Franklin "Pete" Adreon (November 18, 1902 – September 10, 1979) was an American film and television director, producer, screenwriter, and actor.
Early life and career
Born in
Gambrills, Maryland
Gambrills refers to two neighboring places in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, United States, located in the Annapolis metro area: the unincorporated community of Gambrills, and the Gambrills census-designated place (CDP). The area was named after ...
, Adreon was a
Marine Reservist during the 30s, and served in the
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through ...
in
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
. Serving initially with the
6th Marines in Iceland, Major Adreon was put in charge of the
Marine Corps Photographic Unit in
Quantico.
Adreon, an ex-bond salesman who entered motion pictures in 1935 with no experience, landed some small paying jobs, including as a
technical advisor on the serial ''
The Fighting Marines
''The Fighting Marines'' is a 1935 movie serial. It was the last serial produced by Mascot Pictures before the studio was bought out and merged with others to become Republic Pictures. This new company went on to become the most famous of the ...
'' (in which he also appeared in the role of Captain Holmes). This led to a writing position at
Mascot Pictures and its successor
Republic Pictures
Republic Pictures Corporation (currently held under Melange Pictures, LLC) was an American motion picture production-distribution corporation in operation from 1935 to 1967, that was based in Los Angeles. It had studio facilities in Studio City a ...
. Adreon stayed with the serial unit and soon, through hard work and toil, was awarded the title of
associate producer
A film producer is a person who oversees film production. Either employed by a production company or working independently, producers plan and coordinate various aspects of film production, such as selecting the script, coordinating writing, dir ...
. Adreon stayed with the studio for nearly all of its short life. He worked with serial director
William Witney
William Nuelsen Witney (May 15, 1915 – March 17, 2002) was an American film and television director. He is best remembered for the action films he made for Republic Pictures, particularly serials: '' Dick Tracy Returns'', '' G-Men vs. the Bla ...
at
Republic Pictures
Republic Pictures Corporation (currently held under Melange Pictures, LLC) was an American motion picture production-distribution corporation in operation from 1935 to 1967, that was based in Los Angeles. It had studio facilities in Studio City a ...
, who was also in the Marines in the war.
He then worked as a director, producer, and writer on various television series and films.
Adreon died on September 10, 1979, in
Thousand Oaks, California
Thousand Oaks is the second-largest city in Ventura County, California, United States. It is in the northwestern part of Greater Los Angeles, approximately from the city of Los Angeles and from Downtown. It is named after the many oak trees ...
, at the age of 76.
ADREON: WILLIAM, CHARLES, ROBERT - people search, genealogy, find deceased relatives and locate ancestors
Retrieved December 9, 2016.
Selected filmography
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Adreon, Franklin
1902 births
1979 deaths
American male film actors
Film producers from California
United States Marine Corps personnel of World War II
American male screenwriters
American television directors
Television producers from California
Film serial crew
United States Marine Corps officers
United States Marine Corps reservists
People from Gambrills, Maryland
20th-century American male actors
People from Thousand Oaks, California
20th-century American businesspeople
Screenwriters from California
Screenwriters from Maryland
20th-century American male writers
20th-century American screenwriters
Military personnel from California