Frederick Clifton Thomson (February 26, 1890 – December 25, 1928) was an American

silent film A silent film is a film without synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, w ...

cowboy A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the ''vaquero'' ...

who rivaled

Tom Mix Thomas Edwin Mix (born Thomas Hezikiah Mix; January 6, 1880 – October 12, 1940) was an American film actor and the star of many early Western (genre), Western films between 1909 and 1935. He appeared in 291 films, all but nine of which were s ...

in popularity before dying at age 38 of

tetanus Tetanus (), also known as lockjaw, is a bacterial infection caused by ''Clostridium tetani'' and characterized by muscle spasms. In the most common type, the spasms begin in the jaw and then progress to the rest of the body. Each spasm usually l ...

Birth and athletic achievement

Born in

Pasadena, California Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commerci ...

to Clara and Williell Thomson, he was the third of four sons. His father was a Presbyterian minister. His brother Samuel Harrison Thomson also attended

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...

and won the all-round athlete of America title for 1919. He attended the

Princeton Theological Seminary Princeton Theological Seminary (PTSem), officially The Theological Seminary of the Presbyterian Church, is a Private university, private seminary, school of theology in Princeton, New Jersey, Princeton, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Establish ...

from 1910–13 and he won the ''All-Around Champion'' title given out by the

Amateur Athletic Union The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) is an amateur sports organization based in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs. It h ...

in 1910, 1911, and 1913. He married his college sweetheart, Gail Jepson and was ordained by the Presbytery of Los Angeles in September 1913. Three years later, Gail Jepson died of

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

. During

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, Thomson served in the 143rd Field Artillery Regiment, known informally at the time as the ''Mary Pickford Regiment''. Thomson joined the 143rd in

Arcadia, California Arcadia is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, located about northeast of downtown Los Angeles in the San Gabriel Valley and at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains. It contains a series of adjacent parks consisting of t ...

as a U. S. Army

chaplain A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secular institution (such as a hospital, prison, military unit, intellige ...

. While playing

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

, he broke his leg. Movie star

Mary Pickford Gladys Louise Smith (April 8, 1892 – May 29, 1979), known professionally as Mary Pickford, was a Canadian-American film actress and producer. A Canadian pioneers in early Hollywood, pioneer in the American film industry with a Hollywood care ...

visited the patients in the hospital ward with her friend, screenwriter

Frances Marion Frances Marion (born Marion Benson Owens; November 18, 1888 – May 12, 1973) was an American screenwriter, director, journalist and author often cited as one of the most renowned female screenwriters of the 20th century alongside June Mathis a ...

. Thomson and Marion agreed to marry after the war was over. The 143rd were sent to France in August 1918, but did not see any action before the

armistice An armistice is a formal agreement of warring parties to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, as it may constitute only a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace. It is derived from t ...

on November 11, 1918.

Movie career

Thomson and Marion were married on November 2, 1919, at the Memorial Baptist Church in New York City, with Pickford as maid of honor. Initially interested in directing, he ended up acting in one of Frances' films ''Just Around the Corner'' (1921). The movie was a success. Next, he had a co-starring role in another Pickford movie, '' The Love Light'' (1921), which was also directed and written by Frances. In 1923, Thomson starred in his own action serial for Universal, ''

The Eagle's Talons ''The Eagle's Talons'' is a 1923 American film serial directed by Duke Worne. The film is considered to be lost. Cast * Fred Thomson Frederick Clifton Thomson (February 26, 1890 – December 25, 1928) was an American silent film cowbo ...

'', in which he performed his own stunts. Signed by Joseph P. Kennedy's studio

Film Booking Offices of America Film Booking Offices of America (FBO), registered as FBO Pictures Corp., was an American film studio of the Silent film, silent era, a midsize producer and distributor of mostly low-budget films. The business began in 1918 as Robertson-Cole, an ...

, he made his debut for FBO in 1924's ''The Mask of Lopez''. Thomson became a superstar at FBO: He was the No. 2 box office star for 1926 and 1927. His April 1925 contract paid him $10,000 a week (equivalent to approximately $ in dollars) and also gave Thomson his own independent production unit at the studio. In 1927, Kennedy—sensing that Thomson had reached the peak of his popularity and seeing a financial opportunity for FBO—arranged a four-picture deal with

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...

, one of the major Hollywood studios. The deal essentially ceded Thomson to the rival studio. For guaranteeing $75,000 in financing, Thomson would star in Paramount productions. In return, Paramount would return the $75,000 in financing plus an additional $100,000 and pay Thomson $15,000 a week, wiping Thomson's salary off of FBO's books. Paramount's exhibition circuit was more prestigious than FBO's, and its theaters, many located in larger cities, charged a premium for a ticket. In addition, Paramount boosted the price of a Thomson picture to cover the backend deal with FBO and Thomson's hefty salary. The new production arrangement meant that Thomson fans in rural theaters that were the core of FBO's audience often had to wait months for a chance to see a new Thomson picture, if it was even released to backwater theaters, or were forced to go to a larger city where the movie was playing on the Paramount circuit. Some critics found that a Thomson Western, which essentially were " B-pictures", were not suited for the high-end, more expensive theaters they were being shown in. As a result, the Thomson-Paramount Westerns proved not to be as profitable.

Death

In early December 1928, Thomson stepped on a nail while working in his stables. Contracting

, which his doctors initially misdiagnosed, he died in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

Christmas Day Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A liturgical feast central to Christianity, Chri ...

