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Men and Money Behind Pictures 463
A business war between a powerful body that tried to monopolize the business led to the formation of the Universal Pictures Corporation, which began producing its own pictures. To-day the Universal company is stiil one of the biggest in Holh^vood, with its own vast studios, and with Carl Laemmle still at its head, though his son is now in active charge.
Carl Laemmle 's story is similar to many others in filmland.
There is, for example, William Fox, who founded the firm of Fox, still one of the most important producing companies, though Fox is not actively interested in it now. He entered the film business nearly thirty years ago, and was formerly a clothes presser in New York City. Motion pictures awakened a new enthusiasm in him. One day a local nickelodeon (as the first picture houses were called) was put up for sale. He bought it, though he had great difficulty in raising the necessary money. Later he bought other theatres and then formed a renting organization. Just before the war he founded the Fox Film Corporation, and became a millionaire.
There is also Sir William Jurj", concerned with the English renting side of the Metro-Goldwyn-]Ma3^er business. He was a London exhibitor in the earliest days of the screen when he first had the idea of distributing films. He began in a small way and eventually amassed a fortune. He gained his knighthood for his services as organizer of the supply of films for the British Armies. He was, towards the end of the war, in charge of the fihii propaganda department of the Ministry of Information.
He still has an office in the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer building in London, although he has little need to work. Films have gained for him comfort and security.
One of the most po^^•erful men in the British film industry is C. ]\L Woolf , Joint Managing Director and Deputy Chairman of the Gaumont-British Picture Corporation.
His story goes back to those days when films were very new. He was originally associated with a friend named Freedman. They were furriers, but they foresaw a future for films, and they started a distributing agenc}' in London, known as ^^^ & F. films, the two giving their initials to the name of this still-existent firm.
For the most part films were sold in the saloon bars of the public houses in the Soho district. But slowly the business grew and the firm of W. & F. became more important. To-daj^ Freedman is dead, but Woolf remains a power behind the British screen.
There is another British film magnate who, though he has not worked his way up from very humble beginnings as have so many other important film people, is nevertheless a romantic figure. He is John Maxwell, chairman and managing director of British International Pictures. He is one of the most distinguished figures in the industry, for it was mainly due to his foresight and enthusiasm that British films turned the corner after the long period of slow development following the war.
John Maxwell was a solicitor practising in a small Scottish town, and he was shrewd and a clever financier. He saw the potentialities of the cinema, and began, first of all, in a small way, buying theatres. Soon he had a group of important houses. He then gave his attention to distributing and became associated with Wardour Films (now a subsidiary of British International