We use Optical Character Recognition (OCR) during our scanning and processing workflow to make the content of each page searchable. You can view the automatically generated text below as well as copy and paste individual pieces of text to quote in your own work.
Text recognition is never 100% accurate. Many parts of the scanned page may not be reflected in the OCR text output, including: images, page layout, certain fonts or handwriting.
76 Yes, Mr. DeMilk filmed against crude backdrops in the open air, it was con- sidered wise to erect high fences. Stories were short and extraor- dinarily simple. A fairly alert passer-by who watched the shoot- ing for a half-hour could get a pretty good idea of the plot. It was not uncommon for a producer to enter a theater and unex- pectedly see a story he was preparing to release. Wasted opportunities were few. In 1919 a fire destroyed a good part of the Lasky studio, attracting more than spectators. The shooting crews of two rival firms appeared on the scene with actors who began indulging in slapstick antics, using the blaze as background, while the miserable owners watched the destruction. The high fences hobbled the efforts of agents of the hated trust, on the prowl for illegal use of unlicensed camera equip- ment. Thomas E. Edison, one of the more patent-heavy mem- bers of the trust, sent a full corps of detectives out in the field to check on these creative scamps with a limited respect for vested interests. At the approach of an investigator, the pro- ducer would spirit his camera into a hiding place, then summon his staff into a story conference, as visible proof that the com- pany was not in production. In well-policed areas, a producer might call as many as five story conferences in a day, each materializing suddenly and at the most unusual times. The record must contain a sad annotation on those sleuths who ac- cepted the offer of a bit part in a movie as the price of their loyalty to employers, bribery and larceny being natural hand- maidens. The Jesse L. Lasky Feature Play Company arrived in Holly- wood in the winter of 1913. DeMille, ever the showman, was director-general; back in New York, Goldwyn was treasurer- business manager, and Lasky general executive head. There was yet one glaring flaw in the setup. They didn't know the first thing about writing or directing a motion picture. They sent for a producer in New York, Oscar Apfel, who brought his cameraman with him.