Frederick Clifton Thomson (February 26, 1890 – December 25, 1928) was an American

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 ...

cowboy A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the '' vaquer ...

who rivaled

Tom Mix Thomas Edwin Mix (born Thomas Hezikiah Mix; January 6, 1880 – October 12, 1940) was an American film actor and the star of many early Western films between 1909 and 1935. He appeared in 291 films, all but nine of which were silent films. He w ...

in popularity before dying at age 38 of

tetanus Tetanus, also known as lockjaw, is a bacterial infection caused by ''Clostridium tetani'', and is characterized by muscle spasms. In the most common type, the spasms begin in the jaw and then progress to the rest of the body. Each spasm usually ...

Birth and athletic achievement

Born in

Pasadena, California Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district. I ...

to Clara and Williell Thomson, he was the third of four sons. His father was a Presbyterian minister. His brother Samuel Harrison Thomson also attended

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...

and won the all-round athlete of America title for 1919. He attended the

Princeton Theological Seminary Princeton Theological Seminary (PTSem), officially The Theological Seminary of the Presbyterian Church, is a private school of theology in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1812 under the auspices of Archibald Alexander, the General Assembly of ...

from 1910–13 and he won the ''All-Around Champion'' title given out by the

Amateur Athletic Union The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) is an amateur sports organization based in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs. It has ...

in 1910, 1911, and 1913. He married his college sweetheart, Gail Jepson and was ordained by the Presbytery of Los Angeles in September 1913. Three years later, Gail Jepson died of

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...

. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, Thomson served in the

143rd Field Artillery Regiment The 143rd Field Artillery Regiment is a combat arms regiment of the United States Army made up of soldiers from the California Army National Guard. Only the regiment's first battalion, a Composite fires battalion, equipped with M119A3 and M7 ...

, known informally at the time as the ''Mary Pickford Regiment''. Thomson joined the 143rd in

Arcadia, California Arcadia is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, located about northeast of downtown Los Angeles in the San Gabriel Valley and at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains. It contains a series of adjacent parks consisting of th ...

as a

U. S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

chaplain A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a Minister (Christianity), minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a laity, lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secularity, secular institution (such as a hosp ...

. While playing

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

, he broke his leg. Movie star

Mary Pickford Gladys Marie Smith (April 8, 1892 – May 29, 1979), known professionally as Mary Pickford, was a Canadian-American stage and screen actress and producer with a career that spanned five decades. A pioneer in the US film industry, she co-founde ...

visited the patients in the hospital ward with her friend, screenwriter

Frances Marion Frances Marion (born Marion Benson Owens, November 18, 1888 – May 12, 1973) was an American screenwriter, director, journalist and author often cited as one of the most renowned female screenwriters of the 20th century alongside June Mathis a ...

. Thomson and Marion agreed to marry after the war was over. The 143rd were sent to

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

in August 1918, but did not see any action before the

armistice An armistice is a formal agreement of warring parties to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, as it may constitute only a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace. It is derived from the La ...

on November 11, 1918.

Movie career

Thomson and Marion were married on November 2, 1919, at the Memorial Baptist Church in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, with Pickford as maid of honor. Initially interested in directing, he ended up acting in one of Frances' films ''Just Around the Corner'' (1921). The movie was a success. Next, he had a co-starring role in another Pickford movie, ''

The Love Light ''The Love Light'' is a 1921 American silent drama film starring Mary Pickford. The film was written and directed by Frances Marion. Pickford selected the story as she wanted to play an adult and not another adolescent role. Plot Based upon a ...

'' (1921), which was also directed and written by Frances. In 1923, Thomson starred in his own action serial for

Universal Universal is the adjective for universe. Universal may also refer to: Companies * NBCUniversal, a media and entertainment company ** Universal Animation Studios, an American Animation studio, and a subsidiary of NBCUniversal ** Universal TV, a ...

, ''

The Eagle's Talons ''The Eagle's Talons'' is a 1923 American film serial directed by Duke Worne. The film is considered to be lost. Cast * Fred Thomson - Jack Alden * Ann Little - Enid Markham * Al Wilson - Charles Dean * Herbert Fortier - Gregory Markham * J ...

'', in which he performed his own stunts. Signed by

Joseph P. Kennedy Joseph Patrick Kennedy (September 6, 1888 – November 18, 1969) was an American businessman, investor, and politician. He is known for his own political prominence as well as that of his children and was the patriarch of the Irish-American Ken ...

's studio

Film Booking Offices of America Film Booking Offices of America (FBO), registered as FBO Pictures Corp., was an American film studio of the Silent film, silent era, a midsize producer and distributor of mostly low-budget films. The business began in 1918 as Robertson-Cole, an ...

, he made his debut for FBO in 1924's ''The Mask of Lopez''. Thomson became a superstar at FBO: He was the No. 2 box office star for 1926 and 1927. His April 1925 contract paid him $10,000 a week (equivalent to approximately $ in dollars) and also gave Thomson his own independent production unit at the studio. In 1927, Kennedy—sensing that Thomson had reached the peak of his popularity and seeing a financial opportunity for FBO—arranged a four-picture deal with

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...

