John R. Freuler
John Rudolph Freuler (November 17, 1872 – 1958) was an American businessman in the film industry who owned theaters, film exchanges, and film studios.[1][2][3] He signed Charlie Chaplin to a lucrative contract at Mutual Film. Later in his career he owned Monarch Films studio. The Chicago History Museum has a collection of his papers.[4]
Biography
Freuler was born in Monroe, Wisconsin and schooled in Milwaukee. His father had emigrated from Switzerland. Freuler studied at Spencerian Business College.[5]
Early in his career he worked in the real estate business. He opened a theater in 1905 and after he sold it, he opened a film exchange.
Freuler and Harry Aitken, who worked together on film projects, had both grown up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.[8]
He was photographed with Charlie Chaplin and his brother Sydney Chaplin signing the Mutual Film contract. In the 1930s he established Freuler Film Associates, a film production company that produced westerns starring Tom Tyler.[9]
Freuler Associates set up a Monarch Melodramas division to release action films.[10]
Personal life
He married Augusta J."Jessie" Golz and had two daughters. His brother-in-law, Otto E. Golz (1876-1917), was the Milwaukee, Wisconsin branch manager of Mutual Film. (Motion Picture News Vol 16, page 3652).
Filmography
- Beyond the Rio Grande (1930), presenter[11]
- Take the Heir (1930)
Freuler Film Associates
- The Fighting Gentleman (1932)
- The Savage Girl (1932)
- The Forty-Niners (1932)
- The Gambling Sex (1932)
- Deadwood Pass (1933)
- War of the Range (1933)
- Kiss of Araby (1933)
- Marriage on Approval (1933)
- When a Man Rides Alone (1933)
- The Penal Code (1932)
- Easy Millions (1933)
- Secrets of Hollywood (1933)
- Love Past Thirty (1934)
Monarch Film Corporation melodramas
- The Fighting Gentleman (1932)
- The Gambling Sex (1932)
- The Savage Girl (1932)
- The Forty-Niners (1932 film) (1932)
- The Penal Code (1932)
- Kiss of Araby (1933)
- Deadwood Pass (1933)
- War of the Range (1933)
- Marriage on Approval (1933)
- When a Man Rides Alone (1933)
- Easy Millions (1933)
- Love Past Thirty (1934)
- Twenty Dollars a Week (1935 film)(1935)
References
- ^ "The Magazine of Business". A. W. Shaw Company Division of the McGraw Hill Publishing Company. May 1, 1918 – via Google Books.
- ^ "Motography". May 1, 1918 – via Google Books.
- ^ "FREULER, John R." www.thanhouser.org.
- ^ "John R. Freuler papers". chsmedia.org.
- ^ a b c Bruce, William George (May 1, 1922). "History of Milwaukee, City and County". S. J. Clarke Publishing Company – via Google Books.
- ISBN 9781136247378– via Google Books.
- ^ "Silent Era : Progressive Silent Film List". Silentera.com. Archived from the original on 6 November 2019. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
- ISBN 9780870203688– via Google Books.
- ISBN 9780786423194– via Google Books.
- ^ [1] page 174
- ^ "John R. Freuler". BFI. Archived from the original on February 2, 2021.