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.^[5][6] In 1910, Freuler formed a partnership with Chicago film distributor Samuel S. Hutchinson, establishing the American Film Manufacturing Company.^[7] In 1912 he helped organize the Mutual Film Corporation.^[5]

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)