Marion Fairfax
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Marion Fairfax (born Marion Neiswanger; October 24, 1875 – October 2, 1970) was an American screenwriter, playwright, actress, and producer.


Early career

Fairfax first started her career as a stage actress, just like many other women did in that era. By 1901 she was appearing on Broadway and soon after that her own plays started appearing on Broadway. Before she went into pictures she was known for being one of the most distinguished stage authors in the United States, writing Broadway hits such as ''The Builders'' (1907), ''The Chaperon'' (1908), ''The Talker'' (1912), ''A Modern Girl'' (1914), In 1915 The Lasky Feature Play Company entered into a contract with Fairfax. This opportunity gave Fairfax the chance to work under
William C. deMille William Churchill deMille (July 25, 1878 – March 5, 1955), also spelled de Mille or De Mille, was an American screenwriter and film director from the silent film era through the early 1930s. He was also a noted playwright prior to moving into ...
who is known as the author for many successful plays such as "The Warrens of Virginia" and "The Woman." The success of Fairfax comes through wide knowledge of dramatic values, not only from an author's perspective but also from that of the artist.Exhibitors' Times, Inc. "Marion Fairfax, Dramaist, With Lasky." Motion Picture News Apr. 1915: 64. Print. Fairfax's production career began with the Paramount Company. During her time there she wrote the scripts to multiple successful photoplays such as ''The Clown'', ''The Honor of His House'', ''The Valley of the Giants'', ''The Westerner'', ''The Sowers'', ''The Immigrant'' and many more. In October 1920 Fairfax renewed a contract with
Marshall Neilan Marshall Ambrose "Mickey" Neilan (April 11, 1891 – October 27, 1958) was an American actor. Early life Born in San Bernardino, California, Neilan was known by most as "Mickey." Following the death of his father, the eleven-year-old Mickey N ...
. After building a successful resume with Neilan, which included the production and script writing of films such as ''Don't ever marry'', ''The Rivers End'', ''Dinty'' and ''Go and Get it'', Fairfax was in charge of Neilan's next four films. Her first project is based on a Ben Ames Williams magazine story called ''Not a Drum Was Heard''."Marshall Neilan Again Signs Marion Fairfax." Exhibitor's Herald 16 Oct. 1920: 41. Print.


Marion Fairfax Productions

After spending her early career with Neilan, Fairfax soon developed her own production company in 1921. At this point in her career Fairfax was known for being a famous playwright and a very successful screenwriter. Many other women have attempted to pursue careers in film at this point but it was Lois Weber and Fairfax proving that women can survive in the film industry.Pierce, David, ed. "Marion Fairfax Completes Plans For Initial Independent Features." Exhibitors Herald hicago, Illinois23 Apr. 1921: 58. Print. Exhibitors Herald asked Fairfax about the start of her own company and she had this to say: "The formation of Marion Fairfax Productions is not the result of a sudden decision or and overnight idea. It is the realization of a plan that I have studied and worked out for over a year.Chicago, Photoplay Magazine Publishing Company. "The Screens Newest Woman Producer." Photoplay hicago, Illinois1 July 1921: n. pag. Print. I believe there is a place for the combination of literary effort and motion picture presentation just as there is a place for the combination of literary achievement and stage presentation." With a new production company at her disposal Fairfax began working on a highly anticipated film called ''The Lying Truth'' which starred Marjorie Daw,
J. Pat O'Malley James Rudolph O'Malley (15 March 1904 – 27 February 1985) was an English character actor and singer who appeared in many American films and television programmes from the 1940s to 1982, using the stage name J. Pat O'Malley. He also appeared on ...
, Noah Beery, Sr., and her husband the actor Tully Marshall. Released in July 1922 ''The Lying Truth'' was quickly recognized as a masterpiece."Holman Day and Marion Fairfax Added to Writing Staff." Exhibitor's Trade Review ew York, New York8 Sept. 1923, 14th ed., sec. 2: 694. Print. Fairfax's success with her own production company provided her with enough experience and credibility in the film industry to progress even further. In September 1923 she was signed to the writing staff of Associated First National Pictures, Inc. Acquiring Fairfax gave First National Picture a popular writer who at the time was specializing in original stories and adaptions of popular plays. After two years of writing for First National Editorial, Fairfax resigned from her post to enter the production field again. At the time Fairfax was one of the most accomplished playwrights in New York Theater and an author scenarist, editorial and production supervisor of film plays. Her previous experience and success as the head of Marion Fairfax Production made this transition effortless."Marion Fairfax Resigns Post." ''Motion Picture News'' ollywood, California19 Sept. 1925: n. pag. Print.


