Flickering Empire: How Chicago Invented the U.S. Film Industry 9780231850797

Table of contents :
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements
Foreword, by Susan Doll
Persons Discussed in Flickering Empire
Preface: Hollywood Before Hollywood
Part 1. Thomas Edison, Invention and the Dawn of a New Chicago
1. Edison’s Kinetoscope and Pre-Motion-Picture Entertainment
2. The Columbian Exposition
3. The Dawn of Exhibition
Part 2. Chicago Rising
4. Colonel William Selig
5. George Spoor, George Kleine, and the Rise of the Nickelodeon
6. Gilbert “Broncho Billy” Anderson
7. The Edison Trust
Part 3. The Golden Age of Chicago Film Production
8. The Golden Age of Essanay
9. The Golden Age of Selig Polyscope
10. Essanay Signs Charlie Chaplin
11. Chaplin in Chicago: His New Job
Part 4. It All Came Crashing Down
12. The Decline of the Chicago Studios
13. Major M. L. C. Funkhouser and the Chicago Censorship Code
Epilogue
Post-Script: Oscar and Orson
Appendix A: Selig Polyscope’s Pointers on Picture Acting
Appendix B: A Complete List of the Extant Chicago-Shot Films Named in This Book and Where to See Them
Appendix C: Some Censored Scenes of Chicago Films Noted in Local Newspapers
Endnotes
Index

Citation preview

Flickering Empire

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Flickering Empire HOW CH ICAGO INVENTED T H E U. S. F I L M I NDUSTRY

A -ICHAEL'LOVER3MITHAND!DAM3ELZER

WALLFLOWER PRESS LONDON & NEW YORK

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A Wallflower Press Book Published by Columbia University Press Publishers Since 1893 .EW9ORKs#HICHESTER 7EST3USSEX cup.columbia.edu Copyright © Michael Glover Smith and Adam Selzer 2015 All rights reserved. Wallflower Press® is a registered trademark of Columbia University Press Cover image: Charlie Chaplin with Francis X. Bushman and “Broncho Billy” Anderson. Courtesy of the Chicago History Museum. A complete CIP record is available from the Library of Congress ISBN 978-0-231-17448-0 (cloth : alk. paper) ISBN 978-0-231-17449-7 (pbk. : alk. paper) ISBN 978-0-231-85079-7 (e-book)

Columbia University Press books are printed on permanent and durable acid-free paper. This book is printed on paper with recycled content. Printed in the United States of America c 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 p 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

00 Prelims.indd 6

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For Jillian and Ronni

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Table of Contents

Acknowledgements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FOREWORD by Susan Doll . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Persons Discussed in Flickering Empire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PREFACE: Hollywood Before Hollywood

....................................

ix xi xv 1

THOMAS EDISON, INVENTION AND THE DAWN OF A NEW CHICAGO 1

Edison’s Kinetoscope and Pre-Motion-Picture Entertainment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 4HE#OLUMBIAN%XPOSITION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 4HE$AWNOF%XHIBITION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

9 19 28

CHICAGO RISING 4

Colonel William Selig . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 'EORGE3POOR 'EORGE+LEINE and the Rise of the Nickelodeon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Gilbert “Broncho Billy” Anderson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 The Edison Trust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

41 53 67 77

THE GOLDEN AGE OF CHICAGO FILM PRODUCTION 8

The Golden Age of Essanay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 The Golden Age of Selig Polyscope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Essanay Signs Charlie Chaplin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Chaplin in Chicago: His New Job . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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89 103 120 131

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IT ALL CAME CRASHING DOWN 12

The Decline of the Chicago Studios . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Major M.L.C. Funkhouser and the Chicago Censorship Code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

147 160

EPILOGUE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168 POST-SCRIPT: Oscar and Orson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177 APPENDIX A: Selig Polyscope’s Pointers on Picture Acting

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185

APPENDIX B: A Complete List of the Extant Chicago-Shot Films Named in This Book and Where to See Them . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189 APPENDIX C: Some Censored Scenes of Chicago Films Noted in Local Newspapers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193 Endnotes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197 Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208

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Acknowledgments

T

he authors wish to acknowledge the following individuals and institutions for their generous help during the writing of Flickering Empire: Yoram Allon and everyone at Wallflower Press; Lisa Wagner for HER INVALUABLE ADVICE EDITORIAL WORK AND TIRELESS CHAMPIONING OF THIS BOOKFROMTHEBEGINNING'EORGE7ALSHFORHISPROOFREADING EDITINGAND GOOD TASTE IN &RENCH BAKERIES *EFF ,OOK THE GREAT NEPHEW OF #OLONEL 7ILLIAM3ELIG FORHAVINGUSOVERFORDINNERANDALLOWINGUSACCESSTOTHE family archives; Diana Dretske and the Lake County Discovery Museum IN7AUCONDA ),THE#HICAGO(ISTORY-USEUMTHE,IBRARYOF#ONGRESS IN7ASHINGTON $#'ARY+ELLER 6ICE0RESIDENT %SSANAY#ENTERSAND Strategic Initiatives at St. Augustine College; and the residents of 3900 N. Claremont Avenue. Michael Glover Smith wishes to acknowledge: my wife Jill whose love and support made this project possible; Adam for showing me the ropes in researching and writing non-fiction; my father David; my mother Corrine (who accompanied me to the Chicago History Museum in 2010 — a trip that proved to be an important part of the genesis of this book); my brother Drew (who read an early draft of the manuscript and offered - ix -

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HELPFULFEEDBACK 3USAN$OLLAND3ARA6AUXFORTHEIRFRIENDSHIPANDMENtorship in the field of Film Studies; and all of my colleagues and students AT/AKTON#OMMUNITY#OLLEGE (AROLD7ASHINGTON#OLLEGE THE#OLLEGE of Lake County and Triton College. Adam Selzer wishes to acknowledge: the kind staff at the George Eastman House in Rochester who arranged for screenings of a handful of early films THATCOULDBESEENNOWHEREELSE ANDTHEORGANIZERSOFTHE4EEN"OOK&EST in Rochester who sponsored my trip there. To Ronni for putting up with MYENDLESSRAMBLING TO!IDANFORSITTINGTHROUGHMYEXPERIMENTSTOSEE whether nine-year-olds still find century-old slapstick funny (results: affirMATIVE
ANDTO-IKE WHOSEHARDWORKANDDEDICATIONMADETHEPROJECT POSSIBLE 4HANKS ALSO TO (ECTOR 2EYES MY PARTNER IN PODCASTING FOR ACCOMPANYINGUSONOUREXPEDITIONSTOTHEREMAINSOFTHEOLDSTUDIOS

-x-

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FOREWORD

by Susan Doll, PhD

I

LIVEDIN#HICAGOFORYEARS AND INTHATTIME )DISCOVEREDITTOBE a city of contradictions. It is a city that earned fame for the contribuTIONS OF PROGRESSIVE THINKERS IN SOCIAL SCIENCES EDUCATION AND RELIGION but ignominy for its legacy of political corruption. A beacon for clever ENTREPRENEURSSUCHAS#YRUS-C#ORMICKAND!ARON-ONTGOMERY7ARD Chicago also attracted con men like Joseph “Yellow Kid” Weil. Righteous "ILLY3UNDAY WHOPREACHEDABOUTTHEEVILSOFALCOHOLDURING0ROHIBITION ISBURIEDINA#HICAGOSUBURBCALLED&OREST0ARK lVEMILESDUEEASTFROM THE(ILLSIDEGRAVEOFRUTHLESS!L#APONE WHOBECAMERICHANDINFAMOUS for selling illegal liquor during the same period of time. A “city on the MAKE vTOQUOTEWRITER.ELSON!LGREN #HICAGOWASTHEPERFECTPLACEFOR the burgeoning film industry to develop and prosper. Flickering Empire: How Chicago Invented the U.S. Film Industry offers the full story of Chicago’s enormous contributions to the history of cinEMA,IKE#HICAGO THElLMINDUSTRYWASAMODERNWONDERTHATATTRACTED AS MANY NOTORIOUS CHARACTERS AS IT DID INNOVATIVE ENTREPRENEURS !ND sometimes those contradictory impulses were represented in the same perSON
2EADERSWILLLEARNABOUT#OLONEL7ILLIAM3ELIG WHONOTONLYWASA - xi -

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Flickering Empire

phony medium in Dallas when he saw his first motion picture but also was a phony colonel. Selig returned to Chicago to jump into the business of MANUFACTURINGMOTION PICTUREEQUIPMENT INWHICHENTERPRISEHEBECAME a key figure. The 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition is a celebrated event IN#HICAGOSHISTORYANDALSOANOTORIOUSONE BECAUSEOFTHEESCAPADES OFSERIALKILLER(((OLMES THOUGHFlickering Empire focuses on the fair’s influence on the beginning of the film industry. It was at the fair where 'EORGE3POOR 3ELIGSRIVALFORMANYYEARS SAWTHE4ACHYSCOPE AROTATINGWHEELWITHPHOTOGRAPHSMOUNTEDAROUNDTHEPERIPHERY7HENSPUN THE IMAGES WERE ANIMATED SUGGESTING THE ILLUSION OF MOVEMENT WHICH intrigued Spoor. The failures and successes of Chicago’s film pioneers are not the only scandalous events in early cinema history recalled in Flickering Empire. Readers will discover the truth behind Thomas Edison’s role in the invention of the motion-picture camera and the establishment of the cinema industry. Authors Michael Glover Smith and Adam Selzer provide details OF%DISONSPENCHANTFORTAKINGCREDITFORTHEINNOVATIONSOFHISASSISTANTS INCLUDINGTHEWORKOF7+,$ICKSON THEMANWHOMADETHEINVENTORS IDEASFORACAMERATHATCAPTUREDMOVEMENTACTUALLYWORK4HEYEXPOSE Edison’s ruthless tactics in suing rivals for control of film production ANDDISTRIBUTION HISBOOTLEGGINGOF%UROPEANlLMS ANDEVENHISLACKOF interest in improving the production values of his films. Edison’s tactics STUNTEDTHEDEVELOPMENTOFTHEINDUSTRYONTHE%AST#OAST WHICHHELPED STUDIOSANDDISTRIBUTORSIN#HICAGOTOEXPANDANDDOMINATEPRODUCTION and distribution for a short while. The authors effectively paint the big picture of the pioneering days of cinema history and then carefully place Chicago’s major contributions WITHINIT"UTTHEDEVILISINTHEDETAILS ANDTHEIRINCREDIBLERESEARCHIN PRIMARY SOURCES PINPOINTS DATES PEOPLE AND lLMS TO CAREFULLY SUPPORT their argument about the central role of Chicago-based film entrepreneurs ANDTHESUPERIORPRODUCTIONVALUESOFTHEIRMOVIES)NDEED THEDETAILED descriptions of films in the chapters on the Essanay and Selig Polyscope Studios are among the most fascinating segments in a book written in ADIRECT ENTERTAININGSTYLE)N CROSS EYEDCOMIC"EN4URPIN LATER APARTOF-ACK3ENNETTS+EYSTONE3TUDIOS SKATEDHISWAYINTOAMOVIE CAREERIN%SSANAYSlRSTOFlCIALMOVIE An Awful Skate. This stunt comedy FEATURED4URPIN WHODIDNOTKNOWHOWTOSKATE CAREENINGANDCRASHING through Chicago’s Old Town neighborhood in a quasi-improvised narrative. An Awful SkateWASDIRECTEDBY'ILBERT!NDERSON LATERKNOWNAS - xii -

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Foreword

"RONCHO"ILLY WHOBYHADTURNEDHISTALENTSTOMAKINGWESTERNS including the film The James Boys in Missouri. Jesse and Frank James had been romanticized in dime novels and newspaper accounts since they began hitting banks and trains shortly after the Civil War. In the first DECADEOFTHENEWCENTURY THEYWERESTILLMEMORIALIZEDINDIMENOVELS and Frank James had been touring in Wild West shows and popular theATERASLATEAS EXPLOITINGHISNOTORIETY)LLUSTRATOR.#7YETHHAD returned from a trip out West in 1906 and may have painted his illustraTIONWITHASIMILARTITLE The James Brothers in Missouri ABOUTTHISTIME)N THISCONTEXT !NDERSONSDECISIONTOTURNTHESTORYOF&RANKAND*ESSEINTO %SSANAYSlRSTWESTERNWASTIMELY ANDHISSYMPATHETICPERSPECTIVEOFTHE BROTHERSWASINKEEPINGWITHOTHERPOPULARREPRESENTATIONS(OWEVER GLORIFYINGTHELIVESOFOUTLAWSGOTTHElLMBANNEDINSEVERALCITIES INCLUDING #HICAGO -EANWHILE OVER AT 3ELIG 0OLYSCOPE THE #OLONEL COLLABORATED with author L. Frank Baum on the first film to be based on the Wizard of OzNOVELS"AUMTOUREDTHECOUNTRYWITHTHElLM WHICHWASAHAND colored spectacular. 4HIS hREEL HISTORYh OF #HICAGO IS RELATIVELY UNHERALDED ,ONG AGO ) STUDIEDlLMHISTORYAT.ORTHWESTERN5NIVERSITYAND DESPITETHESCHOOLS PROXIMITYTOEVENTSANDLOCATIONSDESCRIBEDINFlickering Empire THECITY WAS BARELY ACKNOWLEDGED IN CLASS OR IN TEXTBOOKS ,ITTLE HAS CHANGED THROUGHTHEDECADES!FEWYEARSAGO )ATTENDEDASCREENINGOFAMULTI episode documentary series on the history of the American film industry presented by the director. Though the contributions of such forgotten pioneers as French filmmaker Alice Guy-Blaché were acknowledged in ORDERTOhRIGHTTHEWRONGSvOFSTANDARDlLMHISTORIES #HICAGO WASREPresented by a single photo of the Selig Polyscope Studio. The director of the documentary — and the audience — did not appreciate my question: 7HYWASTHERESOLITTLEABOUT#HICAGO!NNOYED HEDISMISSEDWHATHE PERCEIVEDASACRITICISM ANSWERINGTHATHECOULDNTPOSSIBLYINCLUDEEVERY DETAILOFlLMHISTORY ASTHOUGH#HICAGOSCONTRIBUTIONSWERETOOMINOR !PPARENTLY NEITHERHENORTHEAUDIENCEWANTEDMETOSPOILTHEIRPRECONceived ideas about the history of American cinema as a tale of two coasts and two cities — New York and Hollywood. 3TANDARDTEXTBOOKSFORlLMHISTORYCLASSESARENOBETTER)F#HICAGOIS INCLUDEDINTEXTS ITISGENERALLYABRIEFACKNOWLEDGEMENTOF%SSANAYAND 3ELIGASMEMBERSOFTHE-OTION0ICTURE0ATENTS#OMPANY ATRUSTFOUNDED IN  TO CONTROL PRODUCTION DISTRIBUTION AND EXHIBITION "UT AFTER Michael and Adam’s painstaking research and comprehensive detail in - xiii -

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Flickering Empire

Flickering Empire THETEXTBOOKSNEEDTOBEREWRITTEN4HERECANBELITTLE debate that Chicago was absolutely instrumental in the development of distribution and as a production center in the pioneering days of the film INDUSTRY!NYTEXTTHATDOESNOTREFERENCE-ICHAELAND!DAMSWORKAND research will be guilty of distortion by omission. Flickering Empire is the link that has been missing in standard film histories. 7HEN)LIVEDIN#HICAGO )OFTENVISITEDTHESITESANDLOCATIONSASSOCIated with the early days of cinema. I lived near the intersection where the Selig studio once stood; I walked past the Essanay buildings that are still STANDINGON!RGYLE3TREET)TRACKEDDOWNTHEADDRESSOF/SCAR-ICHEAUXS office; I tried to find the apartment building where Chaplin lived for only a few weeks. I thought these sites could transport me back in time so that )COULDUNDERSTANDWHATITWASLIKETOMAKEMOVIESINGRITTY TURN OF THE CENTURY#HICAGO)LIVEINANOTHERSTATENOW BUT)CANSTILLFULlLLTHATWISH by leafing through Flickering Empire.

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PERSONS DISCUSSED IN FLICKERING EMPIRE

Don J. Bell (1869–1934) Arthur Berthelet (1879–1949) J. Stuart Blackton (1875–1941) Francis Boggs (1870–1911) Hobart Bosworth (1867–1943) Charles Brabin (1882–1957) Hazel Buddemeyer (1893–1973) John Bunny (1863–1915) Luis Buñuel (1900–1983) Francis X. Bushman (1883–1966)

George Ade (1866–1944) John Alcock (18??–19??) Edward Amet (1860–1948) Gilbert M. “Broncho Billy” Anderson (1880–1971) Otto Anschutz (1846–1907) Maclyn Arbuckle (1866–1931) Thomas Armat (1866–1948) Richard Foster “Daddy” Baker (1857–1921) Ephraim Banning (1849–1907) Thomas Banning (1851–1927) Theda Bara (1885–1955) L. Frank Baum (1856–1919) Beverly Bayne (1894–1982) Wallace Beery (1885–1949) !LEXANDER'RAHAM"ELLn

E.H. Calvert (1863–1941) Al Capone (1899–1947) Wallace A. Carlson (1894–1967) Bill Cato (1887–1965) Charles Chaplin (1889–1977) Syd Chaplin (1885–1965) Herma Clark (1871–1959) - xv -

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Flickering Empire

Charles Clary (1873–1931) Jean Cocteau (1889–1963) William F. “Buffalo Bill” Cody (1846–1917) Henrietta Crossman (1861–1944) William Emmett Dever (1862–1929) William Kenndy Laurel Dickson (1860–1935) John Dillinger (1903–1934) Bess Dunn (1877–1959) Frank Dyer (1870–1941) Paul Edgerton (19??–19??) Thomas Alva Edison (1847–1931) Elmer Ellsworth (18??–19??) Charles Eyton (1871–1941) George Fabyan (1867–1939) Louis Feuillade (1873–1925) Michael Figliulio (18??–19??) F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896–1940) John Ford (1894–1973) William Foster (1884–1940) 7ILLIAM&OXn Metellus Lucullus Funkhouser (1864–1926) Joe Gans (1874–1910) Morris Gest (1875–1942) William Gillette (1853–1937) Francis J. Grandon (1879–1929) D.W. Griffith (1875–1948) Alice Guy–Blaché (1873–1968) John Hardin (18??–19??) William Randolph Hearst (1863–1951)

William Heise (1847–1910) Burton Holmes (1870–1958) H.H. Holmes (1861–1896) E. Mason “Lightning” Hopper (1875–1964) Warda Howard (18??–1943) Albert Howell (1879–1951) May Irwin (1862–1938) Charles Jenkins (1867–1934) Lew Johnson (18??–19??) Peter P. Jones (18??–19??) Boris Karloff (1887–1969) Sam Katz (1893–19??) Cherry Kearton (1871–1940) Buster Keaton (1895–1966) Kitty Kelly (1886–1965) J. Warren Kerrigan (1879–1947) Dimitri Kirsanoff (1899–1957) George Kleine (1864–1931) Peter Kyne (1880–1937) Carl Laemmle (1867–1939) Ring Lardner (1885–1933) Harry Lauder (1870–1950) Stan Laurel (1890–1965) Florence Lawrence (1886–1938) Margaret Leslie (18??–1906) -AX,EWISn Robert Todd Lincoln (1843–1928) -AX,INDERn Samuel Long (18??–1915) Siegmund Lubin (1851–1923) Auguste Lumière (1862–1954) Claude–Antoine Lumière (1840–1911) - xvi -

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Persons Discussed in Flickering Empire

Louis Lumière (1864–1948) Wallace McCutcheon (1858–1910) Terry McGovern (1880–1918) Scott Marble (1847–1919) Étienne–Jules Marey (1830–1904) Frank J. Marion (1869–1963) William McKinley (1843–1901) Archer McMackin (1888–1961) Georges Méliès (1861–1938) Frank Minematsu (188?–193?) 4OM-IXn Gene Morgan (18??–19??) William Morris (18??–1932) Frank Mottershaw (1850–1932) J.J. Murdoch (18??–19??) F.W. Murnau (1888–1931) Eadweard Muybridge (1830–1904) Tom Nash (18??–19??) Howard E. Nicholas (18??–19??) 6IRGINIA.ICHOLSONn Annie Oakley (1860–1926) Fred Ott (1860–1936) Paul Panzer (1873–1958) Lem B. Parker (1865–1928) Louella Parsons (1881–1972) Mary Pickford (1892–1979) Pope Pius X (1835–1914) Edwin S. Porter (1870–1941) Evelyn Preer (1896–1932) !LEXANDRE0ROMIOn Terry Ramsaye (1885–1954) George Remus (1874–1952)

Romola Remus (1900–1987) Tom Ricketts (1853–1939) John C. Rice (18??–1915) Jesse Robbins (1885–1973) Paul Robeson (1898–1976) Kermit Roosevelt (1889–1943) Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919) Eugen Sandow (1867–1925) Andrew Schustek (1873–1934) William N. Selig (1864–1948) Mack Sennett (1880–1960) George Shippy (1861–1939) Upton Sinclair (1878–1968) -AX3KLADANOWSKYn Albert E. Smith (1875–1958) George K. Spoor (1872–1953) Marvin “Major” Spoor (1893–1951) Mary (Mollie) Spoor (1887–1985) Farida Mazar “Little Egypt” Spyropoulos (1871–1937) Ford Sterling (1882–1939) Ruth Stonehouse (1892–1941) Andrew Sullivan (18??–19??) Gloria Swanson (1899–1983) Mabel Taliaferro (1857–1979) Nikola Tesla (1856–1943) William Hale “Big Bill” Thompson (1869–1944) Otis Turner (1862–1918) Ben Turpin (1869–1940) 7ILLIAM6ANCEn $ZIGA6ERTOVn %RICH6ON3TROHEIMn Raoul Walsh (1887–1980)

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Flickering Empire

Henry B. Walthall (1878–1936) Bryant Washburn (1889–1963) John Wayne (1907–1979) Henry McRae Webster (187?–19??) Orson Welles (1915–1985) Theodore Wharton (1875–1931) Chief Whirlwind (18??–1917)

James H. White (1872–1944) Robert Wiene (1873–1938) Billy Wilder (1906–2002) Kathlyn Williams (1879–1960) Adolf Zukor (1873–1966)

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0REFACE (OLLYWOOD"EFORE(OLLYWOOD

The Essanay Motion Picture Manufacturing Company’s story is a quintessential Chicago story. The story begins as an improviSATIONmOWERSINPARTDUETODUBIOUS RUTHLESSBUSINESSPRACTICES ANDENDSAFEWYEARSLATERWITHAHAZY OH WELLSENSEOF3ECOND City disappointment. n-ICHAEL0HILLIPS Chicago Tribune1 You either love Chicago — or else it burns in your memory as a BLUSTERING BLISTERINGSUBDIVISIONOF(ELL n,OUELLA0ARSONS The Gay Illiterate2

T

he story of how Chicago served as the unlikely capital of motionpicture production in the United States during the earliest days of cinema has become curiously forgotten in academic circles and in popular FANDOMALIKE-OSTlLMHISTORYTEXTBOOKSDESCRIBEHOWEARLY!MERICAN film production developed in the 1890s and early 1900s in New York AND .EW *ERSEY THE HOME OF THE %DISON -ANUFACTURING #OMPANY AND -1-

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Flickering Empire

Filming an Essanay ‘western’ indoors.

the American Mutoscope and Biograph Company. It has become comMONPLACEFORlLMHISTORIANSTOJUXTAPOSETHISNARRATIVEWITHTHESTORYOF how the movies then moved to Hollywood in the second decade of the twentieth century. This version of history completely ignores the story OFlLMPRODUCTIONINTHE-IDWEST#HICAGO WHENITISDISCUSSEDATALL IS often treated as an afterthought or a footnote. David Bordwell and Kristin 4HOMPSONS OTHERWISE EXCELLENT AND AUTHORITATIVE Film History: An Introduction FORINSTANCE DEVOTESEXACTLYONESENTENCETOMAJOR#HICAGO movie studios like the Selig Polyscope Company and the Essanay Film Manufacturing Company before noting that “poor weather” eventually caused film producers to move farther west.3 The astonishing reality is that Chicago filmmakers produced literALLY THOUSANDS OF MOVIES BETWEEN  AND  PERHAPS MORE THAN any other single city in the country during this time. It has been estiMATEDTHATTHE#HICAGOlLMINDUSTRYATITSMOSTPROLIlC ATTHEENDOF THElRSTDECADEOFTHETWENTIETHCENTURY WASRESPONSIBLEFORPRODUCING the majority of the American movies on the market.4 Among the major #HICAGOPLAYERSWERE%SSANAY 3ELIG0OLYSCOPE ANDTHE+LEINE#OMPANY ADISTRIBUTORTHATALSODABBLEDINPRODUCTION NOTTOMENTIONACOPIOUS -2-

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Preface: Hollywood Before Hollywood

NUMBEROFINDEPENDENTPRODUCTIONCOMPANIES INCLUDINGTHE!MERICAN &ILM-ANUFACTURING#OMPANY THE"IRTHOFA2ACE0HOTOPLAY#OMPANY THE%BONY&ILM#OMPANY THE&OSTER0HOTOPLAY#OMPANY THE(ISTORICAL &EATURE &ILM #OMPANY THE -ICHEAUX "OOK AND &ILM #OMPANY THE 0ETER0*ONES&ILM#OMPANY ANDTHE5NIQUE&ILM#OMPANY-AJORSTUDIOSBASEDINOTHERCITIESSUCHAS%DISON "IOGRAPH ANDTHE!MERICAN 6ITAGRAPH #OMPANY ALSO MAINTAINED #HICAGO OFlCES 4HIS ENORMOUS empire employed thousands of men and women in a thriving industry that can accurately be described as “Hollywood Before Hollywood.” The BIGGESTOFTHESTUDIOSOWNEDLOTSTHATCOMPRISEDENTIRECITYBLOCKS AND they released locally shot movies on a weekly basis. Their output totaled hundreds of films every year. Colonel William Selig became known as “the man who invented Hollywood” as a result of his opening the first PERMANENTMOVIESTUDIOIN,OS!NGELESIN BUTTHISHAPPENEDONLY after he had already produced hundreds of films at his successful Chicagobased studio during the previous ten years. !MONGTHETHOUSANDSOFMOVIESPRODUCEDIN#HICAGODURINGTHISERA THEEARLY#HICAGOlLMMAKERSCANCLAIMMANYhFAMOUSlRSTS vINCLUDING – the first pseudo-documentary and the first use of special effects “miniatures” (Edward Amet and George Spoor’s Spanish– American War movies of 1898) – the first industrial films made for a corporate client (Selig PolySCOPESMOVIESFORTHEMEATPACKINGGIANT!RMOURAND#OMPANY 1901) – the first Wizard of Oz films (Selig Polyscope’s The Fairylogue and Radio Plays  ANDThe Wonderful Wizard of Oz  nMANYPIONEERINGWESTERNS INCLUDINGTHElRSTMOVIEABOUT*ESSE James (Essanay’s The James Boys in Missouri  – the first American film version of Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol (Essanay’s A Christmas Carol  – the first movie adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde WHICHISALSOPROBABLYTHElRST!MERICANHORRORlLM (Selig Polyscope’s Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde  – the first biographical picture about a U.S. President (Essanay’s The Life of Abraham Lincoln  – the first “two-reeler” (Selig Polyscope’s Damon and Pythias  – the first slapstick comedy to feature the famous “pie-in-the-face” gag (Essanay’s Mr. Flip  -3-

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nTHEMOTION PICTUREDEBUTOFWESTERNSUPERSTAR4OM-IX3ELIG0OLY scope’s The Cowboy Millionaire  – the first film directed by an African-American (the Foster Photoplay Company’s independently produced short The Railroad Porter  – the first American “cliffhanger” serial (Selig Polyscope’s The Adventures of Kathlyn  – the first successful weekly newsreel (The Hearst-Selig News Pictorial 1915) – the first feature-length movie to showcase Sir Arthur ConanDoyle’s beloved Sherlock Holmes character (Essanay’s Sherlock Holmes  – the first feature film directed by an African-American (the Peter P. Jones Film Company’s independently produced The Slacker  In addition to its invaluable contributions to early motion-picture producTIONINTHE5NITED3TATES #HICAGOWASALSOANIMPORTANTCENTERFORlLM DISTRIBUTION AND EXHIBITION #ARL ,AEMMLE WHO WOULD GO ON TO FOUND 5NIVERSAL3TUDIOS GOTHISSTARTASANEXHIBITORWHENHEOPENEDANICKELODEONINTHE3ECOND#ITYIN'EORGE+LEINE THEMOSTSUCCESSFUL American importer and distributor of European movies in the early twenTIETHCENTURY HADHISHEADQUARTERSIN#HICAGO4HESUCCESSOFTHESEAND OTHERDISTRIBUTORSANDEXHIBITORSBENElTTEDTHELOCALPRODUCTIONSTUDIOSn and vice-versa. The first issue of the trade publication Show World in June 1907 claimed “Chicago leads the world in the rental of moving picture films and in the general patronage of the motion view.”5 This claim was backed up two months later by a Billboard article that stated that Chicago companies had commanded an incredible two-thirds of the American motion-picture rental business in the early part of the year.6 There are amazing stories from this era that have been buried by the PASSAGEOFTIME ANDMANYUNDOUBTEDLYGREAT#HICAGOMOVIESHAVEBEEN lost forever because the nitrate film stock was melted down for its silver CONTENT &EWER THAN ONE PERCENT OF 3ELIG 0OLYSCOPES MOVIES STILL EXIST AND%SSANAYSOUTPUTHASFAREDONLYMARGINALLYBETTER ACIRCUMSTANCETHAT partly accounts for Chicago’s neglected status in various film histories. Film historian Susan Doll refers to Chicago’s history as the original Hollywood as “Chicago’s best-kept secret.”74HISBOOK THElRSTEVERDEVOTEDSOLELYTO THERISEANDFALLOFTHEMAJOR#HICAGOSTUDIOS ISANATTEMPTTOHELPREDRESS the balance and to bring some of these forgotten stories to light. -4-

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Preface: Hollywood Before Hollywood

&OR UNLIKE MANY OF THE MOVIES THEMSELVES THE STORIES DO SURVIVE There are endless humorous anecdotes about the era: filmmakers being ARRESTED WHILE SHOOTING A BANK ROBBERY SCENE BATTLES WITH CENSORS ALL NIGHTPARTIESWITHSTARS WILDEXCESS AND INTHECASEOF SHORT TERM #HICAGORESIDENT#HARLIE#HAPLIN EXTREMETHRIFT4HEREWEREDREAMERS WHO MADE BAD DECISIONS CROOKS WHO CHANGED THE WORLD ARTISTS WITH UNSTOPPABLEVISIONS ANDGOOFBALLSWHOHAPPENEDTOBEINTHERIGHTPLACE at the right time. The North Side of Chicago was a prototype Beverly (ILLS WHERESTARSWOULDGATHERATTHE'REEN-ILL'ARDENSNIGHTCLUB LATERAFAVORITEOF!L#APONE TOSEEANDBESEEN&RANCIS8"USHMAN the first true matinée idol and a future star of the original epic production of Ben Hur: A Tale of the Christ WOULDCRUISETHROUGHTOWN in a purple limousine with a spotlight on the dashboard so that everyone could see him. )N THEREWASPLENTYOFLOCALACTINGTALENTFROMWHICHTHE#HICAGO filmmakers could choose to populate their movies. The city’s enormous THEATERINDUSTRYEMPLOYEDABOUT ACTORSAND VAUDEVILLIANS8 In an era when it was believed that a steady supply of fresh faces was good FORTHEINDUSTRY MANYOFTHESEPERFORMERSAPPEAREDBEFOREMOTION PICTURE cameras. Still other non-professionals were plucked off the street and BECAMEUNLIKELYSTARS2OMOLA2EMUS ANEIGHT YEAR OLDGIRL WASCASTBY the author of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz #HICAGOAN,&RANK"AUM TO play Dorothy in the first of the Oz movies. She stayed home from school to earn five dollars per day for the role. A young Gloria Swanson used her connections (her aunt was a nanny for the infant daughter of Essanay co-founder Gilbert M. Anderson) to GET A TOUR OF %SSANAY 3TUDIOS 3WANSON WAS HIRED AS AN EXTRA AND SHE hoped to earn enough money to buy a dill pickle at the drug store afterWARDS 3HE WAS THRILLED TO lND THAT HER PAY  FOR AN HOURS WORK was enough to buy all the dill pickles she could ever want. She evenTUALLYBECAMEONEOF(OLLYWOODSMOSTGLAMOROUSSTARS ACTINGINSOME OFTHEMOSTFAMOUS ANDINFAMOUS MOVIESOFTHEENTIRESILENTERA4HE Chicago studios would also serve as a launching pad for the careers of MANYOTHERSTARSANDBEHINDTHESCENESPLAYERSACTORSSUCHAS4OM-IX 7ALLACE"EERY AND'ILBERT!NDERSONHIMSELFPERFORMINGUNDERHISCOWBOYMONIKER h"RONCHO"ILLYv!NDERSON ASWELLASSCREENWRITERSSUCHAS JOURNALIST2ING,ARDNER HUMORIST'EORGE!DE THEFUTUREDIRECTINGGREAT !LLAN$WAN AND,OUELLA0ARSONSWHOWOULDBECOMEAFUTURE(OLLYWOOD gossip columnist and feared power broker. -5-

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The story of early film production in Chicago is also a story with uncanny parallels to that of the early twenty-first century. The concerns ABOUTPATENTS INTELLECTUALPROPERTY PIRACY ANDBIGBUSINESSTHATDROVETHE creation of the early movies continue to resonate with us in the Digital Age today. The Faustian bargain that the Chicago studios engaged in WITH4HOMAS%DISONANDHISINFAMOUSh4RUST vWHICHWOULDULTIMATELYBE RESPONSIBLEFORBRINGINGABOUTTHEIRDOWNFALL SERVESASACAUTIONARYTALE for contemporary movie studios whose business practices likewise teeter dangerously close to the monopolistic. !BOVE ALL THOUGH IT IS A QUINTESSENTIAL #HICAGO STORY ABOUT THREE VISIONARIES THELARGER THAN LIFElGURESOF#OLONEL7ILLIAM.3ELIG 'ILBERT -h"RONCHO"ILLYv!NDERSON AND'EORGE+3POOR4HESEPIONEERSWERE THEONESMOSTRESPONSIBLEFORBUILDINGAlLMEMPIREIN#HICAGO HELPING to turn motion pictures from a vaudeville novelty into an artistic medium that would define the twentieth century more than any other. For a brief PERIODTHESEMENWOULDRISELIKETITANSANDTHEN ASTHEWORLDCHANGED AROUNDTHEM CRUMBLEBACKINTODUST

