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CONTENTS

 * 1 Early Life and Acting career
 * 2 Scenario Executive career
 * 3 Themes in work
 * 4 Death
 * 5 Personal life
 * 6 Quotes
 * 7 Filmography
 * 8 Notes and references
   * 8.1 Notes
 * 9 References
 * 10 Bibliography
   * 10.1 References
 * 11 See also
 * 12 External links

in: Pages with reference errors, Screenwriters, 1887 births


JUNE MATHIS

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June Mathis born June Beulah Hughes (January 30, 1887[1] [2], Leadville,
Colorado USA - July 26, 1927, New York City, USA), was one of the most
influential screenwriters and highest paid Hollywood executives in the 1920s.[2]
She was one of the first 'director/writer' combos.[3] The American Film
Institute catalogue credits her with 113 films in a 12 year career; among them
Camille, The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, and Blood and Sand. She was the
first female executive for Metro/MGM and in 1926 was voted the 3rd most
influential woman in all of Hollywood; behind only Mary Pickford and Norma
Talmadge.[4]


CONTENTS

 * 1 Early Life and Acting career
 * 2 Scenario Executive career
 * 3 Themes in work
 * 4 Death
 * 5 Personal life
 * 6 Quotes
 * 7 Filmography
 * 8 Notes and references
   * 8.1 Notes
 * 9 References
 * 10 Bibliography
   * 10.1 References
 * 11 See also
 * 12 External links

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EARLY LIFE AND ACTING CAREER[]

Mathis was the only child born to Virginia Ruth and Dr. Philip Huges. She came
from 9 generations of doctors, lawyers, and college professors, and her great
uncle was the dean of one of the oldest colleges in England. Her parents later
divorced when she was 7 and at some point her mother married William D. Mathis
who was a widower with 3 children. Eventually June took her stepfather's name.

She was educated in Salt Lake City and San Francisco. Her first stage experience
came very young while in San Francisco, dancing and doing imitations in
vaudeville. Later she performed with Ezra Kendall in "The Vinegar Buyer".[3]

Mathis adopted her stepfather's surname for the stage. She appeared in several
Broadway shows and eventually toured for four seasons with the female
impersonator Julian Eltinge in the widely popular show The Fascinating Widow.
Overall she performed in theatre for 13 years.[3]

She took a writing course in New York and eventually won a screen writing
contest. Her screenwriting career began in earnest when she produced her first
script, House of Tears, which was directed by Edwin Carewe in 1915. This film
led to a contract in 1918 with Metro studios, which would eventually become
MGM.[3]

Mathis viewed scenarios as a way to make movies more of an art form. She was one
of the first screenwriters to include details such as stage directions and
physical settings in her work. Much of the style of standard screen writing can
be attributed to her. She was also one of the first writer/director combos..[3]

By 1919 Mathis and her mother moved to Hollywood. Within a year she had advanced
to the head of Metro's scenario department. She was one of the first heads of a
film department and the only female executive at Metro.[3]


SCENARIO EXECUTIVE CAREER[]

As Mathis held her position at Metro she was arguably one of the most powerful
women in Hollywood (sometimes said to be as powerful as Mary Pickford), with
influence over casting, choice of director and many other aspects of production.

Mathis is probably best known for discovering Rudolph Valentino after seeing him
in a bit part in The Eyes of Youth. In 1921 she cast him in The Four Horsemen of
the Apocalypse. Mathis had to exert considerable pull to cast Valentino, as
studio heads resisted hiring the unknown actor for a lead role.[3] However,
Mathis's insistence paid off and the movie was a success, launching Valentino
into stardom. For the same movie she also had hired Rex Ingram as director.
Valentino did not get along with Ingram or Metro leading to him switching to
Famous Players-Lasky.

After seven years at Metro Famous Players-Lasky (later known as Paramount
Pictures) was able to lure June away with the promise that she could continue to
write for her protégé Valentino. When Valentino moved to Goldwyn Pictures she
did as well, this time gaining sovereign control.