Later career

Not long after her separation from First National Picture Inc. Fairfax formed an alliance with Sam E. Rork that would cut the production cost for two producers working together. Ideally the plan would allow both producers to have shared access to technical staff by way of production scheduling. While one producer is cutting a picture and preparing for their next project the other would be utilizing the designated "shooting staff." This dual production plan allows these two independent producers to have access to a permanent technical organization. Without a dual partnership these two producers would have a very hard time trying to afford such an imperative function of film production. In 1926 Fairfax co-produced ''
The Blonde Saint ''The Blonde Saint'' is a 1926 American silent romantic adventure film directed by Svend Gade. It was produced by Sam E. Rork and released through First National Pictures. Lewis Stone and Doris Kenyon star and young newcomer Gilbert Roland is ...
'' (1926), but this was her final film with Rork.McElwee, John. "Rork-Fairfax Have New Plan." ''Motion Picture News'' ollywood, California7 Nov. 1925: 1247. Print. Following an illness, she disappeared from film making but continued to write for periodicals. Fairfax died October 2, 1970.


Filmography

* ''
The Chorus Lady ''The Chorus Lady'' is a 1915 American comedy silent film directed by Frank Reicher. The screenplay was by Marion Fairfax and James Forbes. The film stars Cleo Ridgely, Marjorie Daw, Wallace Reid, Richard Grey and Mrs. Lewis McCord. It is bas ...
'' (1915) * ''
Mr. Grex of Monte Carlo ''Mr. Grex of Monte Carlo'' is a surviving 1915 American Drama film, drama silent film directed by Frank Reicher and written by Marion Fairfax and E. Phillips Oppenheim. The film stars Theodore Roberts, Dorothy Davenport, Carlyle Blackwell, James ...
'' (scenario) (1915) * '' The Immigrant'' (scenario) (1915) * '' Tennessee's Pardner'' (scenario) (1915) * '' The Blacklist'' (1916) * '' The Sowers'' (scenario) (1916) * '' The Clown'' (1916) * '' Common Ground'' (1916) * ''
Anton the Terrible ''Anton the Terrible'' is a 1916 American drama silent film directed by William C. deMille and written by Marion Fairfax, Jules Eckert Goodman and Charles Sarver. The film stars Theodore Roberts, Anita King, Horace B. Carpenter, Harrison Ford, Ed ...
'' (scenario) (1916) * '' The Chaperon'' (play) (1916) * '' The Primrose Ring'' (scenario) (1916) * ''
Freckles Freckles are clusters of concentrated melaninized cells which are most easily visible on people with a fair complexion. Freckles do not have an increased number of the melanin-producing cells, or melanocytes, but instead have melanocytes that ...
'' (scenario) (1917) * ''
The Crystal Gazer ''The Crystal Gazer'' is a lost 1917 American drama silent film directed by George Melford, and written by Eve Unsell, Edna G. Riley, and Marion Fairfax. The film stars Fannie Ward, Jack Dean, Winifred Greenwood, Harrison Ford, Raymond Hatton ...
'' (scenario) (1917) * '' Hashimura Togo'' (scenario) (1917) * ''
On the Level ''On the Level'' is the eighth studio album by English rock band Status Quo. It features Francis Rossi, Richard Parfitt, Alan Lancaster and John Coghlan. The album's cover art features band members in an Ames room, and on the original vinyl rel ...
'' (scenario) (1917) * '' The Secret Game'' (scenario) / (screenplay) / (story) (1917) * ''
The Widow's Might ''The Widow's Might'' is a 2009 American independent Christian film directed by John Robert Moore and starring Angela Coates, John Robert Moore, Cameron Heidrick, and Gator Moore. It is set in modern-day Texas and the Old West. It has been praised ...
'' (screenplay) / (story) (1917) * '' The Honor of His House'' (scenario) / (screenplay) / (story) (1918) * '' The White Man's Law'' (scenario) / (story) (1918) * '' Less Than Kin'' (writer) (1918) * ''
The Mystery Girl ''The Mystery Girl'' is a lost 1918 American drama silent film directed by William C. deMille and written by Marion Fairfax and George Barr McCutcheon. The film stars Ethel Clayton, Henry Woodward, Clarence Burton, Charles West, Winter Hall and ...
'' (scenario) (1918) * ''
The Secret Garden ''The Secret Garden'' is a novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett first published in book form in 1911, after serialisation in ''The American Magazine'' (November 1910 – August 1911). Set in England, it is one of Burnett's most popular novels and ...
'' (scenario) (1918) * ''
You Never Saw Such a Girl ''You Never Saw Such a Girl'' is a lost 1919 American silent drama film directed by Robert G. Vignola and written by Marion Fairfax and George Weston. The film stars Vivian Martin, Harrison Ford, Mayme Kelso, Willis Marks, Edna Mae Cooper, and J ...
'' (scenario) (1919) * '' The Roaring Road'' (scenario) (1919) * ''