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- PA R T O N E -

THOMAS EDISON, INVENTION AND THE DAWN OF A NEW CHICAGO A

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4HOMAS%DISONANDTHEPHONOGRAPH 0HOTOCOURTESYOFTHE,IBRARYOF#ONGRESS

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- CHAPTER ONE -

%DISON´S+INETOSCOPEAND 0RE -OTION 0ICTURE %NTERTAINMENT A

T

he late nineteenth century was an era of astounding innovation. 0HOTOGRAPHYWASSTILLRELATIVELYNEW ASWERETHERAILROADS3TEAMAND electricity were just beginning to show what they could do. Being able to SENDMESSAGESHUNDREDSOFMILESINSTANTLYVIATHETELEGRAPHWASEXCITING BUTIN!LEXANDER'RAHAM"ELLECLIPSEDTHETELEGRAPHANDSTUNNED the world with the introduction of his “electrical speaking telephone.” 0EOPLEHADKNOWNABOUTELECTRICITYFORDECADES BUTONLYNOWWERETHEY starting to see for themselves its awesome possibilities. )NMANYWAYS MOTIONPICTURESWOULDBETHECLIMAXOFTHISmURRYOF invention. Although Chicago may not have been the center of the film WORLDINTHEVERYBEGINNING TWOFACTORSGUARANTEEDTHATITWOULDBECOME just that in the decade prior to the rise of Hollywood: the Columbian Exposition of 1893 and the megalomania of Thomas Alva Edison. %VENINTHISAGEOFINVENTION %DISONSTOODOUT!SELF EDUCATEDYOUNG MANFROM0ORT(URON -ICHIGAN %DISONWORELONGLABCOATS OFTENCAKED IN MUD AND GRIME IN AN AGE WHEN MOST SCIENTISTS STILL DRESSED TO THE NINES(ESLEPTONLYTWOORTHREEHOURSATATIME ANDNOTALWAYSATNIGHT (EWOULDSIMPLYGOTOSLEEPWHENEVERHEWASTOOEXHAUSTEDTOCONTINUE -9-

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working. So intense was his work ethic that his wife would have to leave scraps of food around his laboratory in places where he was likely to bump INTO THEM IF SHE WANTED HIM TO EAT AT ALL h(E IS A STRANGE CHAP THIS %DISON v WROTE A CORRESPONDENT FOR THE Chicago Daily Tribune. “He has more peculiarities to the square inch than any man in America.”1 Upon HIS DEATH THE 3ERBIAN INVENTOR .IKOLA 4ESLA A ONE TIME %DISON ASSISTANT SAIDTHATHISFORMERBOSSHADhLIVEDINUTTERDISREGARDOFMOSTOFTHE elementary rules of hygiene.”2 4HEPHONOGRAPH INTRODUCEDIN WASTHElRSTOF%DISONSINVENTIONSTOTRULYCAPTURETHEPUBLICSIMAGINATION ANDITMADETHEINVENTORA STAR0RIORTOTHEPHONOGRAPH WHENAFAMOUSSINGERDIED THESOUNDOFTHE singer’s voice could never be heard again. Great orators’ skills died with THEMTHEREWASNORECORD OTHERTHANWRITTENTRANSCRIPTS OFANYSPEECH CONVERSATION PERFORMANCE SONG EVENT OR INDEED ANYOTHERNOISETHAT had happened in the past. The fact that sound was as ephemeral as the WINDTHATCARRIEDITHADBEENTRUEFORTHEWHOLEOFHUMANEXISTENCE 7HEN%DISONCASUALLYANNOUNCEDTHATHECOULDRECORD STORE ANDPLAY BACKAHUMANVOICE THEPUBLICWASAWESTRUCK4HEPHONOGRAPHSEEMED so wondrous that prominent magicians came to Edison’s lab planning TO DEBUNK THE INVENTION CONlDENT THAT HE WAS REALLY JUST A VENTRILOQUIST%DISONSSTAFFPLAYEDATRICKONONE RIGGINGTHEPHONOGRAPHWITHA hMATRIXvTHATHADBEENPRE MADE SOTHATWHENTHEMAGICIANREADSOME SCRIPTUREINTOTHEMACHINE THENTRIEDTOPLAYITBACK THEVOICEEMERGING FROMTHELOUDSPEAKERSAID h,OUDER OLDPUDDINGHEAD
v3 2EPORTERS BEGAN TO DESCEND ON %DISONS LAB IN DROVES FASCINATED BY the unkempt inventor. A New York Sun REPORTER SAID h(E LOOKED LIKE ANYTHINGBUTAPROFESSOR ANDREMINDEDMEOFABOYAPPRENTICETOANIRON MOULDER(ISHANDSWEREGRIMYWITHSOOTANDOIL HISSTRAIGHT DARKHAIR stood nine ways from Sunday … but the fire of genius shone in his keen gray eyes.” 3INCETHEREPORTERHADNEVERSEENTHEPHONOGRAPHATWORK %DISONEAGERLY DEMONSTRATED TURNINGTHECRANKANDRECITINGINTOTHEMICROPHONE Mary had a little lamb Its fleece was white as snow And everywhere that Mary went The lamb was sure to go – to go – to go Ooh ooh ooh – ah! Cockadoodle doo-ah! - 10 -

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Tuck-a-tuck-a-tuck Tuck-ah! Tuck-ah!4 Edison then gleefully laughed as he played it back — first at the normal SPEED THEN COMICALLY FASTER AND SLOWER TO THE AMAZED REPORTER WHOSE headline simply consisted of one word: “Marvelous.” Edison was quick to see how much could be done with the machine. 3ONGS SPEECHES ANDSOUNDSCOULDBERECORDEDANDCOPIED!STATUEINA WAXMUSEUMCOULDPLAYTHEVOICEOFTHECHARACTERITIMITATED IFAMATRIX were placed inside. Dolls could be made to recite nursery rhymes. Poor CHURCHES %DISONSAID COULDHAVETHEGREATESTPREACHERSOFTHEERARECITE their sermons every Sunday. Young couples could dance to waltz music LONGAFTERTHELOCALDANCEHALLCLOSED2ECORDINGSOFARIAS SPEECHES AND even full orchestras could be sold for five dollars apiece. Reading now about his performances for reporters (for they cerTAINLY WERE PERFORMANCES PART OF %DISONS SHAMELESS AND BRILLIANT SELF PROMOTION IT SEEMS ALMOST AS IF %DISON WERE PREDICTING WHAT THE TWENTIETHCENTURYWOULDBELIKE)NHINDSIGHT HISTALKABOUTTHEPOSSIBILIties of recorded sound makes him seem as if he were a psychic describing 7ATERGATEh)COULDlXAMACHINEINAWALL vHESAID hANDBYRESONATION any conversation in a room could be recorded. Political secrets and the MACHINATIONS OF 7ALL 3TREET POOLS MIGHT BE BROUGHT TO LIGHT AND THE account charged to the devil. Kind parents could lie in bed and hear all the spooney courtship of their daughters and lovers.”5 (AVINGMADETHERECORDINGS %DISONHADEVENDEVISEDAMEANSTOPLAY them back loud enough so that they could be heard distinctly at a distance of four miles. Ships’ captains could communicate directly with each other. Trains could announce themselves and where they were going. h7HY vHESAID h)COULDPUTAMETALDIAPHRAGMINTHEMOUTHOFTHE Goddess of Liberty that the Frenchmen are going to put up on Bedloe’s Island that would make her talk so loud that she could be heard by every soul on Manhattan Island.”6 The public could only read in amazement. This was a man who could make statues talk. He seemed not only to have imagined a futuristic world far more advanced than anything conceived of in the works of the writERSOFhSCIENTIlCROMANCE vASSCIENCElCTIONWASTHENCALLED BUTALSOTO KNOWEXACTLYHOWTOMAKEITALLCOMETRUE)DEASSEEMEDTOBURSTFORTH THROUGHHISVERYEARS!LLOFTHESEACCOMPLISHMENTS KEEPINMIND HAPpened before he invented the first practical light bulb or started building - 11 -

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the power stations that would bring electricity to ordinary people for the first time. 7HENTALKINGABOUTTHEPOSSIBILITIESOFTHEPHONOGRAPHIN AN INVENTION THAT HE WOULD CONTINUE TO RElNE FOR YEARS TO COME HE CAME TANTALIZINGLYCLOSETODESCRIBINGTHEADVENTOFTELEVISION ANDTALKINGMOVIES BEFOREANYONEHADEVERSEENASILENTMOTIONPICTUREATALLh!MANIN %UROPEHASINVENTEDAMACHINETHATTAKESINSTANTANEOUSPHOTOGRAPHS v HESAID HISVOICESPARKLINGWITHEXCITEMENTh,ETUSSUPPOSETHATHEPHOTOGRAPHS$R%( #HAPINEVERYSECOND ANDWETAKEDOWNHISSERMON ONTHEMATRIXOFTHEPHONOGRAPH4HEPICTURESANDGESTURESOFTHEORATOR ASWELLASHISVOICE COULDBEEXACTLYREPRODUCED ANDTHEEYESANDEARSOF the audience charmed by the voice and manner of the speaker … whole dramas and operas can be produced in private parlors.”7 )TWASNOT HOWEVER %DISONWHOINVENTEDTHEMOVIES)NDEED ITCOULD BE ARGUED THAT %DISON NEVER TRULY INVENTED ANYTHING IN HIS LIFE OTHER than the larger-than-life inventor’s persona that reporters found so fasciNATING4HISPERSONAALSOFASCINATEDMANYOFTHEBUDDINGMOVIEPIONEERS INCLUDING%DWARD!MET WHOCREATEDAPRIMITIVElLMPROJECTORBYCOMBINING%DISONS+INETOSCOPEWITHAMAGICLANTERN)N#HICAGO !METAND HISBUSINESSPARTNER'EORGE3POOR ALONGWITHTHEIRMOVIE PRODUCINGRIVAL 7ILLIAM3ELIG WOULDINMANYWAYSINVENTTHEhlLMINDUSTRYv #HICAGOISWHERESOMANYINNOVATIONSBEGAN WHERECONCEPTSOFMOVing pictures and their possibilities came together. It happened a few clicks at a time. The Columbian Exposition THEMASSIVEh7ORLDS&AIRvTHATPUT #HICAGOONTHEMAPIN WASORIGINALLYPLANNEDBY%DISONTOBETHE EVENT THAT WOULD INTRODUCE THE MOVIES TO THE WORLD -OVING PICTURES ALBEITNOTINPROJECTEDFORM HADALREADYEXISTEDFORSOMETIMEBY when Edison began teasing reporters about the idea. Throughout the S VARIOUSMECHANISMSTHATMADEASERIESOFIMAGESAPPEARTOBEA SINGLEMOVINGIMAGE SUCHASTHE:OETROPE WEREMARKETED)N THE PHOTOGRAPHER%ADWEARD-UYBRIDGE THEhMANIN%UROPEvOFWHOM%DISON SPOKE TOOKASERIESOFhINSTANTvPHOTOGRAPHSTOSETTLEABETASTOWHETHER all four hooves of a racehorse were ever off the ground simultaneously when the horse was in full gallop. The answer was yes. 3PURREDONBYHISSUCCESS -UYBRIDGEWENTTOWORKUSINGINSTANTPHOTOGRAPHS TO STUDY BODIES IN MOTION 7HEN VIEWED IN QUICK SUCCESSION THESEPHOTOGRAPHSAPPEAREDTOCOMETOLIFE&ROMTHEPHOTOS HEFOUND that many long-held notions about what humans and animals look like IN MID MOTION AS SHOWN IN COUNTLESS WORKS OF ART WERE DEAD WRONG - 12 -

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(OWEVER -UYBRIDGESEEMSTOHAVELACKEDTHEFORESIGHTTOUNDERSTANDTHE WIDE RANGINGPOSSIBILITIESOFMOVINGPICTURES&ROMALLAVAILABLEEVIDENCE it would seem that he was interested in the technology only as a form of STUDYINGMOTIONANDADVANCINGSCIENCE NOTASAWAYTOAMUSEPEOPLEOR create art. One would think it must have occurred to him that the many STUDIESHEMADEOFNUDEWOMENWALKINGDOWNSTAIRS PICKINGUPJUGS AND jumping on one foot had broad appeal outside of the scientific commuNITY BUTHECERTAINLYNEVERTRIEDTOMARKETANYOFHISMOVINGPICTURESAS entertainment. -UYBRIDGESPHOTOGRAPHS HOWEVER WHICHWERETYPICALLYCAPTUREDBY A SERIES OF  CAMERAS SET UP IN A ROW WERE NOT ORIGINALLY SEEN BY THE PUBLICAShMOTIONPICTURESv)NSTEAD THEYWEREPRINTEDONTOGLASSPLATES THATWERESHOWNONEATATIMEINSLIDESHOWS)N THE&RENCHSCIENTIST Étienne-Jules Marey improved upon Muybridge’s breakthrough by inventINGAhCHRONOPHOTOGRAPHICGUN vASINGLECAMERATHATCOULDTAKETWELVE PHOTOGRAPHSEVERYSECONDONASTRIPOFmEXIBLElLM4HISWASTHEPROTOtypical movie camera that Edison would modify and ultimately patent as his own. %DISONSWORKONTHEPHONOGRAPH ANDTHEPOSSIBILITYOFADDINGMOVINGPICTURESTOHISRECORDEDSOUNDS mOUNDERED ASDIDHISWORKONNEARLY every other invention that he dangled at this time in front of breathless REPORTERS$ESPITEHISAROUND THE CLOCKWORKETHIC HEFOUNDITALWAYSDIFficult to keep his attention on any given project long enough to perfect it. "Y WHENHElNALLYGOTAROUNDTOWORKINGONMOTIONPICTURESINEARNEST %DISONWASAFABULOUSLYWEALTHYMAN(ISPROGRESSONTHELIGHTBULB HADBEENEAGERLYWATCHEDBYNEWSPAPERREPORTERSANDHISRIVALS ANDHIS efforts to build power stations in every major city to supply electricity to the buildings and streets had made him a household name. )N  0ARIS STAGED ITS Exposition Universelle A WORLDS FAIR TO COMmemorate the 100th anniversary of the storming of the Bastille. The fair WAS A HUGE ACCOMPLISHMENT FEATURING HUNDREDS OF NEW BUILDINGS AND crowned by the enormous Eiffel Tower. Countries from all over the world SENTTHEIRlNESTTECHNOLOGICALINNOVATIONSANDWORKSOFART BUT!MERICA BYMANYACCOUNTS STOLETHESHOWh"UFFALO"ILLv#ODYAND!NNIE/AKLEY PLAYEDTHEIR7ILD7EST3HOWTOPACKEDHOUSES AND4HOMAS%DISONWAS given an acre of space to showcase 493 of his inventions. )T WAS DURING THE EXPOSITION THAT %DISON CAME TO BE SEEN NOT ONLY as the greatest inventor of the age but also as a symbol for American INDIVIDUALITY AND INGENUITY AN IMAGE THAT HE CAREFULLY HONED %QUALLY - 13 -

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well crafted were his modesty and embarrassment at the honors bestowed UPONHIM7HENHEATTENDEDAGALAPERFORMANCEOFANOPERAIN0ARIS THEORCHESTRAPLAYEDh4HE3TAR3PANGLED"ANNERvASHEENTEREDHISBOX h7HEREUPON vHESAID h)WASVERYMUCHEMBARRASSEDv!TTHEENDOFTHE EXPOSITION HEWASMADEACOMMANDEROFTHE,EGIONOF(ONORANDGIVEN ADIAMOND STUDDEDEMBLEM0UBLICLY HEMODESTLYSTATEDhTHEYTRIEDTOPUT ASASHONME BUT)COULDNOTSTANDFORTHATv8 0RIVATELY THOUGH HESTATEDTHATTHE0ARISIANSHADhUPPEDMYANTEv (EEMERGEDFROM0ARISASANINTERNATIONALSTAR THEMASTEROFELECTRICITY the very symbol of everything that was good and right about the United 3TATESOF!MERICA ACOUNTRYTHATWASTRANSFORMINGFROMITSIMAGEASAN ODD DANGEROUSLYPROGRESSIVEEXPERIMENTALNATIONAND SINCETHES ANEXPERIMENTTHATHADGONEAWRY INTOONEOFTHELEADINGNATIONSOFTHE WORLD ABASTIONOFCREATIVITYANDINNOVATIONTHATTHEh/LD7ORLDvCOULD not match. !DARKERSIDEOF%DISON HOWEVER WASALSOEMERGING!LTHOUGHTHEY DIDNOTBOTHERPEOPLEMUCHATTHETIME STORIESOFHOW%DISONTREATEDHIS staff were occasionally alarming. He was notorious for taking personal credit for work done by his employees and for working the men an almost INHUMANNUMBEROFHOURS(ISTOPSTAFFWASKNOWN FOROBVIOUSREASONS AShTHEINSOMNIASQUADv%DISONBRUSHEDOFFTHESECRITICISMS ANDSODID many of his most loyal employees. “I hear men tell of playing poker for 40 HOURSATASTRETCH vONESTAFFMEMBERSAIDh7ELL EXPERIMENTINGHASTHE same fascination for us as poker has for others.”9 4OBESURE THEREWASALOTOFEXPERIMENTINGTOBEDONE%DISONSOFT REPEATEDMAXIMTHATGENIUSISINSPIRATIONANDPERSPIRATIONWASONE BYWHICHHELIVED&OREVERYIDEA HEWOULDORDEREVERYPOSSIBLEEXPERIMENT TOBEDONE PREFERRINGTRIALANDERRORTOMATHEMATICSORhBOOKLEARNING vAN attitude that was a holdover from his own nearly complete lack of formal EDUCATION.IKOLA4ESLA THENAYOUNG%DISONEMPLOYEE FOUNDITEXASPERATING DESCRIBING%DISONAShINEFlCIENTINTHEEXTREMExJUSTALITTLETHEORY and calculation would have saved him 90 percent of the labor.”10 Tesla was a genius in his own right. Many believe that he far surpassed Edison in his ABILITIESASASCIENTIST&ORHISPART %DISONSIMPLYDIDNOTUNDERSTANDTHE IMPORTANCEOFTREATINGHISTOPTALENTWELL APROBLEMTHATWOULDPLAGUEHIM LATER ALONGWITHMANYOFTHEOTHERPIONEERSOFTHEMOVIEINDUSTRY 7HEN 4ESLA BEGAN WORK AS AN ELECTRICAL ENGINEER %DISON TOLD HIM PERHAPSWITHACHUCKLEINHISVOICE THATIFHECOULDIMPROVEUPONTHE %DISON#OMPANYSDIRECT CURRENTBRANDOFELECTRICITY THEREWAS  - 14 -

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4HOMAS%DISONANDMOSTOFHIS/RANGE -ASSACHUSETTS LABORATORYSTAFF 0HOTO courtesy of the Library of Congress)

INITFORHIM7HEN4ESLADIDIMPROVETHEBRAND HEEXPECTEDTOBEPAID 0ERHAPSHESHOULDHAVEREALIZEDTHAT%DISONSOFFERWASAJOKE  AMOUNTEDTOMORETHANlFTYYEARSOFHIS PER WEEKSALARY0ERHAPSHE SHOULDHAVEREALIZEDTHATWHEN%DISONOFFERED INSTEAD TORAISEHISSALARY MORETHANTOARATEOFPERWEEK HEWASACTUALLYBEINGRATHER GENEROUS %DISON HOWEVER CERTAINLY COULD HAVE HANDLED THE SITUATION BETTER TOO 7HEN 4ESLA CONFRONTED HIM %DISONS REPLY WAS h4ESLA YOU don’t understand our American humor.”11 Tesla promptly resigned his position and spent a few months as a ditchDIGGERBEFOREBEINGSNAPPEDUPBYTHE7ESTINGHOUSE%LECTRIC#OMPANY with whom he developed alternating-current electricity. The innovation WOULDBECOMETHEGREATESTRIVALFOR%DISONSDIRECTCURRENT ANDITWOULD eventually overtake it. Edison was always vulnerable to having his innoVATIONSOVERTAKENBYMORECREATIVERIVALS(EWASOFTENABLE HOWEVER TO retain the credit for himself. The same sleight of hand would occur with the movies. The idea of marrying moving images with recorded sound stayed WITH%DISON ANDSOHEBOUGHTSOMEOF-UYBRIDGESINSTANTPHOTOGRAPHS and told the Insomnia Squad to get to work. Edison and his crew knew - 15 -

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Flickering Empire .IKOLA4ESLA AGE  (Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress)

that a series of slightly different images that passed by the eye quickly ENOUGH WOULD APPEAR TO BE A SINGLE MOVING PICTURE BUT SYNCHRONIZING it to a phonograph recording proved difficult. Edison wanted to imprint INSTANTPHOTOGRAPHSONASPINNINGCYLINDER BUTHISCREWESTIMATEDTHAT thousands of images would be required to create a moving picture that WOULDBEWORTHWHILETOVIEW MORETHANWOULDlTONANYCYLINDERTHEN INEXISTENCE %DISONSEEMEDTOLOSEINTERESTINTHEPROJECTPERSONALLY BUTHERECRUITED 7ILLIAM+ENNEDY,AUREL$ICKSON A3COTTISH %NGLISHIMMIGRANTANDHIS COMPANYSOFlCIALPHOTOGRAPHER TODEVELOPTHEOPTICALANDPHOTOGRAPHIC ASPECTSOFTHEINVENTION WHILEHEHIMSELFFOCUSEDONTHEELECTROMECHANIcal side. Dickson knew that the Eastman Kodak Company had recently DEVELOPEDANEWCELLULOIDlLMSTOCKTHATCOULDBEROLLEDUP ASOPPOSEDTO THETHEN COMMONSHEETS MAKINGITPOSSIBLETOTAKEIMAGESMORERAPIDLY than ever before (Étienne-Jules Marey’s prototypical camera had never been able to take more than forty photographs at a time). $ICKSON ORDERED SOME OF %ASTMAN +ODAKS lLM EXPERIMENTED FOR A FEWMONTHS ANDDEVISEDANEWCAMERA THE+INETOGRAPH THATDREWTHE - 16 -

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Edison’s Kinetoscope and Pre-Motion-Picture Entertainment

roll of film across the lens by using toothed-sprocket wheels that grabbed the perforated edges along both sides of the film frame. The Kinetograph WASTHElRSTMOTION PICTURECAMERATOUTILIZETHESOON TO BESTANDARD AND BYNOWFAMILIAR LOOKING PERFORATEDROLLSOFMMlLM/NCETHECAMERA WASINWORKINGORDER $ICKSONANDTHECREWBEGANWORKONANEXHIBITION DEVICE THAT CAME TO BE KNOWN AS THE +INETOSCOPE A WOODEN BOX THAT contained a 50-foot loop of film that could be rolled by an electric motor. 6IEWERSCOULDPUTANICKELINASLOTRIGHTFROMTHElRST THEDEVICESWERE DESIGNEDTOMAKEMONEY BENDOVERANDPEERINTOAHOLETOSEEABOUT thirty seconds of film. )N %DISONWENTOFFTOPRESIDEOVERHISEXHIBITIONATTHE0ARIS%XPO 7HENHERETURNED $ICKSONPROUDLYDIRECTEDHIMTOLOOKINTOABOX WHERE %DISON SAW A MOVING PICTURE OF $ICKSON ALLEGEDLY SYNCHRONIZED WITH A phonograph recording of Dickson welcoming him back from his trip. By MOSTACCOUNTS%DISONWASNOTPARTICULARLYIMPRESSED BUTWORKCONTINUED AND IN  HE EXHIBITED THE WORK IN PROGRESS TO A TYPICALLY ASTONISHED Chicago Daily TribuneREPORTER WHOSESUBSEQUENTHEADLINEREAD LIGHT AND SOUND UNITED: EDISON OUTDOES HIMSELF WITH THE KINETOGRAPH.

“From the laboratory of the wizard in Menlo Park there is coming an INVENTIONWHICHOUT %DISONS%DISON vHEWROTEh7ITHITTHEOPERACANBE CARRIEDINTOTHEPARLORxTHENEWWONDERWILLBECALLEDTHE@KINETOGRAPH  ASTRANGE SOUNDINGTITLETOTHEEARTODAY BUTDESTINEDPERHAPSSOONTOBEAS FAMILIARASLOCOMOTIVEORTELEPHONE BOTHSTRANGEWORDSINTHEIRINFANCYv (E SPOKE OF %DISON AS hTHE GREATEST INVENTOR OF THE DAY v AND USED THE terms “wizard” and “genius” freely.12 (The reporter apparently got his terms MIXEDUPTHE+INETOSCOPEWASTHENAMEGIVENTOTHEMACHINETHATEXHIBITEDTHEMOVIES WHILETHE+INETOGRAPH ALSOLESSCOMMONLYKNOWNASTHE +INOGRAPH WASTHENAMEGIVENTO%DISONSMOTION PICTURECAMERA 4HEREPORTERDESCRIBED%DISONSPROTOTYPEASAWOODENBOXWITHAHOLE INTHETOPTHESIZEOFASILVERDOLLAR THROUGHWHICHHESAWANEGATIVEIMAGE OFAMANBOWINGANDRAISINGHISHAT,IKEOTHERREPORTERSOFTHEDAY THE Daily Tribune staffer immediately realized that this new device could be USEDTOCAPTUREPRIZElGHTS7HENTALKINGABOUTTHENEWMEDIUM NEARLY every reporter of the day pondered that the device would soon record SERMONS OPERAS ANDBOXINGMATCHES.OONESEEMEDTOSPECULATETHAT fictional narratives could also one day be produced. - 17 -

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Flickering Empire

4HOUGHMOSTOFTHECREDITREALLYBELONGEDTO$ICKSON %DISONPROUDLY talked up the wonders of the new device. “I wrote an article some years AGOHINTINGATTHISVERYINVENTION vHESAIDh4HEPAPERSMADEFUNOFME ˆSAID)HADBETTERSTOPTALKING4HISMADEMEMAD AND)DETERMINED to carry the conception to a successful issue … this I have done. … Do I EXPECTTOMAKEMONEYOUTOFIT7ELL )HAVENEVERTHOUGHTOFTHATv13 (EREWAS%DISONASACONSUMMATE PRACTICEDPERFORMER PROJECTINGTHE IMAGEOFARUGGED!MERICANINDIVIDUALIST DETERMINEDTOSHOWTHEPEOPLE INHIGHPLACESWHATTHISSCRAPPYYOUNGFELLOWCOULDDO WITHOUTEVENCARing about money. Though he did privately doubt that motion pictures WOULDEVERBEABIGMONEYMAKER ANDEVENREFERREDTOTHEMINPAPERSAS hONEOFMYNEWNOVELTIES vHEINSTINCTIVELYGRASPEDTHATBEINGTHEMAN WHO MADE PICTURES MOVE AND TALK WOULD BE GOOD FOR HIS IMAGE NOT TO MENTION HIS BANKBOOK AND SPOKE OF THE MOVIES FAR MORE EXCITEDLY IN public than he seems to have done in private. The model shown in 1891 WASASIMPLEPROTOTYPE BUTIMPROVEMENTSWEREBEINGMADE h)INTEND vHESAID hTOHAVEITREADYANDINPRACTICALWORKINGSHAPEFOR THE#HICAGO%XPOSITIONv14

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- CHAPTER TWO -

4HE#OLUMBIAN%XPOSITION A

E

ven as the Exposition UniverselleWASUNDERWAYIN0ARIS !MERICANS WERE MAKING PLANS TO STAGE A SIMILAR EXTRAVAGANZA IN THE 5NITED States. America was still a new country in those days. The Constitution WASBARELYACENTURYOLD&ORMUCHOFITSHISTORY !MERICAHADBEENSEEN ASAWEIRD EXPERIMENTALLITTLENATION!LTHOUGHSOMEPROGRESSIVESOVERseas spoke of it as a veritable wonderland that had corrected the problems OFTHE/LD7ORLD FARMOREPEOPLESAWITASANATIONOFDISGUSTINGSLOBS and of people with no sense of their place in the world. That the cries of freedom were coming from a land whose economy had once been (and TOANEXTENTSTILLWAS BASEDONSLAVERYWASANIRONYTHATESCAPEDHARDLY anyone. Charles Dickens had imagined America as the Promised Land BUT WHENHESAILEDTHEREASAYOUNGMAN HEFOUNDADIRTY GRIMYLANDFULL OFSHYSTERS HUCKSTERS SAVAGES THIEVES CONARTISTS ANDPEOPLEWHOLIVED INPOVERTYANDMISERY ACOUNTRYINWHICHTHENATIONALPASTIMESEEMEDTO BESPITTING4HEEXPERIENCESHOOKHIMSOBADLYTHATSOMECOMMENTATORS feel that he never really recovered his former optimism. !STHE#IVIL7ARRAGED THEPOPULARPERCEPTIONOF!MERICABEGANTO SHIFTFROMTHATOFAPOTENTIALLYPROMISINGEXPERIMENTTOTHATOFANEXPERIment that had failed. Other people felt differently. As the wilderness was - 19 -

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%XPOSITIONGROUNDS 7ORLDS#OLUMBIAN%XPOSITION #HICAGO0HOTOCOURTESYOFTHE Library of Congress)

TAMEDANDTHEAGEOFINVENTIONBROUGHTUNTOLDPROGRESS SOMECOMMENTAtors thought that this vast land could emerge as one of the most powerful nations in the world. Chicago’s 1893 Columbian Exposition would be the way THAT!MERICAINTRODUCEDTHETWENTIETHCENTURY ANDITSELF TOTHEWORLD #HICAGOWASBARELYAGENERATIONOLD BUTNOCITYHADEVERGROWNSO fast or so high in such a short span of time. Tens of thousands of years of HUMANCIVILIZATIONHADBEEN INTHEPAST REQUIREDTOPRODUCEASINGLECITY WITHAPOPULATIONOFMORETHANAMILLIONPEOPLE BUTBY#HICAGOHAD gone from a few thousand inhabitants to more than a million in fewer than fifty years. Even the devastating fire of 1871 had failed to halt the progRESS)NDEED AFTERTHECITYHADBURNEDTOTHEGROUND MANY#HICAGOANS seemed determined to roll up their sleeves and make their city better than ever. Skyscrapers throughout the city were soon stretching more than two ORTHREEHUNDREDFEETTOWARDSTHESKYNOTSOHIGHASTHE%IFFEL4OWER BUT a sight to behold. Chicago’s reputation around the country was still mainly that of a city OFCRIME CORRUPTION ANDPROSTITUTION BUTTHEREWASNODENYINGTHEPROGress there. Where only decades before there had been little more than the - 20 -

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The Columbian Exposition

hMUDHOLEOFTHEPRAIRIE vAFRONTIERTOWNONTHEEDGEOFANUNIMAGINABLEWILDERNESS THERENOWSTOODAHUGE ELEGANTCITY WITHELEVATEDTRAINS zipping citizens and tourists from the downtown area to the Exposition’s sparkling fairgrounds. Only in America could a city barely more than twenty years old have been the home of the convention that nominated Abraham Lincoln for president. Though graft and corruption surely played their role in Congress’s decision to choose Chicago as the site of the World’s Columbian Exposition THEREWASALSONODENYINGTHATTHECITY WASAQUINTESSENTIALEXAMPLEOFTHECAN DO!MERICANSPIRIT It is difficult today to impress upon people just how big the Columbian Exposition was. It covered more than twice the space of the Exposition Universelle. More than two hundred gleaming white buildings were speCIALLYCONSTRUCTED SEVERALOFWHICHWERETHENAMONGTHELARGESTBUILDINGS in the world. There were some 27 million paid admissions to the fair BETWEEN -AY AND /CTOBER OF  ROUGHLY THE EQUIVALENT OF HALF THE population of the United States at the time. To imagine the impact of the fair on the people who passed through THEGATES CONSIDERHOWMANYOFTHEATTENDEESCAMEFROMSMALLFARMING communities. Many of them had never seen a building larger than a twoSTORYBARN ANDMAYHAVENEVERBEENHIGHEROFFTHEGROUNDTHANTHETIME THEYCLIMBEDUPAHAYSTACK/FCOURSE SUCHATTENDEESWOULDNEVERHAVE SEENALIGHTBULBBEFORE ANDNOWTHEYWERECONFRONTEDWITHAVASTCITY

Entering Midway Plaisance TOTHE7ORLDS&AIR'ROUNDS Chicago. (Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress) - 21 -

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Flickering Empire

WITHIN A CITYOFGLEAMINGWHITEBUILDINGS EVERYONEOFWHICHWASCOVERED INBRILLIANTELECTRICLIGHTS!MAZINGLY THESELIGHTSMADETHEFAIRGROUNDS seem just as bright at night as they were during the day. %LECTRICITY INDEED WOULDBETHESTARATTRACTIONOFTHEFAIR POINTINGTHE way to a new century in which electricity would bring previously unimagined change and progress to every aspect of daily life. Long before the fair EVENOPENED THENew York AdvertiserSTATEDTHATTHEELECTRICALEXHIBITS alone would make a trip to Chicago worthwhile. /NEOFTHEMAJORINNOVATIONSOFTHEFAIRWASTHEBUILDINGOFAh-IDWAY v a section of the fair for the “amusements” that would be separate from the halls where the great thinkers of the day would hold forth and where DIFFERENT COUNTRIES WOULD SHOW OFF THEIR ACHIEVEMENTS IN TECHNOLOGY AGRICULTURE MANUFACTURING ANDTHElNEARTS/NTHE-IDWAY YOUCOULD RIDETHEMASSIVE&ERRIS7HEEL WATCHh,ITTLE%GYPTvTHESTAGENAMEOF BELLYDANCER&ARIDA-AZAR3PYROPOULOS DANCETHEhHOOTCHIECOO vTOURA "EDOUINENCAMPMENT ORATTENDWHATAMOUNTEDTOTHElRSTMOVIETHEATER in history — though hardly anyone noticed this theater at the time. 3ITUATED IN AN INCONVENIENT LOCATION AT THE END OF THE -IDWAY %ADWEARD-UYBRIDGEWASGRANTEDACONCESSIONFORHISh:OOPRAXIGRAPHICAL (ALLv "Y THIS TIME -UYBRIDGE HAD DEVELOPED A DEVICE HE CALLED THE h:OOPRAXISCOPE v A SORT OF PRIMITIVE MOVIE PROJECTOR -UYBRIDGE HAD printed a series of images onto the edges of glass discs that would rotate INSIDEHISMACHINETHEIMAGES ONLYLINEDRAWINGS WOULDBEPROJECTED onto a canvas screen by a light. As the glass discs rotated inside of the :OOPRAXISCOPE THEIMAGESONTHESCREENAPPEAREDTOMOVE-UYBRIDGES Hall probably deserves to be called the first commercial movie theater in the world. -UYBRIDGE HOWEVER UTTERLYFAILEDTOREALIZETHEPOTENTIALOFWHATHE HADCREATED4HOUGHHEWASPLACEDONTHE-IDWAY WHEREHEWOULDGIVE LECTURESABOUTTHE:OOPRAXISCOPE HISFOCUSWASSTRICTLYONTHEhSCIENCEv of what he was doing. Given the choice between watching Little Egypt dance the hootchie coo and seeing Professor Muybridge present a lecture ONANIMALLOCOMOTION NEARLYEVERYONEWENTWITH,ITTLE%GYPT)FPROJECtion had developed to the point where he could have shown his images of THENAKEDWOMANJUMPINGUPANDDOWNONONEFOOTASMOVINGPICTURES ONESUSPECTSTHELECTURESWOULDHAVEBEENBETTERATTENDED!SITWAS THE :OOPRAXIGRAPHICAL (ALL WAS A TOTAL mOP 4HE NEARBY h3TREET IN #AIROv EXHIBIT MADE MORE MONEY THAN -UYBRIDGES (ALL BY A MARGIN OF MORE than a thousand to one.1 - 22 -

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The Columbian Exposition

-IDWAY0LAISANCE HOMEOF%ADWEARD-UYBRIDGES@:OOPRAXIGRAPHICAL(ALL THEWORLDS first movie theater. (Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress)

