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Frank Borzage

March 04, 2023

Frank Borzage (/bɔːrˈzeɪɡi/;[1] April 23, 1894[2] – June 19, 1962) was an Academy Award-winning American film director and actor, known for directing 7th Heaven (1927), Street Angel (1928), Bad Girl (1931), A Farewell to Arms (1932), Man's Castle (1933), History Is Made at Night (1937), The Mortal Storm (1940) and Moonrise (1948).

Frank Borzage
Born(1894-04-23)April 23, 1894
Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.
DiedJune 19, 1962(1962-06-19) (aged 68)
Hollywood, California, U.S.
Occupation(s)Film director, actor
Spouse
Rena Rogers
​
​
(m. 1916; div. 1941)​
Edna Stillwell Skelton
​
​
(m. 1945; div. 1949)​
Juanita Scott (m.1953)

Biography

Borzage's father, Luigi Borzaga, was born in Ronzone (then Austrian Empire, now Italy) in 1859. As a stonemason, he sometimes worked in Switzerland; he met his future wife, Maria Ruegg (1860, Ricken [de], Switzerland – 1947, Los Angeles), where she worked in a silk factory. Borzaga emigrated to Hazleton, Pennsylvania]in the early 1880s, where he worked as a coal miner. He brought his fiancée to the United States, and they married in Hazleton in 1883.

Their first child, Henry, was born in 1885. The Borzaga family moved to Salt Lake City, Utah, where Frank Borzage was born in 1894, and the family remained there until 1919. The couple had 14 children, eight of whom survived childhood: Henry (1885–1971), Mary Emma (1886–1906), Bill (1892–1973), Frank, Daniel (1896–1975, a performer and member of the John Ford Stock Company), Lew (1898–1974), Dolly (1901–2002) and Sue (1905–1998). Luigi Borzaga died in Los Angeles in a car accident in 1934; his wife Maria (Frank's mother) died of cancer in 1947.

Career

In 1912, Frank Borzage found employment as an actor in Hollywood; he continued to work as an actor until 1917. His directorial debut came in 1915 with the film The Pitch o' Chance.

Borzage was a successful director throughout the 1920s; he reached his peak in the late silent and early sound era. Absorbing visual influences from the German director F.W. Murnau, who was also resident at Fox at this time, he developed his own style of lushly visual romanticism in a hugely successful series of films starring Janet Gaynor and Charles Farrell, including 7th Heaven (1927), for which he won the first Academy Award for Best Director,[3] Street Angel (1928) and Lucky Star (1929). He won a second Oscar for 1931's Bad Girl.

He directed 14 films from 1917 to 1919 alone; his greatest success in the silent era was with Humoresque (1920), a box-office winner starring Vera Gordon.[4][5]

Borzage's trademark was intense identification with the feelings of young lovers in the face of adversity, with love in his films triumphing over such trials as World War I (7th Heaven and A Farewell to Arms), disability (Lucky Star), the Depression (Man's Castle), a thinly disguised version of the Titanic disaster in History Is Made at Night, and the rise of Nazism, a theme which Borzage had virtually to himself among Hollywood filmmakers, including Little Man, What Now? (1933), Three Comrades (1938), and The Mortal Storm (1940).

His work took a spiritual turn in films such as Green Light (1937), Strange Cargo (1940) and The Big Fisherman (1959). Of his later work, only Moonrise (1948) has enjoyed much critical acclaim.

After 1948, his output was sporadic.

In 1955 and 1957, Borzage was awarded The George Eastman Award, given by George Eastman House for distinguished contribution to the art of film.[6] For his contributions to the film industry, Borzage received a motion pictures star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960. The star is located at 6300 Hollywood Boulevard.[7]

He was the original director of Journey Beneath the Desert (1961), but was too unwell to continue, and Edgar G. Ulmer took over.[8] Borzage was uncredited for the sequences he did direct.