Attempting to film Ben Hur the studio was sure it would be a disaster and blamed
Mathis. Mathis in turn blamed the director, Fred Niblo, and disowned the film
shortly before the studio withdrew her while she was still on location in Italy.
Mathis has also been blamed for the editing of Erich von Stroheim's masterpiece
Greed from 10 hours to 2 and a half. In reality she was instructed by Metro to
cut the film and left a memo about the matter to a regular editor, Joseph W.
Farnham.[2] Her name was listed in the credits contractually when she had
nothing to do with the film or the actual editing.[2] In fact Mathis had worked
with Stroheim before and had been fond of his themes. Thus it would be even more
unlikely she would butcher his film herself.[4]

After the issues with 'Greed' and 'Ben-Hur' Mathis returned from Italy and
signed with First National. She scripted several successful Colleen Moore
pictures including "Sally", "The Desert Flower", and "Irene".

After 2 years she left First National over limitations and signed with United
Artists. She made one picture for them before her death "The Masked Woman" which
her then husband Sylvano Balboni.

During her 12 year career in Hollywood, Mathis wrote scripts for over 112 films.
She was regarded as one of the best screenwriters of her time and was highly
sought after. At the age of 35 she became the highest paid executive in all of
Hollywood. In 1926 she was voted the third most influential woman in Hollywood.
[4]

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THEMES IN WORK[]

Mathis' spiritual beliefs often were found in her scripts. Several of her
scripts had mystical bents or redeeming themes to them such as The Young Rajah.
[3]


Having grown up around theatre performers as well as working with Eltinge Mathis
had a tolerant view of alternative lifestyles. The Four Horsemen of the
Apocalypse had a scene with an apparent lesbian couple in the background. It
also features a scene with German officers coming down the stairs in drag.
Mathis told the Los Angeles Times of the scene, "I had the German officers
coming down the stairs with women's clothing on. To hundreds of people that
meant no more than a masquerade party. To those who have lived and read, and who
understand life, that scene stood out as one of the most terrific things in the
picture."[4]

At a time when Douglas Fairbanks was the epitome of manhood Mathis wrote scripts
that featured more realistic themes and featured a more sensitive leading man
with Valentino. [4]Fairbank's did not like doing love scenes and his movies
tended to be of a boyish nature. With his movies a man was out in the wild
discovering himself and saving the day. With Mathis' scripts such as Blood and
Sand she brought out a more realistic male portrayal with her main character
being conflicted over providing for his family, and possibly losing his life.
Many of her scripts focused on a maturing male. [4] In addition to her other
themes 'The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse' was one of the first movie with an
anti-war theme. [4]


DEATH[]

On July 27th, 1927, Mathis suffered a fatal heart attack during the third act of
the Broadway show The Squall with her grandmother. [5] Her last words were
reportedly Oh Mother I'm dying! which has led to confusion over who she was with
at the time of her death. However her mother had passed a few years prior.
Mathis was 40. [5]

Mathis was returned to California, where she was interred in a crypt adjacent to
that of her friend Valentino under the name June Mathis Balboni. Her mother and
stepfather are buried below her.


PERSONAL LIFE[]

Mathis was known as a short woman with untamed brown hair and a love of Parisian
fashion. She had a famous temper and an unbending will. She was driven and would
do all she could if she was convinced she was right..[3] Mathis was a
spiritualist with mystical bents. Her scripts featured many heroes with a Christ
like demeanor. She believed in reincarnation and always wore an opal ring when
she wrote, convinced it brought her ideas. She had been a sickly child and
believed she healed herself through her sheer force of will. She believed
everything was mental and everyone had certain vibrations stating, '"If you are
vibrating on the right plane, you will inevitably come in contact with the
others who can help you. It's like tuning in on your radio. If you get the right
wave-length, you have your station."'[3]

Mathis and Rudolph Valentino remained fast friends after Four Horsemen. While
their relationship was never believed to be romantic in nature, there is
evidence from both sides that the two enjoyed a very strong and loving platonic
friendship. Accounts state that Valentino regarded Mathis in a motherly way,
calling her 'Little Mother,' and that she thought of him as a son (despite only
being 8 years older). Nita Naldi, who worked with the pair on Blood and Sand,
said of them, She mothered Rudy, and my dear she worshiped him and he worshiped
her".[3]

Mathis looked after Valentino's welfare at Metro, making sure he got the best
parts and was taken care of. She also bailed him out of jail when he was
arrested for bigamy when he married Natacha Rambova without finalizing his
divorce to Jean Acker. Though the two were inseparable, their relationship
became strained during Valentino's marriage to Rambova. When Mathis submitted a
script for The Hooded Falcon, one of Valentino's pet projects, the couple deemed
it unacceptable and asked to have rewritten. Mathis took it as a great insult
and broke off all contact with Valentino.[3]