Elsewhere at the fair was a slot machine known as the “Tachyscope.” )NVENTEDBY/TTO!NSCHUTZOF'ERMANY ITWASSIMILARTOTHE:OOPRAXISCOPE in that it created the illusion of a moving picture by displaying images on a SPINNINGDISK4HEIMAGESWEREFAINTLYLITAND ASWITH%DISONS+INETOSCOPE CONCEPT VISIBLETOONLYONEORTWOPEOPLEATATIMETHROUGHAWINDOWIN THEMACHINE WHICHWASMOUNTEDONTHEWALL4HE4ACHYSCOPESWERENOT MUCHMOREADVANCEDTHAN-UYBRIDGES:OOPRAXISCOPE ANDEVENTHOUGH THEY COULD NOT BE SHOWN TO A WHOLE CROWD AT ONCE THEY STILL OUTDREW Muybridge fifteen to one.2/NETHING HOWEVER WASMISSINGFROMTHEFAIR the planned pavilion of twenty-five Kinetoscopes. 4HROUGHOUT  AND 4HOMAS%DISONAND7+,$ICKSON HADWORKEDHARDTOPERFECTTHEIRMACHINE ANDASINGLE MOSTLYWORKING prototype was completed and used for a demonstration in Brooklyn in -AY%DISONSMETHODSOFMANAGINGHISLAB HOWEVER WERETAKING THEIRTOLL$ICKSONHADSUFFEREDANERVOUSBREAKDOWNEARLIERINTHEYEAR and he had taken a leave of absence to recuperate. Another employee was - 23 -

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Flickering Empire

given a contract in late June to create twenty-five Kinetoscopes for the fair BASEDONTHEPROTOTYPEUNFORTUNATELY ITWASRUMOREDTHATTHISEMPLOYEE found it difficult to stay sober. The Kinetoscopes would ultimately not be ready in time for a grand public unveiling at the fair.3 The Chicago writer Herma Clark wrote a column in the Daily Tribune from 1929 to 1959 titled “When Chicago was Young.” It consisted of fictional letters written by one Martha Freeman Esmond to her childhood FRIEND *ULIA"OYD ALTHOUGHMANYOFTHESELETTERSWEREMERELYTHINLYDISguised accounts of real encounters Clark had observed while working as a secretary to a socially prominent Chicago family in the late nineteenth CENTURY )N A LETTER DATED !UGUST   h%SMONDv WROTE TO h"OYD v telling her of the time she had spent with her grandson in Chicago that SUMMER 3HE HER HUSBAND 7ILL AND GRANDSON %SMOND HAD VISITED THOUGHhSTALKEDvMAYBEABETTERTERM %DISONATHISHOTEL SAYINGTHAT young Esmond “desired the privilege of gazing at him for a few minutes.” Edison greeted them kindly and had a pleasant chat with the three of THEM7ILLASKEDIFHEHADhANYMOREWONDERSLIKETHEPHONOGRAPH vAND %DISONREPLIEDTHATHEWASWORKINGONAhKINOGRAPH vAMETHODOFPRODUCINGMOVINGPHOTOGRAPHSh)CANTQUITEUNDERSTANDHOWITSDONE v-ARTHA WROTE hNORWHATGOODITWILLBEWHENPERFECTx;IT=SEEMSTOMERATHER useless … but Will and Esmond had caught some of the inventor’s enthuSIASMANDWEREFULLOFEXCITEMENTOVERITx-R%DISONSAIDITISVERYHARD TOGETTHEGRIMACESOFAMANSFACE ORTHEWORKINGOFAMANSHANDSPLAYINGTHEPIANO BUTTHEMETHODHASREALLYBEENPERFECTED(EWASANXIOUS TOHAVETHEINVENTIONEXHIBITEDATTHEFAIR BUTITWASNOTREADYFORTHATv4 )NDEED THEFAIRWAS FOR%DISON SOMETHINGOFAmOP!LTHOUGHELECTRICITYWASTHESTAROFTHESHOW ITWASNOT%DISONWHOWASPROVIDINGIT(EHAD BIDlERCELYFORTHECONTRACT BUTWASOUTBIDINTHEENDBY7ESTINGHOUSE AND 4ESLA WHOSE ALTERNATING CURRENT WAS PROVING TO BE FAR SUPERIOR TO Edison’s direct-current system. )N A RELENTLESS QUEST TO SQUASH ALTERNATING CURRENT ELECTRICITY WHICH HISRIVALSSUPPLIEDINCOMPETITIONWITHHISOWNDIRECTCURRENT %DISONHAD spent years doing everything he could to encourage rumors that “AC electricity” was terribly dangerous. He made speeches and published lengthy PAMPHLETSTELLINGSTORIESABOUTPEOPLEWHOM!#HADKILLED ANDHEHAD even arranged to provide a demonstration of his theories. In one of the MOREDESPICABLEMARKETINGSTUNTSINHISTORY %DISONARRANGEDFORHISRIVALS ALTERNATING CURRENTELECTRICITYTOBEUSEDTOEXECUTEACONVICTEDMURDERER %VENTENYEARSAFTERTHEFAIR WHENVASTIMPROVEMENTSHADBEENMADEAT - 24 -

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The Columbian Exposition

CAPTURINGANDPROJECTINGMOVINGIMAGES %DISONWOULDNOTORIOUSLYMAKE a film depicting an elephant being electrocuted by AC.) At the World’s &AIR .IKOLA4ESLA NOWDUBBEDTHEh7IZARDOF0HYSICS vDEMONSTRATEDHOW safe his electricity actually was by using himself as a conductor: sparks and bolts of lightning were shot right through his body. "YTHISTIME HOWEVER %DISONHADWONTHEPUBLICITYWARAROUNDTHE COUNTRY PEOPLETHOUGHTOF%DISONWHENTHEYSAWANELECTRICLIGHTOFANY sort. Though Westinghouse’s logo was the one prominently displayed in THEELECTRICALBUILDING ITWAS%DISONWHOTHEPUBLICWISHEDTOCREDIT AND HEWASONLYTOOHAPPYTOLETTHEM EVENTHOUGHHEHADPERSONALLYSEEN to it that none of his light bulbs were used with Tesla’s system. When the World’s Fair also emerged as the place where the public first saw and paid FORMOVINGIMAGES THEYLINKED%DISONSNAMETOTHATTOO4HEREAREMANY references in works of historical non-fiction to the Kinetoscopes actually BEINGPRESENTATTHEFAIR INCLUDINGIN%RIK,ARSONSThe Devil in the White City WHICH DESCRIBES THE NOTORIOUS SERIAL KILLER (( (OLMES ADMIRING movies on Edison’s machines.54HESEREFERENCES HOWEVER AREMOSTLIKELY based only on the advance publicity that insisted that the Kinetoscopes would be there.) Edison would be careful to ensure that people continued TOLINKHISNAMETOMOTIONPICTURESFORTHENEXTTWENTY lVEYEARSASWELL Most everyone involved in the Columbian Exposition INCLUDING%DISON INHISGRANDQUESTTOPRESENTHIMSELFASAROLEMODEL WOULDHAVESAIDTHAT the true purpose of the World’s Fair was not to show off innovations but TOINSPIRETHEFAIR GOERSTOCREATE TOINVENT ANDTODREAM3UREENOUGH OVERTHECOURSEOFTHEFAIR ONEBYONE MANYOFTHEMENWHOWOULDCREATE THE!MERICANMOTION PICTUREINDUSTRYlLEDTHROUGHTHEGATES ANDWERE inspired — indeed profoundly changed — by what they saw. 'EORGE3POOR WHOWOULDCO FOUNDTHE%SSANAY&ILM-ANUFACTURING #OMPANY PERHAPSTHEMOSTENDURINGOFTHE#HICAGOSTUDIOS WOULDLATER claim he had first seen moving pictures on the Tachyscope machine at the World’s Fair. He would go on to team up with suburban Chicagoan Edward !METTOBECOMEAPIONEERINTHElLMEXHIBITIONBUSINESSINTHE S before starting his famous Chicago studio with Gilbert M. Anderson in 1907. 4HEORIGINALAUTOMOBILE THESTEAM POWEREDhHORSELESSCARRIAGE vWAS introduced at the fair and would eventually be purchased by Colonel 7ILLIAM3ELIGWITHTHEMONEYHEMADEFROMTHE3ELIG0OLYSCOPE#OMPANY whose studio was on the Northwest Side of Chicago. The Colonel would use the carriage as a prop for chimpanzees in his popular animal pictures. - 25 -

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Flickering Empire

He would also use the replicas of Christopher Columbus’s ships that had BEENBUILTFORTHEFAIRINAMOVIE The Coming of Columbus WHICH was among the first feature-length motion pictures. The film would earn HIMAMEDALFROM0OPE0IUS8 DESPITETHEFACTTHAT3ELIGWASNOTEVENA #ATHOLIC!FTERBUILDINGASMALLEMPIREIN#HICAGO THE#OLONELWOULD also eventually open the first movie studio in southern California. ,&RANK"AUM AWRITER OILSALESMAN ANDPHOTOGRAPHER WASDAZZLEDBY THEh7HITE#ITYvBUILTONTHEFAIRGROUNDS ANDITWOULDREPORTEDLYINSPIRE him to create the gleaming “Emerald City” in the book that made him famous: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (originally published in Chicago in  &IFTEENYEARSAFTERTHEFAIR "AUMWOULDALSOUSETHE3ELIG0OLYSCOPE studio in Chicago to film the first of the Wizard of Oz movies. #HICAGOAN"URTON(OLMESNORELATIONTO(((OLMES ANEXPLORER and photographer who gave wildly popular illustrated lectures on his WORLDTRAVELSANDISCREDITEDWITHCOININGTHETERMhTRAVELOGUE vVISITED the Midway and was inspired to begin incorporating motion pictures into his appearances. He eventually became an important documentary filmmaker himself. In an illustrated lecture at Chicago’s Central Music Hall IN (OLMESTOLDOFARECENTTRIPTOAPRIMITIVEANDREMOTEAREAINTHE mountains of Algeria. Holmes said he had been startled there one day WHENHEFOUNDHIMSELFADDRESSEDINhGOOD#HICAGOSLANGvh!H THERE
v a voice called out to him. “Seems to me I saw you on the Midway?” )NCREDIBLY THE VOICE BELONGED TO A hFAKIRv WHO HAD DRIVEN hA THRIVING business in the shadow of the Ferris wheel.”6 !CROSSTHESTREETFROMTHEFAIRGROUNDS h"UFFALO"ILLv#ODYHADRENTED an adjacent park to stage his famous Wild West Show. “Buffalo Bill” was hardly an old frontiersman himself (though he claimed to have been INJURED COUNTLESS TIMES lGHTING )NDIANS HIS WIFE INSISTED HE WAS MAKINGUPNEARLYALLOFTHESESTORIES BUTMANYPERFORMERSINHISSHOWWERE authentic. The show represented a borderline between the days when the /LD7ESTWASSTILLREALANDTHEDAYSWHENITWOULDEXISTONLYINMYTHS put forth by the genre of film that would dominate the industry for much of the twentieth century. Thomas Edison and his crew may have had the popularity of the Wild West Show in mind a decade later when they made The Great Train Robbery THElRSTSIGNIlCANThWESTERNvMOVIE -EANWHILE BACK AT THE LAB %DISONS TEAM WAS BEGINNING TO lLM subjects for their eventual commercial launch of the Kinetoscope. The popularity of strongman Eugen Sandow at the World’s Fair made the BODYBUILDERANOBVIOUSCHOICEFORAMOTION PICTURESUBJECT ANDAlLMWAS - 26 -

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The Columbian Exposition

MADEOFHIMmEXINGHISMUSCLESHEWOULDSOONBEAPROTOTYPICALMOVIE STAR HELPINGTOPROPELTHEPOPULARITYOFTHE+INETOSCOPEACROSSTHESEA where photographer Claude-Antoine Lumière would see it in Paris and CHALLENGEHISSONS !UGUSTEAND,OUIS TOMAKEABETTERMACHINE !LLOFTHESEINNOVATIONSWOULDCOMETOGETHER BEBROKENAPART AND come together and break apart again. For a brief period when movies were IN THEIR INFANCY ON THE BORDERLINE BETWEEN NOVELTIES AND WORKS OF ART Chicago would be the film capital of the world. Building up the industry INAPLACELIKE#HICAGO RATHERTHANTHE%AST#OAST WASSOMETHINGOFA necessity: the early American film pioneers had to stay far away enough from New York and New Jersey to stay under Thomas Edison’s radar.

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- CHAPTER THREE -

4HE$AWNOF%XHIBITION A

T

HEORIGINSOFCOMMERCIALlLMEXHIBITIONASWENOWKNOWITCANBE TRACEDTO!PRIL WHENTHElRSTOF%DISONS+INETOSCOPEhPARLORSv OPENEDIN.EW9ORK#ITY EXHIBITINGTHEDEVICESTHATHADORIGINALLYBEEN planned for Chicago and the Columbian Exposition!MONTHLATER MORE PARLORS SPRANG UP IN OTHER CITIES INCLUDING #HICAGO !TLANTIC #ITY AND San Francisco. An advertisement in the Chicago Daily Tribune PROBABLY THElRSTREALhMOVIEADvTOAPPEARINALOCALPAPER SIMPLYSTATED THE KINETOSCOPE. %$)3/.3,!4%34-!26%, /UTAT,ASTANDON%XHIBITIONAT 148 STATE-ST.1 /NEHASTOLOVETHAThATLAST vAREFERENCETOTHEDEVICEHAVINGBEENLONG HYPEDINTHE#HICAGOPRESS TINGEDWITH PERHAPS AHINTOFRUEFULNESSOVER the missed opportunity of having it premiere at the World’s Fair. Chicago had officially become America’s “second city” in 1890 when census records showed its population had surpassed a million residents for the first time and it had thus overtaken Philadelphia. This growth was - 28 -

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The Dawn of Exhibition

INPARTDUETO#HICAGOSANNEXATIONOFSURROUNDINGTOWNSHIPSALTHOUGH the city’s most densely populated neighborhood remained the downtown BUSINESSDISTRICTKNOWNAShTHE,OOP vANAREABOUNDEDTODAYBY!DAMS !VENUE ,AKE 3TREET 7ABASH !VENUE AND 7ELLS 3TREET )T MADE SENSE that this teeming neighborhood would host Chicago’s first Kinetoscope PARLORnALTHOUGHDETERMININGITSEXACTLOCATIONON3TATE3TREETISSOMEwhat problematic.* Numerous sources place it in Burnham and Root’s Masonic Temple at the corner of State and Randolph Streets (the site of THE*OFFREY4OWERTODAY THOUGH3TATE3TREETWOULDACTUALLYBEATTHE NORTHWESTCORNEROF3TATEAND%RIE3TREETS SEVERALBLOCKSNORTH PRIORTO the 1909 re-numbering of the city; the 1905 Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps clearly mark 148 at this location. The Masonic Temple is listed on those maps at 57–63 South State Street. An 1894 edition of the Western Electrician magazine states that ten +INETOSCOPESWEREAT.3TATE3TREET ANDEXPLAINEDTHATWHENh distinct views” pass by per second (though the projection was probably CLOSERTOSIXTEENFRAMESPERSECOND hTHEEYEISUNABLETORETAINSEPARATE IMPRESSIONS x AND THE PICTURES BLEND TOGETHER GIVING LIFE LIKE MOTION TOTHElGURESANDOBJECTSPORTRAYEDv!MONGTHElLMSBEINGDISPLAYED ACCORDINGTOTHEMAGAZINE WERETHOSEINVOLVINGABARBERSHOP ABLACKSMITHSFORGE ANDWRESTLERS BUTONEMOVIEWASPARTICULARLYSINGLEDOUT h4HEBESTISAREPRESENTATIONOFACOCKlGHT WHICHISVERYSPIRITEDv2 Though a building at 148 N. State Street in contemporary numbering would be at the corner of State and Randolph (albeit across the street from THE-ASONIC"UILDINGSITE NEARWHERETHE'ENE3ISKEL&ILM#ENTERSTANDS TODAY NONEOFTHEEARLYNEWSPAPERREFERENCESORADSTHATUSETHEADDRESS h . 3TATEv MAKE ANY MENTION OF THE -ASONIC BUILDING WHICH WAS THENANOTABLELANDMARK TOWERINGMORETHANTWENTYSTORIESHIGH-ORE LIKELY THElRST+INETOSCOPEPARLORSTOODINASTOREFRONTONTHEGROUNDS where 664 N. State Street is today. Furthering the confusion is a 1916 Motion Picture World article stating that the first Chicago parlor was in the Ashland Block building located at the northeast corner of Clark and Randolph Streets “early in 1894.”3 This +INETOSCOPEPARLOR HOWEVER SEEMSTOHAVEOPENEDIN$ECEMBEROF by which time there was already another parlor on State Street and yet another on Wabash Avenue. * The street numbering at the time does not correspond to the grid used today; street NUMBERSTHENWERELOOSELYBASEDONALOCATIONSPROXIMITYTOTHE#HICAGO2IVER - 29 -

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7HEREVERON3TATE3TREETITSTOOD THElRSTPARLORPREDICTABLYMADEA FORTUNE BUTSHOWINGMOVIESTOONEPERSONATATIMEHADOBVIOUSLIMITATIONS AND%DISONSMOVIESWEREGENERALLYMEREhPROOFOFCONCEPTvDEVICES that simply showed that pictures could indeed move. These early novelty MOVIES WHATlLMHISTORIAN4OM'UNNINGHASUSEFULLYDUBBEDTHEhCINEMA OF ATTRACTIONS v WERE ALL LESS THAN A MINUTE LONG THE LENGTH OF AN AVERAGEROLLOFlLMATTHETIME ANDTHEYTYPICALLYCONSISTEDOFASINGLE unedited shot. Edison’s cinematographers would point their Kinetograph cameras at a given subject and crank the cameras by hand until the film simply ran out. The mostly non-narrative movies that resulted consisted of whatever was happening in front of the cameras during the thirty-odd seconds it took to do this. 4HOMAS%DISONWASAGREATSCIENTISTANDAGOODBUSINESSMAN BUTHE was neither a visual artist nor an entertainer. He was justifiably proud of THE+INETOSCOPE BUTHEALSOREFERREDTOITININTERVIEWSASAhMERETOYOFNO commercial value.”4 This attitude of condescension is arguably reflected in THElLMSTHEMSELVES WHICHSHOWAMARKEDLACKOFRIGORONTHEPARTOFTHE filmmakers. The earliest movies of the Edison Manufacturing Company typically saw their subjects placed in front of a simple black backdrop with the absolute minimum of sets and props necessary to convey the idea of a given scene. %DISONS EARLY lLMS ARE INTERESTING TO WATCH FOR HISTORICAL REASONS perhaps most of all because of what they illustrate about what early filmMAKERSTHOUGHTTHElRSTMOTION PICTURE AUDIENCES WANTED TO SEE THEN ASNOW THEMOVIESPLAYEDTOTHEAUDIENCESAPPETITEFORSEXANDVIOLENCE Among the popular early subjects of Edison’s films were Sandow the STRONGMANmEXINGHISMUSCLESWHILEWEARINGONLYALOINCLOTH AhCOMICALv BOXINGMATCH THEATRICALACTORS*OHN#2ICEAND-AY)RWINKISSINGTHE first ever screen kiss) and the aforementioned film of two men pretending to gamble while observing a real cock fight. Then there is the matter of 1897’s Seminary Girls AMOVIEABOUTSCHOOLgirls in nightgowns hitting one another with pillows. A description from a motion-picture catalog of the period indicates that the film’s distributors were fully aware of its titillating appeal: “A most amusing and life-like SCENE INWHICHANUMBEROFYOUNGLADIESCLADINTHEIRNIGHTROBES ARE SEENENGAGEDINAMIDNIGHTFROLICSTARTINGINSMOKINGCIGARETTES DRINKING tonic and ending in a pillow fight. They are suddenly interrupted by the Principal appearing on the scene (with candle in hand) when a general STAMPEDEOCCURS ONEGIRLBEINGVERYCONSPICUOUSINHERFRANTICEFFORTSTO - 30 -

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Seminary Girls $IRECTED by James H. White.

GETUNDERTHEBED ANDTHUSESCAPETHEWRATHOFTHESCHOOLMARM BUTTHE SCENE ENDS IN THE YOUNG LADY BEING CAUGHT PULLED FROM UNDER THE BED and punished.”5)TLOOKSINNOCENTBYTODAYSSTANDARDS BUTYES ITis still a movie about Catholic schoolgirls gone wild. 3TILL WHILEHEHASNEVERBEENANYONESIDEAOFANauteur NOBODYIN 1894 understood the technological side of filmmaking better than Edison. Seminary Girls LIKE THE MAJORITY OF THE lLMS PRODUCED BY THE %DISON -ANUFACTURING#OMPANY WASMADEINTHE%AST/RANGE .EW*ERSEYSTUDIO KNOWN AS THE h"LACK -ARIAv PRONOUNCED -A 29% UH A BUILDING with a retractable roof that was also cleverly designed to rotate on a massive turntable. This innovation enabled Edison’s filmmakers to move the entire studio in order to get the most sunlight possible at any time of the day in an age when film stock was notoriously insensitive to light. Also impressive at this time was Edison’s understanding of the vital importance that marrying image and sound would eventually hold for the future of the motion-picture medium — and the problems that imperfect synchronization between the two could potentially pose. An 1894 Chicago Daily Tribune article states: “Mr. Edison says his purpose is to combine the phonograph and Kinetoscope so that the ear and eye shall both be entertained. This he could easily do with present appliances were it not for the difficulty of making the phonograph ANDKINETOSCOPEJIBEEXACTLYINPOINTOFTIME-R%DISONWILL NOTTAKE any chances of being made ridiculous by a combination of kinetoscope and phonograph which may get out of harmony. He hopes to photograph THEHANDSOFANEXPERTPIANIST ANDHAVETHEPHONOGRAPHSOACCURATELY adjusted to the kinetoscope that when the pictured fingers touch the picTUREDKEYSTHEPHONOGRAPHWILLGIVEFORTHTHEPROPERNOTESATTHEEXACT - 31 -

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instant. Until he has accomplished this he does not regard his work in this direction as done.”6 Thomas Edison’s ingenuity and foresight into methods of motion-picTUREPRODUCTION HOWEVER DIDNOTALSOEXTENDTOTHEIRexhibition%XHIBITORS were clamoring for a way to show the movies to more than one person at a TIME4HElNANCIALBENElTOFBEINGABLETOSHOWONElLMTOMANYPEOPLE RATHERTHANTOASINGLEVIEWER WASOBVIOUS%DISON HOWEVER RESISTED4HE +INETOSCOPES HAD BECOME SURElRE MONEYMAKERS AND HE BELIEVED THAT implementing a system of large-scale projection would render his profitable machines obsolete. !ROUND THE WORLD THOUGH INNOVATIONS WERE HAPPENING IN SPITE OF HIM !S HAD HAPPENED WITH ALTERNATING CURRENT %DISONS INSISTENCE ON sticking to his original concept for as long as it could make money would allow others the chance to leave him in the dust. On the other side of THE !TLANTIC #LAUDE !NTOINE ,UMIÒRE THE RECENTLY RETIRED OWNER OF A PHOTOGRAPHIClRM RETURNEDFROMATRIPTO0ARISTOHISHOMETOWNOF,YONS #LAUDE !NTOINETOLDHISINVENTORSONS !UGUSTEAND,OUIS OFAWONDROUS NEWINVENTIONTHATHEHADSEENTHE+INETOSCOPE!SIMPRESSEDASHEWAS HEURGEDTHEMTOIMPROVEON%DISONSMACHINEh9OUCANDOBETTER vHE SAIDh4RYTOGETTHATIMAGEOUTOFTHEBOXv7 6ERY SOON THEY DID &ILM HISTORIANS OFTEN CITE $ECEMBER   WHENTHE,UMIÒREBROTHERSGAVETHElRSTPUBLICPRESENTATION IN0ARIS OF THEIRINVENTION THEh#INEMATOGRAPHEvˆACOMBINATIONMOVIECAMERA printer and projector — as the true “birth” of the movies. This presentation is believed to be the first time 35mm film projection occurred before APAYINGPUBLIC ASOPPOSEDTOTHEMOVIESTHATHADPREVIOUSLYBEENSEEN only on peep-show machines like the Kinetoscope or as Muybridge-style SLIDESHOWS4HE'ERMANINVENTOR-AX3KLADANOWSKYDIDPUBLICLYPREMIEREAMOTION PICTUREPROJECTORON.OVEMBER  BUTHISMACHINE alternated between projecting two different strips of 54mm film. It was a more cumbersome and less effective device than the Cinematographe and THEREFOREEXERTEDNOREALINmUENCEONTHEDEVELOPINGCINEMA 3OON THE,UMIÒREBROTHERSWEREEXPANDINGTHEIROPERATIONS7HATIS MOSTLIKELYTHElRSTMOTIONPICTUREEVERSHOTIN#HICAGO THESTILLEXTANT Chicago Police Parade (Chicago défilé de policemen WASMADEONLYMONTHS AFTERTHE,UMIÒRESlRST#INEMATOGRAPHEDEMONSTRATION ANDATTHEBEHEST of the brothers themselves. -EANWHILE PROJECTORSWEREALSOBEINGDEVELOPEDINTHE5NITED3TATES )NCONTRASTTO%UROPE WHERETHEMOVIESWEREPREDICTABLYhINVENTEDvIN - 32 -

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THECULTURALCAPITALOF0ARIS THEMOSTIMPORTANTEARLYEXPERIMENTSWITH motion-picture projection in America took place not in New York or Los !NGELESWHICHWASTHENSTILLASLEEPYLITTLETOWN BUTDEEPINTHEHEART of the Midwest: Edward Amet of the Chicago suburb of Waukegan built THEh-AGNISCOPE vANEARLYPROTOTYPEFORTHEMMPROJECTOR)F!METS AND 'EORGE 3POORS LATER CLAIMS CAN BE TRUSTED THEIR EARLIEST EXPERIments with projecting 35mm movies in the suburbs of Chicago occurred INANDWOULDHAVEPREDATEDTHE,UMIÒREBROTHERSSIMILAR ANDFAR MOREFAMOUS EXHIBITIONIN0ARISBYAFULLYEAR (AVINGBEENFASCINATEDBY!NSCHUTZS4ACHYSCOPEATTHE7ORLDS&AIR 'EORGE 3POOR THEN A NEWSPAPER VENDOR MADE A JOURNEY TO DOWNTOWN Chicago to see Edison’s Kinetoscope for himself. In an amusing anecdote THATMAYBEAPOCRYPHAL 3POORCLAIMEDTHATWHILEHEWASLEANINGOVER ANDPEERINGINTOTHESLOTTOWATCHTHEMOVINGPICTURESOFTHEKISS THE STRONGMAN ANDTHECOCKlGHT SOMEONEPICKEDHISPOCKET)NHISANGER ANDFRUSTRATION ITOCCURREDTOHIMTHATTHEREHADTOBEABETTER SAFERWAY TOEXHIBITMOTIONPICTURES)FTHEYWEREPROJECTEDONTOALARGESCREEN NOT only would spectators be left in a less vulnerable position than they were WHILE LOOKING INTO A HOLE AND TURNING A CRANK BUT THE lLMS COULD BE EXHIBITEDTOMANYPEOPLEATONCE NOTJUSTONEATATIME All of these rapid advances in film production and projection techNOLOGY WERE PROVING A MAJOR HEADACHE FOR 4HOMAS %DISON WHOSE scientific and business interests were already scattered far and wide. In !PRIL  7+, $ICKSON %DISONS EMPLOYEE WHO HAD DONE MOST OF THE WORK INVENTING THE +INETOSCOPE AND ACTUALLY DIRECTED MOST OF THE EARLY h%DISON lLMS v LEFT HIS BOSS TO INVENT A PROJECTOR OF HIS OWN AND start the successful American Mutoscope Company (which later became THE!MERICAN-UTOSCOPEAND"IOGRAPH#OMPANY ANDSUBSEQUENTLYTHE Biograph Company). American Mutoscope and Biograph would remain ACHIEFRIVALOF%DISON-ANUFACTURINGFORMORETHANADECADE PRODUCING MANY SIGNIlCANT EARLY lLMS INCLUDING THE EARLIEST DIRECTORIAL EFFORTS OF D.W. Griffith. Edison never forgave Dickson for his defection. As popular as the Kinetoscope and similar peep-show machines had BEEN LARGE SCALE PROJECTION WOULD BE ANOTHER MATTER ENTIRELY A MAJOR technological breakthrough and a revelation to the first astonished movIEGOERS)N.EW9ORK#ITY PEOPLEWEREMORETHANHAPPYTOLINEUPAROUND the block to see moving images that were “bigger than life” being hurled onto giant canvas screens. Edison’s primitive Black Maria shorts of Eugen Sandow posing and his employee Fred Ott sneezing from 1894 and 1895 - 33 -

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NOLONGERSEEMEDNEARLYASIMPRESSIVE"IGSCREENSDEMANDEDBIGGER MORE eye-filling images. 7HILE %DISON STALLED ON INVENTING HIS OWN PROJECTOR HE SAW THE ,UMIÒREBROTHERS#INEMATOGRAPHETAKETHEWORLDBYSTORM)N %DISON EVENTUALLY CAVED LICENSING HIS NAME TO AND TAKING THE CREDIT FOR THE h0HANTOSCOPE vAPROJECTORTHATHADBEENCO INVENTEDBY#HARLES*ENKINS AND4HOMAS!RMATBUTWASPROMPTLYRENAMEDh%DISONS6ITASCOPEvAFTER Edison bought the patent. Having failed to secure an international patent ONTHE+INETOSCOPE %DISONVOWEDNEVERTOMAKETHESAMEMISTAKEAGAIN ANDPATENTEDhHISvNEWDEVICE OSTENSIBLYFORCINGANYONEWHOWANTEDTO show motion pictures projected onto a screen to pay him a royalty. 3INCEEVERYONETHOUGHTOF%DISONASTHEFATHEROFMOVIESANYWAY THE PUBLIC HAD NO OBJECTION )NDEED MOST PEOPLE DID NOT BELIEVE THAT PROjected movies had truly arrived until Edison’s device hit the market. Many EXHIBITORSHADEVENHELDOFFONBUYINGAPROJECTORUNTILANOFlCIAL%DISON model appeared. Before motion-picture projection had ever occurred in Chicago proper %DWARD !METS EXPERIMENTS HAD ALL TAKEN PLACE IN THE SUBURBS THE Chicago Daily TribuneWROTEWITHBREATHLESSEXCITEMENTABOUTTHECOMING PHENOMENONh%LECTRICALEXPERTSHAVEARRIVEDFROM%DISONS.EW*ERSEY ESTABLISHMENTTOSETUPANDPREPAREFOROPERATIONBEGINNING*ULYTH THE 7IZARDS LATEST AND WONDERFUL INVENTION THE 6ITASCOPE THE EXHIBITION of which has created a sensation in the East. By the aid of this scientific APPARATUSENTIRESCENESFROMLIFEAREREPRODUCEDINCOMPLETEREALISM EVERY animate movement being thrown with distinctness on a huge screen occupying the stage space. An idea of the magnitude of the work is given in THEDESCRIPTIONOFTHELATESTVIEWSHOWNIN"OSTON A MILEPANORAMIC VIEWOF.IAGARA&ALLSFROMAMOVINGTRAIN MOVINGATTHERATEOFMILES PERHOUR COLORANDLIFEBEINGREPRESENTEDWITHPERFECTEXACTITUDEv8 4HElRSTlLMREVIEWTOAPPEARINA#HICAGONEWSPAPER INTHE*ULYTH 1896 edition of the Daily Tribune COVEREDMOVIESPRESENTEDVIAh%DISONSv 6ITASCOPE PROJECTION SYSTEM ONLY TWO DAYS AFTER THE MACHINE WAS lRST UNVEILED5NDERTHEHEADINGh!MUSEMENTS vTHEFOLLOWINGITEMAPPEARED ALONGSIDE REVIEWS OF STAGE PLAYS OPERAS ASSORTED VAUDEVILLE SHOWS AND EVENCARNIVAL STYLEFREAKSHOWSEG THEYOUNGMANFROM3AN&RANCISCO whose hands “span 13 inches across”!): Edison’s wonderful vitascope is deservedly drawing enthusiastic audiences at Hopkins’ Theater. It is a decidedly novel and popular - 34 -

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innovation. The scenes thrown upon the canvas include the serPENTINE DANCE OF !NNABELLE AND HER FAMOUS WINK A SENSATIONAL RESCUEBYlREMEN THEMARCHINTHElRSTACTOFA@-ILK7HITE&LAG  and a vivid reproduction of the ludicrous kissing scene between May Irwin and John C. Rice in ‘The Widow Jones.’9 -EANWHILE THE POSSIBILITY OF MOTION PICTURES ACHIEVING INSTANTANEOUS widespread distribution meant that the world was rapidly becoming a smaller place. The popularity and financial success of the Cinematographe led the Lumière brothers to dispatch cameramen all over the world so that movie AUDIENCESCOULDSEE FORTHElRSTTIMEEVER REAL TIMEMOVINGIMAGESOFHOW PEOPLEFROMDIFFERENTCOUNTRIESANDCULTURESLIVED WORKED ANDPLAYED -ADE IN 3EPTEMBER  THE APTLY TITLED Chicago Police Parade ,UMIÒRECATALOG.O ISANAPPROXIMATELY SECOND LONGhACTUALITYv THETERMhDOCUMENTARYvDIDNOTYETEXIST OF#HICAGOPOLICEOFlCERS walking down a wide street and past a stationary camera. The officers AREFORMALLYDRESSEDANDCARRYINGBILLY CLUBS!MUSINGLY ITAPPEARSTHAT ALLBUTAPPROXIMATELYTHREEOFTHEOFlCERSARESPORTINGLARGEMUSTACHES Bringing up the rear of the parade is a horse-drawn carriage. !SWITHOTHER,UMIÒREPRODUCTIONSOFTHEPERIOD INCLUDINGTHEIRMASterpiece L’arrivée d’un train à La Ciotat (Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat THE camera is positioned at an oblique angle so that the policemen appear to walk “diagonally” from the rear of the frame to the front. This perspecTIVEPUTSGREATEREMPHASISONTHEDEPTHOFlELDOFTHEIMAGE WITHACLEAR DEMARCATION OF BACKGROUND MIDDLE GROUND AND FOREGROUND AND ALSO SERVESASAGOODEXAMPLEOFJUSTHOWWELLCOMPOSEDTHE,UMIÒREBROTHERS lRSTlLMSACTUALLYWERE ESPECIALLYINCONTRASTTOTHERELATIVELYmAT LOOKING films being produced concurrently by Edison. Chicago Police Parade  $IRECTEDBY!LEXANDRE Promio.