While hospitalized in February 1962, he received the D. W. Griffith Award.[9]

He was an officer and board member of the Directors Guild of America.[10]

Personal life

On June 7, 1916, Borzage married vaudeville and film actress Lorena "Rena" Rogers in Los Angeles and remained married until 1941. In 1945, he married Edna Stillwell Skelton, the ex-wife of comedian Red Skelton; they were divorced in 1949.[11][12] His marriage to Juanita Scott in 1953 lasted till his death nine years later.[10]

He was a keen sportsman, with a 3-goal polo handicap and a two handicap in golf, and a yachtsman.[10]

Borzage died of cancer in 1962, aged 68, and he was interred in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California.[citation needed]

Filmography

Director

Actor

In popular culture

Borzage briefly appears as a character in Horace McCoy's 1935 novel They Shoot Horses, Don't They?, when he attends its dance marathon setting as a spectator. The narrator, Robert Syverten, notices Borzage in the crowd and has a brief conversation with him, expressing his admiration of No Greater Glory and sharing his own ambition to become a film director.

References

  1. ^ Borzage told The Literary Digest his name was pronounced "in three syllables, and g in get, bor-zay'gee." (Charles Earle Funk, What's the Name, Please?, Funk & Wagnalls, 1936.)
  2. ^ To gain a professional advantage, Borzage subtracted a year from his date of birth while still a teenager; many sources, including IMDb, thus give 1893 as his birthdate; Dumont, p. 32.
  3. ^ Donald W. McCaffrey (1 January 1999). "FILMS AND FILMMAKERS". In Christopher P. Jacobs (ed.). Guide to the Silent Years of American Cinema. Greenwood Publishing Group. pp. 45–46. ISBN 9780313303456. Retrieved 14 May 2014.
  4. ^ "Vera Gordon | Jewish Women's Archive". jwa.org. Retrieved 2017-04-24.
  5. ^ "Frank Borzage - Hollywood Star Walk - Los Angeles Times". projects.latimes.com. Retrieved 2017-04-24.
  6. ^ . Archived from the original on 2012-04-15. Retrieved 2012-04-15.
  7. ^ "Hollywood Walk of Fame - Frank Borzage". walkoffame.com. Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. Retrieved November 29, 2017.
  8. ^ Herzogenrath, Bernd (2009). The Films of Edgar G. Ulmer. Scarecrow Press. p. 282. ISBN 978-0810867000.
  9. ^ "Wise, Robbins Wins DG Award; Posthumous Kovacs Kudos; Griffith Laurel To Borzage". Daily Variety. February 12, 1962. p. 1.
  10. ^ a b c "Obituaries". Daily Variety. June 20, 1962. p. 19.
  11. ^ "Skelton's Ex-Wife Married to Director". The Pittsburgh Press. 26 November 1945. Retrieved 19 May 2011.
  12. ^ "Home of Skelton's Ex-Wife is Robbed of $10,000 Loot". St. Joseph News-Press. 4 February 1950. Retrieved 25 May 2011.

Further reading

  • Dumont, Hervé. Frank Borzage: the Life and Times of a Hollywood Romantic. McFarland, 2006.
  • Lamster, Frederick. "Souls Made Great Through Love and Adversity": the Film Work of Frank Borzage. Scarecrow, 1981.

External links

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Frank Borzage.
 
Wikisource has original works by or about:
Frank Borzage
  • Frank Borzage at IMDb
  • Frank Borzage at AllMovie
  • Senses of Cinema: Great Directors Critical Database
  • They Shoot Pictures, Don't They?
  • A Farewell to Arms (1932) – This Borzage-directed adaptation of Ernest Hemingway's novel has fallen into the public domain and is available online through the Internet Archive.
  • Frank Borzage and the Classic Hollywood Style
  • Frank Borzage at Find a Grave
  • Frank Borzage at Virtual History