After Valentino's marriage with Rambova ended in 1925, the two friends
reconciled at the premiere of Son of the Sheik when Valentino spotted Mathis
with friends. It was said to be a tearful reunion and the pair began to act as
if old times.[5]As Valentino began to feel ill in 1926 she was by his side and
encouraged him to slow down and take some rest. True to her belief in the
supernatural, Mathis reported seeing an apparition of Valentino in her living
room the night he died.[3]

When Valentino unexpectedly died in August 1926 Mathis was said to offer the
most touching quote by saying "My long association with Rudolph Valentino
endeared him to me, as he has become endeared to everyone who knew him, my heart
is too full of sorrow at this moment to enable me to speak coherently. I only
know that his passing has left a void that nothing can ever fill in that the
loss to our industry is too great to estimate at this time."[5]

Due to estate issues Valentino was left without a burial place, so Mathis
offered up what she thought would be a temporary solution: to lend him her spot
in the family crypt she had purchased in Hollywood Memorial Cemetery (now called
the Hollywood Forever Cemetery). However, when Mathis herself died the following
year, the arrangement became permanent. Instead of 'evicting' Valentino,
Mathis's widower, Sylvano Balboni, moved his casket to the niche next to hers,
and sold the remaining crypt to Valentino's family. Mathis and Valentino repose
side by side to this day.

Before her death Mathis and Balboni along with a committee of local Italians had
tried to create an Italian Park on Hollywood Avenue in Valentino's memory.
However she passed on before anything was officiated and the project was
eventually forgotten. [5]

Mathis remained close with her grandmother and her mother. In December 1924 she
married Italian cameraman and later director Sylvano Balboni (sometimes spelled
Silvano Balboni), whom she met on the set of Ben-Hur in Italy. They remained
married until her unexpected death. After her death he moved back to Italy. They
never had any children..[3]

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QUOTES[]

"I first notice the eyes. There I find what I call soul, and by this alone, I
judge."

"She discovered me, anything I have accomplished I owe to her, to her judgment,
to her advice and to her unfailing patience and confidence in me." Valentino on
Mathis.


FILMOGRAPHY[]

Template:Col-start Template:Col-break

 * Reno (1930)
 * The Magic Flame (1927, continuity)
 * An Affair of the Follies (1927)
 * The Masked Woman (1927)
 * The Greater Glory (1926)
 * Irene (1926)
 * Ben-Hur (1925, adaptation)
 * We Moderns (1925)
 * Classified (1925, scenario)
 * The Desert Flower (1925)
 * Sally (1925)
 * Greed (1925, screen adaptation and dialogue)
 * In the Palace of the King (1923, adaptation)
 * The Day of Faith (1923, adaptation)
 * The Spanish Dancer (1923, adaptation)
 * Three Wise Fools (1923)
 * The Young Rajah (1922, screenplay)
 * Blood and Sand (1922, written by)
 * Hate (1922, adaptation)
 * Kisses (1922, also adaptation)
 * The Golden Gift (1922, story)
 * Turn to the Right (1922)
 * The Idle Rich (1921, adaptation)
 * Camille (1921 film) (written by)
 * A Trip to Paradise (1921)
 * The Conquering Power (1921)
 * The Man Who (1921)
 * The Four Horseman of the Apocalypse (1921)
 * Hearts Are Trumps (1920, scenario)
 * Polly with a Past (1920, scenario)
 * The Saphead (1920, scenario)
 * The Price of Redemption (1920)
 * Parlor, Bedroom and Bath (1920)
 * Old Lady 31 (1920, scenario)
 * The Right of Way (1920)
 * The Walk-Offs (1920)
 * The Willow Tree (1920)
 * Fair and Warmer (1919)
 * Lombardi, Ltd. (1919, scenario)
 * The Brat (1919, also titles)
 * The Microbe (1919)
 * The Man Who Stayed at Home (1919)
 * Some Bride (1919)
 * Almost Married (1919)
 * The Amateur Adventuress (1919)
 * The Red Lantern (1919)
 * The Island of Intrigue (1919)
 * The Parisian Tigress (1919, story)
 * Blind Man's Eyes (1919)
 * Way of the Strong (1919, scenario)
 * Satan Junior (1919)
 * Johnny-on-the-Spot (1919, scenario)
 * Out of the Fog (1919)
 * The Divorcee (1919)
 * The Great Victory, Wilson or the Kaiser? The Fall of the Hohenzollerns (1919)
 * Eye for Eye (1918)

