Fred J. Balshofer (November 2, 1877 – June 21, 1969) was a pioneering

silent film 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, when ...

director, producer, screenwriter, and

cinematographer The cinematographer or director of photography (sometimes shortened to DP or DOP) is the person responsible for the photographing or recording of a film, television production, music video or other live action piece. The cinematographer is the ch ...

in the United States.

Biography

Balshofer was born in New York City and became interested in the

photography Photography is the art, application, and practice of creating durable images by recording light, either electronically by means of an image sensor, or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. It is employed ...

business at an early age. He eventually worked as a

stereoscopic Stereoscopy (also called stereoscopics, or stereo imaging) is a technique for creating or enhancing the depth perception, illusion of depth in an image by means of stereopsis for binocular vision. The word ''stereoscopy'' derives . Any stere ...

-slide photographer and was drawn to the fledgling motion picture business. From 1905 to 1908, he worked at Lubin Studios in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

. In 1909 he was hired by Adam Kessel of the

New York Motion Picture Company The New York Motion Picture Company was a film production and distribution company from 1909 until 1914. It changed names to New York Picture Corporation in 1912. It released films through several different brand names, including 101 Bison, Kay- ...

and directed his first film, "''Disinherited Son's Loyalty''", on which he also served as cinematographer. That same year he directed '' Davy Crockett – In Hearts United'', believed to be the first

Davy Crockett David Crockett (August 17, 1786 – March 6, 1836) was an American folk hero, frontiersman, soldier, and politician. He is often referred to in popular culture as the "King of the Wild Frontier". He represented Tennessee in the U.S. House of Re ...

movie ever made. Filming at the time centered mainly around facilities and locations in the Fort Lee, New Jersey area but within a few years Balshofer moved to the

West Coast West Coast or west coast may refer to: Geography Australia * Western Australia *Regions of South Australia#Weather forecasting, West Coast of South Australia * West Coast, Tasmania **West Coast Range, mountain range in the region Canada * Britis ...

as General Manager of the New York Motion Picture Company, directing western films for their subsidiary, Bison Motion Pictures until

Thomas H. Ince Thomas Harper Ince (November 16, 1880 – November 19, 1924) was an American silent film - era filmmaker and media proprietor. Ince was known as the "Father of the Western" and was responsible for making over 800 films. He revolutionized the mot ...

joined the studio. In early 1914 Balshofer left NYMPC and became the head of the Sterling Motion Picture Company, a subsidiary of

Universal Pictures Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Ameri ...

. Sterling ceased production in early 1915 and a few months later Balshofer joined Quality Pictures, a subsidiary of Metro Pictures. By 1916, Balshofer was president and general manager of the Yorke-Metro studios at 1329 Gordon St. in Hollywood. In the 1920s, he produced and directed films for his own production company. During his career, Fred Balshofer produced and/or directed more than eighty silent films then, after an unsuccessful attempt at age fifty directing a Spanish language talkie, he spent the better part of his remaining career working as a studio executive. In 1967 he teamed up with friend and acclaimed cinematographer

Arthur C. Miller Arthur Charles Miller, A.S.C. (July 8, 1895 – July 13, 1970) was an American cinematographer. He was nominated for the Oscar for Best Cinematography six times, winning three times: for ''How Green Was My Valley'' in 1941, '' The Song of B ...

to write a significant book on the film industry under the title "''One Reel a Week''." Published by the

University of California Press The University of California Press, otherwise known as UC Press, is a publishing house associated with the University of California that engages in academic publishing. It was founded in 1893 to publish scholarly and scientific works by faculty ...

, the book chronicled the early history of the motion picture industry, including the shift in location and facilities from the

East Coast East Coast may refer to: Entertainment * East Coast hip hop, a subgenre of hip hop * East Coast (ASAP Ferg song), "East Coast" (ASAP Ferg song), 2017 * East Coast (Saves the Day song), "East Coast" (Saves the Day song), 2004 * East Coast FM, a ra ...

to Southern California and the rise of the western film genre.

Selected filmography

* ''Disinherited Son's Loyalty'' (1908), New York Motion Picture Company. * '' Davy Crockett – In Hearts United'' (1908), New York Motion Picture Company. Cast includes: Charles K. French * ''

An Indian Love Story ''An Indian Love Story'' is a one-reel silent short film about personal relationships in a Native American community. The film is about two married couples, each of the partners of which are involved with the spouse of the other couple, a form ...