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Chicago Police ParadeWASNOT HOWEVER MADEBYEITHEROFTHEBROTHERS themselves but was instead created by one of their favorite cinematograPHERS A&RENCHMANOF)TALIANDESCENTNAMED!LEXANDRE0ROMIO WHOM the Chicago Post described in 1896 as having “the reputation of being the greatest scientific photographer in all Europe.”10 That same year Promio would become a major footnote in motion-picture history by effectively INVENTINGCAMERAMOVEMENTWHENHETOOKHIS#INEMATOGRAPHETO6ENICE and placed it on board of a gondola. 4HEPOPULARITYOFTHEMOVIES ANDTHEATTENDANTGOODPUBLICITYTHEY COULD GENERATE WAS NOT LOST ON #HICAGOS CITY HALL WHICH HAD READILY agreed to Promio’s request to hold a fake police parade by Lake Michigan. A notice in the Daily Tribune in October of 1896 covered the production of Chicago Police Parade: “M. Promio induced Assistant Chief Ross TOMARSHALPOLICEMENONTHELAKEFRONT ANDWHILETHEYWEREGOING THROUGHADRILLTHE&RENCHMANTOOKSOME OR PHOTOGRAPHSOF THEM(EALSOTOOKTWOORTHREESTREETSCENES INCLUDINGTHE&ERRIS7HEEL 4HEPHOTOGRAPHSWILLBESENTTO0ARIS WHERETHEYWILLBEPREPAREDFORTHE cinematographe and in a few weeks will be seen in Chicago.” 5NFORTUNATELY THE ADDITIONAL FOOTAGE SHOT BY 0ROMIO IN #HICAGO tantalizingly referred to in the Daily Tribune ARTICLE NO LONGER SEEMS TO EXIST ASSUMING THAT PRINTS WERE EVER MADE IN THE lRST PLACE ,ATER ADS FOR #INEMATOGRAPHE EXHIBITIONS INCLUDE REFERENCES TO Police Parade ONEOFWHICH DATINGFROM ALSOREFERSTOAMOVIEINTRIGUINGLYTITLED Life on State Street THOUGHTHISMAYHAVEBEENANOTHERTITLEFORARECENT Edison film11  %LSEWHERE IN THE SAME ARTICLE THE Daily Tribune staffer covering the production clearly had a field day interviewing one “M. 4ETT v A ,UMIÒRE REPRESENTATIVE WHO ATTEMPTED TO EXPLAIN HOW EXACTLY THE#INEMATOGRAPHEOPERATED4ETTSEXPLANATIONWASHILARIOUSLYRENDERED with his French-accented words spelled out phonetically. “Eeet ees simple ASABABY v4ETTISQUOTEDASSAYINGh)PUTZEPEECTURESINSO ANDTURNZE CRANKSOANDYOUSEE AH WONDERFUL B E A UTIFULTHINGSONZEBIGCURTAIN INZEFRONT4HATISALL)CANNOTEXPLAINHIMBETTERv4HEDaily Tribune STAFFERHELPFULLYPOINTSOUTTHATTHISANALOGYIShHARDLYFAIR vSINCEhNOBODY ever fully understood the mental and physical makeup of a baby while the Cinematographe is easily described.”12 4HEMOSTSIGNIlCANTEXTANTlLMTOBEMADEIN#HICAGOAFTERTHE,UMIÒRE brothers’ Chicago Police Parade is probably the Edison Manufacturing Company’s Corner Madison and State Streets, Chicago. Made only one year AFTERTHE,UMIÒRESPIONEERINGEFFORT THE%DISONlLM COPYRIGHTEDIN*ULY - 36 -

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 ISA FOOTLONG ONE SHOTACTUALITYTHATDEPICTSEXACTLYWHATTHE TITLESTATES,IKEMOSTOFh%DISONSMOVIES vHOWEVER THEINVENTORSFAVORite director/cinematographer team of James H. White and William Heise actually made Corner Madison and State Streets, Chicago. Although White and Heise had both been prolific in the motion-picture business since the PRE PROJECTIONDAYSOF ITDOESNOTAPPEARTHATTHEIRTECHNIQUEHAD much improved in the intervening seven years. When viewed alongside Chicago Police Parade WITHITSINCREDIBLEUSEOFDEPTHOFlELDANDIMPECCABLYCOMPOSEDDIAGONALLINES Corner Madison and State Streets, Chicago offers an object lesson in the difference between Thomas Edison and the ,UMIÒRE BROTHERS IE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN APPROACHING MOVIES AS A business versus approaching them as an art). Corner Madison and State Streets, Chicago shows a jumbled mass of PEOPLE HORSES AND TROLLEY CARS IN THE HEART OF #HICAGOS ,OOP AS THEY hurriedly move in every conceivable direction at the same time. Some of the subjects are carrying large placards that advertise “BOATING” and “ELECTRIC POOL.” Just as Chicago Police Parade is of interest because it PROVESTHATOFALL#HICAGOPOLICEOFlCERSHADMUSTACHESINTHELATE NINETEENTHCENTURY SOTOOISCorner Madison and State Streets, Chicago of interest because it proves that 100%OFALL#HICAGOCIVILIANS INCLUDING WOMEN WOREHATSDURINGTHISSAMEERAANDINTHEMIDDLEOFSUMMERNO LESS )NTERMSOFVISUALSTYLE ITAPPEARSTHAT7HITEAND(EISEHAVETAKEN LITTLE CARE WITH THE COMPOSITION OF THE IMAGE WHICH LOOKS PARTICULARLY chaotic when compared to the clean lines and artful compositions associated with the Lumières. The complete description of Corner Madison and State Streets, Chicago from the official Edison Films catalog emphasizes the documentary value of showing the downtown area of this thriving metropolis: “The busiest corner in Chicago. Cable cars and street traffic of all descriptions. Hundreds of shoppers. Fine perspective view looking north toward the -ASONIC4EMPLEFEETv13!NDREW%RISH INHISEXCELLENTBIOGRAPHY Col. William N. Selig: The Man Who Invented Hollywood CLAIMSTHAT Corner Madison and State Streets, Chicago was a William Selig film that %DISONPIRATEDANDCOPYRIGHTEDASHISOWN-OSTOTHERSOURCES HOWEVER cite it as an authentic Edison movie. Edison copyrighted Corner Madison

4HISEXCHANGETOOKPLACEIN%NGLANDIN AGOODINDICATIONOFHOWWIDESPREAD and for how long the belief was held that motion pictures were no more than a flash-inthe-pan novelty. - 37 -

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and State Streets, Chicago along with several other Chicago-shot films on *ULY   Sheep Run Chicago Stockyards Armour’s Electric Trolley Cattle Driven to Slaughter ETC 3ELIG 0OLYSCOPE COPYRIGHTED A SIMILARLY TITLEDMOVIE State and Madison Sts., Chicago IN !LTHOUGHITWASAROUNDTHISTIMETHAT#OLONEL7ILLIAM3ELIGEXPLICitly copied the Lumières’ Cinematographe design in order to get into THEMOTION PICTUREBUSINESSFORHIMSELF HESEEMEDTOBEALMOSTALONEIN understanding the far-reaching possibilities of the new medium. Founded IN THE3ELIG0OLYSCOPE#OMPANYWOULDBETHElRSTMOVIESTUDIOIN #HICAGOAND EVENTUALLY THELARGESTONEINTHECOUNTRY7HENASKEDBYA JOURNALISTIFHETHOUGHTTHATTHEMOTIONPICTUREHADhCOMETOSTAY v3ELIG RESPONDED WITH UNBRIDLED ENTHUSIASM h#OME TO STAY
v HE EXCLAIMED “Why it has only just started. I believe that it will become a permanent feature in the amusements of the public.”*14 Unlike Edison and even the ,UMIÒRES WHO NOTORIOUSLY CLAIMED THAT THE CINEMA WAS AN INVENTION hWITHOUTAFUTURE v#OLONEL3ELIGWASGAMBLINGBIGONTHEMOVIES)TWASA GAMBLETHATWOULDSOONPAYOFFINAFEWYEARSTIME HEWOULDBEREFERRED to as “the man who invented Hollywood.” Although the projection of moving images had first occurred with Muybridge and Anschutz at the Columbian Exhibition — and had not been particularly successful on the commercial front — in the ensuing years using moving pictures for entertainment had proven to be increasingly profitable. Combining the notion of narrative storytelling with motionpicture projection would soon turn the movies into a giant of mass media THATWOULDHELPTODElNETHENEXTCENTURYANDBEYOND )FTHISKINDOFFUTUREWASLOSTON%DISONANDTHE,UMIÒRESCOMPLETELY William Selig and his future rival George Spoor seemed to have grasped it ALMOSTINSTINCTIVELY3ETTINGUPSHOPIN#HICAGO ACITYLARGEENOUGHAND with enough ambition that it could handle a new industry and provide ALLOFTHEOPPORTUNITIESANDADVANTAGESNECESSARYFORINVENTIONS INNOVATIONS AND OFCOURSE PAYINGAUDIENCESFORPRODUCTS BOTHMENTHENWENT to work.

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- PA R T T W O -

CHICAGO RISING A

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@#OLONEL7ILLIAM.3ELIG CIRCA0HOTOCOURTESYOFTHE-ARGARET(ERRICK,IBRARY Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences)

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- CHAPTER FOUR -

#OLONEL7ILLIAM3ELIG A

When one says the ‘Selig Polyscope Company’ one really means 7. 3ELIG HIMSELF WHO IS THE PRESIDING GENIUS AND LEADING spirit of the establishment. His eye is on every detail of the business at all times. n%UGENE$ENGLER Motography1

W

illiam Nicholas Selig (pronounced SEE-lig) was one of the most SUCCESSFUL ANDCOLORFUL MOTION PICTUREPIONEERSOFTHESAND early 1900s. Selig was a native Chicagoan and traveling magician who conferred the title “Colonel” upon himself while touring the minstrelSHOWCIRCUIT(EWASALARGEMANWITHABUSHYMUSTACHEANDAFRIENDLY ingratiating demeanor; an adjective used to describe the Colonel on more than one occasion was “Falstaffian.”2)N THETHIRTY YEAR OLD3ELIGWAS IN$ALLAS WORKINGASAPHONYhMEDIUMvINASTAGESHOWADVERTISEDASh0ROF 3ELIGANDHIS#OMPANYOF-EDIUMS vDEMONSTRATINGTABLE RAPPING SLATE WIRING TABLE mOATING ANDOTHERSÏANCETRICKS PROMISINGh3PIRIT0OWERIN Full Gaslight.” - 41 -

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4OMANYBELIEVERS THEPHENOMENONOFMEDIUMSTALKINGTOTHEDEAD A spectacle that emerged around the same time as the early motion-picture EXPERIMENTS OF %ADWEARD -UYBRIDGE AND ²TIENNE *ULES -AREY WAS THE wonder of the modern age. It was while in Dallas that Selig first saw a true wonder of the age: Edison’s Kinetoscope. Selig soon became obsessed with motion pictures and with finding HISOWNWAYTOCREATEANDEXHIBITTHEMAND HENCE GETAROUND%DISONS PATENTS  3ELIG RETURNED TO #HICAGO WHERE HE CREATED IN COLLABORATION WITHMACHINIST!NDREW3CHUSTEK HISOWNCAMERAANDPROJECTORBASEDON the design of the Lumières’ Cinematographe. Selig named his camera the “Selig Standard Camera” and his projector the “Selig Polyscope.” In April  OPERATINGOUTOFARENTEDLOFTAT0ECK#OURTNOW%ASTTH3TREET between State Street and Wabash Avenue) in Chicago’s brothel-strewn hTENDERLOINDISTRICT v3ELIGFOUNDEDTHElRST#HICAGOSTUDIO ANDINDEED one of the first such motion-picture studios in the world: the Mutoscope AND&ILM#OMPANY WHICHBECAMETHE7.3ELIG#OMPANY BEFOREPERmanently changing its name to the Selig Polyscope Company.* The first Selig production (and what is likely the first narrative film SHOTIN#HICAGO The Tramp and the Dog NOWLOST WASAhBACKYARDCOMedy” shot in a residential neighborhood on the far North Side of the city known today as Rogers Park. The picture won instant popularity due to ANACCIDENTTHATOCCURREDWHILElLMING!CCORDINGTOVARIOUSACCOUNTS The Tramp and the Dog APPROXIMATELYFEETLONGORLESSTHANTWOMINUTESINLENGTH FEATUREDTHECHARACTEROFATRAMPKNOCKINGONTHEBACK DOOROFARESIDENCELOOKINGFORAHANDOUT ONLYTOBEMETBYA BULLDOG that chased him across the yard and over a fence. Before the genuinely TERRIlEDACTORCOULDCLEARTHEFENCE THEDOGSJAWSCLAMPEDDOWNONTHE SEATOFHISPANTSAND AFTERABRIEFSTRUGGLE THEACTORTUMBLEDTOTHEOTHER side while the dog came away with a mouthful of pants.3 Thus began the LONGTRADITIONOFhPANTSHUMORvINSILENTMOTION PICTURECOMEDY WHICH WOULDARGUABLYREACHITSAPEXWITHTHElLMSOFFUTURE%SSANAYSTAR#HARLIE Chaplin. 4HEREISSOMEDEBATEOVEREXACTLYWHENThe Tramp and the Dog was MADE4HEREARENOKNOWNNEWSPAPERREPORTSOFITSlRSTEXHIBITION3OME * Historian Kalton C. Lahue has Selig’s first company named the Multoscope and Film #OMPANY AND3ELIGBIOGRAPHER!NDREW!%RISHHASFOLLOWEDHISLEAD4HEADDITIONAL “l” was almost certainly a typographical error on the part of Lahue (or another writer whose lead heFOLLOWED HOWEVER ASTHEh-UTOSCOPEvWASAMOTIONPICTUREDEVICEPATented in 1894 whereas “Multoscope” has no known meaning. - 42 -

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Colonel William Selig

SOURCESDATETHEPRODUCTIONASBEINGFROM WHILEOTHERS INCLUDING #OLONEL3ELIGHIMSELF HAVEDATEDITASLATEAS4 It is also possible that THElLMWASSHOTINLATEBUTNOTPUBLICLYEXHIBITEDUNTILTHEFOLLOWing year. Since the Selig Standard Camera was a modified version of the #INEMATOGRAPHE ANDTHE,UMIÒREBROTHERSREPRESENTATIVESDIDNOTBRING THEIRMOTION PICTUREEQUIPMENTTO#HICAGOUNTIL3EPTEMBER ITISA good bet that The Tramp and the Dog was not shot until the last quarter of ATTHEEARLIEST ANDPROBABLYNOTUNTILLATER By all accounts The Tramp and the DogWASASUCCESS ALTHOUGHITIS DIFlCULTTOKNOWTOWHATEXTENT4HEMOVIECIRCULATEDWIDELY EVENPLAYing in Europe (where it was sometimes screened under the abbreviated title Tramp and Dog 3ELIGLATERSTATED h4HEREWASNTALECTURER CARNIVAL company or circus that did not show it.”5 Selig also wrote that he created literally thousandsOFPRINTSOFTHElLM ACLAIMTHATISPROBABLYANEXAGgeration. He would likely not have had the finances at the time to do so: EACHPRINTCOSTAPPROXIMATELY 7HAT IS INDISPUTABLE IS THAT OTHER lLMMAKERS IN THE 5NITED 3TATES INCLUDINGTHE%DISON-ANUFACTURING#OMPANY ANDIN%UROPE BORROWED 3ELIGSBASICCONCEIT ASARASHOFHUMOROUSTRAMP THEMEDPICTURESSOON appeared. These included such titles as The Tramp and the Giant Firecracker The Tramp and the Baby’s Bottle The Tramp and the Crap Game ETC3ELIG recycled images from the film himself as late as 1904 for his comedic production Serenade. Edison Manufacturing titled its 1901 imitation Pie, Tramp and the Bulldog WHICHOFFEREDONLYTHESLIGHTESTVARIATIONON3ELIGS ORIGINALSCENARIO ANDADVERTISEDITAShONEOFTHEFUNNIESTPICTURESEVER PUTONEXHIBITIONv4HE#OLONELGOTHISREVENGEBYDUPLICATING%DISONS MOVIE AND DISTRIBUTING IT HIMSELF &OR THE NEXT SEVERAL YEARS HOWEVER 3ELIGPUTONHOLDANYAMBITIONSHEHADABOUTPRODUCINGNARRATIVElLMS and turned his attentions instead to a series of Lumières-like actualities THATWOULDBEDECIDEDLYMOREEXOTICAFFAIRS )N THE3PANISHn!MERICAN7ARWASALLTHERAGEINTHE!MERICAN MEDIA%DWARD!MET INVENTOR lLMMAKER ANDPARTNEROF'EORGE3POOR reportedly appealed to the U.S. War Department to be given permission to travel to Cuba and document the battles.6(ISREQUESTWASDENIED AND so Amet single-handedly invented the pseudo-documentary genre by RECREATING AND lLMING THE BATTLES HIMSELF BASED ON NEWSPAPER REPORTS in Waukegan and nearby Third Lake. Pioneering films like The Battle of Santiago Bay (also known as Spanish Fleet Destroyed NOTTOBECONFUSED BYTHEBETTERKNOWNREMAKEOFTHESAMETITLEBY*3TUART"LACKTON WERE - 43 -

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among the very first to use special photographic effects such as miniature replicas of naval ships and painted backdrops of Cuba that stood in for “real” war footage. 4AKINGACUEFROM!MET #OLONEL3ELIGREALIZEDTHATACTUALITIESDEPICTing allegedly distant locales could readily be made without traveling too far from home. Selig’s 1898 productions included a series of actualities DEPICTINGSOLDIERSTRAININGAT&ORT4ANNERINNEARBY3PRINGlELD )LLINOIS and that series soon gave way to a slate of Amet-style Spanish War films. 3ELIGEVENPRODUCEDAMOVIEABOUTTHEWASHINGOFSTREETSIN0UERTO2ICO ANEWLY ACQUIREDTERRITORYOFTHE5NITED3TATES INANATTEMPTTOCAPITALIZE on a then-popular media topic. A Selig catalog from 1903 cleverly describes the 1898 production of Washing the Streets of Porto RicoAS h!VERYUNIQUE scene showing the method of washing down the streets in Porto Rico and of special interest now that this country forms part of Uncle Sam’s DOMAIN 4HIS IS A PARTICULARLY BRILLIANT lLM PERFECT IN EVERY DETAIL AND being something out of the ordinary has proved very successful.”7 Washing the Streets of Porto Rico LIKE3ELIGSh#UBANvACTUALITIES WASlLMEDENTIRELY IN#HICAGOORITSSURROUNDINGSUBURBS!LLOFTHESElLMS HOWEVER WERE marketed as being “authentic.”8 )RONICALLY 3ELIGUSEDBOLDLANGUAGETOBOASTOFTHEAUTHENTICITYOFHIS own films while simultaneously attacking the actualities of other filmMAKERS FOR BEING hFAKE REPRODUCTIONS v AS IN THIS CATALOG DESCRIPTION OF The Gans-McGovern Fight h7ITHTHEEXCEPTIONOFTHISlLMTHERE are absolutely no genuine moving picture films representing genuine prize lGHTSONTHEMARKET4HEPRIZElGHTlLMS SO CALLED AREEITHERTAKENBY THElGHTPROMOTERSANDRETAINEDBYTHEMFOREXHIBITION NOTONSALEAND CANNOTBEPROCURED ORELSETHEYARETHEBOLDESTFAKEREPRODUCTIONSPUTUP THEDAYFOLLOWINGTHElGHTBYCHEAP SO CALLEDlGHTERS WHOENDEAVOR TO the best of their ability and under the direction of the enterprising phoTOGRAPHER TOREPRESENTORREPRODUCEASNEARLYASPOSSIBLETHESCRAPWHICH occurred the evening before between the genuine principles. It is easy to see how very little real value films produced in these ways possess for the AVERAGEPUBLIC WHICH;IS=QUICKTOSEETHATTHESO CALLEDPRINCIPLESINTHE lGHTARENOTTHEMENTHEYAREADVERTISEDTOBE ANDTHElGHTISNOTTHE real thing. This is not only a genuine picture taken while the fight was in actual progress …”9 4HEEXTANTlLMOFThe Gans-McGovern Fight offers a fascinating window into how the process of early motion-picture production could create unwelcome intrusions upon real life. The much-hyped featherweight title - 44 -

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Colonel William Selig

BOUTOCCURREDON$ECEMBER  INFRONTOFANESTIMATED TO  SPECTATORS4HElGHTWASBOOKEDAT#HICAGOS4ATTERSALLS!THLETIC !SSOCIATION WHICHHADOUTBIDOTHERVENUESACROSSTHECOUNTRYBYOFFERINGTHEWINNERA PURSEplusOFTHEBOXOFlCE4HEBOUTWAS SCHEDULEDTOLASTSIXROUNDSPRECISELYBECAUSETHISWASTHOUGHTTOBEAN IDEAL LENGTH FOR 7ILLIAM 3ELIGS MOTION PICTURE 3IX POWERFUL ARC LIGHTS and four giant reflectors were placed around the ring to ensure that there WOULDBEENOUGHLIGHTFOR3ELIGSCAMERATOACHIEVETHEPROPEREXPOSURE The intense heat that resulted required that the giant doors to the hall REMAIN OPEN DURING THE BOUT 5NFORTUNATELY THE MEDIAN TEMPERATURE WASDEGREES&AHRENHEITIN#HICAGOTHATNIGHT MEANINGTHATPATRONS close to the doors and patrons close to the ring would have been made EQUALLYUNCOMFORTABLEBYEXPERIENCINGTEMPERATURESATOPPOSITEENDSOF the spectrum.10 A final irony was that title-holder Terry McGovern knocked out challenger Joe Gans in the second round of a still-controversial fight that MANYFEELHADBEENlXED BRINGINGTOLIGHTASCANDALTHATMAYHAVEBEEN brewing in Chicago for years. “I know of at least five fake fights which HAVEBEENCONDUCTEDINTHISCITY vSAIDONE!LDERMAN0ATTERSONSHORTLY thereafter. “Chicago is becoming the laughing stock of the country because of the ease with which a hippodrome can be managed here.”11 (Newspapers reporting on the fight frequently referred to it as a “hipPODROME v A WORD THEN GOING THROUGH A BRIEF VOGUE IN WHICH IT WAS A COMMONTERMNOTFORANARENA ITSNORMALDElNITION BUTFORAlXEDlGHT 4HESCANDALTHATENSUEDRESULTEDIN#HICAGOSMAYOR #ARTER(ARRISON *R SIGNINGANORDINANCEBANNINGTHESPORTFORTHENEXTTWENTYYEARS)FTHE 'ANSn-C'OVERNlGHTWASINDEEDAhHIPPODROME vHOWhAUTHENTICvDOES THATMAKE3ELIGSlLMAFTERALL)FTHEOUTCOMEWASPREDETERMINED SHOULD this ostensible documentary not be classified as fiction? Also shrewd was the way Selig Polyscope used new catalog descriptions to make old movies seem more current. Infantry Charge AWARlLM FROM WASBEINGMARKETEDINTHECATALOGUEASADEPICTIONOF THE0HILIPPINE7AR WHICHDIDNOTACTUALLYBREAKOUTUNTILAYEARAFTER THEMOVIEWASSHOT4OPARAPHRASE#HARLES&OSTER+ANE 3ELIGWASPROVIDing the actualities and was content to let the United States government PROVIDETHEWAR4HISWASEXACTLYTHEKINDOFCANNYBUSINESSSENSETHAT would establish the Colonel as Chicago’s most successful film producer at THEDAWNOFTHETWENTIETHCENTURY3OON HOWEVER THISSUCCESSWOULDALSO attract the wrath of Thomas Edison. - 45 -

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The original “Diamond S” logo above the entrance of the sole remaining Selig Polyscope building in Chicago. (Photo: Michael Glover Smith)

The financial success Selig enjoyed with the dozens of shorts he proDUCEDINTHELATENINETEENTHCENTURY ASWELLASREVENUESGENERATEDBYlLM EQUIPMENTSALESTHROUGHTHECATALOGSOF3EARS 2OEBUCKAND#OMPANY made him a wealthy man. He officially incorporated as the Selig Polyscope #OMPANY IN .OVEMBER  WITH CAPITAL OF   %DISON SUED FOR COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT EXACTLY ONE MONTH LATER 3ELIG REFUSED TO BE intimidated by Edison and hired the law firm of Banning and Banning to lGHTTHESUIT)NANUNUSUALARRANGEMENT LAWYERS4HOMASAND%PHRAIM "ANNINGAGREEDTOREPRESENT3ELIGUNTIL*ANUARY APERIODOFEXACTLY TWOYEARS INEXCHANGEFORALARGENUMBEROFSHARESIN3ELIG0OLYSCOPE)T was a wise decision: financial statements show that Selig’s profits surged IN  MAKING HIS lLMS EQUAL IN POPULARITY TO ANY IN !MERICA including those being produced concurrently by Edison and the successful Philadelphia-based Siegmund Lubin.12 Selig would later re-acquire the Banning shares. &OR HIS OFlCIAL COMPANY LOGO 3ELIG SELECTED THE LETTER h3v INSIDE OF a diamond. This decision would generate controversy a few years later WHEN ACCORDINGTOTHEMoving Picture WorldMAGAZINE 2USSIANBORDER GUARDS hALWAYS ON THE LOOKOUT FOR .IHILISTS !NARCHISTS AND 3OCIALISTS v - 46 -

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Colonel William Selig

seized Selig materials after mistaking the “diamond S” logo for a “Socialist emblem.” The Moving Picture World responded by defending Selig in its PAGES USINGLANGUAGETHATWOULDNOTHAVEBEENOUTOFPLACEINANOFlCIAL 3ELIG0OLYSCOPEADVERTISEMENTh)F-R3ELIGISGUILTYOFANYTHING ITISIN TRYINGTOEDUCATEANDELEVATETHENATIONSBYMEANSOFDECENT CLEANAND moral pictures.”13 ,ATER IN LIFE 3ELIG WOULD DESCRIBE HIS  PRODUCTION OF Arrival of Humpty DumptyASHISlRSThREALvMOVIE(OWEVER THEMOSTSIGNIlCANT Selig film from the turn of the century was the even earlier The Life of a Fireman ANIMPRESSIVE MULTI SHOTNARRATIVEMADEATATIMEWHEN most fictional movies still consisted of a single shot. Clocking in at 450 FEETORBETWEENlVEANDSIXMINUTESINLENGTH THElLMWASARELATIVE epic in comparison to other releases of the day. The influence of The Life of a Fireman could immediately be felt on the developing cinema in terms of both form (the ambitious editing of multiple shots together to create a MORECOMPLEXCINEMATICEXPERIENCE ANDCONTENTTHEDRAMATICDEPICTION of a daring “fire run”). Among the important motion pictures influenced BY3ELIGSEARLYlRE lGHTEREPICWERETHEFARMOREFAMOUS ANDSTILLEXTANT Fire! DIRECTEDBY*AMES7ILLIAMSONANDLife of an American Fireman  DIRECTEDBY%DWIN30ORTER 4HOUGH THE lLM ITSELF IS NOW LOST 3ELIG 0OLYSCOPES  CATALOG description indicates The Life of a Fireman consisted of at least three difFERENTSHOTSANDPOSSIBLYMOREh4HISPICTURE INITSCOMPLETEFORM SHOWS THE lREMEN SITTING IN FRONT OF A lRE HOUSE WHEN SUDDENLY AN ALARM IS SOUNDED9OUSEETHE;lREMEN=RUSHANDBREAKFORTHEINSIDEOFTHElRE HOUSE TOGETTOTHEIRRESPECTIVEPLACESONTHEAPPARATUSBEFOREGOINGTO THElRE4HENEXTPICTURESHOWSTHEMLEAVINGTHElREHOUSETHEMADDASH OUTOFDOORS ANDTHEMOSTREALISTIClRERUNEVERSHOWNONCANVAS4WENTY eight pieces of fire fighting machines madly rushing and plunging down a thoroughfare on the way to the fire.”14 .OTALLOF3ELIGSEARLYEFFORTSWEREASINNOVATIVEORENNOBLING HOWEVER 7ILLIAM 3ELIG WAS lRST AND FOREMOST A BUSINESSMAN AND HE HAD known the importance of generating a steady income since his days as a carnival huckster. The Colonel thus augmented his income by purchasing PRINTSOF%UROPEANlLMSBY'EORGES-ÏLIÒSANDOTHERS MAKINGDUPLICATE COPIES ANDSELLINGTHEMFORDISTRIBUTIONHIMSELF(ETHEREBYEARNEDROYALTIESONINTELLECTUALPROPERTYTHATLEGALLYBELONGEDTOOTHERS3ELIGWAS HOWEVER HARDLYALONEINTHIShBOOTLEGGINGvOFPIRATEDPICTURES4HEPRACTICEWASWIDESPREADATTHETIME ESPECIALLYSINCEITWASVIRTUALLYIMPOSSIBLE - 47 -

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for filmmakers from other countries to know if and how their movies were being distributed in the United States.) Still other Selig endeavors pandered to the lowest common denominaTORTHEMINSTRELSHOWSTHATWEREPOPULARATTHETIME WITHTHEIRhCOMICALv RACIALSTEREOTYPING PROVIDEDTHEBASISFORlLMSWITHTITLESLIKEA Night in Blackville Who Said Watermelon and Something Good – A Negro Kiss. The last of these is described simply in the 1903 Selig catalog as “a burlesque” on Edison’s famous The Kiss FROM  IE THE VERY NOTION OF SEEING !FRICAN !MERICANS OR MORE LIKELY WHITE ACTORS IN BLACKFACE MAKE UP KISSING WAS MEANT TO BE HUMOROUS  )T IS WORTH POINTING OUT THAT IN THES 3ELIGCO OWNEDAMINSTRELCOMPANYWITHABLACKBARBERFROM San Francisco named Lew Johnson. Although that arrangement does not EXCUSETHERACIALSTEREOTYPINGFOUNDIN3ELIGSlLMS ITWASSTILLAREMARKably progressive partnership for the era. Such racial stereotyping in film would eventually lead to African!MERICANS INDEPENDENTLY PRODUCING THEIR OWN MOTION PICTURES ONES that offered alternative and more authentic images of black American life. African-American filmmaking pioneer William Foster has been QUOTEDASSAYING h.OTHINGHASDONESOMUCHTOAWAKENRACECONSCIOUSness of the colored man in the nation as the motion picture. It has made him hungry to see himself.”15 Chicago too would be home to the first SIGNIlCANTMOVIESMADEBY!FRICAN !MERICANS LIKETHE&OSTER0HOTOPLAY Company’s short The Railroad Porter in 1912 and the earliest feature films OF/SCAR-ICHEAUX THEMOSTIMPORTANTOFTHEEARLYhRACElLMvDIRECTORS (see Post-Script). )NSPITEOF3ELIGSBESTEFFORTS HOWEVER #HICAGOWASNOTYETTHECAPITAL of motion-picture production it would become later in the decade. In the lRSTYEARSOFTHETWENTIETHCENTURY #HICAGOSROLEINTHEMOVIEINDUSTRY ASITWASINSOMANYOTHER53INDUSTRIES WASTOFUNCTIONPRIMARILYASA center for distribution throughout the Midwest. In addition to Chicago’s 3EARSAND2OEBUCK WHOSOLDPROJECTORSANDSLIDEPRESENTATIONSINTHEIR catalogs (with which traveling men like Burton Holmes could launch a CAREER GIVING ILLUSTRATED LECTURES MANY OTHER LOCAL COMPANIES CATERED to the burgeoning motion-picture market by selling films and film equipment. These companies included Montgomery Ward (who had set up a SPECIAL DEPARTMENT CATERING TO THE hOPTICAL TRADEv THE +LEINE /PTICAL #OMPANY THE3TEREOPTICONAND&ILM%XCHANGE THE#HICAGO0ROJECTING Company and the Enterprise Optical Company. Thomas Edison sued or threatened to sue all of these companies. The - 48 -

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Colonel William Selig

ONLYENTREPRENEURWHOCAPITULATEDWAS'EORGE+LEINE WHOWASABLETO PACIFY%DISONBYAGREEINGTOEXCLUSIVELYSELL%DISONSlLMSANDPROJECTORS beginning in 1899.16!LLOFTHEOTHERCOMPANIESRESISTED WITHSOMEFOLlowing Selig’s lead and hiring the firm of Banning and Banning to fight the suits. This resistance was significant. Almost all of the motion-picTUREPRODUCTIONANDDISTRIBUTIONCOMPANIESIN.EW9ORKAND.EW*ERSEY BECAUSEOFTHEIRCLOSEPROXIMITYTO%DISONANDHISPATENT ENFORCINGh'OON 3QUAD v AGREED TO PAY LICENSING FEES TO USE ANDOR SELL EQUIPMENT THAT RESEMBLEDANYOFTHEDEVICES%DISONHADPATENTED)FTHEYDIDNOTPAYUP they were soon discouraged from continuing in the movie business. These practices allowed Edison to have a virtual monopoly on filmmaking in the NORTHEASTERN5NITED3TATES BUTARGUABLYTHEYALSOSTUNTEDTHEGROWTHOF THE lLM INDUSTRY THERE 4HAT STAGNATION IN TURN ALLOWED THE #HICAGO COMPANIES BYVIRTUEOFBEINGFARTHERAWAYFROM%DISONGEOGRAPHICALLY TO GRADUALLYBUILDTHEMSELVESUPOVERTHENEXTSEVERALYEARS )N 3ELIGEMBARKEDONANAMBITIOUSSERIESOFMOVIESTHATDOCUmented the local meatpacking giant Armour and Company. There were SIXTYlLMSINTHESERIES WHICHWERECO PRODUCTIONSBETWEEN!RMOURAND 3ELIG0OLYSCOPE FEATURINGSUCHBLUNTTITLESASWeighing Mutton Stunning Cattle Stuffing Sausage and Canned Meat Department No. 6: Painting and Labeling4HESEARETHEEARLIESTKNOWNhSPONSOREDlLMS vATERMCOINED by archivist Rick Prelinger to refer to movies made by a sponsor for a purpose other than art or entertainment and designed to have a limited shelf life (though one of the Lumière brothers’ earliest films also functioned as an advertisement for a beer company owned by a friend of their father). The movies in the Selig/Armour series were essentially the first commercials.* )NTHECOMINGYEARS 3ELIGCONTINUEDTOPRODUCELOCALLY SHOTMOVIES WHILEALSOEXPANDINGHISOPERATIONSTOINCLUDElLMPRODUCTIONIN&LORIDA AND #OLORADO WHERE THE CLIMATES WERE MORE CONDUCIVE TO SHOOTING IN the winter than was that of Chicago. (This was also the kind of thinking that would eventually lead to Selig’s opening a permanent studio INSOUTHERN#ALIFORNIAIN THEBEGINNINGOF(OLLYWOODASWENOW know it.) The most significant Selig Polyscope pictures of this period were

* It would also not be long before motion-picture studios began the more insidious form of advertising that would come to be known as “product placement.” Essanay’s 1912 production of Back to the Old Farm FORINSTANCE USESAlCTIONALNARRATIVEASATHINPRETEXTFOR showing off the efficiency of the International Harvester Company’s farming equipment. - 49 -