1928. He was survived by his widow, screenwriter

, and their children Richard Thomson (adopted) and Frederick C. Thomson. Thomson was interred in Forest Lawn Memorial Park in

Glendale, California Glendale is a city located primarily in the Verdugo Mountains region, with a small portion in the San Fernando Valley, of Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is located about north of downtown Los Angeles. As of 2024, Glendale ha ...

(Whispering Pines, L-163 section). Pallbearers at his funeral included

Harold Lloyd Harold Clayton Lloyd Sr. (April 20, 1893 – March 8, 1971) was an American actor, comedian, and stunt performer who appeared in many Silent film, silent comedy films.Obituary ''Variety'', March 10, 1971, page 55. One of the most influent ...

, Charles Farrell,

Douglas Fairbanks Douglas Elton Fairbanks Sr. (born Douglas Elton Thomas Ullman; May 23, 1883 – December 12, 1939) was an American actor and filmmaker best known for being the first actor to play the masked Vigilante Zorro and other swashbuckler film, swashbu ...

, and George W. Hill. Honorary pallbearers included

Buster Keaton Joseph Frank "Buster" Keaton (October 4, 1895 – February 1, 1966) was an American actor, comedian and filmmaker. He is best known for his silent films during the 1920s, in which he performed physical comedy and inventive stunts. He frequently ...

and movie mogul Joseph M. Schenck.

Silver King

Silver King was a

Palomino Palomino is a equine coat color, genetic color in horses, consisting of a gold coat and white mane (horse), mane and tail; the degree of whiteness can vary from bright white to yellow. The palomino color derived from the breeding of Spanish hor ...

horse seventeen hands high. Al Rogell, who directed Thomson's first seven Western films, told about Silver King:

He did all of the work...everything in the early pictures—the mouth work, the jumps, the chases, the falls, quick stops—and could untie knots, lift bars, etc. He could wink one eye, nod his head yes or no, push a person with his head. Thomson trained him to do certain things and expected him to perform them.

After Thomson's death, Silver King appeared in a series of three-reel Westerns from Imperial Studios, starring Wally Wales.

Surviving films

Only three of Thomson's movies have survived to the present day: ''Just Around the Corner'' is in the collection of the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers Copyright law o ...

; ''The Love Light'', starring Mary Pickford, has been released on VHS and DVD; and ''Thundering Hoofs'' has been released on VHS. In ''Thundering Hoofs'', Thomson performs a dangerous jump from a moving stagecoach to one of the horses pulling the coach. He fell and suffered a compound fracture of his right thigh. Yakima Canutt completed the stunt. Production of the movie was delayed for weeks while Thomson recovered from his injury.

Filmography

* '' Just Around the Corner'' (1921) directed by Frances Marion * '' The Love Light'' (1921) * '' Penrod'' (1922) * '' Oath-Bound'' (1922) * ''

'' (1923) * '' A Chapter in Her Life'' (1923) * '' The Mask of Lopez'' (1924) * '' North of Nevada'' (1924) * '' Galloping Gallagher'' (1924) * '' The Silent Stranger'' (1924) * '' The Dangerous Coward'' (1924) * '' The Fighting Sap'' (1924) * '' Thundering Hoofs'' (1924) * ''

That Devil Quemado ''That Devil Quemado'' is a 1925 American silent Western film directed by Del Andrews and starring Fred Thomson, Albert Prisco Albert Prisco (January 28, 1890 – ?) was an American actor born in Naples, Italy. He appeared in 28 film ...

'' (1925) * '' The Bandit's Baby'' (1925) * '' The Wild Bull's Lair'' (1925) * '' Ridin' the Wind'' (1925) * '' All Around Frying Pan'' (1925) * '' The Tough Guy'' (1926) * '' Hands Across the Border'' (1926) * '' The Two-Gun Man'' (1926) * '' Lone Hand Saunders'' (1926) * '' A Regular Scout'' (1926) * '' Don Mike'' (1927) * '' Silver Comes Through'' (1927) * '' Arizona Nights'' (1927) * ''

Jesse James Jesse Woodson James (September 5, 1847April 3, 1882) was an American outlaw, Bank robbery, bank and Train robbery, train robber, guerrilla and leader of the James–Younger Gang. Raised in the "Little Dixie (Missouri), Little Dixie" area of M ...

'' (1927) * '' The Pioneer Scout'' (1928) * '' The Sunset Legion'' (1928) * ''

Kit Carson Christopher Houston Carson (December 24, 1809 – May 23, 1868) was an American frontiersman, fur trapper, wilderness guide, Indian agent and United States Army, U.S. Army officer. He became an American frontier legend in his own lifetime ...

'' (1928)

Notes

References

* * * *

External links

*
Fred Thomson at SilentEra
* * Fred Thomson "Vanity Fair" article at http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2002/04/joekennedy200204
Fred Thomson
at Virtual History {{DEFAULTSORT:Thomson, Fred 1890 births 1928 deaths 20th-century American male actors Male actors from Pasadena, California United States Army officers American male silent film actors Infectious disease deaths in California Deaths from tetanus Princeton Theological Seminary alumni United States Army personnel of World War I Military personnel from California Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale) United States Army chaplains World War I chaplains American male track and field athletes 20th-century American clergy 20th-century American sportsmen