Moving Picture World (Jul 1919)

THE MOVING PICTURE WORLD 233 July 12, 1919 PENNY ARCADE TO THEATRE CHAIN How William Fox Rose from Being Proprietor of SlotOperated Kinetoscopes to Being Owner of Producing and Exhibiting Companies Is Interesting Narrative FROM a penny arcade in Brooklyn to the ownership of a world-wide film organization, with physical properties running high into the millions— all in a few years — is the record made by William Fox. Announcement by Winfield R. Sheehan, general manager, of plans for the new William Fox Building — a motion picture city two minutes from Broadway, at Tenth avenue, Fifty-fifth and Fifty-sixth streets, Manhattan — was the occasion for a survey of the growth and activities of the Fox Film Corporation since its inception less than five years ago. This survey reveals a record of development and success the like of which could happen only in America, and which constitutes a genuine romance in the motion picture industry. Persons who have followed events in the film trade recall that Mr. Fox began his film activities in 1906 with the establishment of the Greater New York Rental Company. A little more than a year before he had entered the amusement field as the owner of a penny arcade in Brooklyn. At that time he was in the clothing business with the Knickerbocker Sponging Company, on the lower East Side. Even in this business the aggressiveness, vision and industry of the man had made themselves apparent, for, starting as an ordinary workman, Mr. Fox worked himself up to foreman, manager, and eventually owner of the entire establishment. Invests in Penny Arcade. A friend interested him in the penny arcade. The story is told that the proprietor then went to Mr. Fox, who was in his early twenties, and informed him' that the arcade was making more on the investment than any other business establishment he knew of. Mr. Fox William Fox President Fox Film Corporation. decided to investigate the proposition, and watched the house for the next three days. What he saw convinced him that the owner had not told half the truth, for patrons were streaming into the place. Mr. Fox bought the arcade and prepared for a clean-up. No sooner had the deal been consummated than he discovered the business of the place was wholly fictitious — the owner having paid people to go to the arcade for the three days that Mr. Fox was watching it. But even this discovery failed to discourage the future film magnate. Mr. Fox set briskly to the task of building up his new house, and in a few weeks he saw his labors rewarded by a good, steady patronage. He branched out and took over two other similar ventures, operating them with big success. At that time Mr. Fox’s “offices” were nothing more than desk room in an office at 24 Union Square, Manhattan. Leases Regular Theatres. Shortly afterward Mr. Fox leased the Dewey Theatre on Fourteenth street and the Gotham Theatre on 125th street. The leasing of these large playhouses was a theatrical deal of such proportions for that period as to cause some comment. About that time, fourteen years ago, the film business was beginning to attract attention. There were no features films in those days ; no palatial motion picture theatres. The films were one and two-reel or shorter affairs — sometimes merely strips— principally devoted to hair-raising chases and trick photography. Had anyone then predicted that motion pictures would be shown for extended runs of several weeks on Broadway he would have been regarded as a fit subject for examination by alienists. But William Fox saw a big future for the new industry. His beginnings as a him man, however, were humble enough. He formed the Greater New York Film Rental Company, with offices at 116 East Fourteenth street, and set himself up in business as a broker. Opens Exchange. From' the beginning the film rental company prospered in even greater ratio than did film production itself. The concern gradually branched out, establishing sub-offices throughout the East. The business consisted entirely of buying one and two-reel films from the Balboa Company, the Great Northern Company and other pioneer film producers, and dwtnbutmg. them to exhibitors. Ihis business continued with constantly increasing success for a number .^r Fox> however, was not satisfied with the type of film he was obliged to offer to exhibitors. As the \ Chain of theatres himself, ’ ?-et.te,r than anF other film producer t3hPdlSlr-1k-Ut0r. of the time> understood the exhibitors needs. Even at that period, when motion pictures seemed committed definitely to filmand twT'^eel subjects, when expert film men declared that no sane person could endure watching a picture more than two reels in length, Mr. Fox saw the possibilities of the multiple reel subject. He realized that the two-reel picture, while fitted for comedy, was not long enough to permit proper development of dramatic stories. The screen of those days were failures chiefly because they were so short and so poorly directed that the picture ended just when the specator’s interest was being aroused. Enters Producing Field. Accordingly, Mr. Fox organized the Box Office Attraction Company, for the purpose of producing his own pictures. But before he produced a single foot of film he formed a selling organization that covered the principal cities of the country. While he made preparations for producing his own photoplays, he also continued distributing film produced by other companies. The office of the Box Office Attraction Company occupied part of the fifth floor of the building at 130 West Forty-sixth street, a large proportion of which building is now occupied by the Fox Film Corporation. Associated in the direction of the first picture produced by Mr. Fox was J. Gordon Edwards, then stage director of Mr. Fox’s dramatic stock company at the Academy of Music. Mr. Edwards has been with Mr. Fox ever since, and has staged some two score motion picture productions, including such film dramas as “Twelve of the Night” and “The Lone Star Ranger.” At that time Mr. Fox had only one company, of players. The first picture was started at the Eclair studio in Fort Lee, N. J. Later pictures were made at Winfield R. Sheehan General manager Fox Film Corporation.