International photographer (Jan-Dec 1934)

Two T h INTERNATIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER .lpril.1934 From Pics To Pictures The Story of David Horsley By William Horsley David Horsley and one of his favorite elephant pals. Each company had to get a camera by some means. It did not matter how, where or what. By this time Williamson in London had made cameras ; Prestwich, also in England ; Pathe in France, and Prevost, Gaumont in France, and also DeBrie and two or three others. But when you had secured your camera your troubles had just begun. First, second, third and assistant cameramen were then unknown. The main guy next to the owner was a big, strong, husky fellow with a large pick handle. His duty was to stay at all times within six feet of the camera and as soon as any stranger appeared he spat on his hands, grabbed the pick handle and did his duty. His duty was to prevent anyone except the cameraman from getting a look inside to see if they were using the loop in the film. Working under these conditions became so intolerable that in 1910 every company in the independent field got together and formed what was known as the Sales Company with headquarters on 14th Street, New York. Here every film sold was delivered by the maker and the Sales Company shipped it out C. O. D. to the buyer at $100 per reel. When the money came in the Sales Company remitted $95 per reel to the maker and kept back $5 per reel. By this time the business had grown to such proportions that this $5 per reel amounted to between $5000 and $7500 per week. The Centaur Company by this time was making: One Western picture per week selling 35 prints One dramatic picture per week 35 prints One Mutt and Jeff Comedy per week 50 prints Part II (Continued from March Edition) William Horsley Thus at $5 per reel it was costing Dave Horsley $600 per week. However, on account of never having had this money in his possession it really did not cost him or any of the producers a cent because it was just the same as if they were selling their pictures at $95 each instead of $100. The purpose of this $5 per reel was this. The Sales Company engaged the best firm of patent attorneys in New York and started suit to break the hold the Patents Company had on the motion picture business and, in case this was not possible, the scheme was to keep the case in court for four or five years at least, during which time the independents would at least be making a living and perhaps a lot of money. After three or more years, to the astonishment of all concerned, the Patents Company was licked on every count. Their $2 per week royalty on each projection machine ceased and one by one those high and mighty monarchs of the motion picture business folded up and went out of business. The Edison Company, the Biograph Company, the Essanay Company, the Lubin Company, the Selig Polyscope Company and all the rest fell by the wayside and finally the last one of all, the Vitagraph Company, was absorbed by Warner Brothers and faded out of the picture. To repeat a little verse about David and Goliath, two old Bible characters: "David had a little stone No bigger than a button ; He threw it at Goliath And it killed him dead as mutton." In this case it was the much despised "washtub and sink" that rose up after many days and saved the picture business. Now, there have been many claims as to who beat the Patents Company, each laying claim to that honor. However, the plain, simple fact remains that every member of the old Sales Company paid $5 for every reel of positive film he sold and this money did the trick, and not any individual — neither Laemmle, Bill Swanson, Bauman, or Kessell, Mark Dintenfass, nor Dave Horsley, but each did his share towards the end sought. Weather conditions became so bad during the summer and early fall of 1911 that it was impossible to make motion pictures in the vicinity of New York City. The camera depended entirely on sunshine and there just wasn't any sunshine to speak of. In despair Dave took his three companies and loaded them on the train and started for California. On October 27, 1911, he started what was then the very first motion picture studio in Hollywood at the corner of Sunset Boulevard and Gower Street, using the old Blondeau Tavern for an office and putting up a platform in the yard, with muslin diff users to kill the shadows. Here he operated a company under the direc Total prints sold per week 120 Please mention The International Photographer when corresponding with advertisers