Year book of motion pictures (1925)

"October 1, 1913, Griffith left Biograph at the end of five of the most significant years of motion picture evolution," says Ramsaye, and on October 29, Mutual announced D. W. Griffith with them. Ramsaye says that eventually the five-reel K. & E. plays were cut from five reels to three and offered along with the little two and three reel "features" of the General Film Co. for what they might bring in the run of the trade. In this installment Ramsaye points out that "the close-up was born with the motion picture in the Edison peep show days," thus denying the tradition that D. W. Griffith invented the close-up. The advent of Clara Kimball Young from a Salt Lake stock company to appear in Vitagraph pictures with John Bunny is mentioned in this installment. In May, Ramsaye continues the story of the Fox litigation and incidentally gives some figures of the net income of General Film Co. He says that at that time it had "risen to the handsome figure of approximately $60,000." Simple divided this into $6,000 to J. J. Kennedy and $54,000 to the Film makeis, $5,400 each. How Kennedy stepped out on May 12, 1912, and in August appeared as president with Percy L. Waters as vice-president of the Kinefograph Company is told, as is also brought out that Al Lichtman was chiefly responsible for the idea of using star name and starsi in pictures . He devised the three classes, "Ten Class A, strictly Famous Players in Famous plays ;N 15 Class B, well known picture players in Famous plays and 15 Class C pictures to be made of odds and ends under the name of Famous Players Stock Company. * * * "Of course, Pickford made one Class A appearance when Famous Players acquired 'A Good Little Devil' with the whole Belasco cast for $15,000." How Arthur Friend in the Spring of 1913 was enthusiastically urging his acquaintances to go into motion pictures, is here developed. Among his friends were Jesse Lasky and Lasky's brother-in-law. Samuel Goldfish (now Goldvvyn). Ramsaye tells of Lasky's early experiences in vaudeville, of losing a fortune in "The Follies Bergere" in New York and how Lasky met Cecil De Mille when he wanted someone to write a libretto around a musical theme. The operetta succeeded. How De Mille and Lasky became business associates and fast friends and between Arthur Friend, Lasky and Goldfish the Lasky Feature Company was born, how De Mille and Lasky and Dustin Farnum made "The Squaw Man" and how Flagstaff, Arizona, lost the opportunity of becoming what Hollywood is today, is a most interesting section of this installment. Another interesting point is how Charles Kessell saw the skit "A Night in a London; Club" in which "a small man with big pants and a curious gait" attracted his attention. Kessel could not forget the funny pants and the result was Charles Chaplin's engagement in motion pictures at a salary of $150 a week. The June installment tells how a newspaper war in Chicago between the Tribune and the Hearst publications caused the appearance of the first motion picture serial. The papers were fighting for circulation and this caused all the trouble. Ramsaye tells of "The Ladies' World," a McClure monthly offering a $100 prize offer for the best 300 word answer to "What Happened to Mary," and how from this eventuated the serial of "What Happened to Mary." It was this idea which really developed the serial from the Chicago newspaper battle. Kathlyn Williams was the star of the "Adventures of Kathlyn," one of the largest and better picture serials of ten years ago. Ramsaye tells of what in his opinion was the "first of the great film press agent's stunts" which was developed by J. C. Cairns with regard to the "Million Dollar Mystery." Ramsaye says the "Mystery" cost about $125,000 and the gross receipts were nearly $1,500,000. The July installment tells of how the late George Loane Tucker with Jack Cohn conceived the idea of making "Traffic in Souls," as a result of the Parkhurst Tenderloin investigations. Tucker was working for Laemmle but Laemmle had no interest in the idea especially as Tucker wanted to spend "five thousand dollars on his picture," that was enough money to make a dozen "program pictures," but Tucker, Cohn and others "took time in-between shots on the little Imps" and in the end the picture was shown to over 30,000 spectators in the first week. Ramsaje is an authority for the statement, "Its gross receipts totaled approximately $450,000." It had cost $5,700. Ramsaye tells of how " a vaste wave" of "White Slave Pictures" including "The House of Bondage," "The Lure," and "Damaged Goods" swept the screen. How W. W. Hodkinson developed from a telegraph operator into the most important position in the industry appears at this time. Ramsaye credits Hodkinson with being the originator of the Paramount trade mark in this installment. There also appears at this time a report of the difficulties Griffith was having in the release of "The Clansmen" which Thomas Dixon, the author, eventually changed to "The Birth of a Nation." " 'The Birth of a Nation' broke all manner of theater 'records in various world capitals, ' and became, as it remains today, the World's greatest motion picture, if greatness is to be measured by fame. "The Birth of a Nation" is understood to have cost over a quarter of a million. Thei public has paid 15 million, according to the estimate of J. P. McCarty, who has put the picture on the screens of the world. The August installment is a very interesting report of Pancho Villa's entry into pictures under the direction of Mutual. Ramsaye declares that Villa "delayed his projected attack on the city of Orjinaga until the Mutual could bring up its photgraphic artillery." On March 10. 1914, there terminated a local battle with a reported settlement of $3,000,000 between the Eastman Kodak Co. and the heirs of the Rev. Hannibal Goodwin for a patent on a camera. The opening of the Strand Theater on Broadway, New York, on April 11, 1914 together with a brief sketch nf the career of Samuel L. Rothafel appears in this installment. An interesting notation here is that "Roxy" came from Pennsylvania to NNew York to see Marcus Loew, but because he overhead an argument he rushed out of Loew's office. The Strand opened with "The Spoilers." Ramsaye points out "that the rising significance of the motion picture theater" developed a recognition fmong exhibitors and that in Chicago, Miss Audrey Alspaugh writing in the Tribune, under the name of Kitty Kelly, "became an actual critic of the pictures, and one of the first acute students" Ramsaye declares that the Tribune motion picture department was followed all over the country and within two years there were more than one hundred motion picture papers, and in 1924 "nearly 400." How the Great War of 1914 led to the production of certain "war" films, makes an interesting section of this installment. The advent of Marie Dressier and her production of "Tillie's Punctured Romance" which led to the development of big money to Charlie Chaplin opens the September installment. How Chaplin's price went up to $1,250 per week and how Chaplin met Edna Purviance is interestingly told. "Tillie's Punctured Romance" was distributed by Alco Company formed August 25, 1914. "The plans of the Alco concern was to tie-up with the leading exhibitors in key cities all over the United States." It got into more trouble than theaters in the twelve weeks of is active existence. Authorities differ concerning the total earnings of "Tillies Punctured Romance," "but the guesses range from three quarters of a million upwards." Mary Pickford was at this time getting $1,000 a week from Zukor. She was offered $4,000 a week by the North American Film Corp. (Mutual) to appear in a 60 reel serial "A Diamond from the Sky." On November 28th, Zukor announced a contract with Miss Pickford at a salary of $2,000 a year. 51