![]() | The 'brains' and 'action' heavies who had meaty roles and lots of dialog ... and the players who were fathers, ranch owners, lawman, mayors, judges, lawyers, storekeepers, newspaper editors, wardens, etc. |
![]() (Courtesy of Jack Tillmany) ![]() Above - 1924 ad for the Rayart serial BATTLING BREWSTER which co-starred Helen Holmes. | ![]() | Franklyn Farnum
Sometimes spelled: Franklin Farnum Real name: William Franklin Smith 1878 - 1961
"Among the unsung heroes of Hollywood are the stars of other days, who no longer finding themselves in great demand around the studios, keep smiling and trying as best they can to make ends meet ..." "Recently Clara Kimball Young, Mildred Harris Chaplin, Ben Turpin, Bryant Washburn, Rex Lease, Franklyn Farnum and Leo White organized a unit and went on a personal-appearance tour. A few years ago the salaries of this combination would have been so prohibitive ..." "Today, they were glad of bookings, and the salary for the act was divided among them." In the July, 1936 issue of Motion Picture magazine, there's a tidbit about "old-timers" and "once-stars" hired for (THE AMAZING EXPLOITS OF) THE CLUTCHING HAND (Weiss/Stage & Screen, 1936):
"... Clutching Hand serial, a remake of the one which starred Pearl White 20 years ago, will bring a lot of old-timers back in your eye. On the sets I noticed such once-stars as Bryant Washburn, William Farnum, Rex Lease, Jack Mulhall, Franklyn Farnum, Mae Busch, Reed Howes and Gaston Glass!" He was (briefly) married to actress Alma Rubens, and the short-lived pairing was covered in various tradepapers and fan magazines. From the December, 1918 issue of Photoplay magazine:
"THE romance of Alma Rubens and Franklyn Farnum has been shattered, only two months after the marriage took place. Under the real name of both parties, Alma Smith versus William Smith, it became known that the bride filed papers for divorce. Miss Rubens married Mr. Farnum June 14 (1918) at Pomona, Cal."
Les Adams has Farnum in 200+ sound era films, and that includes 70 westerns and 10 serials.
The Internet Broadway Database has Farnum in four New York stage plays between 1913-1929: http://ibdb.com/person.php?id=40172 The Family Search website, California Death Index, and the death certificate provide more on William Franklin Smith / Franklyn Farnum:
Find A Grave website has Farnum interred at Pierce Brothers Valhalla Memorial Park in North Hollywood, California: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/8377199/franklyn-farnum |
![]() Above - two page tradepaper ad for Farnum's VANISHING TRAILS serial for Selig in 1920. |
![]() Above - 1923 tradepaper ad for Farnum's new western series for independent producer Jesse J. Goldburg. In addition to Farnum, Goldburg employed Bill Cody and Bob Custer in western series. ![]() (Courtesy of Les Adams) Above - Franklyn and future A list actress Jean Arthur in a lobby card from Farnum's THE GALLOPING DUDE (1925) for producer Jesse J. Goldburg. ![]() (Courtesy of Ed Tabor) Lobby card from OKLAHOMA JIM (Monogram, 1931). From left to right are Earl Dwire (Sergeant stripes), Franklyn Farnum, Bill Cody, William Desmond, Iron Eyes Cody (white headdress with the orange/red tipped feathers), Chief White Eagle (blue jacket), Andy Shuford, John Elliott (green jacket) and Bill Hazlett / Chief Many Treaties with the headdress with feathers marked in blue. This mediocre Bill Cody western has Desmond as the main heavy. Crop/blowups below with closer view of the faces. Earl Dwire, Franklyn Farnum, Bill Cody and William Desmond. ![]() Iron Eyes Cody, Chief White Eagle, Andy Shuford, John Elliott and Bill Hazlett / Chief Many Treaties. ![]() (Courtesy of Les Adams) Above from L-to-R are Franklyn Farnum, Bob Custer and George Chesebro mixing it up in a scene from Custer's MARK OF THE SPUR (Big 4, 1932). ![]() (Courtesy of Les Adams) Above from L-to-R are Franklyn Farnum, Fred Parker, hero Wally Wales and Karla Cowan in a scene from the three reel short, ARIZONA CYCLONE (Imperial, 1934). ![]() (Courtesy of Les Adams) Above from L-to-R are Franklyn Farnum, Lafe McKee, Bill Cody, Ada Ince and Bill Cody, Jr. in Cody's FRONTIER DAYS (Spectrum, 1934). ![]() (Courtesy of Les Adams) Above is a photo of a title lobby card showing Franklyn Farnum and Bill Cody in BORDER GUNS (Aywon, 1934), one of a trio of (terrible) films that Cody did for grade Z film producer Robert J. Horner. |