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ACTUALITIESlLMEDOUTSIDEOF#HICAGO SUCHASTHEINAUGURATIONOF0RESIDENT Theodore Roosevelt (inaugurations always proved a popular draw — and were one of few big news events for which filmmakers could prepare in ADVANCE AND lCTIONAL WESTERNS lLMED ON LOCATION OUT WEST THE MOST PROMINENTOFWHICHWASPROBABLYTHEINCENDIARY #OLORADO SHOTTracked By Bloodhounds; or, A Lynching in Cripple Creek from 1904. )N  3ELIG 0OLYSCOPE GENERATED UNWANTED PUBLICITY WHEN ONE OF ITSCONTRACTEDACTORS (OWARD%.ICHOLAS MURDEREDONEOFITSCONTRACTED ACTRESSES -ARGARET,ESLIE4HETWOHADCO STARREDINSIXlLMSINCLUDING The Tomboys ACOMEDYDIRECTEDBY'ILBERT!NDERSONSHORTLYBEFOREHESPLIT WITH3ELIGTOFOUND%SSANAY ANDWERESCHEDULEDTOAPPEARINASEVENTH A #OLORADOWESTERN WHEN.ICHOLASSTRANGLED,ESLIEINA#HICAGOHOTELROOM A newspaper article cited jewelry theft as the motive but Andrew Erish’s Selig biography identifies it as a likely “crime of passion.” It was the first of many such scandals to plague the burgeoning motion-picture industry.17 %VENAS3ELIGSRATEOFPRODUCTIONDRAMATICALLYINCREASED HOWEVER SO too did his legal troubles. His battles with Edison had never gone away AND BY THEYACTUALLYTHREATENEDTOBANKRUPTTHE3ELIG0OLYSCOPE #OMPANY/N/CTOBEROFTHATYEAR A#HICAGO$ISTRICT#OURT*UDGE ruled that Selig Polyscope’s motion-picture cameras infringed on patents that belonged to Edison.18&ORTUNATELYFORTHE#OLONEL AIDSOONARRIVEDIN the unlikely form of his former partners at Armour and Company. )N THESOCIALISTNEWSPAPERAppeal to Reason had published a serialized version of The Jungle ANOVELBY5PTON3INCLAIRTHATFUNCTIONED AS A DAMNING EXPOSÏ OF THE UNSAFE UNSANITARY AND DOWNRIGHT CORRUPT practices of the Chicago meatpacking industry. The novel was based on 3INCLAIRS OWN EXPERIENCES WHILE WORKING IN THE #HICAGO STOCKYARDS AS an undercover journalist in 1904. (Previous journalists found that the meat packers went out of their way to cover up anything unpleasant when they toured the premises; Sinclair found that by just showing up with a lunch bucket he could sneak right in and never be questioned.) When $OUBLEDAY 0AGEAND#OMPANYPUBLISHEDTHENOVELASASINGLEVOLUMEIN EARLY ITREACHEDAWIDEAUDIENCEANDCAUSEDANIMMEDIATESENSATION WITHTHEPUBLIC4OCOMBAT3INCLAIRSUNmATTERINGACCOUNTOFTHEINDUSTRY Armour and Company waged an all-out public relations war. This effort INVOLVED RE RELEASING THEIR 3ELIG PROMOTIONAL lLMS AS WELL AS PROVIDING financial and legal backing to Selig in his lawsuit with Edison. The legal arm of Armour and Company worked towards reaching A SETTLEMENT WITH %DISON THAT WOULD LEAD IN  TO 3ELIG RELUCTANTLY - 50 -

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Colonel William Selig

3ELIG0OLYLSCOPEMOVIESETOFABUILDINGSEXTERIOR Chicago Daily News #OURTESY of the Chicago History Museum)

entering into an agreement with Thomas Edison’s Motion Picture Patents #OMPANY WHICH OVERSAW ROYALTY PAYMENTS TO %DISON WHILE SIMULTANEously allowing Selig to focus on his own company. With his legal battles WITH%DISONSEEMINGLYBEHINDHIM 3ELIGEXPANDEDHISSTUDIOTOINCLUDE a massive lot on the corner of Irving Park Road and Western Avenue on Chicago’s Northwest Side. The Colonel had already opened a second office there in the late nineteenth century but could now afford to snap UPALLOFTHESURROUNDINGLANDSOTHATHISNEWSTUDIOFACILITIES BOUNDEDBY #LAREMONT!VENUEAND"YRON3TREETTOTHESOUTHANDEAST WOULDENCOMPASS SEVERAL CITY BLOCKS 4HESE NEW FACILITIES INCLUDED OUTDOOR STAGES ARTIlCIAL HILLS A GIANT MAN MADE LAGOON hJUNGLE TREESv AND AN INTERIOR studio with a glass roof. Selig made his old friend Tom Nash superintendent of the plant. Because the concept of a “movie star” was still at least a couple of years in the future (it began with the Biograph Company marketing their leadINGLADY&LORENCE,AWRENCEASTHEh"IOGRAPH'IRLvIN THEMAINDRAW of the early Selig Polyscope films was simply their production values. Early advertisements used the impressively large “Selig Motion Picture Plant” - 51 -

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ITSELF OFTENILLUSTRATEDINAHAND DRAWNPICTURE ASTHEMAINPOINTOFINTERESTOFTHEMOVIES ANDONLYAFTERWARDSMENTIONEDTHESKILLEDBUTUNNAMED hPANTOMIMISTSvIN3ELIGSEMPLOY/NESUCHADEARNESTLYREAD h4HISPLANT ISONEREASONWHY3ELIGlLMSARETHEBEST)TGIVESNOIDEA HOWEVER OFTHE great stock company of well-trained actors employed in making our films. We have hundreds of actors regularly employed — skilled pantomimists and others are on call so that there can be no monotony in Selig films. We take more pains than anybody else to make our scenery and properties correct. The result is that we draw the largest crowds and give complete satisfaction. The making of our wonderful up-to-date pictures has been described by the biggest newspapers and magazines.”19 !STHATADINDICATES THEPUBLICATTHISTIMEWASSTILLIGNORANTABOUT how movies were made. An amusing item that appeared in the Daily Tribune in late 1907 recounts the story of the filming of a bank robbery scene in a Selig Polyscope production. A woman who lived across the street from the suburban bank where the film was being shot thought that the actors playing “masked and heavily armed bandits” were acting suspiciously and called the police. A half-dozen Oak Park police officers SOON ARRIVED ARRESTED THE CAST AND CREW AND TOOK THEM ALL TO THE CITY lockup. The presence of the bank president was eventually required to get them out.20 Perhaps this story is what Chicago outlaw John Dillinger had INMINDYEARSLATERWHEN ACCORDINGTOLEGEND HESUCCESSFULLYPULLEDOFFA real bank robbery by making it look as if he were filming a movie. 7ITH MORE MONEY AND RENEWED CONlDENCE #OLONEL 3ELIG WAS PREpared to ramp up the pace of his film production for the 1908 season. Selig Polyscope’s membership in the Motion Picture Patents Company SEEMEDTOBEADVANTAGEOUSTOBOTH%DISONAND3ELIGINTHESHORTTERM but in many ways it would also signal the beginning of the end of the local Chicago film industry.

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- CHAPTER FIVE -

'EORGE3POOR 'EORGE+LEINE ANDTHE 2ISEOFTHE.ICKELODEON A

G

EORGE+IRKE3POOR LIKE7ILLIAM3ELIG HADATHEATRICALBACKGROUND that made him a natural for the movie business. Spoor was an enterPRISINGYOUNGMANWHO ALONGWITHAFRIEND HADLEASEDANDSUCCESSFULLY MANAGEDTHE0HOENIX/PERA(OUSEIN7AUKEGAN )LLINOIS BEGINNINGIN 1892 when he was barely twenty years old. Although his main business was running a newspaper stand in Chicago’s Old Town neighborhood on the .EAR.ORTH3IDE 3POORWASANEWLYMARRIEDMAN ANDHEHADDECIDEDTO MANAGETHESUBURBAN/PERA(OUSEASAMEANSOFMAKINGEXTRAINCOME (ISEXPERIENCEBOOKINGVAUDEVILLEANDTHEATRICALACTSIN7AUKEGANSOON whetted his appetite for show business. 3OMEYEARSLATER 3POORMET%DWARD!MET ALOCALINVENTORTENYEARS his senior who had been developing a motion-picture projector in the workSHOPOFHISEMPLOYER THE#HICAGO2ECORDING3CALE#OMPANY,IKEMANY EARLYlLMPIONEERS!METWASINSPIREDBYSEEING%DISONS+INETOSCOPE AN EVENTTHATHAPPENEDIN ANDHEWASDETERMINEDTOINVENTADEVICE THATCOULDSHOWMMlLMSLIKETHOSEBEINGEXHIBITEDINTHE+INETOSCOPE but on a much larger scale. (Perhaps Spoor told him he had the same idea after having his pocket picked in the Kinetoscope parlor on State Street.) - 53 -

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Flickering Empire George Spoor and his most FAMOUSDISCOVERY 'LORIA 3WANSON REVISITING%SSANAY 3TUDIOS INTHEEARLYS (Photo courtesy of the Chicago History Museum)

!METHADRUNOUTOFFUNDSFORHISEXPERIMENTS BUT WITH3POORSlNANCIAL BACKING WHICHSOMESOURCESCLAIMWASASLITTLEAS HESUCCESSFULLYCOMPLETEDHISPROJECTOR)NTHEIRSHORT LIVEDPARTNERSHIP !METWASTHECREATIVE ONE3POORTOOKCAREOFTHEBUSINESSEND4HISWOULDBETHEEXACTSAME role Spoor would play in his successful partnership with Gilbert “Broncho Billy” Anderson when they founded Essanay together several years later.) )N INTERVIEWS LATER IN LIFE 3POOR CLAIMED THAT !METS PROTOTYPICAL film projector was fully operational in late 1894 and that they used it TOEXHIBITMOVIESTOPAYINGAUDIENCESATTHE0HOENIX/PERA(OUSEDURing that time. If the projector was being demonstrated in 1894 by one or BOTHMEN ITWOULDHAVEBEENAFULLYEARBEFORETHE,UMIÒREBROTHERSlRST PUBLICLYDISPLAYEDTHEIR#INEMATOGRAPHEIN0ARIS WHICHWOULDALSOHAVE likely made this demonstration the first time 35mm motion pictures were ever projected anywhere &OR HIS PART !MET RECALLED THAT HE WAS USING - 54 -

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George Spoor, George Kleine, and the Rise of the Nickelodeon

AN EARLY VERSION OF THIS PROJECTOR TO EXHIBIT lLMS TO CHURCH GROUPS AND OTHER INFORMAL GATHERINGS OF SPECTATORS IN  BUT NOTED THAT HE DID NOTACTUALLYBECOME3POORSPARTNERUNTIL5NFORTUNATELY THEREARE no contemporaneous newspaper articles or other “smoking gun” evidence THATCANDElNITIVELYESTABLISHTHATTHESEEXHIBITIONSACTUALLYTOOK PLACE THOUGH THE TOWN OF 7AUKEGAN MADE A CONCERTED EFFORT IN LATER decades to establish itself as the birthplace of the movies. Even as early as  INASWORNSTATEMENTINTHEPOSSESSIONOFTHE,AKE#OUNTY$ISCOVERY -USEUM !METSTATEDTHATHEHADCOMEUPWITHTHEIDEAFORTHEPROJECTORhSOMETIMEIN vANDTHATHEHADBEGUNWORKIN-ARCH AND hREDUCEDTHEINVENTIONTOPRACTICEINTHEEARLYPARTOF-AY v1 &ARMORETANTALIZING THOUGH ARETHEMEMORIES!METRECORDEDINTHE 1940s. In a hand-typed letter (also in the possession of the Lake County $ISCOVERY-USEUM HESTATES h)CONCEIVEDTHEIDEAOFMAKINGTHELIFE SIZE motion picture in 1893. I made a small camera which could also be used as a projecting machine in the winter of 1893/94. This I demonstrated to Mr. ,EON$OUGLASANDHISBACKER -R#HARLES$ICKINSON4HEYBOTHSAIDIT would not be a success as a means of entertainment and decided not to back the camera financially for me. I had a great deal of respect for their opinion and let the matter rest. … About three months after showing the camera x)SHOWEDITTO-R;(ENRY3=#LARK!FTERTHINKINGITOVERAFEWDAYS -R#LARKSAID @)FYOUSAYYOUCANDOIT THE%LECTRICAL!DVERTISING3CALE Company will back you’ … I did not have a really marketable machine UNTIL!UGUSTOF4HECOMPANYSTARTEDONALOTOFMACHINES WHICH they thought was a large quantity. I put an advertisement in a theatrical NEWSPAPER ANDWEHADASTANDINGORDERWITHACASHDEPOSITOFON more than 150 machines in two weeks. This machine was advertised as THE-AGNI 3COPExDURINGMYEXPERIMENTSINMAKINGTHE-AGNI 3COPE )WOULDGIVESHOWINGSOFPICTURESTO3UNDAY3CHOOL CHURCHFESTIVALS AND TOTHEPUBLICSCHOOLSUNDERTHEDIRECTIONOF-R*OHN"OGATT PRINCIPALOF Waukegan Schools … Our company had sold more than 250 machines before I ever met George K. Spoor. He had nothing to do with the conception or development of my Magni-Scope motion picture machine … I met … George K. Spoor in the spring of 1896.” %LSEWHEREINTHELETTER !METNOTESTHATTHElRSTPICTURESHETOOKWITH his 1893 camera were of a horse-drawn milk wagon going down the street AFTERASNOWSTORMh4HEPHOTOGRAPHYWASEXCELLENT ANDTHEIR[sic] was LOTSOFMOTIONˆMOTIONINALLDIRECTIONS4HEHORSETROTTEDOK BUTTHE picture danced all over the wall.”2 - 55 -

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)NLATE !METBUILTHIShLABORATORY vATWO STORYWOODENBUILDING AT.ORTH!VENUEIN7AUKEGAN,OCALPAPERSWOULDEVENTUALLYCALLIT WITHLITTLEHYPERBOLE THEWORLDSlRSTlLMSTUDIOUNFORTUNATELY THECITY ordered the building torn down in 1965. ,OCAL MOTION PICTURE SHOWS WERE CERTAINLY POPULAR BY  THOUGH attendees seemed more impressed by simply seeing pictures move than they were by the specific subjects on display; a letter from that year in THE COUNTY ARCHIVES FROM SOMEONE NAMED h6ERNE v ADDRESSED TO HIS OR HERUNCLE READSh%NCLOSEDYOUWILLlNDAPIECEOFTHESTRIPUSEDINTHE Magniscope for producing living pictures … the strips are about 70 feet long and take about 30 or 50 seconds to go through the camera. The pictures are reproduced by stereopticon at the same speed. Please write and let me know if you get this.”3 )NHISPARTNERSHIPWITH!MET 3POORSNEWBUSINESSBEGANTOTHRIVE ANDHEQUITTHE0HOENIX/PERA(OUSEINTHEFALLOFTODEVOTEHIMself full-time to making motion pictures. He incorporated as the National &ILM2ENTING#OMPANY ANDOPENEDANOFlCEAT.ORTH#LARK3TREETIN DOWNTOWN#HICAGO4HEh!MET-AGNISCOPE0ROJECTOR vSONAMEDBYITS DISTRIBUTOR'EORGE+LEINE WENTONSALEAROUNDTHECOUNTRYANDWASlRST PURCHASEDBYVAUDEVILLEHOUSESIN.EW/RLEANS 3T,OUIS AND NATURALLY Chicago. The Magniscope was also popular with “itinerant showmen” who followed the lead of Burton Holmes and carried the relatively lightweight PROJECTORITWEIGHEDABOUTPOUNDS FROMTOWNTOTOWNTOEXHIBITTHE MOVIES ACCOMPANIEDBYLECTURESANDORTHEATRICALACTS INTHEMANNEROF a traveling carnival.4 In a 1943 interview with the Chicago Daily News 3POOR SAID h)N Waukegan I got to know a man named Armat [sic]. He was a mechanic xBUTINTHEEVENINGSHE TOO HADAHOBBY(EWASWORKINGONAPROJECtion machine that could show the strange motion pictures both he and Edison had worked upon. Armat [sic] wanted to take the picture out of THE+INETOSCOPE BOXANDTHROWITUPONALARGERSCREENx)LENTHIM  TO COMPLETE HIS MACHINE )N &EBRUARY OF  THE AWKWARD BUT effective projector was ready. The first screen projection was in a factory in Waukegan … from 1897 until 1902 we had to work out our problems of production as well as promoting Armat’s [sic] projector. The films we MADE WERE    FEET LONG AND THEIR SUBJECT WAS ALMOST ALWAYS SOME SIMPLE ACTION SHOT "IG PARADES -C+INLEYS INAUGURATION lLMS SHOWINGTRAINSRUSHINGALONGATRACK ALLOFTHESEWEREBIGHITSWITHTHE people.”5 - 56 -

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George Spoor, George Kleine, and the Rise of the Nickelodeon

Amet remembered in the 1940s how “Children and funny subjects went best at first. I had one picture of an old pig — black as coal — and her 10 little white piglets at dinner called ‘Mamma and Her Pets’ which was ALWAYSGOODFORALAUGHx4RAINSCENES 0ANORAMAS -AGICAND+ISSING Pictures seemed to go best. Then the launching of ships went good. Then CAMETHE3PANISHn!MERICAN7ARANDTHEMOVEMENTOFTROOPS PICTURES of embarking and street scenes and everything of interest. I made a fleet of Men of War and pictured many of the engagements.”6 By far the best remembered of the Amet/Spoor films are these reCREATIONS OF BATTLE SCENES FROM THE 3PANISHn!MERICAN 7AR SUCH AS The Battle of Santiago Bay A SECONDEXCERPTOFWHICHSURVIVESTODAY Traveling “war shows” depicted these films as actual battle scenes. Amet noted in the 1940s that “the public never questioned the authenticity of the pictures. The several scenes produced great applause. The Spanish Government purchased two complete sets of the naval engagements to use in the Court Martial of Geneva.” Remembering this remarkable event IN 3POORSAID h4HElLMSWEREASENSATION7HY ATTHEENDOFTHE WAR THE3PANISH'OVERNMENTUSEDOURPICTURESOFTHEIRmEETRUNNINGTHE blockade at the harbor at Santiago as evidence in the trial of the admiral WHOWASHELDRESPONSIBLEFORTHATDISASTROUSDEFEAT(EWASACQUITTED BUT we never knew whether the Spaniards thought those were newsreel pictures or were paying us a compliment for our authentic research.” &ORTHEERA THE!MET3POOR3PANISHn!MERICAN7ARlLMSWERENOT only the first of their kind but also the best. The “miniature” ships Amet CONSTRUCTED WERE ACTUALLY QUITE LARGE š X š FEET IN LENGTH OR  the scale of the actual ships) and constructed of sheet metal. The ships WEREPHOTOGRAPHEDINAWATERTANKXFEETINLENGTH!RDUOUSFEATS of engineering were required to create the illusion of real naval battles. !CCORDINGTO,AKE#OUNTYHISTORIAN$IANA$RETSKE h4HEMODELSWERE constructed with firing-gun turrets and smoking stacks and flags. The GUNlREWASREPLICATEDWITHBLASTINGCAPS ANDGUNPOWDERANDCAMPHOR SOAKED COTTON WADDING WHICH WAS ELECTRICALLY IGNITED AND PROVIDED smoke for the ships’ smokestacks. All of these effects were controlled from ANELECTRICALSWITCHBOARDOFF CAMERA!DDITIONALLY WAVESWERECREATEDBY underwater jets and a large fan off-camera.” "YCONTRAST *3TUART"LACKTONSMOREFAMOUS .EW9ORK SHOTREMAKE of The Battle of Santiago Bay used tiny wooden ships in a tub and featured cigarette smoke blown in from off camera by an assistant. “If Amet saw THISlLM v$RETSKESPECULATED hHEPROBABLYROLLEDHISEYESANDLAUGHEDv)N - 57 -

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ANYEVENT THEENDRESULTOF!METSMETICULOUSLYMADEPSEUDO DOCUMENtaries was so convincing to audiences at the time that he was invited to screen his “war movies” at the opening of the new Naval Station in Great ,AKES )LLINOIS MORETHANADECADELATER4ODAY !METSIMPRESSIVEMODEL of the USS Olympia and a digital transfer of The Battle of Santiago Bay are both on permanent display at the Lake County Discovery Museum in 7AUCONDA )LLINOIS 7 7ITHREGARDTOTHESEPRODUCTIONS ONWHICHHISCOUSIN "ILLY ASSISTED !MET NOTED h7E HAD SOME LAUGHS /NE OF THE FUNNY HAPPENINGS WAS when my great St. Bernard dog got loose just as we were making a picTURE 4HE lRING MADE HIM ANGRY AND HE BROKE DOWN THE DOOR OF THE ROOM WE HAD HIM IN FOR SAFETY 2USHED OUT GROWLING LIKE MAD JUMPED INTO THE TANK GRABBED ONE OF THE 3PANISH mEET SHIPS AND SHOOK IT TO pieces.”8 Another time Billy dropped a ship when he got a drop of solder ONHISARM WRYLYNOTINGTHATh)WOULDDROPITFORHALFADROPNOPENSION in this navy.” These comments suggest that Amet had every intention of presenting the war movies as genuine: if not for the threat of blowing his COVER THESCENEOFTHEDOGTEARINGTHESHIPTOPIECESCONCEIVABLYCOULD have made a popular comedic film. )NADDITIONTOTHEIR3PANISHn!MERICAN7ARMOVIES 3POORAND!MET HADALSOlLMEDREALACTUALITIES BEGINNINGWITHMODESTSUBJECTSWITHTITLES such as Chicago Fire Department Runs and Mamma’s Pets (the film of piglets suckling on their mother that Amet had misremembered as “Mamma and Her Pets” 3OON HOWEVER THEYEXPANDEDTHEIRSCOPEBYlLMINGTHE PRESIDENTIALINAUGURATIONOF7ILLIAM-C+INLEYIN WHICHBECAMEA HITBECAUSEOFITSFAMOUSSUBJECT)NDEED ITWASONEOFTHElRSTKNOWN INSTANCESOFAMOVIESBEINGADVERTISEDEXPLICITLYONTHEBASISOFITSCONtent rather than on the novelty of showing that pictures could move.) Although Spoor was technically Amet’s partner in the production of THESElLMS HEAPPEARSTOHAVEBEENAVERYhHANDS OFFvPRODUCERATTHIS stage of his career; Spoor’s only real interest in these movies seemed to be in making sure that anyone who purchased their projector would also have something to project along with it. While Amet oversaw the actual PRODUCTIONOFTHElLMS TYPICALLYSHOTINHISBACKYARDORLABORATORY AND USING LOCAL ACTORS 3POORS JOB WAS TO NEGOTIATE THE CONTRACTS WITH THE VAUDEVILLEHOUSESTHATWOULDEXHIBITTHE-AGNISCOPEANDTHEMOVIES 3POOR UNSURPRISINGLY DIDNOTALWAYSREMEMBERITTHISWAY)NA interview with the Chicago Daily News HEPRESENTEDHIMSELFSPECIlCALLY ASADIRECTORh)REMEMBERONEOFTHElRSTlLMSWEMADE vHESAIDh)GOT - 58 -

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xTHERAILROADOFlCETOGETPERMISSIONTOUSEANEW DELUXE MILLION DOLLAR TRAIN $OWN A LONG HILL ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF 7AUKEGAN CAME THE TRAIN with Armat [sic] set up on some pilings at the bottom of the grade with THECAMERAANDMEOPPOSITEHIMDIRECTINGAGROUPOFLABORERS7ELL ONE of the workmen misunderstood my waving arms and was almost clipped by the train. I had to run him off the track myself at the last moment. You can imagine what a thriller that was back in the old days. Armat [sic] and I had some fun with those crude films.”9 Waukegan took pride in its local inventor and enjoyed his producTIONS!NARTICLEFROMTHE.OVEMBER EDITIONOFTHE Waukegan Daily Gazette-Register gives some idea of what a typical presentation of motion pictures would have been like. Three hundred people attended “Magniscope Entertainment” at the Congregational Church and “passed a most enjoyable and interesting evening in viewing the attractive scenes OFHOMELIFE WARANDTRAVELmASHEDUPONBYTHECANVASBYTHEWONDERFUL mechanism that has made Mr. Amet famous.” !S IS OFTEN THE CASE WHEN READING EARLY ACCOUNTS OF NOW LOST lLMS ONE GETS THE IMPRESSION THAT IF THE MOVIES WERE REDISCOVERED WE COULD re-write some of what we know about cinema history: the Gazette article tantalizingly describes some of the entertainment as “colored war ANDCOMICPICTURES vSUGGESTINGTHATSOMEOFTHESCENESMAYHAVEBEEN TINTED MAKINGTHEPRESENTATIONATTHECHURCHAVERYEARLYDISPLAYOFCOLOR films. Another movie is clearly described as a multi-shot narrative (“in SIXPICTURESv 4HElLMSSHOWNINCLUDEDh%XPLOSIONOFTHE-AINE ,IEUT (OBSON $EWEYONTHE"RIDGEE[sic]AT-ANILA 3INKINGOFTHE-ERRIMAC 3URRENDER OF 3ANTIAGO $ARKEY 4OWN &IRE "RIGADE #OMIC ,ANDING OF THE#AVALRYAT#UBA $EWEYANDHISmEET "ATTLEOF%L#ANEY $EATHOF #APT #APRON 3TARVING #UBANS -ILKING 3CENE @&IGHTING "OB %VANS "OMBARDMENTOF3AN*UAN !4EMPERENCE[sic]LESSONINSIXPICTURESA 7IFELECTURINGHUSBAND B 3HEEMPTIESHISJUGOFWHISKEYINTROUGH C #OWTAKESDRINK D 3HEMILKSTHECOW E 3HEPREPARESSUPPERWHICH CONSISTSCHIEmYOFMILK F %FFECTONWIFEANDCHILD #OWIN DISTANCE 0ICNICSCENECOMIC #OL@4EDDY2OOSVELDT[sic] #OLUMBIAv Following some “illustrated songs” (in which a local singer sang a couPLEOFSONGSWHILESLIDESWEREPROJECTEDONTHEWALL MOREMOTIONPICTURES hTAKENBY-R!METFORHIS-AGNISCOPEvWERESHOWN SOMETHIRTY THREE in all. These included “Two north side Waukegan Belles engaged in their FAVORITEAMUSEMENT IE "OXINGTHEEXPRESSION GRACEANDAGILITYOFTHE CONTESTANTSWASOFSPECIALNOTICE vh$OG3AVING#HILDFROM$ROWNING v - 59 -

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h4HE @(EAVENLY 4WINS "URY 'RANDPA 7ITH ,EAVES v SOME lRE BRIGADE ANDPARADESCENES SEVERALHOMESCENES h%XCITEMENTAT.ORTH#HICAGO — party waving at train run down by another — one man (supposedly) KILLED v h!CCIDENT AT NUTTING PARTY SOCIETY GENTLEMENS TROUSERS SUFFER IRREPARABLEINJURY vh$R+ILLERNS"USY$AYCOMIC vANDOTHERVARIOUS scenes from around town.10"YTHEACCOUNTOFTHEPAPER THEINDIVIDUAL films were shown to great applause. 4HEBOXING WOMENPICTURESURVIVEDUNTILATLEASTTHEEARLYS WHEN ITWASAPOPULAREXHIBITATTHE,AKE#OUNTY-USEUMOF(ISTORY)N ONEOFTHESTARS "ESSIE$UNN THENYEARSOLD REMEMBEREDTHESHOOTING of the film: “Edward Amet asked Isabelle Spoor and me to come to his house so he could take our pictures. He was our town inventor. Back in those days he was fooling around with something new — a movie camera. 7ETHOUGHTHEWOULDTAKEANICEPORTRAITOFUS BUTWHENWEGOTTHERE HE ANNOUNCED@(EREARESOMEBOXINGGLOVES0UTTHEMONANDGOTOITv .EITHERONEOFTHEMHADACTUALLYBOXEDBEFORE OREVENSEENAPRIZEfight. But they went at it as directed. “We whipped those long skirts out OFTHEWAYANDHADAlNEOLDTIME v"ESSIERECALLED"OTHWOMENTHOUGHT THE lLM WOULD BE SOMETHING THAT ONLY !MET EVER SAW AND "ESSIE WAS INITIALLYHORRIlEDWHENTHEMOVIEWASEXHIBITED BUTTHENDECIDEDTHAT ITWAShTOTHEGOODOF7AUKEGANv!SLATEAS "ESSIELATERCLAIMED ANUSHERATATHEATERIN3POKANE 7ASHINGTONRECOGNIZEDHERFROMTHE film.11 In 1939 she remembered having received marriage proposals based ONIT BUTSCOFFEDATSUGGESTIONSTHATSHEWASTHEORIGINALh'LAMOUR'IRLv “Glamour?” she asked. “There was no such word in my day; it had not yet come to the movies.” She noted at the time that she had never even been to Hollywood.12 "Y 3POORWASALMOSTCERTAINLYPRODUCINGCOLOR TINTEDlLMS(E RECALLEDTHAT WHEN-OUNT0ELÏEERUPTEDIN!PRILOFTHATYEAR HEUSED a newspaper photo of the volcano to construct a miniature replica for YETANOTHERPSEUDO DOCUMENTARYh7ITHCOMPRESSEDAIR SOAPSUDS GRAVEL ASHES AND BIG STONES WE HAD OUR OWN EXPLOSIONS OF A MOUNTAIN 4HAT WASTHElLM TOO THAT&RED-YTINGER WHOHADANOFlCEINTHE-C6ICKERS 4HEATER"UILDING COLOREDFORUS(EHADGIRLS ANDTHEYWORKEDFOUR weeks coloring our eruption of Mount Pelée.”13 7HETHER3POORWASSTILLWITH!METATTHISTIME THOUGH ISINDOUBT Some sources state that the two went their separate ways in 1898. According to a speech given by Spoor at the Waukegan Chamber of Commerce IN  HE WAS ANNOYED WHEN !MET SOLD MOST OF HIS EQUIPMENT TO - 60 -

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George Spoor, George Kleine, and the Rise of the Nickelodeon

THE0HILADELPHIACOMPANYOF7ILLIAMS "ROWNAND%ARLEINTHEY turned around and sold it to Thomas Edison). Bessie Dunn said that it WASINTHAT!METDECIDEDTHEREWAShNOFUTUREvINMOVIES ANDOTHER SOURCESMAKESIMILARCLAIMSABOUTHISCOMMENTSATTHETIME SOMETIMES portraying him as a shortsighted fool who did not realize the lucrative FUTUREOFTHEMEDIUM4HETRUTH MORELIKELY ISTHATHESIMPLYPREFERRED inventing to making movies. There is also evidence that Amet did have a good idea where the medium was heading. An 1897 article in the Chicago Daily TribuneSTATES “Mr. Amet is convinced that the production of moving pictures is yet in ITSINFANCY ANDHOPESFORGREATTHINGS4HEINTRODUCTIONOFSOMESUCCESSful method of color photography … will greatly add to the attractiveness of the views. By a possible phonographic attachment these colored views may be run with the sounds which actually accompany them … resulting ultimately in the one of the greatest sources of popular amusement ever devised.”14 )NANYCASE !METHADMOVEDONTOOTHERPROJECTSBYTHEENDOF ANDHESEEMSTOHAVESTOPPEDMAKINGNEWlLMSIN THOUGHHEDID NOTLEAVETHElLMWORLDENTIRELY)NHEWASEXHIBITINGMOTIONPICtures at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition IN 3T ,OUIS AND IN  HE filed U.S. patents for a camera that could record both image and sound. Spoor’s memory of working with Amet through 1902 is probably inaccurate: although a few sources (including the inventor himself in his own later reminiscences) give 1902 as the date when Amet sold his film equipMENT SEEMSTHEMORELIKELYDATE#ERTAINLY3POORWASMAKINGPLANS to move forward and improve the state of the art of motion-picutres — without Amet — well before 1902. )NTHEFALLOF 3POORHADENLISTED$ON*"ELLAND!LBERT(OWELL FOUNDERSOFTHEFUTUREMOTION PICTUREEQUIPMENTGIANT"ELLAND(OWELL TO make a new projector that he christened the “Kinodrome.” The projector WASREADYINANDBECAMEANIMMEDIATEHIT FAROUTPACINGTHESALES of the Magniscope. (Any connection between Spoor and Amet beyond that date is unlikely.) Distribution of the new projector included not just THEMACHINEITSELFBUTALSOlLMSTOEXHIBITALONGWITHIT ASWELLASAPROjectionist to operate it. The Kinodrome was more advanced than either THEPRIMITIVE-AGNISCOPEORTHE0OLYSCOPE WHICHHADTHEUNFORTUNATE tendency to mutilate the film prints that ran through it.15 The Kinodrome SOONBECAMEFAMOUSTHROUGHOUTTHECOUNTRY ANDITMADE3POORA FORTUNE 6AUDEVILLE HOUSES WERE SO EAGER TO SNAP UP THE +INODROME THAT - 61 -

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Spoor’s supply could not keep up with the initial demand.16 ! SMART BUSINESSMAN 3POOR HAS BEEN DESCRIBED AS POSSESSING hTHE CALM RESERVE OF AN EXPERT POKER PLAYERv17 His newfound success soon allowed him to re-incorporate as the George K. Spoor Company. He took out print advertisements touting an “astounding increase” in business that necessitated conserving his distribution (“Rental Department”) AND EXHIBITION h#OMPLETE 3ERVICES $EPARTMENTv CONCERNS UNDER THE new corporate umbrella name.18 !LTHOUGH ON HIS OWN 3POOR WAS NOT PARTICULARLYINTERESTEDINTHEPRODUCTIONOFMOVIESATTHISTIME HESTILL needed films to distribute with the Kinodrome. The films he acquired were mostly pirated “dupes” of European movies that he purchased from A.EW9ORKIMPORTERAND IRONICALLY CONSIDERINGTHELITIGATIONTHATLAY AHEAD 4HOMAS%DISON19 Although Edison may still have regarded motion pictures primarily as a NOVELTYTHElLMSHECONTINUEDTOMAKEWERESTILLhPROOFOFCONCEPTvlLMS SUCHASONEINWHICHHEPRETENDEDTOBEATWORKINHISLAB HEAPPEARSTO have been alone in understanding the importance of copyrighting motion pictures. Edison had also jumped on the Spanish–American War actuALITYBANDWAGONIN COPYRIGHTINGMORETHANAHUNDREDSUCHlLMS OVERTHENEXTTWOYEARS"YCONTRAST MOSTOTHERlLMMAKERSOFTHEDAY INCLUDING3POOR !METAND3ELIG NEVERBOTHEREDTOCOPYRIGHTANYOFTHEIR late nineteenth-century productions.20 (Because the vast majority of their lLMSHAVEBEENLOST ITISDIFlCULTTOKNOWEXACTLYHOWPROLIlCTHESEEARLY filmmakers were. Their filmographies in reference books and in online databases are all woefully incomplete.) The issues of “intellectual property” and “copyright law” in the motionPICTUREINDUSTRYATTHETURNOFTHETWENTIETHCENTURYWEREASCOMPLEXAND thorny then as they are in the early twenty-first. The initial thinking at THETIMEWASTHATIFYOUABOUGHTAPRINTOFAMOTIONPICTURE ITWASYOURS TOKEEP ANDYOUWEREFREETOEXHIBITITWHENEVERANDHOWEVEROFTENYOU LIKED ! PROPERLY MAINTAINED MM PRINT COULD BE SCREENED APPROXImately three hundred times before becoming unusable.) This was a line of thinking that would soon change as distribution companies realized there was more money to be made in a system of licensing the rental of film prints for a finite period of time. Although he had gone into the motionPICTUREBUSINESSMAINLYASADISTRIBUTOR 'EORGE3POORWOULDSOONSHIFT HISENERGIESTOPRODUCTION CEDINGTHEDISTRIBUTIONDUTIESTOHISCOLLEAGUE 'EORGE+LEINE WHOSOONESTABLISHEDHIMSELFASTHEUNDISPUTEDKINGOF film distribution in the United States. - 62 -

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George Spoor, George Kleine, and the Rise of the Nickelodeon