Template:Col-break

 * Sylvia on a Spree (1918, scenario)
 * Five Thousand an Hour (1918)
 * His Bonded Wife (1918)
 * Secret Strings (1918, scenario)
 * Kildare of Storm (1918, scenario)
 * The Silent Woman (1918)
 * The House of Mirth (1918)
 * A Successful Adventure (1918, also story)
 * To Hell with the Kaiser! (1918)
 * A Man's World (1918)
 * The House of Gold (1918, scenario)
 * Social Quicksands (1918)
 * The Winning of Beatrice (1918, scenario)
 * Toys of Fate (1918, scenario)
 * The Trail to Yesterday (1918, scenario)
 * With Neatness and Dispatch (1918, scenario)
 * Social Hypocrites (1918)
 * The Claim (1918)
 * The Brass Check (1918)
 * The Eyes of Mystery (1918, adaptation)
 * The Winding Trail (1918, story)
 * Daybreak (1918, adaptation)
 * The Legion of Death (1918, also story)
 * Blue Jeans (1917)
 * Red, White and Blue Blood (1917)
 * The Voice of Conscience (1917, scenario)
 * Draft 258 (1917)
 * The Jury of Fate (1917, adaptation)
 * Somewhere in America (1917)
 * Miss Robinson Crusoe (1917, story)
 * The Trail of the Shadow (1917, scenario)
 * Aladdin's Other Lamp (1917)
 * Lady Barnacle (1917, scenario)
 * The Call of Her People (1917)
 * The Beautiful Lie (1917, scenario)
 * The Millionaire's Double (1917, story)
 * A Magdalene of the Hills (1917, scenario)
 * The Power of Decision (1917, scenario)
 * His Father's Son (1917, scenario)
 * The Barricade (1917, scenario)
 * Threads of Fate (1917)
 * A Wife by Proxy (1917, scenario, unconfirmed)
 * The Sunbeam (1916, scenario)
 * The Dawn of Love (1916)
 * God's Half Acre (1916, scenario)
 * The Purple Lady (1916, scenario)
 * Her Great Price (1916, scenario)
 * The Upstart (1916, scenario)
 * Her Second Chance (1926, editorial director)
 * Irene (1926, editorial director)
 * The Far Cry (1926, editorial director)
 * The Girl from Montmartre (1926, editorial director)
 * What Fools Men (1925, editorial director)
 * The Marriage Whirl (1925, editorial director)
 * Sally (1925, editorial supervisor)
 * Three Weeks (1924, editorial director)
 * Name the Man (1924, editorial director)

|}





NOTES AND REFERENCES[]


NOTES[]


REFERENCES[]

 1. ↑ "United States Census, 1900", database with images, FamilySearch
    (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MMRL-M1H : 13 January 2022),
    June Mathis in entry for William Mathis, 1900.
 2. ↑ Jump up to: 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Alt Film Guide.
 3. ↑ Jump up to: 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11
    3.12 3.13 Leider, 2004.
 4. ↑ Jump up to: 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 Journal of Humanities. 2007.
 5. ↑ Jump up to: 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was
    provided for refs named Ellenberger


BIBLIOGRAPHY[]

 * "Rudolph Valentino: A Wife's Memories of an Icon" by Natacha Rambova and Hala
   Pickford


REFERENCES[]

 * 
 * 
 * Template:Citation/core
 * Template:Citation/core


SEE ALSO[]

 * Rudolph Valentino
 * Frances Marion
 * Anita Loos


EXTERNAL LINKS[]

 * June Mathis at the Internet Movie Database
 * June Mathis at The Rudolph Valentino Society
 * June Mathis at All Movie
 * Mathis profile from The Blue Book of 1921
 * "Erich von Stroheim: Greed" The Guardian Unlimited, September 30 1999
 * Author Allan Ellenberger discusses June Mathis\

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