March 04, 2023
frank, borzage, this, article, includes, list, general, references, lacks, sufficient, corresponding, inline, citations, please, help, improve, this, article, introducing, more, precise, citations, january, 2010, learn, when, remove, this, template, message, ɔ. This article includes a list of general references but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations January 2010 Learn how and when to remove this template message Frank Borzage b ɔːr ˈ z eɪ ɡ i 1 April 23 1894 2 June 19 1962 was an Academy Award winning American film director and actor known for directing 7th Heaven 1927 Street Angel 1928 Bad Girl 1931 A Farewell to Arms 1932 Man s Castle 1933 History Is Made at Night 1937 The Mortal Storm 1940 and Moonrise 1948 Frank BorzagePhotoplay Magazine 1920Born 1894 04 23 April 23 1894Salt Lake City Utah U S DiedJune 19 1962 1962 06 19 aged 68 Hollywood California U S Occupation s Film director actorSpouseRena Rogers m 1916 div 1941 wbr Edna Stillwell Skelton m 1945 div 1949 wbr Juanita Scott m 1953 Contents 1 Biography 1 1 Career 1 2 Personal life 2 Filmography 2 1 Director 2 2 Actor 3 In popular culture 4 References 5 Further reading 6 External linksBiography EditBorzage s father Luigi Borzaga was born in Ronzone then Austrian Empire now Italy in 1859 As a stonemason he sometimes worked in Switzerland he met his future wife Maria Ruegg 1860 Ricken de Switzerland 1947 Los Angeles where she worked in a silk factory Borzaga emigrated to Hazleton Pennsylvania in the early 1880s where he worked as a coal miner He brought his fiancee to the United States and they married in Hazleton in 1883 Their first child Henry was born in 1885 The Borzaga family moved to Salt Lake City Utah where Frank Borzage was born in 1894 and the family remained there until 1919 The couple had 14 children eight of whom survived childhood Henry 1885 1971 Mary Emma 1886 1906 Bill 1892 1973 Frank Daniel 1896 1975 a performer and member of the John Ford Stock Company Lew 1898 1974 Dolly 1901 2002 and Sue 1905 1998 Luigi Borzaga died in Los Angeles in a car accident in 1934 his wife Maria Frank s mother died of cancer in 1947 Career Edit In 1912 Frank Borzage found employment as an actor in Hollywood he continued to work as an actor until 1917 His directorial debut came in 1915 with the film The Pitch o Chance Borzage was a successful director throughout the 1920s he reached his peak in the late silent and early sound era Absorbing visual influences from the German director F W Murnau who was also resident at Fox at this time he developed his own style of lushly visual romanticism in a hugely successful series of films starring Janet Gaynor and Charles Farrell including 7th Heaven 1927 for which he won the first Academy Award for Best Director 3 Street Angel 1928 and Lucky Star 1929 He won a second Oscar for 1931 s Bad Girl He directed 14 films from 1917 to 1919 alone his greatest success in the silent era was with Humoresque 1920 a box office winner starring Vera Gordon 4 5 Borzage s trademark was intense identification with the feelings of young lovers in the face of adversity with love in his films triumphing over such trials as World War I 7th Heaven and A Farewell to Arms disability Lucky Star the Depression Man s Castle a thinly disguised version of the Titanic disaster in History Is Made at Night and the rise of Nazism a theme which Borzage had virtually to himself among Hollywood filmmakers including Little Man What Now 1933 Three Comrades 1938 and The Mortal Storm 1940 His work took a spiritual turn in films such as Green Light 1937 Strange Cargo 1940 and The Big Fisherman 1959 Of his later work only Moonrise 1948 has enjoyed