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brings to any community. A large number of picture theatre companies failed, though often for other reasons than those directly connected with the war, and tax was imposed upon imported films as well as upon prints and raw film-stock, and entertainment tax was imposed upon the theatres. This was the most unkindest cut of all.
Although I have admitted by innuendo that my company was slow to take up the challenge of the specially expensive feature film made from copyright books and plays, it must not be assumed that we were still playing about with unimportant open market subjects mainly. On the contrary we had for some time been making lengthy and important pictures and had won great success with most of them. But I had always had the feeling that picture making was an art in itself and should depend upon its own original writers for its material. It was while I was waiting for those original writers to show up that I agreed to the making of such films from books as those quite successful Dickens films and the plays I have mentioned.
But it was gradually brought home to me — notably by my friend Baynes, the man with the mackintosh and the big dog — that I must break away from this inexpensive material and pay good money for books or plays that were already successfully in the eye of the public. In other words, cash in on the popularity already secured.
It was somewhere about the middle of the first World War — say 1916 — that I had occasion to produce a film in which a portable typewriter would be conspicuous. I suggested to the Remington people that in view of the publicity value, they might care to make me a present of one of their portable machines to be used in the picture. They liked the idea, agreed to the suggestion and sent me the typewriter.
I used it, though not to any great extent, and then found to my dismay that for some reason — now entirely forgotten — I could not put the picture into production. So there was nothing for it but to take the typewriter back to Remington's. Of course I explained the situation and apologised and they were exceedingly nice about it. But they said they had no existing facilities for selling used machines, even so little used as this was, and in the end they said they quite understood the position and in the circumstances they would like me to keep the machine.
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