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Joseph Farnham

Joseph Farnham

Writer and editor · Died June 2, 1931, aged 46 · New Haven, Connecticut, USA

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Joseph White Farnham (December 2, 1884 – June 2, 1931) was an American playwright and a film writer and film editor of the silent movie era to the early 1930s. He was also a founding member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Born in Connecticut in 1884,Farnham got his start in film through his business relationship with theatre empresarios Gustave and Daniel Frohman who owned The Frohman Amusement Corp. The Big Parade is probably the most famous of his works adapted to film. In the 1st Academy Awards of 1929, nominees could be considered for an Oscar for an award on the basis of multiple films within the year. Joseph won his Best Writing - Title Cards award for the films Fair Co-Ed; Laugh, Clown, Laugh; and Telling the World. This was the only year that an Oscar for title cards would be awarded. Joseph Farnham was the very first Academy Award-winner to die. He died in 1931 of a heart attack while living in Los Angeles, California and was interred in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
December 2, 1884
Died
June 2, 1931 (aged 46)
From
New Haven, Connecticut, USA
Works as
Writer and editor
Titles
22 on MovieCove · 55 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Down 21% in 30 days

What are Joseph Farnham's films like?

Across their 22 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.

Genres

Drama9 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 85th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Comedy7 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 80th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy movies
Crime4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 66th percentile
: browse their Crime movies
Action2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 66th percentile
: browse their Action movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
38%
Self
20%
Morality
19%
Power
9%
Survival
8%
Society
7%
Romantic love11 titles, browse their movies with this themeAmbition5 titles, browse their movies with this themeLoyalty4 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds3 titles, browse their movies with this themeFame2 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception3 titles, browse their movies with this themeObsession2 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 22 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 8 · Serious 4 · Dark 10

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 11 · Stylized 10 · Heightened 1

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 7 · Charged 10 · Intense 5

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 8 · Shifting 11 · Whiplash 3

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 13 · Some laughs 8 · Funny 1

Slow burn: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their slow burn movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 13 · Even-paced 9 · Relentless 0

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 12 · Engaged 10 · Full focus 0

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 9 · Affecting 6 · Heavy 7

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 20 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
15
Romantic
11
Melancholic
9
Warm
6
Dread
5
Other
16

How their films linger

Bittersweet11 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 1 with a twist

  • Happy7
  • Bittersweet7
  • Tragic6
  • Ambiguous2

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Joseph Farnham's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 9 of their 22 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (9).

Subscription and free streaming for Joseph Farnham's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

55 credits, 22 with a MovieCove page.

  • War Nurse(1930)

    Dialogue

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

  • The Big House (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1930)

    ADR Coordinator

  • Love in the Rough (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1930)

    Dialogue

  • Good News (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1930)

    Dialogue

  • Way Out West(1930)

    Dialogue

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • The Big House(1930)

    Additional Dialogue · Writer

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • Montana Moon(1930)

    Dialogue

    Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all films

  • Manhattan Serenade (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1929)

    Dialogue

  • The Hollywood Revue of 1929(1929)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 43rd percentile of all films

  • Where East Is East(1929)

    Title Graphics · Writer

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • The Voice of the City(1929)

    Title Graphics · Writer

    Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films

  • Tide of Empire (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1929)

    Title Graphics

  • The Bellamy Trial (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1929)

    Scenario Writer · Title Graphics

  • So This Is College(1929)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films

  • Speedway(1929)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

  • Alias Jimmy Valentine (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1928)

    Title Graphics

  • The Cameraman(1928)

    Title Graphics · Writer

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

  • Across to Singapore(1928)

    Title Graphics · Writer

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • The Trail of '98(1928)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • The Crowd(1928)

    Title Graphics · Writer

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • West Point (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1928)

    Writer

  • West of Zanzibar(1928)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • London After Midnight (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1927)

    Title Graphics

  • Twelve Miles Out (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1927)

    Title Designer

  • The Unknown(1927)

    Title Graphics · Writer

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • The Red Mill(1927)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • The Waning Sex (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1926)

    Writer

  • The Auction Block (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1926)

    Title Illustration

  • The Road to Mandalay (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1926)

    Title Designer · Title Graphics

  • Brown of Harvard (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1926)

    Title Graphics

  • Beverly of Graustark (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1926)

    Writer

  • Exit Smiling(1926)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Tell It to the Marines(1926)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • The Blackbird(1926)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • His Secretary (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1925)

    Writer

  • The Big Parade(1925)

    Theatre Play

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • Pretty Ladies (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1925)

    Writer

  • Soul Mates (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1925)

    Writer

  • Proud Flesh (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1925)

    Dialogue

  • Stop Flirting (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1925)

    Screenplay

  • Charley's Aunt (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1925)

    Title Illustration

  • Sally, Irene and Mary(1925)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 28th percentile of all films

  • Greed(1924)

    Editor · Title Graphics · Writer

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • Reckless Romance (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1924)

    Writer

  • American Manners (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1924)

    Writer

  • A Bride for a Knight (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1923)

    Title Designer

  • The Man from M.A.R.S. (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1922)

    Title Graphics

  • Finger Prints (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1922)

    Editor · Writer

  • The Country Flapper (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1922)

    Writer

  • Heedless Moths (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1921)

    Editor

  • Bachelor Apartments (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1921)

    Editor

  • Diane of Star Hollow (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1921)

    Scenario Writer

  • The Little 'Fraid Lady (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1920)

    Scenario Writer

  • The Wonder Man (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1920)

    Writer

  • Bullin' the Bullsheviki (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1919)

    Title Designer

Career shape

A full career of 47 titles from 1919 to 1930.

Biggest box office

The Hollywood Revue of 1929 (1929)

$5.3M worldwide

Highest rated

The Cameraman (1928)

Midcredits 98th

By role

only this rolewith another role
Writing26 of 47: 23 only writing, 3 with another role · typical Midcredits score58thEditing4 of 47: 2 only editing, 2 with another roleOther crew21 of 47: 18 only other crew, 3 with another role · typical Midcredits score88th

47 titles, 4 with more than one role — writing and other crew overlap on 2 of them.

By decade

1910s1 · crew1920s39 · crew1930s7 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do Joseph Farnham's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 72nd percentile, the median of all 22; across their 22 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 69th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

69thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 22

Approval · how many liked their films

78thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 22

Reach · how many have seen their films

36thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 22

Midcredits score across 22 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up10
  • 50th to 74th6
  • 25th to 49th4
  • Below 25th2

Shape of the crowd

9 of their 22 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved4
  • Divisive1
  • Cult Classic2
  • Crowd Pleaser9
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed5

Most divisive · writer

Sally, Irene and Mary (1925)

92nd percentile spread · 56% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · writer

The Cameraman (1928)

Midcredits 98th · 88% liked

Reviewers score the dialogue 45/100 and the plot and story 49/100 in their films, across 22 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Who does Joseph Farnham work with?

People who share at least 2 of Joseph Farnham's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Irving Thalberg shares the most, 9.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers