somerset, particularly ar ...
'' (1934)
* ''Forbidden Territory
''Forbidden Territory'' is a 1934 British thriller film directed by Phil Rosen and starring Gregory Ratoff, Ronald Squire and Binnie Barnes. It was based on the 1933 novel '' The Forbidden Territory'' by Dennis Wheatley.Shaw p.15
The film, abo ...
'' (1934)
Bibliography
* Harper, Sue. ''Women in British Cinema: Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know''. Continuum International Publishing Group, 2000.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Farnum, Dorothy
1900 births
1970 deaths
20th-century American actresses
20th-century American screenwriters
20th-century American women writers
Actresses from New York City
American women screenwriters
Screenwriters from New York (state)
Writers from New York City
Women film pioneers