The story of the George Spoor/Edward Amet relationship is a good ILLUSTRATIONOFHOW INTHElLMINDUSTRYOFTHELATENINETEENTH CENTURY THEDIVISIONSBETWEENARTISTANDINVENTOR SCIENTISTANDBUSINESSMAN PRODUCERANDDISTRIBUTOR WEREOFTENBLURRED)FYOUWEREINTHEBUSINESSOF MAKINGMOVIESATTHETIME YOUPROBABLYALSOSOLDTHEM ALONGWITHTHE PROJECTORSTOEXHIBITTHEM)NTHEFOLLOWINGYEARS THELINESBETWEENPRODUCTION DISTRIBUTIONANDEXHIBITIONWOULDBECOMEMORECLEARLYDRAWN The most important development in the film-distribution business in the EARLYTWENTIETHCENTURYWASINTHEFOUNDINGOFhlLMEXCHANGESv4HESE companies were so named because they specialized in renting or trading lLMPRINTSEXCLUSIVELYIE WITHOUTTHEPROJECTIONEQUIPMENTTOGOALONG with them). George Kleine had a leg up on the competition in the movie-distribution business because he had set up the Kleine Optical Company in #HICAGO IN  SELLING OPTICAL DEVICES AND STEREOPTICONS BEFORE THE ADVENT OF MOTION PICTURE PROJECTION )N  THE COMPANY BEGAN SELLING lLMMAKING EQUIPMENT AND IN  IT BECAME THE MAIN hSELLING agent” not only for local Chicago filmmakers but for Biograph and Edison as well.21 Among the Edison films that Kleine distributed were pirated hDUPESv OF %UROPEAN lLMS )N  THE &RENCH COMPANY 0ATHÏ &RÒRES THELEADINGlLMSTUDIOIN%UROPE SUCCESSFULLYCURTAILEDTHEBOOTLEGGING of their films by opening offices in New York and overseeing their own distribution in the United States. "EGINNINGIN +LEINEBEGANDISTRIBUTINGlLMSDIRECTLYFROM0ATHÏ ONAREGULARBASIS MUCHTO%DISONSDISMAY ANDTHEIMPORTOF%UROPEAN films would remain Kleine’s bread-and-butter until he retired a wealthy man in the late 1920s. The deal with Pathé led to a serious falling out between Edison and Kleine. Kleine had been responsible for a whopping  OF %DISON lLM hSALESv IN  BUT %DISON WAS WILLING TO SEVER ALL BUSINESSTIESOVERWHATHESAWAS+LEINESBETRAYAL/N/CTOBER  Edison revoked the special discount he had given Kleine since their EXCLUSIVITYAGREEMENTOF ANDTHENHEQUICKLYESTABLISHEDHISOWN #HICAGOOFlCESUNDERTHEMANAGEMENTOF*OHN(ARDIN THEFORMERHEAD of Montgomery Ward’s “optical department.” Kleine countered by first firing off a letter addressed to his “Good #USTOMERSvTHATEXPLAINEDTHERIFT(ETHENPUBLICLYDENOUNCED%DISONS piracy in a print ad that began “There are various kinds of ‘Dupes.’ The DICTIONARYDESCRIBESONEKINDASA@6ICTIMOFDECEPTIONxvANDCONCLUDED “In no case will ‘Dupes’ be delivered to our customers when the original - 63 -

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can be obtained. In some instances the originals can be purchased at the SAMEPRICESASTHE@$UPES INOTHERSATASLIGHTLYADVANCEDPRICEv22 Kleine would resume distribution of Edison’s films in 1908 with the advent of THE-OTION0ICTURE0ATENTS#OMPANY BUT%DISONWOULDNEVERAGAINBE HIS PRIMARY CLIENT )N FACT +LEINE WOULD LOOK INCREASINGLY TO %UROPEAN lLMMAKERSFROMWHOMHECOULDDIRECTLYIMPORT3OON THEREWEREMORE THANlFTEENhlLMEXCHANGESvOPERATINGIN#HICAGO WHICHCONTROLLEDAN ASTOUNDINGOFTHENATIONWIDEDISTRIBUTIONMARKET The other serious shift that occurred in the film industry in the first DECADE OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY WAS THE TRANSITION OF EXHIBITION AWAY from the vaudeville halls and penny arcades and towards the newly established storefront theaters known as “Nickelodeons” (so named because of their five-cent admission price). As it became increasingly obvious that THEMOVIESWEREMORETHANAPASSINGFAD ENTERPRISINGEXHIBITORSBEGAN OPENINGTHEATERSINMETROPOLITANCENTERS MOSTOFWHICHWERECONVERTED STOREFRONTS EXCLUSIVELY FOR THE PURPOSE OF SHOWCASING MOTION PICTURES /NCEAGAIN #HICAGOWOULDBEATTHEFOREFRONTOFTHISNEWPHENOMENON Carl Laemmle was a hardworking 39-year-old German immigrant who owned a successful clothing store in Milwaukee and became involved in the movie business by chance after a business trip to Chicago in 1906. 4IREDOFTHECLOTHINGBUSINESS ,AEMMLEORIGINALLYVENTUREDTOTHE3ECOND City with the purpose of investing in a chain of five-and-ten-cent stores. After attending a motion-picture show at a nickelodeon near his downTOWNHOTEL HOWEVER THEENTREPRENEURCHANGEDHISMIND )N AN UNPUBLISHED MANUSCRIPT WRITTEN IN  ,AEMMLE COLORFULLY DESCRIBEDHISEXCITEMENTATSEEINGMOVIESINATHEATERFORTHE VERYlRST TIMEMORETHANTWENTYYEARSEARLIERh.OTONLYWASEVERYSEATOCCUPIED but the right and left sides were jammed with standing patrons. The rear WASALSOlLLED ANDAFTERWAITINGTENMINUTES THEDURATIONOFTHEPERFORMANCE ATWHICHTIMEPEOPLETRICKLEDOUT )WASlNALLYABLETOSECUREA seat.” Laemmle estimated there were 500 people in attendance at his first picture show.23 /NLY ONE MONTH LATER ,AEMMLE OPENED HIS OWN NICKELODEON IN #HICAGO A SEATTHEATERON-ILWAUKEE!VENUETHATHEPAINTEDWHITE ANDNAMED RATHERUNIMAGINATIVELY THEh7HITE&RONT4HEATERv,AEMMLES MASTERSTROKES AS AN EXHIBITOR HOWEVER WERE TO OPEN THIS THEATER IN A RESIDENTIALNEIGHBORHOODFARFROMTHE,OOP WHEREALLOFTHEOTHERNICKELODEONSWERECONCENTRATED ANDTOKEEPITIMMACULATELYCLEANINORDERTO entice more female patrons. Both gambles paid off. According to historian - 64 -

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George Spoor, George Kleine, and the Rise of the Nickelodeon

"ERNARD & $ICK h,OCATED NEXT TO A MILLINER AT  .ORTH -ILWAUKEE !VENUE.-ILWAUKEE!VENUEINCONTEMPORARYSTREETNUMBERING the White Front was accessible by trolley. Since Saturday was a shopping DAY #ARLTHOUGHTTHATBYMID AFTERNOONSHOPPERSMIGHTWANTADIVERSION BEFORERETURNINGHOME ANDWITHSUNDOWNSOEARLY OBSERVANT*EWSCOULD DROPINLATER4HEGIMMICKWORKEDWHENTHEDOORSCLOSED #ARLHADTAKEN IN  n NOT BAD CONSIDERING THE PRICE OF ADMISSION 4HEREAFTER THE 7HITE &RONT OPERATED ON A REGULAR MORNING THROUGH EVENING SCHEDULE WHICHMEANTTHEDIFFERENCEBETWEEN PAIDADMISSIONSON&EBRUARY AND THENEXTDAYv24 Laemmle’s great financial success with the White Front Theater would MARKTHEBEGINNINGOFANEMPIRE ASHEGRADUALLYEXPANDEDHISOPERATIONS TO INCLUDE lLM PRODUCTION FOUNDING THE )NDEPENDENT -OVING 0ICTURES #OMPANYIN WHICHBECAME5NIVERSAL0ICTURESIN ONEOFTHE oldest and most durable film studios in the history of Hollywood. (The boy ,AEMMLEHIREDTOPLAYPIANOATTHE7HITE&RONT4HEATER 3AM+ATZ WITH HIS PARTNERS THE "ALABAN BROTHERS WENT ON TO BUILD SOME OF #HICAGOS GREATESTMOVIEPALACES INCLUDINGTHE5PTOWN4HEATERANDTHE#HICAGO 4HEATER BOTHOFWHICHSTILLSTAND

Carl Laemmle in Chicago IN Chicago Daily News (Photo courtesy of the Chicago History Museum) - 65 -

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SAWANEXPLOSIONOFNICKELODEONSIN#HICAGOS,OOPANDONTHE Near North and West Sides. There were at least 158 such theaters in operation in Chicago that year and more than three hundred the following year. This was in addition to the vaudeville houses that still regularly screened motion pictures. Film historian Lauren Rabinovitz earthily describes the city’s early nickelodeon scene: “there were nickel storefront theaters along State Street to the South (the vice district known as “Whiskey Row”) and strung out on Halsted to the west in neighborhoods that were filled WITHSTOREFRONTBROTHELS PENNYARCADES DIMEMUSEUMS WINEROOMSAND saloons; on North Clark to the north of the Loop; and along the main thoroughfares of immigrant and working-class neighborhoods.”25 Rabinovitz believes that the phenomenal success of the movies in Chicago at the time was directly attributable to the sharp rise in immigration. From 1890 to 1910 the foreign-born population of the U.S. had risen by an astonishing fifteen million people.26 Chicago was a central destination for many European immigrants who were constantly arriving and contributing disproportionately to the city’s population growth. The MOVIES WITH THEIR PURELY VISUAL AND UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE WERE THE BEST form of cheap entertainment for newly arrived immigrants who did not speak English. 7ITHTHEPROLIFERATIONOFlLMEXCHANGESANDNICKELODEONS #HICAGO had distinguished itself as the most important city in the United States FORlLMDISTRIBUTIONANDEXHIBITION4HISSUCCESSWOULDPROVEABOONTO local producers: the Chicago filmmakers grew increasingly confident and AMBITIOUS)N 'EORGE3POORTEAMEDWITH'ILBERT!NDERSONTOFORM the formidable Essanay Studios. The same year saw William Selig considERABLYEXPANDTHESCOPEOFHISOWNPRODUCTIONEMPIRE7HENBOTHSTUDIOS AGREED TO JOIN 4HOMAS %DISONS 4RUST IT SEEMED AS THOUGH THEY WOULD HAVEAMONOPOLYONlLMPRODUCTIONINTHE-IDWEST&ORTHENEXTSEVERAL YEARS #HICAGOWOULDBE!MERICASlLMMAKINGCAPITAL4HISGOLDENAGE WOULDBESHORT LIVED HOWEVERNOSOONERWERETHEOWNERSOFTHE#HICAGO movie studios granted a glimpse of paradise than they found the gates of heaven being slammed shut in their faces for good.

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- CHAPTER SIX -

'ILBERT±"RONCHO"ILLY² !NDERSON A

I

NTHESILENT lLMERA TRAINSANDMOVIESWEREAMATCHMADEINHEAVEN 4HEEARLYlLMMAKERSKNEWTHATMOVEMENTITSELFWASWHATMOSTEXCITED movie audiences and nothing symbolized movement in the industrial age like the locomotive. From the Lumière brothers’ Arrival of a Train at La CiotatIN WHICH ACCORDINGTOLEGEND CAUSEDEARLYAUDIENCESTO mEEINTERRORASATRAINPROGRESSEDTOWARDSTHECAMERAANDTHEREFORE BY EXTENSION ALSOTOWARDSTHEVIEWER THROUGHTHESIMPLEPANORAMIClLMS dubbed “phantom rides” that saw cameras being placed aboard trains TOCREATEAhYOUARETHEREvEFFECT TOTHEINCREDIBLELOCOMOTIVEIMAGERY in late silent masterpieces as disparate as The General (1926) by Buster Keaton and Man with the Movie Camera (Chelovek s kino-apparatom  BY $ZIGA 6ERTOV NO OTHER SINGLE IMAGE IS MORE CLOSELY ASSOCIATED WITH silent cinema than that of the high-speed train.

* Anecdotal evidence strongly suggests that at least some viewers were genuinely scared BY EARLY MOVIES IN A  HAND TYPED MEMOIR %LOISE 7EBB *OHNSTON !DAM 3ELZERS GREAT GRANDMOTHER REMEMBEREDBEINGALITTLEGIRLINHERFATHERSTHEATER THE,YRIC WHICH OPENEDIN3EYMOUR )OWAAROUNDh)HAVEAVAGUEMEMORYOFSEEINGALOTOFHORSES ONTHESCREENOFOURPICTURESHOWAND FEARINGTHATTHEYWEREREALLYGOINGTORUNOVERME I went to the stairs and sat on the top step until the show was over.” - 67 -

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Flickering Empire Undated publicity photo of “Broncho Billy” Anderson. (Courtesy of the Chicago History Museum)

)N THEREWEREATLEASTSIXTHEATRICALPLAYSBEINGPRODUCEDINDIFferent parts of the United States that involved trotting out onstage an ELABORATE PUFlNG LOCOMOTIVE 4HOMAS %DISON WHO HAD DABBLED INTHE development of electric trains before turning his attention to motion picTURES SAWONESUCHPLAYIN.EW9ORK#ITY AFOUR ACTMELODRAMAENTITLED The Great Train Robbery by Scott Marble. Impressed by the play’s narRATIVEASWELLASBYITSSPECIALEFFECTS %DISONMENTALLYlLEDITAWAYASA POTENTIALSUBJECTFORAFUTUREMOTIONPICTURE3EVENYEARSLATER HEWOULD realize this ambition.1 Movies in the early twentieth century were slowly making the transiTION FROM ONE SHOT ACTUALITIES INTO MORE COMPLEX MULTI SHOT NARRATIVES The European “story films” that were being duplicated (not always legally) BY%DISON 3ELIG 3POORANDOTHERS WEREWIDELYDISTRIBUTEDINTHE5NITED States and had become increasingly popular with American audiences. This was especially true of science-fiction/fantasy movies showcasing trick PHOTOGRAPHY AND SPECIAL EFFECTS SUCH AS 'EORGES -ÏLIÒSS A Trip to the Moon (Le Voyage dans la lune  ANDCRIMElLMSINVOLVINGEXCITING CHASESBETWEENPOLICEOFlCERSANDCRIMINALS SUCHASA Daring Daylight Burglary (1903) by the English director Frank Mottershaw. - 68 -

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Gilbert “Broncho Billy” Anderson

)NORDERTOCOMPETE THE!MERICANMOVIESTUDIOSSOONFOUNDITNECESsary to imitate both the form and content of their European counterparts. !FEWYEARSLATER ITWOULDBETHE%UROPEANSWHOWOULDBECOPYINGTHE !MERICANS4HISKINDOFBACK AND FORTHINmUENCING SPURREDONBYWIDESPREADPIRACY MEANTTHATTHELANGUAGEOFCINEMAHADBEGUNTODEVELOPAT AVERYRAPIDPACE ANDWOULDBECOMEEXTREMELYSOPHISTICATEDBYTHEEND of the decade. )N 7+,$ICKSONS!MERICAN-UTOSCOPEAND"IOGRAPH#OM pany strengthened its commitment to using motion pictures as a vehicle FOR TELLING STORIES )N 3EPTEMBER THEY BEGAN PRODUCING THE lRST hWESTERNS vAGENRETHATCOMBINEDTHENARRATIVESOFTHE%NGLISHCRIMElLMSOF the day with the purely American iconography of the popular dime novels and stage shows about cowboys and Indians and the “settling” of the WEST4HISTIME THOUGH ITWAS4HOMAS%DISONWHOWOULDBEBEHINDTHE blockbuster movie that effectively inaugurated the new genre and established its core conventions. )N  FORMER PROJECTIONIST %DWIN 3 0ORTER JOINED THE %DISON Manufacturing Company as a camera operator and director. By the time he made The Great Train RobberyATTHEENDOF 0ORTERHADALREADY directed at least forty-five short films and served as the cinematographer ONMANYMORE)NTHISASTONISHINGLYPROLIlCRUNOFMOVIES 0ORTERPROVED himself a true pioneer (if not quite the “father of the story film” that some histories have claimed): he was responsible for popularizing many of the rules of movie grammar that turn-of-the-twentieth-century audiences WERE EXPERIENCING FOR THE VERY lRST TIME ! GOOD EXAMPLE IS Life of an American FiremanFROMEARLY AhRESCUElLMvTHATRENDERSSPACECINEMATICALLY AS OPPOSED TO THEATRICALLY BY SHOWING THE SAME EVENT FROM multiple perspectives in consecutive scenes. )NTHEFALLOF 0ORTERTEAMEDUPWITH'ILBERT-!NDERSON THE STAGENAMEOFATHEATRICALACTORBORN-AXWELL(!RONSON WHOWOULD soon become one of the most significant figures in Chicago’s nascent MOVIESCENE4ALL HANDSOME ANDONLYINHISEARLYTWENTIESATTHETIME !NDERSONWASANATURALINFRONTTHECAMERA BUTHEALSOWORKEDBEHIND THESCENESASANhIDEASMAN vHELPING0ORTERTOCONCEIVEMOTION PICTURE stories. The two collaborated on multiple film projects for the remainder OFTHEYEAR CULMINATINGINTHEIRlNALPRODUCTION The Great Train Robbery WHICH WAS SHOT IN .OVEMBER AND RELEASED ONE MONTH LATER2 This game-changing movie would ultimately alter the destinies of both men forever. - 69 -

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!LTHOUGHSETINANAMELESSFRONTIERREGIONOFTHE!MERICANWEST The Great Train Robbery was filmed entirely in New York and New Jersey on studio sets as well as actual locations. The film tells the story of a group of BANDITSWHOROBATELEGRAPHOFlCEATATRAINSTATION THENBOARDTHETRAIN where they proceed to rob both the safe and the train’s passengers before MAKINGADARINGGETAWAY-EANWHILE INANATTEMPTTORECOVERTHESTOLEN LOOT THETELEGRAPHOPERATORENTERSASALOONANDROUNDSUPAPOSSETOGO after the robbers. Among the innovative techniques employed by Porter are parallel editing (cutting back and forth between the bandits and the telegraph OPERATORTOSUGGESTSIMULTANEOUSACTION DOUBLE EXPOSURECOMPOSITEEDITing (an early “special effect” that allowed information from multiple shots TOBECOMBINEDWITHINASINGLEFRAME CAMERAMOVEMENTTILT PANAND TRACKING SHOTS ARE ALL UTILIZED AS WELL AS A PRIMITIVE BUT DELIGHTFUL USE of color tinting on some prints (because each frame was tinted by hand ANDPRINTSWERETYPICALLYPROJECTEDATFRAMESPERSECOND THISWASAN EXTREMELYPAINSTAKINGPROCESS  One of the most unusual aspects of the film is its ending. After a shootout INTHEWOODSINWHICHALLOFTHEBANDITSHAVEBEENKILLED 0ORTERUNEXPECTEDLYCUTSTOACLOSE UP THEONLYONEINTHEMOVIE FORHISlNALSHOTONEOF the dead bandits has mysteriously reappeared to point his gun directly at the camera and “shoot” into the audience. The End. (A now-famous letter SENTBYTHE%DISON-ANUFACTURING#OMPANYTOEXHIBITORSACROSS!MERICA actually gave them the option of projecting this shot at either the end or the BEGINNINGOFTHEMOVIE!LLVERSIONSOFTHElLMONHOMEVIDEO HOWEVER PLACETHESHOTATTHEEND WHEREITSIMPACTISUNDOUBTEDLYMOSTEFFECTIVE )NCONTRASTTOTHE,UMIÒREBROTHERS WHOHADSCAREDAUDIENCESUNINtentionally with theirTRAINlLM %DWIN30ORTERCLEARLYintended to incite a frenzy with his more calculated assault on the audience. This shot would BECOMEONEOFTHEMOSTICONICIMAGESOFTHEEARLYSILENTCINEMA RIGHT alongside of the rocket ship hitting the man in the moon in the eye in A Trip to the Moon. Porter’s image would also be widely imitated: it served as an inspiration for the opening of the James Bond movies as well as the ending of Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas (1990). )NANINTERVIEWINTHELATES 'ILBERT!NDERSONRECALLED0ORTERS rapid pace of production: “We made it all in two days. Then it was finished ANDTAKENTOTHEREVIEWINGROOM!FTERITWASREVIEWED THEYALLLOOKEDUP ANDTHEYWEREDUBIOUSWHETHERITWOULDGOORNOT!ND0ORTERSAID @7ELL the only way we can find out is to try it out in a theater.’”3 - 70 -

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Gilbert “Broncho Billy” Anderson

The Great Train Robbery had its world premiere at Huber’s Museum IN .EW 9ORK #ITY ON $ECEMBER   WHERE IT PLAYED AT THE END OF a vaudeville show. Legend has it that the audience was so enthusiastic that they demanded the film be run again and again before they would LEAVETHETHEATER4HEFOLLOWINGWEEK ITOPENEDINELEVENTHEATERSINTHE GREATER.EW9ORK#ITYAREA)TISIMPOSSIBLETOKNOWTHEEXACTBOXOFlCE lGURESBUT BYALLACCOUNTS THEMOVIEWASACOMMERCIALPHENOMENON After watching the film with one of these early audiences and noting THEIRROUSINGRECEPTION !NDERSONSAIDTOHIMSELF h4HATSIT)TSGOINGTO be the picture business for me. The future had no end.”4 The Edison Manufacturing Company likewise quickly realized that THEY HAD SOMETHING SPECIAL ON THEIR HANDS AS THIS DESCRIPTION FROM A 1904 catalog indicates: “This sensational and highly tragic subject will certainly make a decided ‘hit’ whenever shown. In every respect we consider it absolutely the superior of any moving picture ever made. It has been posed and acted in faithful duplication of the genuine ‘Hold Ups’ made FAMOUS BY VARIOUS OUTLAW BANDS IN THE FAR 7EST AND ONLY RECENTLY THE %ASTHASBEENSHOCKEDBYSEVERALCRIMESOFTHEFRONTIERORDER WHICHFACT will increase the popular interest in this great Headline Attraction.”5 One of the side effects of the movie’s popularity was that other filmmakers immediately began to copy its techniques (one of them even remaking ITSHOTFORSHOT ASWELLASITSINDIVIDUALMOMENTSTRAINROBBERIES lGHTSON THETOPSOFTRAINS ANDSCENESOFMENBEINGMADETODANCEBYHAVINGTHEIR feet shot at — these moments all soon became standard conventions of the western (many years before John Ford’s Stagecoach made it a respectable “A-list” genre in 1939). Another residual effect of the film’s popularity was that many people associated with the production soon found themselves in demand for future motion-picture productions. Although The Great Train Robbery LIKEALLMOVIESOFITSERA DOESNOTFEATURECREDITS A FUTUREMOVIESTARWASNONETHELESSBORN'ILBERT-!NDERSON WHOPLAYED THREE DIFFERENT ROLES IN THE lLM A ROBBER A TRAIN PASSENGER WHO DIES A SPECTACULARLYMELODRAMATICDEATH ANDTHEMANWHOIShMADETODANCEv WOULDEVENTUALLYCHANGEHISMONIKERAGAIN TOh"RONCHO"ILLYv!NDERSON he became the cinema’s first true cowboy star. (ISTORIAN+ALTON#,AHUENOTESTHATITWASBOTHIRONICANDlTTING GIVENTHEhMAKEBELIEVEvNATUREOFTHEMOVIES THATITSlRSTWESTERNSTAR WASBORNWITHTHEhUNLIKELYvAND THOUGH,AHUEDOESNOTSAYIT *EWISH NAMEOF!RONSONANDTHAT ATTHETIMEThe Great Train RobberyWASMADE he could not ride a horse and had never travelled “west” of Chicago.6 This - 71 -

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Flickering Empire Undated publicity photo of “Broncho Billy” Anderson. (Courtesy of the Chicago History Museum)

irony is probably what Clint Eastwood had in mind when he directed and starred in the poignant and highly personal 1980 comedy Bronco Billy THE lCTIONAL STORY OF A .EW *ERSEY SHOE SALESMAN WHO DECIDES TO become the headliner of his own modern-day “Wild West show.” In an age OFMECHANICALREPRODUCTION LONGAFTERTHE!MERICANWESTHADACTUALLY BEEN SETTLED THE STORY OF THE ORIGINAL h"RONCHO "ILLYv MUST HAVE RESOnated with many of the aspiring “authentic” cowboy actors who followed in Anderson’s footsteps. After The Great Train Robbery !NDERSONSTARREDINTHREEMORE%DISON westerns in 1904 and 1905 (Western Stage Coach Hold Up; A Brush Between Cowboys and Indians; and Train Wreckers ALLOFWHICHWEREVARIATIONSON THEBASICFORMULAOFTHEIRlRSTBIGHIT!NDERSON HOWEVER HADHISOWN IDEASABOUTWHATCONSTITUTEDhWESTERNAUTHENTICITY vANDHEWANTEDMORE creative control. In 1905 he left Edison Manufacturing to work for one OFITSCHIEFCOMPETITORS THE!MERICAN6ITAGRAPH#OMPANY)TWASTHERE THAT !NDERSON DIRECTED HIS lRST lLM Raffles, the Amateur Cracksman. Anderson claimed to have taken the name “Broncho Billy” from a western STORYBY0ETER+YNEBUTITISALSOWORTHNOTINGTHAT6ITAGRAPHPRODUCEDA film about a character with that same name starring Paul Panzer around - 72 -

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Gilbert “Broncho Billy” Anderson

the time that Anderson worked there. The financial success of Anderson’s directorial debut led to an offer the FOLLOWINGYEARFROM7ILLIAM3ELIGIN#HICAGO WHOWASWILLINGTOALLOW Anderson to both direct and star in his own movies. After making a few SUCCESSFUL#HICAGO SHOTSHORTS !NDERSONTRAVELEDWESTTOSHOOTASERIES of Selig Polyscope westerns and “stunt comedies” on location in Colorado. All of these films were released in the spring and summer of 1907 and CONSIDERABLYBOOSTED3ELIG0OLYSCOPESPROlTS/FTHESEMOVIES ONLYHis First Ride and The Bandit KingSTILLEXISTTODAY ANDONLYASFRAGMENTS !NDERSONAND3ELIG HOWEVER WERENOTAGOODlT!NDERSONTHOUGHTHIS brief but successful run at Selig Polyscope meant that he deserved more MONEYOR BYSOMEACCOUNTS DESERVEDTOBEMADEAPARTNERINTHECOMPANY BUT3ELIGTHOUGHTDIFFERENTLY!NDERSONPROMPTLYQUIT7 5PONRETURNINGTO#HICAGOFROM#OLORADO !NDERSONMET'EORGE+ 3POOR WHOHADALREADYMADEAFORTUNEINTHEDISTRIBUTIONBUSINESSFOLLOWing his partnership with Edward Amet. In a 1915 interview with Motion Picture Magazine !NDERSONRECALLEDCONVINCING3POORTOSTARTA#HICAGO based studio that would rival the Selig Polyscope Company. According TO!NDERSON THEAGREEMENTWASTHAT3POORWOULDPUTUPTHECASHAND Anderson would do “the work.”8 Spoor agreed to an initial investment OF ˆAHUNDREDTIMESTHEAMOUNTHEHADALLEGEDLYINVESTEDIN %DWARD !METS -AGNISCOPE A FEW YEARS EARLIER !GAIN THIS INVESTMENT proved to be a sound one; the income from the very first Spoor/Anderson production would more than double Spoor’s initial investment. )N THE SUMMER OF  3POOR AND !NDERSON INCORPORATED AS THE 0EERLESS&ILM-ANUFACTURING#OMPANY SETTINGUPHEADQUARTERSAT. Wells Street (1300 N. Wells in modern numbering). They recruited their CROSS EYED JANITOR "EN 4URPIN WHO HAD BEEN HIRED AT lFTEEN DOLLARS A WEEKTOSWEEPTHEmOOR TOSTARINTHEIRlRSTMOVIE THE!NDERSON DIRECTED stunt-comedy An Awful Skate; or, The Hobo on Rollers 4HE SCENARIO reminiscent of His First Ride FEATURES4URPINCRASHINGINTOVARIOUSPEOPLE and objects while roller-skating around Chicago’s Old Town neighborHOODNEARTHE0EERLESSOFlCE4HESCENESMAYHAVEBEENSTAGED BUTTHERE WASLITTLEACTINGINVOLVED4URPINREALLYHADNOIDEAHOWTOSKATE ANDHIS INEXPERIENCEISAPPARENTINTHElLMASHECAREENSHELPLESSLYTHROUGHTHE streets. )N  3POOR REMEMBERED THE lLM VIVIDLY h7E STARTED OUT RIGHT DOWNTOWNIN#HICAGO vHETOLDTHEChicago Daily News. “Anderson had ONLY ONE ACTOR A TANGLE EYED COMEDIAN NAMED "EN 4URPIN !NDERSON - 73 -

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WOULDTAKEACAMERA CAMERAMANANDCHAUFFER AND4URPIN ANDTHEYDGO out and make a picture. First one was An Awful Skate. Anderson simply putting skates on Ben and paying bystanders two dollars to let Ben skate down the street and get into a series of collisions with innocent pedestrians … for two years we made nothing but comedies with Ben as our star. (EMADEAWEEKv9 )N 4URPINRECALLEDTHEPERILOUSNATUREOFACTINGIN!NDERSONS EARLYSTUNTCOMEDIESh)HADMANYAGOODFALL ANDMANYAGOODBUMP AND )THINK)HAVEBROKENABOUTTWENTYBARRELSOFDISHES UPSETSTOVES ANDALSO BROKENUPMANYSETSOFBEAUTIFULFURNITURE HADMYEYESBLACKENED BOTH ANKLESSPRAINEDANDMANYBRUISES AND)AMSTILLONTHEGOv10 An Awful Skate WHICHSTILLEXISTSTODAYASALENGTHYFRAGMENT SHOWS THAT 'ILBERT !NDERSON AS A DIRECTOR UNDERSTOOD THE VALUE OF NEGATIVE space in composing an image; he also understood the importance of pacing in slapstick comedy. Each shot features a different set of characters on a city sidewalk that Turpin’s hobo comes crashing into. By the end of the lLM ALOTOFTHEHUMORSTEMSFROMTHEVIEWERSANTICIPATIONOFTHEHOBOS calamitous arrival in the frame. )RONICALLY WHILE'EORGE3POORHADHADNOPROBLEMINFRINGINGONCOPYRIGHTEDMATERIALBYILLEGALLYDUPLICATINGTHElLMSOFOTHERSASANEXHIBITOR HEPUBLICLYCOMPLAINEDASSOONASHEAND!NDERSON ASPRODUCERS BECAME victims of similar practices. Newspaper ads for the first Peerless movie were run with the following disclaimer: P.S. ‘An Awful Skate’ has been copied by a rival concern who employed spies to follow our camera. Our picture is the original and best value for your money. Don’t let anyone convince you otherwise.11 The “rival concern” referred to in the Peerless Film advertisement was none other than the Selig Polyscope Company. While An Awful Skate

* One version of The Roller Skate Craze PRESERVEDBYTHE,IBRARYOF#ONGRESSANDWIDELY AVAILABLETOVIEWONLINE HASBEENRE EDITEDINTOARAPID lRE 3OVIET STYLEMONTAGELASTing about ten seconds. Selig may have created this version only with the intention of having something to deposit with the Library of Congress for copyright purposes. It is EXTREMELYUNLIKELYTHATWHOEVERCUTITTOGETHERINTENDEDITTOBESEENTHATWAYBYAUDIences in 1907. The full-length version of The Roller Skate Craze SEVERALMINUTESLONGER ANDFEATURINGAMODERATETEMPO CANBESEENONLYBYVISITINGTHE'EORGE%ASTMAN(OUSE )NTERNATIONAL-USEUMOF0HOTOGRAPHYAND&ILMIN2OCHESTER .EW9ORK - 74 -

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Gilbert “Broncho Billy” Anderson

PREMIEREDINTHEATERSON*ULY 3ELIGSIMITATIONlLM TITLEDThe Roller Skate Craze WASRELEASEDASSOONASTHREEDAYSLATER4HEONLYSUBSTANTIAL DIFFERENCEBETWEENTHETWOMOVIESISTHAT INCONTRASTTOTHE0EERLESSHOBO THELEADCHARACTEROF3ELIGSlLMISAMIDDLE CLASSFATHERANDHUSBANDWHO INTHEOPENINGSCENE PUTSONHISSKATESATHOME/THERTHANTHATMINOR CHANGE THE CONCEPT IS ESSENTIALLY THE SAME A MAN SKATES THROUGH THE STREETS CONSTANTLYCRASHINGINTOOTHERPEOPLEANDFALLINGDOWN !CRUCIAL DIFFERENCE THOUGH ISTHAT3ELIGSACTORSEEMSTOBEABETTERSKATERTHANTHE hHOBOONROLLERSvINASCENEWHEREHEFALLSDOWNAmIGHTOFSTAIRS ONEGETS the impression that the man is an accomplished pratfaller who probably worked in vaudeville doing slapstick. The stunts in The Roller Skate Craze SEEM FAR MORE TECHNICALLY ACCOMPLISHED THOUGH PERHAPS ILLUSTRATING A difference between theater and film) they are not quite as funny to watch as the real hapless antics of Turpin in An Awful Skate. In the years ahead it would become commonplace for Spoor/Anderson and Selig Polyscope to release competing films on the same subject at the SAMETIMEEG DUELINGADAPTATIONSOF*OHN'REENLEAF7HITTIERSPOEM h-AUD -ULLERv A PRACTICE THAT STILL EXISTS BETWEEN RIVAL (OLLYWOOD movie studios to this day. 0RODUCED FOR ONLY A COUPLE OF HUNDRED DOLLARS An Awful Skate IT IS ESTIMATED MADEBETWEEN AND INPROlTSINSPITEOFTHECHALlenge posed by Selig’s knockoff. Hot on the heels of directing this first 0EERLESS lLM 'ILBERT !NDERSON PERSONALLY EMBARKED ON A CROSS COUNTRY TOURTOESTABLISHCONTACTSWITHREGIONALlLMEXCHANGESTOWHICHHEAND Spoor could sell prints of An Awful Skate /N *ULY   !NDERSON wrote Spoor from the Hotel Henry in Pittsburgh. The letter indicates that distribution concerns like Pittsburgh’s Calcium Light & Film Company recognized that Spoor and Anderson’s inaugural film was a higher-quality production than what was coming out of most of the other “big” studios at THETIMEh$EAR3POOR v!NDERSONWROTE h!RRIVEDIN0ITTSBURGH/+ BUT ASYOUKNOWBYTHISTIME WITHOUTOURlLM AS(AMILTONFAILEDTOBRINGITTO THEHOTELBEFORETRAINTIME#ONSEQUENTLY )WILLBEDETAINEDINTHE@3MOKY #ITY ANOTHER DAY .EVERTHELESS ) HAVE VISITED THE 0ITTSBURGH #ALCIUM ,IGHTPEOPLE ANDJUDGINGFROMTHEIRDETRIMENTALREMARKSABOUT %DISON 3ELIGAND6ITAGRAPHlLMS OURSTUFFWILLlNDAREADYMARKET)WILLSHOWOUR film to various buyers and think we will sell as many to them as any other concern outside of Pathé. I feel absolutely certain that we will get rid of 40 ORCOPIES)FTHEREISROOMONYOURADVERTISINGCIRCULAR MAKEAMENTION of our steady photography and brightness of lighting. G.M.”12 - 75 -

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The profits from An Awful SkateBROUGHTANINmUXOFCASHTHATALLOWED the Peerless Manufacturing Company to change its name and move into larger headquarters on the city’s far North Side. Rechristened the Essanay Film Manufacturing Company (“Essanay” being the phonetic pronunciation of the first letters of the last names of Spoor and Anderson: “S an’ !v THECOMPANYSNEWSTUDIOADDRESSWAS7!RGYLE3TREET WHICH WASSOONEXPANDEDTOALSOINCLUDE7!RGYLE3TREET IN#HICAGOS 5PTOWNNEIGHBORHOOD3T!UGUSTINE#OLLEGENOWOWNSTHISCOMPLEX OFBUILDINGS WHICHSTILLSTANDSRELATIVELYUNCHANGEDTODAY &ORTHECOMPANY LOGO 3POOR AND !NDERSON CHOSE THE INSIGNIA OF AN )NDIAN HEAD wearing a feather bonnet that was designed by Spoor’s sister Mary. The logo reflected the studio heads’ mutual love of the western genre. 3POOR AND !NDERSON HOWEVER WERE OTHERWISE A STUDY IN CONTRASTS !NDERSON HAD MOVIE STAR GOOD LOOKS AND AN AFFABLE PERSONALITY WHILE 3POOR WAS A HEAVYSET BUSINESS LIKE MAN WHO HAS BEEN DESCRIBED AS “unsmiling.”137HEN#HARLIE#HAPLINWENTTOWORKFOR%SSANAYIN HEFOUNDTHATTHETWOMENFREQUENTLYENGAGEDHIMINASORTOFhGOODCOP BADCOPvROUTINE3OMEHOW THOUGH THEIRPARTNERSHIPWORKED)TWOULD SPANAFULLTENYEARS ANDTHEPRODUCTIONOFAPPROXIMATELYTWOTHOUSAND MOVIES ANETERNITYINTHETUMULTUOUS RAPIDLYEVOLVINGERAOFTHEEARLY American film industry. 4OANNOUNCETHEFORMATIONOFTHEIRNEWCOMPANY 3POORAND!NDERSON proudly sent a joint letter to The Moving Picture World in 1908: “Dear Sir n4HE%SSANAY&ILM-ANUFACTURING#OMPANYANNOUNCETODEALERS RENTERS AND EXHIBITORS OF MOVING PICTURE lLMS THE COMPLETION OF THEIR NEW film making plant in Chicago and especially request your attention to THEIRNEWANDORIGINALlLMSUBJECTS WHICHWILLBEREADYFORTHEMARKETAT ANEARLYDATE SUBSEQUENTNOTICEOFWHICHYOUWILLRECEIVE2ESPECTFULLY George K. Spoor. Gilbert M. Anderson.”14 With both Selig Polyscope and Essanay now firmly established as local POWERHOUSES THERIVALRYOFTHETWOMAJOR#HICAGOSTUDIOSWASABOUTTO begin in earnest.

