The Moving picture world (December 1920)

836 MOVING PICTURE WORLD December 18, 1920 14 Linden avenue, Ossining, N. Y., and was a member of Neptune Lodge, Royal Arcanum, of that place. He was also a member of the Masonic fraternity. Theological Training Sam Spedon was born on April 28, 1855, in the Yorkville section of New York City, a son of Thomas and Bessie Spedon. His father was at one time acting mayor of New York City, and was president of the Board of Aldermen. His father was a city printer and one of the original "forty-niners" who went to California. The grandfather was also active in politics. At the age of 21 years, Sam Spedon was graduated from the New York Theological Seminary and he was for a time assistant pastor of a New York church. When about 25 years old he became an artist and cartoonist for Leslie's Weekly. Then came his experience as an entertainer. In the early days when the "Star Lyceum Course" was the mainstay of the amusement business in the smaller towns and villages, he was a humorous lecturer and chalk-talker of no mean repute and he covered almost every section of the United States in this capacity. Published "Talent" Later he conceived the idea of a publication especially for lyceum entertainers, then far more numerous than at present, and for many years "Talent" and, later, "The Lyceum Magazine," were to the platform entertainer what the "Clipper" was to the vaudeville artist and the "Mirror" to the dramatic player. "Talent" was started in 1890. But the ever increasing popularity of the motion picture caused the invasion of even the smallest towns and gradually the lyceum course, no longer the chief item of the season, felt the effects of the competition and Mr. Spedon's publications ceased to be profitable. He went to Vitagraph as its first scenario editor at the instance of J. Stuart Blackton and Albert E. Smith, long his friends. When the growth of that enterprise necessitated expansion of the departments, he turned the scenario work over to Rollin Sturgeon and organized the press department -of that company into the most efficient publicity machine in the General Film Company list. He remained with Vitagraph for seven years, until the readjustment of its affairs, and then affiliated himself with Moving Picture World. He has the right to the distinction of being one of, if not the first, real publicity men in the industry. His Scrap Bbok In "Sam's" desk in the Moving Picture World office is a scrap book which tells of his experiences as an entertainer. There are clippings from newspapers in every part of the country, alt* praising the clean and wholesome character of his entertainments. One dis closes the fact that he gave more than 500 entertainments in New York City and vicinity, to say nothing of entertainments in hundreds of small towns and cities throughout the country. He advertised himself as "Spedon, a man of versatile attainments." Among many laudatory newspaper reviews in the book is the following from the New York Sun : "In drawing crayon sketches and humorous cartoons before an audience he has no superior. His descriptive power is inimitable." His office at this time was in the World Building, New York City. Bert Ennis, an executive of the S. & E. Enterprises, who was Mr. Spedon's assistant in the Vitagraph publicity department, has contributed the following intimate sketch : When with Vitagraph Sam Spedon could rightfully lay claim to being the veteran publicity man of the film business. When the writer went with the Vitagraph Company in 1910, Sam had been in the publicity chair for a few years. Spedon was especially fitted for publicity work, due to the fact that for several years he had been a public entertainer on the various Chautauqua circuits, entertaining with a series of drawings and sketches, accompanied by a talk. His ability in the matter of illustrating stood him in good stead in the old days of the Vitagraph Company, as he was called upon to perform yeoman duties, taking upon his shoulders the laying out of poster sketches, drawings for trade paper advertisements and illustrations for . the Vitagraph Bulletin. Started the Bulletin Sam was one of the originators of the Vitagraph Bulletin, a little paper which performed the functions of the present day trade papers, setting before exhibitors and exchanges the merits of the various Vitagraph productions. In the present day of specialization in the way of publicity work, the duties which the veteran publicity man of the Vitagraph performed were really remarkable. He took care of the publicity stories, edited the Vitagraph Bulletin, made up sketches and drawings for various advertising purposes and looked after a raft of general correspondence pertaining to the film business in its many and diversified branches. Managed Personal Appearances In addition to his multifarious duties in connection with the publicity department, Sam also originated the idea of personal appearances of the various Vitagraph stars. He was sponsor for and made the presentation speech for the personal appearances at various picture theatres for such stars as John Bunny, Maurice Costello, William Kent, Bill Shea, Flora Finch and other old time Vitagraph stars. Despite the bustle and excitement of the studios, Sam always maintained the calm and unruffled exterior which was characteristic of his personality. The writer's keenest recollection of Spedon is the picture he presented sitting in the old publicity offices of the Vitagraph company, which were then located below the old studio, calmly puffing on his favorite pipe, his inseparable companion, while he was besieged by actors and directors for personal publicity, confronted with a mass of correspondence which required immediate attention, and doping out a speech and stunt for the appearance that night of Maurice Costello at one of the local theatres. Always Unruffled Despite this amount of work, which would have driven some of our present day publicity specialists to distraction, Spedon remained unruffled and unexcited, taking hold of things in the slow, easy going manner which characterized the man himself. He was held in the highest esteem by J. Stuart Blackton, whose organization in the early days he was directly responsible for placing on the map, and it was Spedon who arranged many of the amateur shows which were Mr. Blackton's hobby in the old days at the famous Knickerbocker Field Club of Flatbush. Spedon was a close personal friend of Blackton, their friendship dating back to the early Chautauqua days, when Mr. Blackton was a public entertainer himself in the role of artist and talker. To Spedon may be well attributed the public glory of many of the old Vitagraph stars. Spedon was a man of wide general knowledge, acquired during his travels over the country ; a man of genial and likeable personality and one of the blazers of the trail of the industry. He always had time to stop and talk to a friend and smoke a friendly pipe while he reminisced of the old days of the industry, and his outstanding characteristic was the steadfast loyalty which he always evidenced toward those for whom he was working. Helped Many Stars It is the writer's remembrance that to Spedon's kindly word and helping hand was due the renewed courage and confidence of some of our present day screen stars, who during the old Vitagraph period were extras hanging about the yard, striving to obtain a foothold in the studios. If I am correct in my memory, Sam was also responsible for the famous old reel of film showing how movies are made, which was exhibited at the various conventions, movie balls, etc., and which proved a great booster .for the Vitagraph trademark during the old days. Spedon is but one more of the old Vitagraph company who has heard the call, the list of those who have died (Continued on page 837)