, one of the major Hollywood studios. The deal essentially ceded Thomson to the rival studio. For guaranteeing $75,000 in financing, Thomson would star in Paramount productions. In return, Paramount would return the $75,000 in financing plus an additional $100,000 and pay Thomson $15,000 a week, wiping Thomson's salary off of FBO's books. Paramount's exhibition circuit was more prestigious than FBO's, and its theaters, many located in larger cities, charged a premium for a ticket. In addition, Paramount boosted the price of a Thomson picture to cover the backend deal with FBO and Thomson's hefty salary. The new production arrangement meant that Thomson fans in rural theaters that were the core of FBO's audience often had to wait months for a chance to see a new Thomson picture, if it was even released to backwater theaters, or were forced go to a larger city where the movie was playing on the Paramount circuit. Some critics found that a Thomson Western, which essentially were " B-pictures", were not suited for the high-end, more expensive theaters they were being shown in. As a result, the Thomson-Paramount Westerns proved not to be as profitable.

Death

In early December 1928, Thomson stepped on a nail while working in his stables. Contracting

, which his doctors initially misdiagnosed, he died in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

Christmas Day Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year, ...

1928. He was survived by his widow, screenwriter

, and their children Richard Thomson (adopted) and Frederick C. Thomson. Thomson was interred in Forest Lawn Memorial Park in

Glendale, California Glendale is a city in the San Fernando Valley and Verdugo Mountains regions of Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, California, United States. At the 2020 United States Census, 2020 U.S. Census the population was 196,543, up from ...

(Whispering Pines, L-163 section). Pallbearers at his funeral included

Harold Lloyd Harold Clayton Lloyd, Sr. (April 20, 1893 – March 8, 1971) was an American actor, comedian, and stunt performer who appeared in many silent comedy films.Obituary ''Variety'', March 10, 1971, page 55. One of the most influential film co ...

Charles Farrell Charles David Farrell (August 9, 1900 – May 6, 1990) was an American film actor of the 1920s silent era and into the 1930s, and later a television actor. Farrell is probably best recalled for his onscreen romances with actress Janet Gaynor ...

Douglas Fairbanks Douglas Elton Fairbanks Sr. (born Douglas Elton Thomas Ullman; May 23, 1883 – December 12, 1939) was an American actor, screenwriter, director, and producer. He was best known for his swashbuckling roles in silent films including '' The Thie ...

, and George Hill (director), George W. Hill. Honorary pallbearers included Buster Keaton and movie mogul Joseph M. Schenck.

Silver King

Silver King was a white Palomino horse seventeen hands high. Al Rogell, who directed Thomson's first seven Western films, told about Silver King:

He did all of the work...everything in the early pictures—the mouth work, the jumps, the chases, the falls, quick stops—and could untie knots, lift bars, etc. He could wink one eye, nod his head yes or no, push a person with his head. Thomson trained him to do certain things and expected him to perform them.

After Thomson's death, Silver King appeared in a series of three-reel Westerns from Imperial Studios, starring Wally Wales.

Surviving films

Only three of Thomson's movies have survived to the present day: ''Just Around the Corner'' is in the collection of the Library of Congress; ''The Love Light'', starring Mary Pickford, has been released on VHS and DVD; and ''Thundering Hoofs'' has been released on VHS. In ''Thundering Hoofs'', Thomson performs a dangerous jump from a moving stagecoach to one of the horses pulling the coach. He fell and suffered a compound fracture of his right thigh. Yakima Canutt completed the stunt. Production of the movie was delayed for weeks while Thomson recovered from his injury.

Filmography

* ''Just Around the Corner (1921 film), Just Around the Corner'' (1921) directed by Frances Marion * ''

'' (1921) * ''Penrod (film), Penrod'' (1922) * ''Oath-Bound'' (1922) * ''

'' (1923) * ''A Chapter in Her Life'' (1923) * ''The Mask of Lopez'' (1924) * ''North of Nevada'' (1924) * ''Galloping Gallagher'' (1924) * ''The Silent Stranger (1924 film), The Silent Stranger'' (1924) * ''The Dangerous Coward'' (1924) * ''The Fighting Sap'' (1924) * ''Thundering Hoofs (1924 film), Thundering Hoofs'' (1924) * ''That Devil Quemado'' (1925) * ''The Bandit's Baby'' (1925) * ''The Wild Bull's Lair'' (1925) * ''Ridin' the Wind'' (1925) * ''All Around Frying Pan'' (1925) * ''The Tough Guy (1926 film), The Tough Guy'' (1926) * ''Hands Across the Border (1926 film), Hands Across the Border'' (1926) * ''The Two-Gun Man'' (1926) * ''Lone Hand Saunders'' (1926) * ''A Regular Scout'' (1926) * ''Don Mike'' (1927) * ''Silver Comes Through'' (1927) * ''Arizona Nights'' (1927) * ''Jesse James (1927 film), Jesse James'' (1927) * ''The Pioneer Scout'' (1928) * ''The Sunset Legion'' (1928) * ''Kit Carson (1928 film), Kit Carson'' (1928)

Notes

References

* * * *

External links

*
Fred Thomson at SilentEra
* * Fred Thomson "Vanity Fair" article at http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2002/04/joekennedy200204
Fred Thomson
at Virtual History {{DEFAULTSORT:Thomson, Fred 1890 births 1928 deaths 20th-century American male actors Male actors from Pasadena, California United States Army officers American male silent film actors Infectious disease deaths in California Deaths from tetanus Princeton Theological Seminary alumni United States Army personnel of World War I Military personnel from California Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale) United States Army chaplains World War I chaplains American male track and field athletes 20th-century American clergy