Year book of motion pictures (1926)

"The Romantic History of Motion Pictures" (During the early part of the year, the tremendously interesting article by Terr y Ramsay e c a m e t o an end in "Photoplay" Through the courtesy of this publication there have a p peared in the last several Year Books, exTerry Ramsaye cerpts from Ramsaye's very interesting document. It is understood that Ramsaye will publish this material in book form. Everyone interested in the development of the industry should secure a copy, particularly lor reference purposes.) Chapter 34 which began in the January issue of "Photoplay," told of the early history of L. .1. Selznick during the period of 1916-17, and how Selznick secured control of the World Special Films Corp., an importing concern, from Emanuel Mande'.baum and Philip Gleichman. Selznick acquired the American rights on "Whom the Gods Would Destroy." He paid $4,250 for it and solicited $42.50 from 99 people in Wall Street. "Out of this 99," says Ramsaye, "came a hand picked few who went into the financing of the Wo Id Film Corporation, with figures that eventually ran up to a matter of a million or so." Ramsaye tells of how Adolph Zukor offered Selznick a salary of $5,000 a week for life if he would go to China and stay there. "This is the first and only evidence of a prejudice against the Chinese on the part of Adolph Zukor. Selznick made the mistake of his life. If he had accepted he would by now be emperor of China. "Selznick went merrily on, inventing an advance deposit system by which exhibitors put up the money which Selznick used to make the picture to earn that money. The farther be went the more strongly be tied himself to the box offices." "One source of Selznick's strength was an apparently remote part of the background. This was the friendship of Marcus Loew. Loew appears to have mingled admiration and amusement in observing the exciting vibrations of the dynamic Selznick, busy playing battledore and shuttlecock with the annoyed film industry. Personal loans from Loew and aid in desperate moments often saved Selznick in crises. "It was this intimacy with Marcus Loew and the Loew institution which added the Tahnadges to the Selznick array of stars." The first Talmadge picture for Selznick was "Panthea," directed by Allan Dwan and started Norma on the high tide of stardom. How Selznick followed with Xazimova in "War Brides" and how Selznick and Carl Laemmle became "almost chummy" is then told. The formation of the Goldwyn Pictures Corporation. Christmas Week, 1916, is then taken up, and the history of that company is told in detail. This includes the advent of the DuPonts in pictures, relative to which Ramsaye says: "The only enduring mark of the DuPont film invasion is the great Capitol theater in Broadway. After vari ous losing managerial experiences Samuel L. Rothafel was called to take over the administration of its program and the bouse under him became the leading motion picture theater ot the nation." Ramsaye then tells of how Griffith spent $1,900,000 making "Intolerance." Also of how George K. Spoor presented Max Linder and how the public refused to regard Linder as a rival to Charles Chaplin. This venture cost Spoor $87,000, according to Ramsaye. How Aaron Jones of Chicago received $50.00(1 for patching up a truce between Zukor and Selznick then comes along, and how eventually Zukor and Selznick split. The following chapter in the February issue dealt considerably with war pictures which fol lowed the United States Government declaring war on Germany in April, 1917. These included "Patria," the Irene Castle serial, which led to President Wilson asking for a withdrawal of certain parts of this serial. In April, 1917, the LT. S. Supreme Court handed down a final decision in the case of the -Motion Picture Patents Company vs. The Universal Film Mfg. Co.. declaring it was not lawful to enforce the use of licensed film only on patented projection machines. Ramsaye tells how the industry as a whole co operated with the Government through the old National Association. Of the exhibitors meeting in Chicago in June, 1917, and the first appea ance of Charles •'. Pettijohn of Indianapolis, and indicates that this was the beginning of the Hays office. How George Creel of the Committee on Public Information stepped into the picture business takes up considerable space. Of these Govern ment pictures, Ramsaye says : "Statistically the significant history of the government in the film business takes four lines: Picture Theater bookings Receipts "Pershing's Crusaders 4,189 $181,741.69 "America's Answer" 4,548 185.144.30 "Under Four Flags" 1,820 63,946.48 "Official War Review" (..950 334,622.35 "Sundry other items brought the total receipts of the Division of Films up to $852,744.30. Hut the money is of no importance except as it denotes circulation. In his book. Creel makes occasional reference to twenty-five thousand theaters. He was misinformed. In that period no one ever found more than sixteen thousand theate s. The government's circulation was excellent, as compared with other pictures gene-ally." Current stars were used by the Government to sell War loans which resulted in Oscar Price, Assistant to William G. McAdoo, meeting Douglas Fairbanks in Washington. Says Ramsaye: "There was a confab one day around Price's big flattop desk in the U. S. Treasury Building in 'Washington. It reached the chatty stage. "Say, why don't you folks get together and distribute your own pictures — you are big enough to do that." Price remarked. It was a passing thought — and a disturbing one. A new company and a great deal of complication were to come out of that." In this chapter Ramsaye tells of how J. D. Williams returned to America in 1917 "after a spectacular film career in Australia," bow Williams met Thomas L. Tally, a Los Angeles exhibitor, and how the idea of the First National Exhibitors' Circuit developed, first by contracting with Chaplin to make eight pictures for over a million dollars and following this by taking Mary Pickford away from Zukor. Says Ramsaye: "Famous Players set out to fortify itself aganist the combining exhibitors by buying theaters. The war of stars became also a war of real estate and box offices. It is the war which still occupies the industry today." The final chapter of this very interesting article came in March relative to which Ramsaye says: "This chapter must deal with the many crowded 11