much critical acclaim After 1948 his output was sporadic In 1955 and 1957 Borzage was awarded The George Eastman Award given by George Eastman House for distinguished contribution to the art of film 6 For his contributions to the film industry Borzage received a motion pictures star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960 The star is located at 6300 Hollywood Boulevard 7 He was the original director of Journey Beneath the Desert 1961 but was too unwell to continue and Edgar G Ulmer took over 8 Borzage was uncredited for the sequences he did direct While hospitalized in February 1962 he received the D W Griffith Award 9 He was an officer and board member of the Directors Guild of America 10 Personal life Edit On June 7 1916 Borzage married vaudeville and film actress Lorena Rena Rogers in Los Angeles and remained married until 1941 In 1945 he married Edna Stillwell Skelton the ex wife of comedian Red Skelton they were divorced in 1949 11 12 His marriage to Juanita Scott in 1953 lasted till his death nine years later 10 He was a keen sportsman with a 3 goal polo handicap and a two handicap in golf and a yachtsman 10 Borzage died of cancer in 1962 aged 68 and he was interred in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale California citation needed Filmography EditDirector Edit The Battle of Gettysburg 1913 Granddad 1913 The Mystery of Yellow Aster Mine 1913 The Gratitude of Wanda 1913 The Geisha 1914 Samson 1914 The Wrath of the Gods 1914 The Typhoon 1914 Knight of the Trail 1915 The Pitch o Chance 1915 The Pride and the Man 1916 Dollars of Dross 1916 Life s Harmony 1916 The Silken Spider 1916 The Code of Honor 1916 Two Bits 1916 A Flickering Light 1916 Unlucky Luke 1916 Jack 1916 The Pilgrim 1916 The Demon of Fear 1916 The Quicksands of Deceit 1916 Nugget Jim s Pardner 1916 That Gal of Burke s 1916 The Courtin of Calliope Clew 1916 Nell Dale s Men Folks 1916 The Forgotten Prayer 1916 Matchin Jim 1916 Land o Lizards 1916 Immediate Lee 1916 Flying Colors 1917 Until They Get Me 1917 A Mormon Maid 1917 Wee Lady Betty 1917 The Gun Woman 1918 The Curse of Iku 1918 The Shoes That Danced 1918 Innocent s Progress 1918 Society for Sale 1918 An Honest Man 1918 Who Is to Blame 1918 The Ghost Flower 1918 The Atom 1918 Toton the Apache 1919 Whom the Gods Would Destroy 1919 Prudence on Broadway 1919 Humoresque 1920 Get Rich Quick Wallingford 1921 The Duke of Chimney Butte 1921 Back Pay 1922 Billy Jim 1922 The Good Provider 1922 The Valley of Silent Men 1922 The Pride of Palomar 1922 The Nth Commandment 1923 Children of Dust 1923 The Age of Desire 1923 Secrets 1924 The Lady 1925 Daddy s Gone A Hunting 1925 The Circle 1925 Lazybones 1925 Wages for Wives 1925 The First Year 1926 The Dixie Merchant 1926 Early to Wed 1926 Marriage License 1926 7th Heaven 1927 Street Angel 1928 Lucky Star 1929 They Had to See Paris 1929 The River 1929 Song o My Heart 1930 Liliom 1930 Doctors Wives 1931 Young as You Feel 1931 Bad Girl 1931 After Tomorrow 1932 Young America 1932 A Farewell to Arms 1932 Secrets 1933 Man s Castle 1933 No Greater Glory 1934 Little Man What Now 1934 Flirtation Walk 1934 Living on Velvet 1935 Stranded 1935 Shipmates Forever 1935 Desire 1936 Hearts Divided 1936 Green Light 1937 History Is Made at Night 1937 Big City 1937 Mannequin 1937 Three Comrades 1938 The Shining Hour 1938 Disputed Passage 1939 I Take This Woman 1940 Strange Cargo 1940 The Mortal Storm 1940 Flight Command 1940 Billy the Kid 1941 Smilin Through 1941 The Vanishing Virginian 1942 Seven Sweethearts 1942 Stage Door Canteen 1943 His Butler s Sister 1943 Till We Meet Again 1944 The Spanish Main 1945 I ve Always Loved You 1946 Magnificent Doll 