Joseph Farnham

Joseph "Joe " White Farnham ( born December 2, 1884 in Connecticut; † June 2, 1931 in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California ) was an American screenwriter who not only at the first Academy Awards in 1929 as the first and only Oscar received in the category best Title writing, he was also the first late Oscar winner.

Life

His career as a screenwriter and author of intertitles for silent films began Farnham in 1918 in the film Once to Every Man. Throughout his career in the film industry, he was involved in the development of over 90 films and worked with many distinguished directors of the silent film and early sound era.

Among his best known films were Gier ( 1924) by Erich von Stroheim, Charley's Aunt (1925 ) by Scott Sidney, The Big Parade (1925 ), The Raven of London ( 1926) by Tod Browning, The large number ( 1926) of Monta Bell fire in the East ( 1926) by George W. Hill, the Unknown (1927 ) by Tod Browning, the son of the Taiga (1927 ) by Benjamin Christensen, at midnight (1927 ) by Tod Browning, the Prince of adventurers ( 1927) by John S. Robertson, the Smart Alec (1927 ) by Edward Sedgwick, A man of the earth ( 1928) by King Vidor, the Golden hell (1928 ) by Clarence Brown, duty and love (1928 ) by William Nigh, laugh, clown, laughing! (1928 ) by Herbert Brenon, The comedienne (1928 ) by Sidney Franklin, between Frisco and Manchuria (1928 ) by Sam Wood, When the city sleeps ( 1928) by Jack Conway, Buster, the film Reporter ( 1928) by Edward Sedgwick with Buster Keaton, The Flying fleet ( 1929) by George W. Hill, Gold hunters in California (1929 ) by Allan Dwan, The Hollywood Revue of 1929 ( We're off to Hollywood, 1929), and hell behind bars (1930 ) George W. Hill.

On May 4, 1927 Joseph Farnham was one of the 36 founding members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences ( AMPAS ), which performs the Oscars since 1929.

In the first Oscar ceremony in 1929, he received the first and only Academy Award in the category Best Title Writing for its overall performance as a writer of intertitles. With the advent of sound film Oscar in this category was not subsequently awarded.

When he died two years later, he was the first late Oscar winner. He was buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park ( Glendale ).