Franklin "Pete" Adreon (November 18, 1902 – September 10, 1979) was an American film and television director, producer, screenwriter, and actor.

Early life and career

Born in Gambrills, Maryland, Adreon was a Marine Reservist during the 30s, and served in the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through c ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. Serving initially with the

6th Marines The 6th Marine Regiment (also referred to as "6th Marines") is an infantry regiment of the United States Marine Corps based at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. The regiment falls under the command of the 2nd Marine Division of th ...

in Iceland, Major Adreon was put in charge of the Marine Corps Photographic Unit in Quantico. Adreon, an ex-bond salesman who entered motion pictures in 1935 with no experience, landed some small paying jobs, including as a

technical advisor In film production, a technical advisor is someone who advises the director on the convincing portrayal of a subject. The advisor's expertise adds realism both to the acting and to the setting of a movie. Nipo T. Strongheart was a noted technica ...

on the serial ''

The Fighting Marines ''The Fighting Marines'' is a 1935 movie serial. It was the last serial produced by Mascot Pictures before the studio was bought out and merged with others to become Republic Pictures. This new company went on to become the most famous of the ...

'' (in which he also appeared in the role of Captain Holmes). This led to a writing position at

Mascot Pictures Mascot Pictures Corporation was an American film company of the 1920s and 1930s best known for producing and distributing film serials and B-westerns. Mascot was formed in 1927 by film producer Nat Levine. In 1936 it merged with several other ...

and its successor

Republic Pictures Republic Pictures Corporation (currently held under Melange Pictures, LLC) was an American motion picture production-distribution corporation in operation from 1935 to 1967, that was based in Los Angeles. It had studio facilities in Studio City a ...

. Adreon stayed with the serial unit and soon, through hard work and toil, was awarded the title of

associate producer A film producer is a person who oversees film production. Either employed by a production company or working independently, producers plan and coordinate various aspects of film production, such as selecting the script, coordinating writing, di ...

. Adreon stayed with the studio for nearly all of its short life. He worked with serial director

William Witney William Nuelsen Witney (May 15, 1915 – March 17, 2002) was an American film and television director. He is best remembered for the action films he made for Republic Pictures, particularly serials: '' Dick Tracy Returns'', '' G-Men vs. the Bl ...

, who was also in the Marines in the war. He then worked as a director, producer, and writer on various television series and films. Adreon died on September 10, 1979, in

Thousand Oaks, California Thousand Oaks is the second-largest city in Ventura County, California, United States. It is in the northwestern part of Greater Los Angeles, approximately from the city of Los Angeles and from Downtown. It is named after the many oak tr ...

, at the age of 76.ADREON: WILLIAM, CHARLES, ROBERT - people search, genealogy, find deceased relatives and locate ancestors
Retrieved December 9, 2016.

Selected filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Adreon, Franklin 1902 births 1979 deaths American male film actors Film producers from California United States Marine Corps personnel of World War II American male screenwriters American television directors Television producers from California Film serial crew United States Marine Corps officers United States Marine Corps reservists People from Gambrills, Maryland 20th-century American male actors People from Thousand Oaks, California 20th-century American businesspeople Screenwriters from California Screenwriters from Maryland 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American screenwriters Military personnel from California