1946 That s My Man 1947 Moonrise 1948 China Doll 1958 The Big Fisherman 1959 Journey Beneath the Desert 1961 Actor Edit The Battle of Gettysburg 1913 minor role uncredited The Gratitude of Wanda 1913 short Samson 1914 Bearded Philistine uncredited The Wrath of the Gods 1914 Tom Wilson The Typhoon 1914 Renard Bernisky The Cup of Life 1915 Dick Ralston Intolerance 1916 minor role uncredited Land o Lizards 1916 The Stranger Immediate Lee 1916 Immediate Lee The Pride and the Man 1916 A School for Husbands 1917 Hugh Aslam A Mormon Maid 1917 Tom Rigdon Wee Lady Betty 1917 Roger O Reilly Flying Colors 1917 uncredited Fear Not 1917 Franklin Shirley The Gun Woman 1918 Townsman uncredited The Curse of Iku 1918 Allan Carroll Allan Carroll III The Atom 1918 Jeanne Eagels 1957 as himself uncreditedIn popular culture EditThis section does not cite any sources Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed June 2022 Learn how and when to remove this template message Borzage briefly appears as a character in Horace McCoy s 1935 novel They Shoot Horses Don t They when he attends its dance marathon setting as a spectator The narrator Robert Syverten notices Borzage in the crowd and has a brief conversation with him expressing his admiration of No Greater Glory and sharing his own ambition to become a film director References Edit Borzage told The Literary Digest his name was pronounced in three syllables and g in get bor zay gee Charles Earle Funk What s the Name Please Funk amp Wagnalls 1936 To gain a professional advantage Borzage subtracted a year from his date of birth while still a teenager many sources including IMDb thus give 1893 as his birthdate Dumont p 32 Donald W McCaffrey 1 January 1999 FILMS AND FILMMAKERS In Christopher P Jacobs ed Guide to the Silent Years of American Cinema Greenwood Publishing Group pp 45 46 ISBN 9780313303456 Retrieved 14 May 2014 Vera Gordon Jewish Women s Archive jwa org Retrieved 2017 04 24 Frank Borzage Hollywood Star Walk Los Angeles Times projects latimes com Retrieved 2017 04 24 Eastman House award recipients George Eastman House Archived from the original on 2012 04 15 Retrieved 2012 04 15 Hollywood Walk of Fame Frank Borzage walkoffame com Hollywood Chamber of Commerce Retrieved November 29 2017 Herzogenrath Bernd 2009 The Films of Edgar G Ulmer Scarecrow Press p 282 ISBN 978 0810867000 Wise Robbins Wins DG Award Posthumous Kovacs Kudos Griffith Laurel To Borzage Daily Variety February 12 1962 p 1 a b c Obituaries Daily Variety June 20 1962 p 19 Skelton s Ex Wife Married to Director The Pittsburgh Press 26 November 1945 Retrieved 19 May 2011 Home of Skelton s Ex Wife is Robbed of 10 000 Loot St Joseph News Press 4 February 1950 Retrieved 25 May 2011 Further reading EditDumont Herve Frank Borzage the Life and Times of a Hollywood Romantic McFarland 2006 Lamster Frederick Souls Made Great Through Love and Adversity the Film Work of Frank Borzage Scarecrow 1981 External links Edit Biography portal Wikimedia Commons has media related to Frank Borzage Wikisource has original works by or about Frank Borzage Frank Borzage at IMDb Frank Borzage at AllMovie Senses of Cinema Great Directors Critical Database They Shoot Pictures Don t They A Farewell to Arms 1932 This Borzage directed adaptation of Ernest Hemingway s novel has fallen into the public domain and is available online through the Internet Archive Frank Borzage and the Classic Hollywood Style Frank Borzage at Find a Grave Frank Borzage at Virtual History Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Frank Borzage amp oldid 1139109201, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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