A pictorial history of the silent screen (1953)

LINDA ARVIDSON, D. W. GRIFFITH, UNKNOWN PLAYER, HARRY SALTER IN "WHEN KNIGHTS WERE BOLD" (BIOGRAPH) HOBART BOSWORTH FLORENCE LAWRENCE IN 'INGOMAR, THE BARBARIAN" (BIOGRAPH) KATHLYN WILLIAMS BETTY HARTE, HOBART BOSWORTH IN "THE ROMAN" (SELIG) KATHLYN WILLIAMS, HAROLD LOCKWOOD IN "HARBOR ISLAND" (SELIG) q l the 8Nic tre: up _ ickelodeons, as motion picture theatres were then called, were springing ip all over the country, and to satisfy demand film companies were humming. Edison built a new studio in the Bronx, Vitagraph was now operating in Flatbush, Lubin had a new studio in Philadelphia, while Selig and Essanay in Chicago were working at top speed. In the fall of the year, G. M. Anderson took a company to Niles, California, where he opened a western branch of the Essanay Studio and for the next seven years turned out one-reel and later two-reel Broncho Billy cowboy films every week. Biograph, which played such an important part in the history of the early silent films, was turning out two films a week, the average footage of these being between nine hundred and a thousand feet. These were filmed at 11 East 14th Street, New York, an old brownstone house which had been turned into a studio. In the spring, actor Lawrence Griffith and his wife Linda Arvidson were acting before the Biograph cameras. In June, Wallace McCutcheon, who had been directing most of their pictures, became ill and Lawrence Griffith, actor, became D. W. Griffith, director. The first film he directed was "The Adventures of Dolly" and it had its world premiere at Keith and Proctor's Union Square Theatre, July 14, 1908. His wife and a young stage actor named Arthur Johnson had the leads. Johnson became one of the most popular leading men of the period. Among the other Biograph players were Eddie Dillon, Harry Salter, Charles Inslee, Mack Sennett, Herbert Yost, Wilfred Lucas, Owen Moore, David Miles, Frank Gebhardt, John Compson, Tony O'Sullivan, Mabel Sloughton, Florence Auer, Ruth Hart, Flora Finch, Anita Hendrv, Dorothy West, Eleanor Kershaw who later married Thomas H. Ince, Violet Mer sereau and Jeanie Macpherson who became i famous scenario writer. The child actors of the company were Johnny Tansy, Gladys Egan and Adele be Gardes. No one received billing Among the unknown players who joined the Selig Company were Kathlyn Williams, Harold Lockwood and Hobart Bosworth. Vitagraph was making one-reel features of Shakespeare' "Romeo and Juliet," "The Merchant of Venice, "Antony and Cleopatra," "Julius Caesar" and "Richard III." Thomas H. Ince played bit parts in some of these. The role of Romeo was played bv Paul Panzer who became a well-known villain in Pearl White serials, while Juliet was played by Florence Lawrence who as "Baby Flo, Th Child Wonder Whistler" had been touring th country since she was four. Near the end of th vear Florence Lawrence, who had been getting $15 a week at Vitagraph, was lured over to Bio graph with a salary of $25 weekly. Miss Law rence's pictures became very popular and soon since the company did not allow the names oi actors to be given out, she became known as "The Biograph Girl." It was an anonymous star dom and eventually led to companies revealing the names of their players and the star systen in films. 10 G. M. ANDERSON MARION LEONARD, D. W. GRIFFITH IN "AT THE CROSSROADS OF LIFE" (BIOGRAPH)