'' (1911), Bison. Cast includes:

Mona Darkfeather Josephine M. Workman better known by her stage name, Princess Mona Darkfeather (January 13, 1882 – September 3, 1977) was an American actress who starred in Native American and Western dramas. During the silent era of motion pictures, from 1 ...

and Dove Ey * '' A Corner in Cotton'' (1916), Quality Pictures. Cast includes:

Marguerite Snow Marguerite Snow (September 9, 1889 – February 17, 1958) was an American silent film and stage actress. In her early films she was billed as Margaret Snow. Early life Snow was born in Salt Lake City, Utah. Her father, Billy Snow, was a comedia ...

and William Clifford * ''

The Masked Rider The Masked Rider is the primary mascot of Texas Tech University. It is the oldest of the university's mascots still in existence today. Originally called "Ghost Rider", it was an unofficial mascot appearing in a few games in 1936 and then became ...

'' (1916), Yorke Film Corporation. * ''

Pidgin Island ''Pidgin Island'' is a 1916 American silent romantic drama film directed by Fred J. Balshofer and starring Harold Lockwood, May Allison, Pomeroy Cannon, Lester Cuneo, and Fred L. Wilson. It is based on the 1914 novel of the same name by Harold Ma ...

'' (1916), Yorke Film Corporation. Cast includes:

Harold Lockwood Harold A. Lockwood (April 12, 1887 – October 19, 1918) was an American silent film actor, director, and producer. He was one of the most popular matinee idols of the early film period during the 1910s. Early life and career Born in Brookl ...

and

May Allison May Allison (June 14, 1890 – March 27, 1989) was an American actress whose greatest success was achieved in the early part of the 20th century in silent films, although she also appeared on stage. Life and career Allison was born in Rising ...

* ''

Paradise Garden The paradise garden is a form of garden of Old Iranian origin, specifically Achaemenid which is formal, symmetrical and most often, enclosed. The most traditional form is a rectangular garden split into four quarters with a pond in the center, a ...

'' (1917), Yorke Productions. Cast includes:

and

Vera Sisson Vera Sisson (July 31, 1891 – August 6, 1954) was an American actress of the silent era. Biography Vera Sisson was born on July 31, 1891 in Salt Lake City. She received her education at Brownlee Collegiate School for Girls in Denver, Color ...

* '' The Avenging Trail'' (1917) Metro Pictures, Yorke Productions. Cast includes: Harold Lockwood and Sally Crute * ''

Broadway Bill ''Broadway Bill'' is a 1934 American comedy-drama film directed by Frank Capra and starring Warner Baxter and Myrna Loy. Screenplay by Robert Riskin and based on the short story "Strictly Confidential" by Mark Hellinger, the film is about a man' ...

'' (1918), Yorke Film Corporation. Cast includes:

and

Martha Mansfield Martha Mansfield (born Martha Ehrlich; July 14, 1899 – November 30, 1923) was an American actress in silent films and vaudeville stage plays. Early life She was born in New York City to Maurice and Harriett Gibson Ehrlich. She had a younger sis ...

* '' The Landloper'' (1918), Yorke Film Corporation. Cast includes:

and Pauline Curley * ''

An Adventuress ''The Isle of Love'' is a 1922 recut of a 1920 American silent drama film ''Over the Rhine'' aka ''An Adventuress'' starring female impersonator Julian Eltinge. The film also contained two actors unknown during filming: Virginia Rappe and Rudolp ...

'' (1920). Cast includes: Julian Eltinge and Frederick Ko Vert * '' The Isle of Love'' (1922), Yorke Films/A Herald Production. Cast includes: Julian Eltinge and Virginia Rappe * ''

The Three Buckaroos ''The Three Buckaroos'' is a 1922 American silent Western film directed by Fred J. Balshofer, starring Fred Humes, Peggy O'Day and Monte Montague.Munden, p. 803 Cast * Fred Humes as Dartigan * Peggy O'Day as Constance Kingsley * Monte Montagu ...

'' (1922)

References

External links

*
Fred J. Balshofer
Kinotv) {{DEFAULTSORT:Balshofer, Fred J. Film producers from New York (state) American male screenwriters American cinematographers Balshofer, J. Fred 1877 births 1969 deaths Film directors from New York City Screenwriters from New York (state) 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American screenwriters