The Story World and Photodramatist (Jul-Oct 1923)

THE TEN GREATEST NAMES IN MOTION PICTURES 49 many entered the employ of a clothing firm, where, in a space of several years he rose from clerkship to manager. In 1909, feeling that he had exhausted the possibilities of his Oshkosh job, and with an idea born of what he had read, that the then infant motion picture field offered unlimited opportunity, he gave up his managership, packed his belongings, and moved his family and a few thousand dollars to Chicago, where he rented a vacant store and opened a five cent theatre, using what crude films were available at that time. In renting and buying films for his own little theatre, he found that he could cooperate with other small theatre owners by making longer leases, or more extensive purchases and pro-rating the expense. This led to the establishment of a film exchange. Its success was immediate, and he went to New York and branched out into the exchange business in earnest. At this time, the General Film Company was known as "The Trust," and the young man found that to remain in business, as matters stood, was to take dictation from the bigger concern. He had broad visions. He saw ahead, and visualized a great industry, an ample field for artistic development of pictures, and also a great field for the producer able to serve the needs of the thousands of small exhibitors beginning to spring up everywhere. He decided to produce his own pictures, and proceeded to organize the Independent Moving Picture Company, later known as the Imp, for this purpose. In doing this, he started something! The Trust declared war. It was willing he should stay in the exchange business — but he musn't produce, the bigger firm decided. His answer was to put out his first Imp pictures. The clamps were put on, but he stood firm. Picture after picture issued from the Imp studios as the trust withheld its own pictures from his exhibitors. He laid his cards on the table to the theatre owners using his films. He explained every detail of his fight — and the theatre owners backed him up. Even in those days, the idea of the big picture was in his mind. He sent King Baggott and a company to England to film Sir Walter Scott's "Ivanhoe" on the original setting. This revolutionized the picture business in England and established the film exchange there. The Trust finally capitulated, and his exchanges handled both Trust and Imp pictures from then on. Always an organizer, this young David of the industry established new exchanges, often in virgin territory, until today he controls more exchanges than any other organization in the world. His exchanges fairly dot Europe as well as America. "We'll break you!" he was informed by The Trust. But he smiled, and putting on his armor, went into battle. He proved that right always overcomes might. It takes money to form a trust; it takes brains to smash one. In 1909, an ugly cobra, in the form of the Motion Picture Patents Company, a subsidiary of The Trust, was stretched out along the trail of the independent producers, filling their hearts with fear and scorn. This cobra was collecting two dollars a week for each licensed projection machine used by the exhibitors, in addition to paying a license on each film shown and a license for running his theatre. Our friend from Oshkosh said this was outrageous and should be fought. The other independents agreed with him, but few of them had the courage to go into battle. So, he gathered some more ammunition and led the fight. For years that battle waged, going from one court to another; for it must be remembered that The Trust had money and each time a decision was rendered it was appealed and taken to a higher court. Finally it reached the Supreme Court and that august body rendered its final verdict in favor of the plaintiffs. The giant had been slain and The Trust smashed ignominiously, and beaten by a man who doesn't stand five feet with his shoes off. But, every inch of his stature is composed of courage, determination and grit; a man who kicked the word defeat out of his life before he left his cradle. He has never known the meaning of the word fear. To illustrate: in the very thickest of the Patents War he delivered a strategic blow to the adversary; a blow which left it gasping. And, in the same move he altered the course of the industry and made the actor forever indebted to him. At that time,