Tom Bret(1883-1945)

Tom Bret was born Thomas Aldrich Barrett in Bolivar, NY to Thomas Francis Barrett, an Irish immigrant and Mary Aldrich, the daughter of a Civil War veteran. In his early twenties, Thomas wrote several stage plays such as "The World Series" and "The Big Bugaboo.". In his early thirties, he moved his wife and children to New York City where he became a well-respected newspaperman writing under the pseudonym, Tom Bret. Eventually, Tom found himself in the newsreel industry, piecing together footage of German spa towns during World War I. The resulting films (Bad Ems, Bad Oyenhausen, and Baden Baden, among others), did not really catch the American public's interest at the time, but this work cemented his place in the film world. This experience led to titling and editing over 400 silent feature films, serials and comedy shorts. He worked with such comedy geniuses as Mr. and Mrs. Sidney Drew, Billy Ruge and Jimmy Aubrey, the last of whom Tom wrote and produced six comedies for. After his career in film, Tom returned to printing the news full time. He died on September 1, 1945 in Detroit, Michigan.