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- CHAPTER SEVEN -

4HE%DISON4RUST A

G

eorge Spoor and Gilbert Anderson were getting their company underway during a particularly tumultuous time in the motion-picture industry. There were so many lawsuits and countersuits filed during 1907 and 1908 that the entire movie business was plunged into chaos. The American film industry in the northeastern United States was already stunted by the many patent lawsuits Thomas Edison had filed; he had been suing people and companies going back to the 1890s. The most imporTANTSTUDIO APARTFROM%DISON-ANUFACTURINGAND6ITAGRAPH OPERATING in the New York/New Jersey area in the late nineteenth and early twentiETHCENTURIES WAS7+,$ICKSONS!MERICAN-UTOSCOPEAND"IOGRAPH #OMPANY$ICKSON ATHORNIN%DISONSSIDEEVERSINCEHEHADDEFECTED FROMHISFORMEREMPLOYERYEARSEARLIER HADGOTTENAROUND%DISONSPATENTS BYUSINGMMlLM NEARLYTWICETHESIZEOF%DISONSMMlLM ANDHIS cameras used “friction feed” instead of Edison’s patented “sprocket feed” to run the film past the aperture. Although the Chicago filmmakers had fared better than their northeastern counterparts because geographically they were farther away from THEh7IZARDOF-ENLO0ARK v%DISONSLITIGATIONWITHTHEM WHICHHADBEEN - 77 -

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4HOMAS%DISONIN#HICAGOIN ONEYEARBEFORETHE-OTION0ICTURE0ATENTS Corporation was sued by the United States Justice Deparment for violating anti-trust LAWS Chicago Daily News. (Photo courtesy of the Chicago History Museum)

RELENTLESSSINCE WASBEGINNINGTOTAKEITSTOLL3OON 3ELIG0OLYSCOPE Essanay and the Kalem Company (a new company co-founded by disTRIBUTIONGIANT'EORGE+LEINE ALONGWITHACOUPLEOFTHEOTHERMAJOR STUDIOS0ATHÏ&RÒRESAND6ITAGRAPH APPROACHED%DISONABOUTDEVISINGA licensing system that would end the litigation permanently and satisfactorily for all parties involved. The legal wrangling dragged on for months ASVARIOUSPLANSWEREBANDIEDABOUT INCLUDINGONEFORASYSTEMWHEREBY motion-picture manufacturers would make royalty payments to Edison of lVE DOLLARS PER WEEK 4HOMAS !RMAT HAD INITIALLY PROPOSED THIS PLAN then balked when he realized that Edison wanted more money. During THESE DISCUSSIONS THE -ÏLIÒS -ANUFACTURING #OMPANY AND THE ,UBIN Manufacturing Company were also invited to join the potential merger. 3IEGMUND ,UBIN REPORTEDLY THE MOST NOTORIOUS OF ALL WHEN IT CAME TO PIRACY WASASKEDTOhENTERANDBEHAVEHIMSELFvBY%DISONSLAWYERS1 The licensing system was first legally put into place at the beginning of 1908. According to a Chicago Daily Tribune article from February 11: h)NADDITIONTOTHEMANUFACTURINGANDSHOWPLACES THECOMBINATIONWILL - 78 -

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The Edison Trust

CONTROLWHATISTERMEDRENTALPLACES WHERElLMSARELEASED!COMplete understanding has been reached and in lieu of the settlement of the LEGALBATTLESINWHICHHEHASINDULGEDWITHTHEMANUFACTURERS -R%DISON WILLRECEIVEFROMTHECOMBINATION AYEARROYALTYINRETURNFOR which he is to permit no other concerns to use any of his patents without which films cannot be made.”2 The phrase “no other concerns” must have sounded intimidating to aspiring independent motion-picture producers or those that were already ESTABLISHED LIKE "IOGRAPH WHICH WERE NOT NAMED IN THE AGREEMENT )NDEED THELICENSINGSYSTEMHADALSOBEENANOVERTATTEMPTON%DISONS part to freeze his chief rivals at Biograph out of the market by not namINGTHEMASLICENSEES"IOGRAPHRESPONDEDBYPURCHASING ATANAUCTION HELDBYTHE!NTHONY3COVILLE#OMPANY THEPATENTTOTHEh,ATHAM&ILM ,OOPv4HISLOOPWASADEVICETHAT IRONICALLY 7+,$ICKSONHADCO INvented in 1895 and that was now a standard feature on all motion-picture cameras and projectors. Biograph then served injunctions against all of the Edison-affiliated companies for violating theirPATENT%DISON PREDICTABLY COUNTERSUEDINANATTEMPTTOGAINCONTROLOFAPATENTTHATHECLAIMED SHOULDBERIGHTFULLYHIS&ORONCE AFEDERALCOURTRULEDAGAINSTHIM3 %DISONALSOSUED'EORGE+LEINE HISOLDON AGAINOFF AGAINNEMESIS IN -AY!LTHOUGH+LEINEHADJUSTCO FOUNDED+ALEMLIKE%SSANAY THE company was named after the first initials of the last names of founders +LEINE 3AMUEL,ONGAND&RANK*-ARION HEACTUALLYSOLDHISSHARESIN the company at a significant profit before it entered into the Edison agreeMENT+LEINE ASANIMPORTERDISTRIBUTOROF%UROPEANlLMS HADREJECTED %DISONSOFFEROFALICENSEEARLIER +LEINEDIDNEGOTIATEWITH%DISONSLAWYERS BUTHEWASPUTOFFBYTHEIRINSISTENCETHATNONEWAPPLICANTSWOULD be granted licenses. Kleine then joined Thomas Armat and Biograph in waging a public relations war by placing advertisements about the dangers of an Edison trust in numerous motion-picture magazines and in the Chicago Daily TribuneTHOUGH EVENTUALLY +LEINE !RMATAND"IOGRAPH would all reluctantly join such a trust). When the Daily Tribune COVERED THE %DISON+LEINE SUIT IT REmECTED popular opinion in overstating Edison’s role in “inventing” motion pictures and thereby also implied that his lawsuits were well-founded and that countering them was futile: “The art of reproducing motion by phoTOGRAPHYWASINVENTEDANDTOALARGEEXTENTMADECOMMERCIALLYPOSSIBLE BY%DISON0ATENTSWEREGRANTEDTOHIMCOVERING lRST THECAMERAUSED FOR GETTING THE PICTURES AND SECOND THE MOTION PICTURE lLM AS A NEW - 79 -

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PRODUCT4HESEPATENTSEXPIREIN!UGUST 4HEPRESENTSUITISBASED on infringements.”4 7ITHAFEDERALCOURTUPHOLDING"IOGRAPHSPATENTONTHE,ATHAM,OOP Edison was now left with no recourse but to negotiate with his rival studio ABOUTINCLUDINGITINANEWLICENSINGAGREEMENT4HISNEWORGANIZATION OFlCIALLY FOUNDED IN $ECEMBER  WOULD BE KNOWN AS THE -OTION 0ICTURE0ATENTS#OMPANYALSOKNOWNASTHE-00#OR INFORMALLY ASTHE “Edison Trust”). In addition to controlling the production of motion picTURES THE-00#ALSOATTEMPTEDTOCORNERTHEMARKETONTHEPRODUCTION OFTHElLMSTOCKONWHICHMOTIONPICTURESWERESHOT%ASTMAN+ODAK THE DOMINANTMANUFACTUREROFRAWMMSTOCK JOINEDTHE4RUSTBYAGREEING TOSELLITSPRODUCTONLYTOLICENSEDSTUDIOS"ECAUSEOFTHESEPOLICIES THE MPPC would rule the American film industry with an iron fist for the NEXTSEVENYEARS DURINGWHICHTIME#HICAGOSOLIDIlEDITSSTANDINGASTHE country’s movie capital. The merger between Biograph and Edison’s interests was based on a four-page document drafted by both parties at a closed-door meeting in -AY AMEETINGTHATTHEYWOULDDENYTOOKPLACEATFUTUREANTI TRUST trials. Titled “A Plan to Reorganize the Motion Picture Business of the 5NITED3TATES vTHISDOCUMENTOUTLINESHOWRUTHLESSTHE-00# REFERRED TOINTHEDOCUMENTASh#ORPORATION@8 vINTENDEDTOBEINATTEMPTINGTO RIGOROUSLYCONTROLEVERYASPECTOFTHEMOVIEBUSINESSPRODUCTION DISTRIBUTION ANDEXHIBITION  Manufacturers will pay to the Edison and Biograph interests šCENTPERFOOTROYALTYONALLlLMSMARKETEDINTHE5NITED3TATES %XHIBITORSWILLPAYTOTHESAMEINTERESTSAROYALTYRUNNINGFROM TOWEEKLYFOREACHMOTION PICTUREPROJECTINGMACHINEINUSE BYTHEM THEAMOUNTTOBEBASEDUPONTHESEATINGCAPACITYOFTHE EXHIBITORSTHEATRE !CORPORATIONISTOBEFORMEDWHICHWEWILLCALL@8 ITS[sic] capital stock ‘Y.’ 4HEBUSINESSOF#ORPORATION@8WILLBETHERENTINGOFlLMS SALE of machines and other items usual in the trade. -ANUFACTURERSWILLSELLEXCLUSIVELYTO#ORPORATION@8 Corporation ‘X’ will buy films from the manufacturers only. Corporation ‘X’ will rent films and is not to sell them. Corporation ‘X’ will not buy films from any manufacturer who does not maintain the conditions agreed to. - 80 -

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The Board of Directors of Corporation ‘X’ is to be composed of one representative of each manufacturer. The Board of Directors will determine upon the cities of the United States which have been active in the film rental business ANDSELECTFROMEXISTINGRENTALEXCHANGESINEACHCITYONETOTHREE WHICHARETORECEIVEANOFFEROFPURCHASEASHEREINAFTERPROVIDED these to be thereafter maintained as rental offices to Corporation ‘X.’ 4HETOTALNUMBEROFAGENCIESSOSELECTEDISNOTTOEXCEEDlFTYIN the United States. .OlXEDRENTALPRICESARETOBEESTABLISHED No theatre will be forced to pay a sum for film rental which ISOPPRESSIVE THEELASTICSCALEACTINGINFAVOROFTHOSETHATNEED consideration. Theatre owners engaged in evil practices can be disciplined. Films can be withdrawn from the market when their condition becomes bad.5 !NOTICETHENAPPEAREDINTHE*ANUARY EDITIONOFMoving Picture World that formally announced the formation of the MPPC. It was an OPENLETTERADDRESSEDh4OTHE%XHIBITORSOF-OTION0ICTURESv 4HE -OTION 0ICTURE 0ATENTS #OMPANY HAS ACQUIRED THE %DISON "IOGRAPH !RMATAND6ITAGRAPH0ATENTS WHICHPATENTS WEAREASSURED BY COUNSEL COVER ALL MODERN MOVING PICTURE lLMS AND ALL EXISTING commercial types of projecting machines. The Patents Company has licensed the following Manufacturers and Importers whose present output is 18 reels per week: !MERICAN-UTOSCOPE"IOGRAPH#OMPANY %DISON-ANUFACTURING#OMPANY %SSANAY&ILM-ANUFACTURING#OMPANY +ALEM#OMPANY 'EORGE+LEINE ,UBIN-ANUFACTURING#O 0ATHÏ&RÒRES 3ELIG0OLYSCOPE#O 6ITAGRAPH#OMPANYOF!MERICA 4HELETTERWENTONTONAMEALLOFTHECURRENTLYLICENSEDlLMEXCHANGES - 81 -

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ACROSSTHE5NITED3TATESANDURGEDEXHIBITORSTOAPPLYFORALICENSEBEFORE February 1. It also stated that any motion picture-manufacturer other than the nine named were operating in violation of MPPC patents and THATANYEXHIBITOROREXCHANGETHATHANDLEDhINFRINGINGlLMSvWOULDBE liable to suit for injunction and damages.6 Enforcement in Chicago of Trust policies was swift. Immediately after the notice appeared in Moving Picture World hLICENSEOFlCERSvFROMEVERY police precinct visited all of the city’s nickelodeons to determine whether or not they had complied with the law requiring theater operators to be OFlCIALLY LICENSED BY %DISON !T THE SAME TIME THE -00# SENT OUT A CIRCULAR TO ALL OF #HICAGOS lLM EXCHANGES DEMANDING THAT THEY SIGN A new agreement refusing to distribute to these theaters any films that had NOTBEENOFlCIALLYLICENSEDUNDER%DISONSPATENTS-AX,EWIS PRESIDENT OFTHE#HICAGO&ILM%XCHANGE ONEOFTHELARGESTANDEARLIESTLOCALDISTRIBUTORS REFUSEDTOCOMPLYANDPUBLICLYCOMPLAINEDTHATTHE-00#WAS acting in violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act.7 (Unfortunately for THE INDEPENDENTS ,EWISS RESISTANCE WAS SHORT LIVED THE #HICAGO &ILM %XCHANGES LICENSE WAS CANCELLED AFTER ,EWIS BECAME EMBROILED IN AN unrelated business scandal later in 1909.) The Edison Trust also allegEDLYRESORTEDTOHIRINGTHUGSWITHMOBCONNECTIONS THENOTORIOUSh'OON 3QUAD vTOENFORCE-00#POLICY8 According to Chicago filmmaker and WRITER7ILLIAM'RISHAM h'OONTACTICSWEREEMPLOYEDTOBREAKTHEBACKS OFCOMPETITION%QUIPMENTANDlLMSWEREDESTROYED PROPERTYWRECKED lives threatened.”9 4HE 4RUST ALSO EXERTED PRESSURE ON ITS OWN LICENSED STUDIOS WHICH were required to meet a production quota (two one-reel films per week for the bigger companies and a single one-reeler per week for the smaller ones) to ensure that a steady supply of product would reach licensed theATERS 7HILE THE #HICAGO STUDIOS SAW AN EXPLOSION OF GROWTH IN  ANDHADNOTROUBLEMEETINGTHEIRQUOTAS .EW9ORK BASED"IOGRAPH BY CONTRAST INITIALLYSTRUGGLED"IOGRAPHHADONLYASINGLEDIRECTOR 7ALLACE -C#UTCHEON UNDERCONTRACT7HEN-C#UTCHEONBECAMESERIOUSLYILLIN MID  $7'RIFlTH THENANUNDISTINGUISHEDACTORANDPLAYWRIGHT REPLACEDHIM'RIFlTHWOULDBETHESOLE"IOGRAPHDIRECTORTHROUGH during which time he would hone his impressive talents directing literally HUNDREDSOFPICTURES ALMOSTSINGLE HANDEDLYTURNINGAROUNDHISEMPLOYer’s fortunes in the process. 7HILETOURING%UROPEIN #OLONEL3ELIGGRANTEDANINTERVIEWTO A"RITISHMOVIEMAGAZINE INWHICHHEDEFENDEDTHE4RUSTBYESSENTIALLY - 82 -

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The Edison Trust

denying that it was a trust) while simultaneously denigrating the shoddy PRODUCTION METHODS OF ITS INDEPENDENT !MERICAN RIVALS h7ELL v 3ELIG SAID hTHEINDEPENDENTSCANTSTANDUPAGAINSTTHE0ATENTS#OMPANY WHO HAVEMADEENORMOUSSTRIDES ANDARENOWDOINGBETTERTHANEVER BECAUSE they have command of the best films. The fact is the independents are lNANCEDBYTHE)NTERNATIONAL0ROJECTING#OMPANY WHOMAYKNOWSOMETHINGABOUTlNANCE BUTNOTHINGABOUTlLMS4HE0ATENTS#OMPANYWAS NEVERATRUST ANDNEVERMEANTTOBE)TWASSIMPLYABUSINESSMEASUREOF protection and self-help to uphold their patents.”10 The finance company to which Selig refers was actually named the International Projecting and Producing Company (also known as THE )00# AND IT WAS A #HICAGO BASED COALITION OF INDEPENDENTS THAT announced its formation with an impressive capital of two million dollars INTHE&EBRUARY EDITIONOFShow World. The mastermind behind THIS OPERATION WAS ** -URDOCH THE GENERAL MANAGER OF THE 7ESTERN 6AUDEVILLE -ANAGERS !SSOCIATION 4HE FOUNDING OF THIS COALITION INAUgurated a bitter war between independents and the Trust that would last for years. Although the United States Justice Department would eventually FORCE THE %DISON 4RUST TO DISSOLVE FOR THE VERY VIOLATIONS CITED BY -AX ,EWIS SOME OF THE -00#S POLICIES WERE IN FACT HIGHLY INNOVATIVE AND BENElCIALTOTHElLMINDUSTRYPRIORTO FOREIGNlLMSDOMINATEDTHE !MERICAN MARKET /NCE !MERICAN MANUFACTURERS WERE LICENSED THEY dramatically increased their pace of production in a period of intense competition both with each other and with foreign manufacturers. This dramatic increase in product led directly to a “golden age“ for studios such AS%SSANAYAND3ELIG0OLYSCOPE-OREIMPORTANT THE-00#ESTABLISHED A UNIFORM RENTAL RATE FOR ALL LICENSED MOTION PICTURES 4HIS lXED TARIFF meant that no studio could undercut any other by offering lower-priced lLMS TO DISTRIBUTORS 'OING FORWARD WHAT WOULD DIFFERENTIATE THE MOVIES OF THE BIG STUDIOS WOULD NO LONGER BE COST BUT QUALITY )N TURN THE MAJORSTUDIOSEACHFORGEDADISTINCTIVEhHOUSESTYLEvEG %SSANAYBECAME KNOWN PRIMARILY FOR COMEDIES AND WESTERNS 3ELIG 0OLYSCOPE FOR PERIOD PIECESANDhJUNGLEADVENTUREvlLMS ETC &INALLY THE-00#PROVIDEDlRE ANDACCIDENTINSURANCEFORALLOFITSLICENSEDTHEATERS APROGRESSIVEMOVE that was considered “remarkable” in 1909.11 The Trust’s policies also helped to change the way motion pictures were perceived in the broader culture. The MPPC’s replacement of the SALEOFlLMSWITHASTRICTLYENFORCEDRENTALPOLICY WHICHSTILLEXISTSTOTHIS - 83 -

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DAY BROUGHTANENDTOTHEEXHIBITIONOF OLD AND DAMAGED PRINTS 4HIS INNOVATION GUARANTEED AUDIENCES A HIGHER QUALITY MOVIE GOING EXPERIence than that to which they had been accustomed. To help transform the reputation of movies from that of a low-class novelty to a respectable LEISURE TIMEACTIVITY THE-00#ALSOINSTITUTEDAPOLICYOFSYSTEMATICALLY renovating all of its licensed theaters to “end the day of the dingy motion picture room.”12 !DDITIONALLY THE -00# JOINED FORCES WITH THE NEWLY formed National Board of Censorship and agreed to produce pictures that WEREhEDUCATIONAL MORAL;AND=CLEANLYAMUSINGv13 The rehabilitation of the image of motion pictures was now nearly complete. 4HISNEWLYRESPECTABLEIMAGEOFTHEMOVIES COUPLEDWITHTHEINCREASED RATEOFPRODUCTION MEANTTHATTHE53MOTION PICTUREINDUSTRYBEGANTO GROWDRAMATICALLY)NASPANOFJUSTFOURYEARS THENUMBEROFMOVIETHEATERS ACROSS THE COUNTRY MORE THAN DOUBLED FROM APPROXIMATELY   THEATERSINTOMORETHAN THEATERSIN 14 Unfortunately FORTHE-00# UNLICENSEDINDEPENDENTTHEATERS WHICHACCOUNTEDFORTHE MAJORITYOFTHEMOVIEHOUSESINTHECOUNTRYBEGINNINGIN STILLMANAGEDTOGETHOLDOFANDEXHIBITLICENSEDlLMS4HISmAWINITSPLANLEDTHE %DISON4RUSTTOFORMANEWCOMPANY THE'ENERAL&ILM#OMPANYALSO KNOWNASTHE'&# THEPURPOSEOFWHICHWASTOPURCHASElLMEXCHANGES in an attempt to “cut out the middlemen” and control distribution for themselves. !SWITHTHE-00# THEFORMATIONOFTHE'ENERAL&ILM#OMPANYWAS outlined in a three-page document almost ominously entitled “Details of a Plan under Which Licensed Manufacturers and Importers Will Take Over the Licensed Rental Business of the United States.” This blueprint was lRSTPRESENTEDTO-00#LEADERSHIPATANOTHERCLOSED DOORMEETING AND the General Film Company was first officially announced in mid-April 1910. Just as Thomas Edison was not single-handedly responsible for most OFTHEINVENTIONSCREDITEDTOHIM HOWEVER NEITHERWASHETHESOLEFORCE behind the MPPC or the GFC. The “Edison Trust” was the brainchild of MANYINDIVIDUALMINDSTHEPRESIDENTOFTHE'ENERAL&ILM#OMPANY FOR INSTANCE WAS&RANK$YER WHOBEGANHISCAREERASAN%DISONPATENTATTORNEYINTHESBUTWHOSERESPONSIBILITIESHADEXPONENTIALLYINCREASED over the years. Although all of the members of the MPPC appeared to be publicly LOYAL ITSINDIVIDUALMEMBERSSOMETIMESDRASTICALLYDIFFEREDINTHEIRATTItudes. George Spoor and Gilbert Anderson had eagerly joined the Trust ANDITSAFlLIATES WHILE'EORGE+LEINEAND7ILLIAM3ELIG PRONOUNCEMENTS - 84 -

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ININTERVIEWSTOTHECONTRARY HADBEENMORERELUCTANT3OMElLMPEOPLE felt that while the MPPC had initially spurred a healthy sense of competiTIONAMONGTHESTUDIOS MEMBERSHIPMADETHEMINCREASINGLYCOMPLACENT ASTIMEWENTBY#HARLIE#HAPLIN FORINSTANCE THOUGHTTHAT%SSANAYS membership in the Trust gave it a false sense of security and eventually LEDTOALACKOFCONCERNABOUTTHEQUALITYOFITSOUTPUT 3ELIG ONTHEOTHER HAND HADBECOMEINCREASINGLYINTERESTEDININNOVATION ASEVIDENCEDBY HISPRODUCTIONOFCLIFFHANGERSERIALS LONGER FORMATlLMSANDEXPERIMENTS WITHSOUNDANDEXTENSIVECOLORTINTING0RIVATELY THE#OLONELWASFRUStrated by the Trust’s regulation of the form and content of the pictures IT DISTRIBUTED IN PARTICULAR BY ITS INITIAL INmEXIBLE RULE OF DISTRIBUTING ONLYONE REELERSIE MOVIESTHATRANNOMORETHANSEVENTEENMINUTES in length).15 "YMERGINGITSPRODUCTIONANDDISTRIBUTIONCOMPANIES AMERGERTHAT would provide the model for the Hollywood “studio system” of the 1920s THROUGH THE S THE -00# HAD SUCCESSFULLY INCREASED ITS MONOPOLY OVERTHEINDUSTRY!LTHOUGHMANYlLMHISTORIANSHAVE WITHSOMEJUSTIlCATION NEGATIVELYPORTRAYEDTHE%DISON4RUSTASAREPRESSIVEINSTITUTION ITS achievements in both stabilizing and helping the fledgling movie industry grow should also be acknowledged. The Motion Picture Patents Company and the General Film Company invented the template that would evenTUALLY BE EXPLICITLY FOLLOWED BY THE NEXT GENERATION OF STUDIO MOGULS IN (OLLYWOODS BELOVED GOLDEN AGE 4HE MOGULS OF -'- 0ARAMOUNT 4WENTIETH#ENTURY&OX 7ARNER"ROSAND2+/WOULDGOEVENFURTHER with theirMONOPOLYBYALSOVERTICALLYINTEGRATINGEXHIBITIONWHENTHEY established their own movie theater chains.

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- PA R T T H R E E -

THE GOLDEN AGE OF CHICAGO FILM PRODUCTION A

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- CHAPTER EIGHT -

4HE'OLDEN!GEOF%SSANAY A

F

ollowing its first big success with An Awful SkateIN*ULY %SSANAY Studios produced more than a dozen additional shorts before the END OF THAT YEAR /F THESE lLMS ALL OF WHICH ARE NOW LOST THE CATALOG DESCRIPTIONSANDTHETITLESTHEMSELVESEG Mr. Inquisitive Where Is My Hair? and the regrettably titled The Dancing Nig) suggest that most were COMEDIES THAT WERE DIRECTED BY 'ILBERT - !NDERSON 4HE EXCEPTIONS were the matter-of-factly named documentary The Unveiling Ceremonies of the McKinley Memorial, Canton, Ohio, September 30, 1907 WHICHWAS released less than two weeks after it was shot (and which was also likely the only Essanay film of its time made outside of the city of Chicago) ANDTHEPENULTIMATE%SSANAYPRODUCTIONOFTHEYEAR THEPOIGNANTDRAMA A Christmas Adoption WHICHWASRELEASEDON$ECEMBER2ELEASING Christmas-themed films shortly before the holidays would soon become an Essanay tradition.) &OR  %SSANAY IMPRESSIVELY MANAGED TO MANUFACTURE AND RELEASE no less than seventy-two films. The production values of these movies increased drastically from the 1907 shorts: nearly all of them were shot in Essanay’s new studio facilities in Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood. No - 89 -

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Flickering Empire %XTERIOROFORIGINAL%SSANAY 3TUDIOSBUILDINGENTRANCE ERECTEDIN ONEYEARAFTER the company’s formation. (Photo: Michael Glover Smith)

LONGERATWO MANOPERATION 3POORAND!NDERSONBROUGHTMOREDIVERSE and ambitious subject matter before Essanay cameras after naming Henry -C2AE7EBSTERASHEADOFPRODUCTION ANDHIRINGNEWWRITERS DIRECTORS TECHNICIANS ANDACTORS4HISNEWINITIATIVEINCLUDEDTHEMAKINGOFPRESTIgious “period piece” films because the Uptown studio space allowed for the creation of elaborate sets and costumes. Several of these 1908 productions would become landmarks: The James Boys in Missouri THElRSTMOVIEABOUT THEFAMOUSOUTLAWBROTHERS WASRELEASEDIN!PRILTOMUCHCONTROVERSYThe Life of Abraham Lincoln RELEASEDIN/CTOBER WASLIKELYTHElRSTBIOPICOFA U.S. President; and the December release of A Christmas Carol would be the very first of countless American film adaptations of Charles Dickens’ TIMELESS NOVELLA &OR THIS lLM %SSANAY IMPORTED AN AUTHENTIC %NGLISH STAGEACTOR 4OM2ICKETTS TOPLAYTHEICONICROLEOF%BENEZER3CROOGE 4HEMOSTSIGNIlCANTEXTANT%SSANAYMOVIEFOLLOWINGAn Awful Skate HOWEVER ISPROBABLYTHEPRODUCTIONOFMr. Flip$IRECTEDBY!NDERSON Mr. Flip is an important and influential slapstick comedy (it is the earliest SUCHlLMINCLUDEDIN+INO6IDEOSh3LAPSTICK%NCYCLOPEDIAh$6$ BOXEDSET ANDALSOAGOODSHOWCASEFORTHECOMEDICACTINGOF"EN4URPIN - 90 -

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who had come a long way as a performer since his motion-picture debut in An Awful Skate less than two years earlier. Turpin plays the title character as a lascivious cad who repeatedly pops up in various establishments to SEXUALLYHARASSTHEFEMALEEMPLOYEES)NEACHINSTANCE THEWOMENTURN the tables on “Mr. Flip” by inflicting physical pain on him and/or humiliATINGHIM CAUSINGHIMTOmEETHEPREMISES The film is similar to An Awful Skate in that almost every scene features a gag that plays out in a single unedited shot before cutting to a new location and also a new camera setup. The difference is that in Mr. Flip EACHLOCATIONFEATURESANELABORATE IMPRESSIVELYDESIGNEDSET-R&LIPIS shown attempting to caress or kiss the cheeks of various women (in order: ASTORECLERK AMANICURIST ATELEPHONEOPERATOR ABARBER ABARTENDER AND AWAITRESS INEACHOFTHEIRPLACESOFWORK)NSUCCESSION HElNDSHIMSELF UNCEREMONIOUSLYESCORTEDOUTOFTHESTOREONADOLLYCART STABBEDINTHE REARWITHAPAIROFSCISSORS SHOCKEDWITHELECTRICITY SMOTHEREDWITHSHAVINGCREAM SPRAYEDWITHSELTZERWATER ANDATTACKEDWITHAPIE Aside from the intriguing way the plot opens itself up to a feminist reading (not only because the female victims flip the script on their harasser but also because an ensemble cast of women are portrayed as working DIVERSE JOBS ELEVEN YEARS BEFORE THEY HAD THE RIGHT TO VOTE THIS MOVIE ISPROBABLYMOSTNOTEWORTHYTODAYFORITSlNALSCENE INWHICHAWOMAN working behind the counter of a diner responds to Mr. Flip’s advances by smashing a pie in his face. This scene is believed to be the first time the famous “pie in the face” gag was depicted in a film comedy. )N  THE LANGUAGE OF CINEMA HAD NOT YET EVOLVED TO THE POINT where directors were routinely cutting to close-ups of actors’ faces during the emotional high points of a scene. D.W. Griffith’s innovative use OFEXTENSIVECLOSE UPSINThe Lonedale Operator was still two years away. The one close-up in Mr. Flip is an insert shot of a woman sticking a tiny PAIROFSCISSORSTHROUGHTHEBOTTOMOFAWICKERCHAIR ADETAILTHATWOULD have gone unnoticed in the longer shots that otherwise characterize the MOVIE 3TILL IN SPITE OF THE DEARTH OF CLOSE UPS WHICH MAKES IT IMPOSSIBLE TO CLEARLY SEE "EN 4URPINS FAMOUSLY CROSSED EYES THE COMEDIANS performance nonetheless manages to be effective. Though the movie is LIGHTHEARTED -R&LIPSNERVOUS JITTERYENERGYANDHISINABILITYTOKEEPHIS hands off of the female characters make him truly annoying and thus fully deserving of the comeuppance he receives at the end of every scene. )NTERESTINGLY -R&LIPSCOSTUMECONTAINSELEMENTSTHATWOULDBECOME PARTOFTHEICONICLOOKSOFFUTURESCREENCOMEDIANSHISTHICK OBVIOUSLY - 91 -

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Flickering Empire Mr. Flip $IRECTEDBY Gilbert Anderson.

