Joseph White Farnham (December 2, 1884 – June 2, 1931) was an American

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays. Etymology The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...

, film writer, and

film editor Film editing is both a creative and a technical part of the post-production process of filmmaking. The term is derived from the traditional process of working with film which increasingly involves the use of digital technology. The film edit ...

of the

silent movie ''Silent Movie'' is a 1976 American satirical comedy film co-written, directed by and starring Mel Brooks, released by 20th Century Fox in the summer of 1976. The ensemble cast includes Dom DeLuise, Marty Feldman, Bernadette Peters, and Sid ...

era in the 1920s. He was also a founding member of the

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS, often pronounced ; also known as simply the Academy or the Motion Picture Academy) is a professional honorary organization with the stated goal of advancing the arts and sciences of motion ...

Biography

Born in

New Haven New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134,023 ...

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the ...

in 1884, Farnham got his start in film through his business relationship with

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perfor ...

impresarios Gustave and Daniel Frohman who owned The Frohman Amusement Corp. ''

The Big Parade ''The Big Parade'' is a 1925 American silent war drama film directed by King Vidor, starring John Gilbert, Renée Adorée, Hobart Bosworth, Tom O'Brien, and Karl Dane. Written by World War I veteran, Laurence Stallings, the film is about ...

'' is probably the most famous of his works adapted to film. In the 1st Academy Awards of 1929, nominees could be considered for an Oscar for an award on the basis of multiple films within the year. Joseph won his Best Writing - Title Cards award for the films '' The Fair Co-Ed''; '' Laugh, Clown, Laugh''; and '' Telling the World''. This was the only year that an Oscar for title cards would be awarded. Joseph Farnham was the very first Academy Award winner to die. He died in 1931 of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which ma ...

while living 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 ...

and was interred in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in

Glendale, California Glendale is a city in the San Fernando Valley and Verdugo Mountains regions of Los Angeles County, California, United States. At the 2020 U.S. Census the population was 196,543, up from 191,719 at the 2010 census, making it the fourth-larges ...

Selected filmography

* ''

Bachelor Apartments ''Bachelor Apartments'' is a 1921 American silent comedy film directed by Johnnie Walker.Connelly p.319 It was distributed by the Arrow Film Corporation. Cast * Georgia Hopkins as June Shelton * Fred Howard as I.O. Underwood * George Dupree a ...

'' (1921) *''

The Country Flapper ''The Country Flapper'' is a 1922 American silent comedy film directed by F. Richard Jones and starring Dorothy Gish, Glenn Hunter and Tom Douglas. The film is based on "The Cynic Effect," a short story by Nalbro Bartley. Plot Jolanda, a y ...

'' (1922) * ''

The Snitching Hour ''The Snitching Hour'' is a 1922 American silent comedy film directed by Alan Crosland and starring Arthur Housman, Gladys Leslie, and Nita Naldi.Monaco p. 139 Cast * Arthur Housman as Bunny * Gladys Leslie as Lois Dickerson * Frank Currie ...

'' (1922) * ''

Greed Greed (or avarice) is an uncontrolled longing for increase in the acquisition or use of material gain (be it food, money, land, or animate/inanimate possessions); or social value, such as status, or power. Greed has been identified as und ...

'' (1924) * ''

Reckless Romance ''Reckless Romance'' is a 1924 American silent comedy film directed by Scott Sidney and starring T. Roy Barnes, Harry Myers, and Wanda Hawley Wanda Hawley (born Selma Wanda Pittack; July 30, 1895 – March 18, 1963) was an American ac ...

'' (1924) * '' Soul Mates'' (1925) * ''

'' (1925) * '' Stop Flirting'' (1925) * ''

The Blackbird ''The Blackbird'' is a 1926 American silent crime film directed by Tod Browning and starring Lon Chaney. The screenplay was written by Waldemar Young, based on a story "The Mockingbird" by Tod Browning (which was originally supposed to be the ...

'' (1926) * ''

Beverly of Graustark ''Beverly of Graustark'' is a 1926 American silent romantic comedy film directed by Sidney Franklin and starring Marion Davies, Antonio Moreno, and Creighton Hale. The film's screenplay was written by Agnes Christine Johnston based on the nov ...

'' (1926) * '' The Road to Mandalay'' (1926) * '' The Show'' (1927) * '' The Red Mill'' (1927) * '' Slide, Kelly, Slide'' (1927) * '' Rookies'' (1927) * '' Becky'' (1927) * '' London After Midnight'' (1927) * ''

The Trail of '98 ''The Trail of '98'' is a 1928 American silent action-adventure/drama film featuring Harry Carey and Dolores del Río about the Klondike Gold Rush. The film was originally released by MGM in a short-lived widescreen process called “Fantom S ...

'' (1928) * '' Alias Jimmy Valentine'' (1928) * '' Laugh, Clown, Laugh'' (1928) * ''

The Cameraman ''The Cameraman'' is a 1928 American silent romantic comedy film directed by Edward Sedgwick and an uncredited Buster Keaton. The picture stars Keaton and Marceline Day. ''The Cameraman'' was Keaton's first film with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It ...

'' (1928) * '' The Duke Steps Out'' (1929) * '' Where East Is East'' (1929) * ''

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) * '' The Thirteenth Chair'' (1929) * '' The Big House'' (1930)

References

External links

* * 1884 births 1931 deaths Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences founders American male screenwriters Writers from New Haven, Connecticut Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale) Screenwriters from Connecticut 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American screenwriters {{US-screen-writer-stub