Putting It Over ''Putting It Over'' is a lost 1919 American silent comedy film directed by Donald Crisp and starring Bryant Washburn. The film was produced by Famous Players-Lasky with distribution being handled by Paramount Pictures. Plot As described in a film ...
'' (writer) (1919) * ''
A Daughter of the Wolf ''A Daughter of the Wolf'' is a 1919 American silent drama film directed by Irvin Willat and written by Marion Fairfax and Hugh Pendexter. The film stars Lila Lee, Elliott Dexter, Clarence Geldart, Raymond Hatton, Richard Wayne, and Minnie Dever ...
'' (writer) (1919) * '' Love Insurance'' (scenario) (1919) * '' The Valley of the Giants'' (writer) (1919) * '' The River's End'' (scenario) (1920) * ''
Don't Ever Marry ''Don't Ever Marry'' is a 1920 American comedy film directed by Marshall Neilan and Victor Heerman and written by Marion Fairfax. The film stars Matt Moore, Marjorie Daw, Thomas Jefferson, Mayme Kelso, Betty Bouton and Christine Mayo. The fi ...
'' (1920) * '' Go and Get It'' (1920) * '' Dinty'' (1920) * '' The Mad Marriage'' (1921) * '' Bob Hampton of Placer'' (1921) * ''
Through the Back Door ''Through the Back Door'' is a 1921 American silent comedy drama film directed by Alfred E. Green and Jack Pickford, and starring Mary Pickford.
'' (1921) * '' The Lotus Eater'' (1921) * ''
Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes () is a fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a " consulting detective" in the stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with observation, deduction, forensic science and ...
'' (1922) * '' The Lying Truth'' (screenplay) / (story) (1922) * ''
Fools First ''Fools First'' is a 1922 American crime film directed by Marshall Neilan and written by Marion Fairfax and Hugh Wiley. The film stars Richard Dix, Claire Windsor, Claude Gillingwater, Raymond Griffith, George Siegmann, and Helen Lynch. The fil ...
'' (1922) * ''
The Snowshoe Trail ''The Snowshoe Trail'' is a 1922 American silent film, silent Western (genre), Western film directed by Chester Bennett and starring Jane Novak, Roy Stewart (silent film actor), Roy Stewart and Lloyd Whitlock.Munden, p. 203. Cast * Jane Novak a ...
'' (1922) * ''
A Lady of Quality ''A Lady of Quality'' is a novel published in 1896 by Frances Hodgson Burnett that was the second highest best-selling book in the United States in 1896.Alice Payne HackettSeventy Years of Best Sellers 1895-1965 p. 92 (1967) (the lists for 1895 ...
'' (1924) * ''
Torment Torment may refer to: * The feeling of pain or suffering * Causing to suffer, torture Films * ''Torment'' (1924 film), a silent crime-drama * ''Torment'' (1944 film) (''Hets''), a Swedish film * ''Torment'' (1950 British film), a British thr ...
'' (titles) (1924) * '' Lilies of the Field'' (1924) * '' As Man Desires'' (scenario) (1924) * ''
The Lost World The lost world is a subgenre of the fantasy or science fiction genres that involves the discovery of an unknown Earth civilization. It began as a subgenre of the late- Victorian adventure romance and remains popular into the 21st century. The g ...
'' (screenplay) (1925) * ''
The Talker ''The Talker'' is a 1925 American silent drama film directed by Alfred E. Green and starring Anna Q. Nilsson, Lewis Stone Lewis Shepard Stone (November 15, 1879 – September 12, 1953) was an American film actor. He spent 29 years as a co ...
'' (play) / (adaptation) (1925) * ''
Clothes Make the Pirate ''Clothes Make the Pirate'' is a 1925 American silent comedy film directed by Maurice Tourneur and starring Leon Errol and Dorothy Gish. The film was written by Marion Fairfax from the novel of the same name by Holman Francis Day. Synopsis The ...
'' (adaptation) / (screenplay) (1925) * ''
Old Loves and New ''Old Loves and New'' is a 1926 American silent drama film directed by Maurice Tourneur in one of his final American films. The romance and adventure story has the virtuous Lord Carew and the good-for-nothing Lord Geradine competing for the a ...
'' (adaptation) (1926) * ''
The Blonde Saint ''The Blonde Saint'' is a 1926 American silent romantic adventure film directed by Svend Gade. It was produced by Sam E. Rork and released through First National Pictures. Lewis Stone and Doris Kenyon star and young newcomer Gilbert Roland is ...
'' (1926)


References


External links


Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences profile of Fairfax
* *
Marion Fairfax
at Women Film Pioneers Project {{DEFAULTSORT:Fairfax, Marion 1875 births 1970 deaths American stage actresses Writers from Richmond, Virginia People from Greater Los Angeles American women screenwriters Burials at Hollywood Forever Cemetery American women dramatists and playwrights 20th-century American actresses 20th-century American dramatists and playwrights 20th-century American women writers Emerson College alumni Women film pioneers Screenwriters from California Screenwriters from Virginia 20th-century American screenwriters