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The
Motion Picture News
MOVING PICTURE NEWS
Established 1908
EXHIBITORS' TIMES
Established 1913
Volume VIII
November 1, 1913
Number 17
BIG BILL" STEINER
North American Film Corporation Takes the Field
T T NLIKE the poet of whom I wrote last week, the ^ film man can be made, given a modicum of inherited intelligence — brains ; in other words, experience, hard work and devotion to the business, you can produce a film man who will be a credit to himself and the business. In this class I place William F. (Bill) Steiner, one of the best and most experienced film men in the business today. A real pioneer. A man to be respected, a man who deserves to "get his" (in the local vernacular) in right of hard work. Billy is a young man — he is still under forty — and should achieve, as he deserves, success.
Mr. Steiner is a product of the epochal year of 1896 when the great chemicoscientists, A. & L. Lumiere, made the modern motion picture possible by their beautiful productions. The world owes much to the genius of France, and in my humble opinion certainly owes much to French readiness to demonstrate the artistic possibilities of the motion picture. This the Lu
mieres, in my opinion, were the first to do. .Mark feature fill what I say, the artistic possibilities. ( )ther great work camera me ers dealt with the industrial, the commercial, the busi scenarios, ness and other ends, but it is French genius and French or cranny artists' work that made motion pictures possible. penetrate*
In those days Billy Steiner "slept under the counter." He' began to sell motion pictures imported by himself and others. Then a little later he began to make them
in a small way. Then still later he began to handle them commercially. So much so that five or six years ago Mr. Steiner was at the head of the largest film exchange in New York City. He not only
ran exchanges but he ran ran them
WILLIAM F. STEINER
1 theatres and
successfully.
It was a sight to go in any morning into the Imperial Film Exchange and see the floor black with operators changing films. In this way Mr. Steiner made money and friends and popularity, and added to his experience and knowledge.
Four and a half years ago the Edicts and Ukases from 80 Fifth avenue put Billy out of business. By way of complimentary return he had several suits for damages amounting to a million or two against 80 Fifth avenue. Number 80 made Billy bankrupt, but Billy smiled. He made and sold Yankee Films, he made and sold ns. 1 1 c can operate a camera (he teaches n), he can develop pictures, he can arrange he can direct pictures. There isn't a nook in this business into which Steiner has not by hard practical experience.