When the movies were young (1925)

First Publicity and Early Scenarios 63 us where we are wrong — but don't expect an ad for your effort." The result of this conversation was that three reviews appeared in the New York Dramatic Mirror, June, 1908. On a rear end page captioned "The Spectator," Frank E. Woods dissertated through some columns on the merits and demerits of the movies, and thus became their first real critic. We were very grateful for the few paragraphs. It meant recognition — the beginning. How gladly we parted with our ten cents weekly to see what "Spec" had to say about us. But Mr. Woods didn't get an ad from the Biograph. So he had another heart-to-heart talk with Mr. Dougherty, and Doc said: "Never mind, keep it up — but as I told you, the reviews aren't going to influence us about ads." But in August the Company came across and bought a quarter-page ad for the Biograph movies. The active mind of Frank Woods was not going to stop with critical comments on moving pictures. His new duties necessitated his seeing pictures; and, looking them over and analyzing them for his reviews, he said to himself; "Oh, they're terrible — I could do better myself — such stories!" So he wrote three "suggestions" — that's all they were — and that's what they were then called. With great aplomb, he took them to Mr. Dougherty, and to his amazement Mr. Dougherty turned the whole three down. Sorry, but he didn't think them up to scratch. But Mr. Woods would not be fazed by a turn-down like that. He wrote three more "suggestions." The studio had a sort of nominal supervisor, a Mr. Wake, whose job was to O. K. little expenditures in the studio and to pass on the purchase of scenarios. One day,