FAKEMUSTACHEPREDATES'ROUCHO-ARXSFAMOUSGREASEPAINTMUSTACHEBY many years (though both mustaches can be said to have a common root INVAUDEVILLE ANDHISmAT TOPPEDSTRAWHATISUNCANNILYSIMILARTOTHEONE that would become forever identified with Buster Keaton in the 1920s. In spite of the success of films like Mr. Flip HOWEVER THE STILL NEW MOTION PICTUREMEDIUMWASNEITHERLUCRATIVENORRESPECTABLECIRCA - 92 -

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ESPECIALLY IN COMPARISON TO A PRESTIGIOUS AGES OLD ART FORM SUCH AS LIVE THEATER!NYONEWHOWORKEDFOR%SSANAYINTHEEARLYYEARS INFRONTOFOR BEHINDTHECAMERA WOULDHAVETOPERFORMMULTIPLEJOBSFORTHECOMPANY "EN4URPIN FORINSTANCE MAYHAVEGRADUATEDFROMJANITORTOLEADINGMAN ANDBECOME%SSANAYSlRSThSTARvINTHEPROCESS BUTHESTILLHADTODODOUble-duty as the company’s props manager in order to make ends meet. George Spoor would later tell a story about spying on Turpin as he took a bouquet of flowers from a film set at the end of a day’s shoot and stole out with it across the back lot of the Argyle Street studio. Initially SUSPICIOUSOFTHECOMEDIANPROPERTYMANAGERS BEHAVIOR 3POOR BECAME deeply moved as he witnessed Turpin crawl beneath the barbed wire fence of the cemetery adjacent to the studio and place the flowers on a grave. 3POORCONFRONTEDTHECOMEDIANATTHEBACKDOOROFTHESTUDIOh"EN ) JUSTSAWYOUDOABEAUTIFULTHING ATHINGTHATMOVEDMEMORETHAN)CAN SAY&ROMNOWON WHENEVERWEHAVEANYmOWERSLEFTOVERFROMTHESCENES I want you to put them on a grave.” h'EE BOSS v4URPINALLEGEDLYREPLIED hTHATSWHERE)GOT@EMFROMv1 )N*UNE LESSTHANAMONTHAFTERTHERELEASEOFMr. Flip Moving Picture World declared Essanay to be the “House of Comedy Hits.” In spite OFHISSUCCESSWITHCOMEDY HOWEVER 'ILBERT!NDERSON ASBOTHDIRECTOR AND ACTOR WOULD SOON SHIFT HIS ATTENTIONS TO THE WESTERN GENRE ALMOST EXCLUSIVELY!NDERSONSlRST%SSANAYWESTERN The James Boys in Missouri SHOTIN#HICAGOAND3COTTDALE -ICHIGAN CREATEDAlRESTORMOFCONTROversy for being sympathetic to the title outlaws (and thus inaugurating a debate that still rages to this day about whether or not movies “glorify” the EXPLOITSOFCRIMINALS )TRECEIVEDMOSTLYPOSITIVECRITICALNOTICESANDWASA BIGBOXOFlCESUCCESSFOR%SSANAYIN WHILESIMULTANEOUSLYITWASALSO BANNEDINSEVERAL53CITIES INCLUDING IRONICALLY #HICAGO2 4HE EXPERIENCE OF MAKING The James Boys in Missouri whetted !NDERSONSAPPETITEFORMAKINGMOREWESTERNS HOWEVER WHICHHEBEGAN shooting on location regularly throughout the southwestern United 3TATESEG 4EXAS #OLORADO AND#ALIFORNIA INLATEANDINTO $URINGONESUCHTRIP !NDERSONCREATEDHISh"RONCHO"ILLYvPERSONA A cowboy character he would embody as an actor in literally hundreds of lLMSOVERTHENEXTSEVERALYEARS!LTHOUGH!NDERSONHADLONGADVOCATED THE IMPORTANCE OF LOCATION SHOOTING FOR WESTERNS INCLUDING DURING HIS SHORTSTINTFOR3ELIG0OLYSCOPEAFEWYEARSEARLIER HISVERYlRSTh"RONCHO "ILLYvMOVIE SBroncho Billy’s Redemption WASSTILLPARTIALLYSHOTIN #HICAGOWITHADDITIONALLOCATIONWORKBEINGDONEIN%L0ASO 4EXAS  - 93 -

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)THASBEENESTIMATEDTHATANASTONISHINGOF!MERICANlLMSIN 1910 were westerns.3 %SSANAY LIKE 3ELIG 0OLYSCOPE WAS THEREFORE JUSTIlABLYPROUDOFTHEAUTHENTICITYOFITShHORSEOPERAS vESPECIALLYINANERA WHEN SHOOTING ON LOCATION IN THE SOUTHWEST MEANT TRANSPORTING CAST CREW ANDEQUIPMENTOVERGREATDISTANCESINORDERTOOBTAINCONVINCING results. (Westerns shot in locations as far away as New Jersey or Paris were increasingly attacked by film critics of the time for their inauthentic scenery.) The Essanay Guide THESTUDIOSOFlCIALBIMONTHLYPUBLICATION USEDVIVIDLANGUAGETOEXTOLTHEVIRTUESOFTHECINEMATOGRAPHYOFITSACE lensman Jesse Robbins: “Every one familiar with the Essanay Company’s splendid Western films has noted the clear almost stereoscopic photogRAPHY WHICHMAKESTHElGURESAPPARENTLYSTANDOUTFROMTHESCREENIN such a splendid perspective that it is hard to realize that one is not actually looking upon the scene of the picture itself. This is due chiefly to the ABSOLUTEPURITYOFTHEATMOSPHERE WHICHSEEMSTOCARRYNOTAPARTICLEOF DUST SMOKE OR HAZY FOG #LEARLY OUTLINED TO VERY MINUTE DETAIL OBJECTS several miles distant can be photographed with all the clearness and correctness as when seen with the naked eye.”4 Although Essanay’s Anderson-led “western company” was successful IN 'EORGE3POORSHOMEOFlCEUNEXPECTEDLYRANINTOTROUBLEWHENA NEWINDEPENDENTLYOWNEDRIVALSTUDIO THE!MERICAN&ILM-ANUFACTURING #OMPANY SET UP SHOP IN #HICAGO IN THE FALL OF THAT YEAR !MERICAN Manufacturing (also known as Flying “A” Studios) was based in Chicago FORONLYABRIEFWHILELIKEEVERYONEELSE THEYSOONRELOCATEDTOSOUTHERN #ALIFORNIA BUTINTHATSHORTSPANOFTIMETHEYNONETHELESSMANAGEDTO lure away a lot of Essanay’s top talent by offering higher salaries. Among THE DEFECTORS WERE %SSANAYS MOST IMPORTANT LEADING MAN * 7ARREN +ERRIGAN ANDSCREENWRITER!LLAN$WANWHOHADSTARTEDOFFHIS%SSANAY career as an electrician but had since worked his way up to become the head of their scenario department). Essanay rebounded by hiring a whole NEW ROSTER OF TALENT SUCH AS SCREENWRITER ,OUELLA 0ARSONS WHO SOON REPLACED$WAN DIRECTOR4HEODORE7HARTON ANDPROTOTYPICALMOVIESTARS SUCHAS"EVERLY"AYNE &RANCIS8"USHMAN 2UTH3TONEHOUSE (ENRY" Walthall (the future star of D.W. Griffith’s The Birth of a Nation AND "RYANT7ASHBURN2ATHERTHANCRUMPLE %SSANAYRESPONDEDTOTHISNEW challenge by rebuilding itself and rising to even greater heights. )NTHISERA MANYOF%SSANAYSACTORSWEREINITIALLYGIVENBITPARTS4HEN ONLYAFTERTHEYHADGRADUALLYPROVENTHEMSELVES THEYWEREALLOWEDTOPLAY the more substantial roles (becoming part of Essanay’s “first company”) - 94 -

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THATLEDTOSTARDOM/NCEPOPULAR AhSTARPERSONAvWOULDCOALESCEINTHE PUBLICIMAGINATION HELPEDALONGBY%SSANAYSPUBLICRELATIONSANDADVERTISINGDEPARTMENTS ANDTHEACTORWOULDTHENTYPICALLYPLAYSIMILARROLES in many similar kinds of films. Most of these actors appeared in dozens or even hundreds of Essanay films in the second decade of the twentieth century. !TYPICALSUCCESSSTORYWASTHATOF2UTH3TONEHOUSE AFORMERDANCER WHOBEGANHERCAREERAT%SSANAYASANEXTRAANDEVENTUALLYBECAMEONE of the company’s most prominent leading ladies. As she told Photoplay MAGAZINEh3OONEDAY)WENTOVERTOTHE%SSANAYSTUDIO ANDASKEDFOR WORK)GOTIT BUTONLYBITS)DIDNTSEEMTOGETAHEAD AND)BEGANTOFEEL that I was a failure. One day I was standing watching a scene. I was heartSICKANDDISCOURAGED ANDREALLYONTHEBRINKOFGIVINGUP3UDDENLYTHE GIRLPLAYINGTHELEADWASTAKENILL ANDHADTOLEAVE4HEDIRECTORLOOKED FRANTICALLYAROUND(ESAWME)TWASTHEBEGINNINGOFTHEPICTURE ANDHE was behind in his work; so he popped me into the picture. h)TWASONEOFTHESEWEEPYSTORIES AND)GUESSTHEDIRECTORTHOUGHT) WASTHEMOSTFORLORNTHINGHEHADEVERSEEN)WASSUPPOSEDTOEMOTE AND I did. I emoted enough for seven Sarah Bernhardts. I cried all over the place — and became the official sob-sister of the studio. I died in every WAYTHEREWASTODIE )THINK ANDHADMORECHILDRENDEADANDALIVETHAN ANYWOMANTHATEVERLIVED.IOBEWASADRY EYED MARBLE HEARTEDDAME COMPAREDTOME3OONEDAY)WROTEACOMEDYFORMYSELF)TWASACCEPTED WORKEDOVERABIT ANDTHATSWHERE)ESCAPEDTHETHRALLOFTEARSv5 -OREATYPICALWASTHESTORYOF&RANCIS8"USHMAN WHOHADAMUCH quicker route to Essanay movie stardom. Bushman was a bodybuilderturned-theatrical actor from the east whom Essanay had put under contract in early 1911. According to his biographers Lon and Debra $AVIS "USHMANMADEHISlRSTAPPEARANCEINAN%SSANAYlLMWITHINAN hour of his first arrival in Chicago. Bushman was approaching Essanay Studios to report for work when he saw a large group of people filming a scene in front of a house across the street. Bushman noticed that one of HISOLDSTAGEDIRECTORS 2ICHARD&OSTERh$ADDYv"AKER WASDIRECTINGTHE MOVIE"AKERBECKONEDOVERHISFORMERPROTÏGÏ INSISTINGTHATHEAPPEAR in the scene. Baker wanted to be able to say that he “was the first” to put Bushman before a motion-picture camera.6 "AKERS INSTINCT ABOUT "USHMAN PROVED CORRECT 4ALL MUSCULAR AND STRIKINGLYHANDSOME ESPECIALLYWHENSEENINPROlLE THEYOUNGACTORWOULD SOONBE%SSANAYSTOPDRAW EASILYECLIPSINGTHEPOPULARITYOF *7ARREN - 95 -

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Kerrigan. Bushman’s “classic profile and wavy locks literally drove the girls INTOAFRENZY v,OUELLA0ARSONSLATERRECALLED7 Although Bushman rarely HADANYTHINGGOODTOSAYINHINDSIGHTABOUTHISEXPERIENCEAT%SSANAY OFTENCLAIMINGHECOULDNOTREMEMBERTHEMOVIESHEMADETHERE ITWAS %SSANAYTHATlRSTPROPELLEDTHEACTORTOSUPERSTARDOM WHICHLEDTOMORE LUCRATIVECONTRACTSWITH-ETROAND6ITAGRAPHAND EVENTUALLY APROMInent role in the epic 1925 version of Ben-Hur THEMOSTEXPENSIVEMOVIE of the entire silent era. Bushman’s animosity towards Essanay apparently stemmed from what he believed were the company’s slipshod production METHODS ALTHOUGHITISALSOPOSSIBLETHATTHETHEATRICALLYTRAINEDACTORS education in the differences between stage acting and film acting came as a series of rude shocks that left a permanent bad taste in his mouth. Bushman later recalled that while he was chatting with George Spoor INTHE%SSANAYOFlCESONHISlRSTDAYOFWORK (ENRY-C2AE7EBSTER WHO HADBEENASSIGNEDTODIRECTTHEACTORSlRSTMOVIE ARRIVEDANDIMMEDIately began barking orders. “Be on the floor ready to work at nine sharp TOMORROWMORNING v-C2AETOLD"USHMANh9OULLPLAYANARTISTWHOFALLS INLOVEWITHHISMODEL(ERE )LLJOTDOWNTHEADDRESSOFACOSTUMEHOUSE and you ride downtown and get yourself a velvet coat and beret.” "USHMANFOUNDTHEEXPERIENCEOFBEINGONAlLMSETAPPALLINGh*UST imagine a madhouse with all the inmates turned loose. Add to that a boiler factory going full swing. Plus a temperature of at least 120 degrees from the BLINDINGLIGHTS7ELL MY'OD )WASACCUSTOMEDTOTHECOURTESYANDQUIET of the theater — I’d never seen or heard anything like it!” Bushman was ALSOOFFENDEDBY7EBSTERSDIRECTION WHICHHELATERREMEMBEREDASOCCAsionally being yelled from off camera while scenes were being shot. “I gritted MYTEETHANDSWORE)DREMEMBERWHATTODOINTHENEXTSCENE vTHEACTOR RECALLEDh"UTTHENINTHEMIDDLEOFEVERYTHING 7EBSTERSTARTSIMPROVISING ideas and screams them at me. He screamed until his voice gave out and then stamped on the floor and hurled his megaphone.”8* Bushman later claimed to have been so horrified upon viewing his lRSTONE REELER His Friend’s Wife THATHEOFFERED3POORMONEYTOBURNTHE NEGATIVE3POORSINCREDULOUSREPLYWASALLEGEDLY h"URNIT7HYTHATSTHE

4HESEIMPROVISATIONALDIRECTORIALMETHODS HOWEVER WERENOTUNIQUETO7EBSTER% Mason “Lightning” Hopper was a comedy director at Essanay who earned his nickname INHISVAUDEVILLEDAYS WHENHEWOULDCREATECOMEDYSKETCHESFROMSCRATCHRIGHTINFRONT OFALIVEAUDIENCE!LSONICKNAMEDhTHE.EBRASKA#YCLONE v(OPPERWOULDSCREAMHIMSELFHOARSETRYINGTOGETPEOPLETOBEFUNNY HOLLERING h+ICKHIM
3ITONHISHEAD
vASA GROUPOFEXTRASPILEDONTOPOFASTAR9 - 96 -

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The Golden Age of Essanay Undated publicity photo of Francis X. Bushman. (Courtesy of the Chicago History Museum)

best picture Essanay has ever made.” Bushman was relieved when Spoor ASSIGNEDh$ADDYv"AKERTODIRECTTHEACTORSNEXTlLM10)NALL "USHMAN APPEAREDINMORETHANAHUNDRED%SSANAYMOVIESBETWEENAND almost always playing the romantic leading man. Although Bushman was already married and the father of five children at the time he appeared in His Friend’s Wife %SSANAYSPUBLICRELATIONSDEPARTMENTKEPTTHISINFORMATIONUNDERWRAPSFORYEARS FEARINGTHATITWOULDHURTTHESTARSIMAGE As Louella Parsons wrote in her 1944 memoir The Gay Illiterate h3POOR nearly went out of his mind keeping the fact from the palpitating fans THATHIS!DONISHAD@BEGATlVEOFFSPRING ANDITWASAHUSH HUSHJOBTHAT REQUIREDABITOFDOING BELIEVEMEv11 3POORSPLOYWORKED PERHAPSTOOWELL"USHMANRECEIVEDTHOUSANDSOF marriage proposals from adoring female fans. The star’s fan mail became so voluminous that Essanay eventually hired three secretaries to forge mIRTATIOUS RESPONSES !CCORDING TO LEGEND ONE YOUNG WOMAN WAS SO determined to marry Bushman that she showed up at the Argyle Street studio in a wedding dress. !TTHEDAWNOFTHElLMINDUSTRYShSTARSYSTEM v&RANCIS8"USHMAN became the silver screen’s first true matinee idol. He also played the offSCREEN ROLE OF hMOVIE STARv TO THE HILT DRIVING AROUND #HICAGOS .ORTH - 97 -

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Flickering Empire Beverly Bayne in a still from an unidentified film. (Courtesy of the Chicago History Museum)

Side at night in a purple limousine with a special light on the dashboard that made it easier for him to be seen. He even had his name embossed IN GOLD LETTERING ON THE CARS EXTERIOR 4HE PRESS DUBBED HIM h+ING OF the Movies.” Bushman would eventually find himself at the center of a NATIONWIDESCANDALWHENHISEXTRA MARITALAFFAIRWITHHISFREQUENT%SSANAY co-star (and future wife) Beverly Bayne became public in 1918. "AYNE FAMED FOR HER BIG SAUCER LIKE BROWN EYES RECEIVED HER BIG BREAK AT THE AGE OF SIXTEEN WHEN SHE RESPONDED TO AN %SSANAY CASTING CALLSEEKINGEXTRASWHOCOULDSHOWUPWEARINGhWHITEGLOVESANDPRETTY clothing” for ballroom scenes. After dropping off her photo at the Argyle 3TREETSTUDIO "AYNEWAITEDAWEEKANDTHENRECEIVEDACALLFROM(ENRY -C2AE7EBSTERSSECRETARYASKINGHERTOREPORTFORWORKTHENEXTMORNING"ECAUSESHEWASSTILLINHIGHSCHOOLATTHETIME "AYNESMOTHERLET her return to the studio only under the supervision of her aunt. “The NEXTMORNINGWEWEREATTHESTUDIO v"AYNERECALLED hAND-R7EBSTER CAMEBUSTLINGIN ANDHESAID@(ERE(ERESASCRIPT9OUREADTHEPARTOF -ARIAN'OOUTANDHAVEYOURLUNCHANDCOMEBACK AND)LLTAKEYOU thru [sic]ASCENE/ HOWMYHEARTWASPALPITATINGv - 98 -

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7HILEREADINGTHROUGHTHESCRIPT "AYNEWASASTONISHEDTOlNDTHAT “Marian” was the lead role in the picture. After walking through a scene WITHHERONETIME 7EBSTERSEEMEDSATISlEDh.OW LITTLELADY vHEASKED HER hWHATDOYOUTHINKANACTRESSSHOULDBEPAID9OUHAVETOBEINTHE studio every morning at nine. You’ll work until late in the afternoon. And we work from nine until one on Saturdays. We never work on Sundays.” "AYNETIMIDLYNEGOTIATEDASTARTINGSALARYOFAWEEKFORHERlRSTFOUR WEEKSATTHESTUDIO DURINGWHICHTIMESHEWASUNDER7EBSTERSPERSONAL DIRECTION4HEN SHEWENTINTOTHEhREGULARSTOCKvANDBEGANWORKINGWITH OTHERDIRECTORS3IXMONTHSLATER HERSALARYJUMPEDTOAWEEKANDTHEN AWEEK%VENTUALLY SHEWOULDSTARINMORETHANFOURHUNDRED%SSANAY productions and become known as the “Queen of the Movies.”12 )N  %SSANAYS INCREASED OUTPUT OF WESTERN lLMS LED 3POOR AND !NDERSON TO ESTABLISH A SECOND BASE IN .ILES #ALIFORNIA A SMALL TOWN FORTYMILESSOUTHOF3AN&RANCISCO!FTERTHAT .ILESWASNATURALLYWHERE h"RONCHO "ILLYv SPENT MOST OF HIS TIME LIVING AND WORKING AS HE CONTINUED TO CHURN OUT WESTERNS WHILE 3POOR AND (ENRY -C2AE 7EBSTER oversaw the productions of “parlor comedies” and dramatic movies back in Chicago. The most important surviving Chicago-shot Essanay film OFTHISTIME ANDARGUABLYTHEMASTERPIECEOFALLOFITSEXTANTMOVIES IS From the Submerged ADRAMARELEASEDIN.OVEMBERTHATWASWRITten and directed by Theodore Wharton and starred the beautiful Ruth Stonehouse. Theodore Wharton had begun his career as a director for Pathé Frères in 1910 and had the reputation of being something of an innovator. He WASONEOFTHENEWDIRECTORSTHAT%SSANAYHADHIREDFOLLOWINGTHEEXODUS of their talent to the American Film Manufacturing Company. Wharton’s 1912 Essanay production of Sunshine NOW LOST MADE A BIG IMPRESSION on critics for its creative use of superimpositions: one scene featured a character making a confession to a priest while the story of his confession appeared as an image within the same frame as the shot of the man telling the story.13 A similarly visually flamboyant device also serves as the EMOTIONALCLIMAXTOFrom the Submerged AMOVIETHATMORETHANLIVESUP to its evocative and poetic title. From the SubmergedTELLSTHESTORYOFAYOUNG HOMELESSMAN #HARLIE %(#ALVERT WHOISPREVENTEDFROMCOMMITTINGSUICIDEINAPUBLICPARK BYACOMPLETESTRANGER AYOUNGWOMAN3TONEHOUSE WHOREMINDSHIM BY POINTINGTOTHEHEAVENS THAT'ODSTILLLOVESHIM)NAMELODRAMATICPLOT TWIST #HARLIESOONINHERITSAFORTUNEAND mASHFORWARDINGTOTWOYEARS - 99 -

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Flickering Empire From the Submerged  Directed by Theodore Wharton.

LATER BECOMESENGAGEDTOAWEALTHYSOCIALITE7ITHSEVERALOFTHEIRAFmUENTFRIENDS THECOUPLEATTENDSAhSLUMMINGPARTYvWHERETHEYVISITABREAD LINETHATOFFERSHANDOUTSTOTHEHOMELESS&EELINGGUILTY #HARLIECONFESSES HISDESTITUTEPASTTOHISlANCÏE WHOLAUGHSANDSAYS h(OWFUNNYvTHE only line of dialogue in the film represented by a title card). Realizing her SHALLOWNESS #HARLIEDECIDESTOBREAKOFFTHEENGAGEMENT2EMEMBERING - 100 -

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THEWOMANWHOSAVEDHISLIFE HETHENDONSHISFORMERSHABBYATTIREAND returns to the public park where he had almost killed himself two years EARLIER4HERE #HARLIEENCOUNTERSTHESAMEWOMANFROMTHEBEGINNING of the film and reminds her of their previous encounter. After a quickie WEDDING HETAKESHERTOHISLAVISHHOMEWHERESHEREALIZES FORTHElRST TIME THATHERHUSBANDISACTUALLYAWEALTHYMAN Although the plot of From the Submerged is similar to that of the conTRIVED6ICTORIAN STYLEMELODRAMASCOMMONTOTHEERAALOTOFNARRATIVE twists and turns are crammed into a running time of less than ten minUTES THElLMISNEVERTHELESSSENSITIVELYDIRECTEDANDEXTREMELYWELLACTED )TALSOOFFERSMOREPSYCHOLOGICALANDEMOTIONALCOMPLEXITYTHANWHATONE TYPICALLYlNDSINAMOVIEFROM/NEIMPRESSIVESCENE FORINSTANCE HAS#HARLIERIPPINGUPAPHOTOGRAPHOFHISlANCÏE AWAYTOINDICATETHE end of their engagement through purely visual means. Although this may BE INANDOFITSELF AFAMILIARlLMIMAGE WHATREALLYIMPRESSESABOUTTHE moment is the way that Calvert slowly and sadly shakes his head while TEARINGUPTHEPICTURE ASUBTLEANDEXQUISITEPIECEOFMOVIEACTING)TIS immediately followed by an even more impressive moment: Charlie slowly starts to nod as he remembers his encounter with the young woman in THEPARK AmASHBACKSHOTOFWHICHISSUPERIMPOSEDABOVEHISHEADà la Sunshine) to illustrate his thought process. 4HElLMSSOCIALCRITICISM THEIRONICJUXTAPOSITIONOFWEALTHYANDPOOR CHARACTERS THE BREAD LINE SCENES THE MUSICAL EDITING RHYTHMS AND THE USE OF AN INTERNALLY RHYMING STRUCTURE EG BOOKENDING THE lLM WITH scenes in the same park) all show the obvious influence of D.W. Griffith’s groundbreaking A Corner in WheatFROM)NTURN THEOPENINGSCENE of From the Submerged may have influenced the Estonian-born French DIRECTOR $MITRI +IRSANOFF WHOSE AVANT GARDE MASTERPIECE Ménilmontant from 1926 features a nearly identical sequence in which a character is prevented from committing suicide by a stranger in a public park. Perhaps the best way to gauge the film’s effectiveness is to compare it to Tempted By Necessity A3ELIG0OLYSCOPEMOVIEFROMTHESAMEYEARTHATALSOATTEMPTS TO ADDRESS hSOCIAL ISSUESv EG CRIME AND UNEMPLOYMENT  3ELIGS lLM DIRECTEDBYONE,EM"0ARKER ISEARNESTANDDULLANDPOSSESSESNONEOF the visual inventiveness of From the Submerged. 4HE FOLLOWING YEAR  WAS WHEN %SSANAY BEGAN TO DECISIVELY SHIFT the bulk of its motion-picture production from Chicago towards its new property in Niles. The Selig Polyscope Company had been the first stuDIOTOESTABLISHAPERMANENTBASEINSOUTHERN#ALIFORNIA INTHE%DENDALE - 101 -

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DISTRICTOF,OS!NGELES IN ANDMANYOTHERESTABLISHEDSTUDIOS AND independents soon also tried their luck out west; it was easier there for the independents to get away with using equipment for which they did not posSESSTHENECESSARY%DISONLICENSESAND PERHAPSMOREIMPORTANT THECLIMATE and geography were considered more ideal than Chicago for film producTION4HEWARMANDSUNNYWEATHERWASCONDUCIVETOYEAR ROUNDSHOOTING UNLIKEIN#HICAGOWHERETHEBRUTALWINTERSMADEEXTERIORSHOOTINGDIFlCULT FORASIGNIlCANTPORTIONOFTHEYEAR ANDTHEGEOGRAPHICALTERRAINWASDIVERSE ENOUGHTOEASILYACCOMMODATETHEUSEOFDIFFERENTKINDSOFEXTERIORLOCATIONS )N SOUTHERN #ALIFORNIA MOUNTAINS THE OCEAN DESERT FORESTS AND URBANAREASWEREALLWITHINCLOSEPROXIMITYTOEACHOTHER Because westerns were Essanay’s specialty and because “Broncho Billy” !NDERSONHADSUBSTANTIALEXPERIENCESHOOTINGOUTWEST ITWASONLYAMATter of time before the studio would establish its own permanent facilities IN#ALIFORNIA4HEBASE%SSANAYHADESTABLISHEDIN.ILESIN WHICH included using a railroad car as a laboratory and a barn as a makeshift STUDIOSTAGE HADBEENONLYTEMPORARY )N*ULY 3POORAND!NDERSON INVESTED   IN A .ILES STUDIO THAT INCLUDED INDOOR AND OUTDOOR STAGES DRESSINGROOMS ACARPENTRYSHOP APROPSROOM ANDAWARDROBE ROOM!DDITIONALLY TENCOTTAGESATAFARENDOFTHEPROPERTYWEREUSEDAS housing for the “talent” during production.14 -EANWHILE %SSANAY PRODUCTION IN #HICAGO CONTINUED THROUGHOUT AND.EWPERFORMERS INCLUDINGFUTURESTARS'LORIA3WANSONAND 7ALLACE"EERY SIGNEDCONTRACTSANDMADETHEIRlRSTlLMSATTHE#HICAGO STUDIO)MPROBABLY THEHULKING"EERYBEGANHISCAREERAT%SSANAYPLAYING ACHARACTERNAMEDh3WEEDIE vAFEMALE3WEDISHMAID INASERIESOFCROSS DRESSINGCOMEDIES /VERALL THOUGH PRODUCTIONIN#HICAGOWASONTHE WANEASPRODUCTIONIN.ILESINCREASED)N HOWEVER %SSANAYSCORED A MAJOR COUP BY LURING YOUNG #HARLES #HAPLIN ALREADY THE TOP COMEDIAN IN MOTION PICTURES AWAY FROM HIS EMPLOYERS AT +EYSTONE 3TUDIOS #HAPLINS%SSANAYCONTRACTINCLUDED INADDITIONTOALUCRATIVESALARY THE alluring prospect of having his own production unit and thus achieving greater artistic freedom. The plan was for Chaplin to report to work at Essanay’s Chicago studio at the beginning of the 1915 season where he would start work on a series of comedy shorts over which he would have complete creative control. A series of Chaplin comedy smashes would have conceivably established both Essanay’s Niles and Chicago plants as film production powerhouses. Things did not go according to plan. - 102 -

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- CHAPTER NINE -

4HE'OLDEN!GEOF 3ELIG0OLYSCOPE A

E

ven before Colonel Selig had established his enormous new motionPICTUREPLANTIN#HICAGOIN HEHADBEGUNLOOKINGATSOUTHERN #ALIFORNIAASAPLACETODOLOCATIONSHOOTING!S%SSANAYHADDONE 3ELIG Polyscope immediately upgraded the production values of its films by taking full advantage of its new studio facilities and creating historical epics with impressively designed costumes and sets. One of the most ambitious Selig productions after opening the new Chicago studio was an adapTATIONOF!LEXANDRE$UMASThe Count of Monte Cristo (also known as Monte Cristo WHICHCOMBINEDINTERIORSCENESSHOTIN#HICAGOWITHEXTEriors from southern California. Although actualities had been made in SOUTHERN#ALIFORNIAASEARLYASTHELATENINETEENTHCENTURY The Count of Monte Cristo was the first picture to effectively illustrate the superiority of SOUTHERN#ALIFORNIASEXTERIORLOCATIONSITWAS ESSENTIALLY THEhBIGBANGv of Hollywood filmmaking. &RANCIS"OGGS APROMINENT3ELIG0OLYSCOPEDIRECTOR MADEThe Count of Monte Cristo in collaboration with cinematographer Thomas Persons. (OBART"OSWORTH ANACCLAIMEDTHEATRICALACTOR WASCASTINTHELEADROLE of Edmond Dantes. (Bosworth would eventually appear in more than - 103 -

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3ELIG0OLYSCOPEMOVIESETOFANINTERIOROFAHOUSE Chicago Daily News  (Courtesy of the Chicago History Museum)

250 films and become known as “the Dean of Hollywood.”) The Chicago SCENESWERElNISHEDINLATE AND"OGGSANDHISCREWTHENDEPARTED for California where the movie was completed in late 1907 or early 1908. The decision to shoot in California was entirely practical: it was the dead of winter in Chicago and Lake Michigan would not have been conducive at the time to shooting the dramatic scene in which Dantes rises from the sea after escaping from prison. The scene was ultimately shot in the COASTAL#ALIFORNIATOWNOF,AGUNA"EACH WHERETHEMAJESTIC ROCKYCLIFFS could provide an appropriately dynamic setting. The Count of Monte Cristo was released to favorable reviews and conSIDERABLE BOX OFlCE SUCCESS AT THE END OF *ANUARY  SOME THEATERS CHARGEDEXTRAMONEYFORADMISSIONMERELYONTHEGROUNDSTHATITWASA HIGH QUALITYPRODUCTION 0ERHAPSMOREIMPORTANT #OLONEL3ELIGWASSO pleased with the Laguna Beach footage that he immediately began plans TOEXPANDHISEMPIREBYESTABLISHINGASECONDlLMSTUDIOIN#ALIFORNIA )N 3ELIG0OLYSCOPESThe Heart of a Race Tout would be the first film shot entirely in Los Angeles County (although the subsequently filmed In the Sultan’s Power would actually be released a month earlier). - 104 -

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The Golden Age of Selig Polyscope The Count of Monte Cristo 1908. Directed by Francis Boggs and Thomas Persons.

"ACKIN#HICAGO #OLONEL3ELIGHADBEGUNAMASSIVEPUBLICITYCAMPAIGN in an attempt to make motion pictures a more acceptable form of entertainMENTFORPEOPLEOTHERTHANJUSTTHEWORKINGCLASS!SOF THE Daily TribuneWASSTILLVOCIFEROUSLYAGAINSTMOVIES FEARINGTHATTHEYWOULDLEAD children down a path to degradation. “There is no voice raised to defend THEGREATMAJORITYOFTHElVECENTTHEATRES vONEDaily TribuneSTAFFEROPINED “because they cannot be defended. They are hopelessly bad.”1 Selig eventually fired back with a five-page advertisement in the Chicago Daily News Almanac h7HAT-OVING0ICTURES!RE'IVINGTHE7ORLD! -ORALAND%DUCATIONAL4ONICFORTHE9OUNGAND/LD!LIKE vINWHICHHE spoke in a voice like that of Professor Harold Hill to tout the educational virtues of movies: “The decision of the Supreme Court affirming the right OFTHEMAYORTOCENSORTHElLMSANDPICTURESEXHIBITEDINTHECHEAPERAS WELL AS THE MORE PRETENTIOUS THEATERS v HE WROTE hCANNOT FAIL TO GRATIFY those of us who belive that the five-cent moving-picture shows are possibilities for a great deal of good in the community. … Hours unemployed ARE THE DEVILS OPPORTUNITY x HOURS OF RELAXATION ARE BESET WITH PERILS )F NOT PROPERLY UTILIZED THEY ARE APT TO BREED AND TO ENCOURAGE VICIOUS indulgence. The moving picture show with immoral films eliminated is a valuable member of the company of modern devices to so direct the leisure hours of the young and old alike as to prevent their being wasted INFRIVOLOUSANDPERNICIOUSEXCITEMENTOFDEMORALIZINGENTERTAINMENTSx the five- and ten-cent theater with its cinematographic plays is a most powerful rival of the saloon. … Saloonkeepers have reported that their transient trade has fallen off in districts well supplied with these shows.” !CCORDINGTOTHEAD MOVIESCOULDEVENBECOMETHECUREFORSOCIETYS ills: “they will develop into agencies of great value in the domain of eduCATIONANDCULTUREv!FTERALL MOSTMENCOULDNOTAFFORDTOTRAVELFAROR - 105 -

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OFTEN ANDMOVIESCOULDTAKETHEMANYWHEREFORADIME3LIDESHOWSWERE ALREADYUSEDINSCHOOLS BUThEVENTHELANTERNSLIDELACKSTHEELEMENTOF vitality which motion alone can supply.” 4OWARDSTHEENDOFTHEAD 3ELIGBECOMESNEARLYRAPTUROUSh3OONA new president will be inaugurated. Yesterday King George paid a visit to Emperor William. Soon our fleet will sail through the great Panama Canal on its voyage around the world. Sicily devastated by earthquake calls for sympathy. These and many more happenings will fill the columns OFTHENEWSPAPERS4HEIRDESCRIPTIONSCONVEYINFORMATION BUTFORALLTHAT they are deprived of the breath of life. The cinematograph has mastered the secret of power. It invites us to cheer the pageant or to shudder at the catastrophe as though we had been standing in the very street over which the procession passed or which the disaster overturned. It supplements the newspaper. It vivifies it … it brings history and geography within the very door of the house in which we live.” He concludes with a thirdPERSON REFERENCE AS THOUGH PEOPLE HAD FORGOTTEN THAT THE lVE PAGE AD was written by him (with his logo appearing multiple times per page; no AUTHORWASCREDITED BUTITWASALMOSTCERTAINLYWRITTENBY3ELIGHIMSELF  “With these great and glorious objects in view … the great redoubtable 3ELIGSTANDSASABEACONFROMWHOMRADIATES INFOUNTAINSOFKNOWLEDGE the greatest educational factor ever given the world.”2 !SWASOFTENTHECASE THE3ELIGOFTHISADSEEMEDTOBEABLETOSEEINTO the future. Few others imagined the vast educational or artistic powers of THEMOVIESASVIVIDLYASHEDIDINDEED MARKEDTHEBEGINNINGOFAN ERAOFEXTRAORDINARYINNOVATIONAT3ELIG0OLYSCOPE4HATWASTHEYEARTHEY PRODUCEDTHElRSThTWO REELER vDamon and Pythias THELONGEST!MERICAN motion picture ever made. !LSO UNIQUE WAS 3ELIGS COLLABORATION WITH , &RANK "AUM THE renowned author of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and a photography enthusiast. Baum made a deal with Selig to produce the first of the Wizard of Oz lLMS WHICH WERE SHOT AT THE 3ELIG 0OLYSCOPE STUDIO IN #HICAGO and then color-tinted by hand. Baum toured the country with them in AREMARKABLE SOUNDINGLIVESHOW The Fairylogue and Radio Plays WHICH involved the author’s interacting with the images on the screen. h&AIRYLOGUEvWASAPLAYON"URTON(OLMESSTERMhTRAVELOGUE vWHICH "AUMSSHOWSINMANYWAYSRESEMBLED ANDHISUSEOFTHEPHRASEh2ADIO Plays” is fascinating. “Radio play” would not come into its more modERNUSAGE TODESCRIBEANAURALDRAMATIZATION FORANOTHERDECADEORSO 4HEWORDhRADIOvWASVIRTUALLYUNKNOWNIN"AUMONCEEXPLAINED - 106 -

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that the films had been color-tinted in France by a man named “Michael 2ADIO v BUT THAT NAME SEEMS TO BE JUST AS MUCH A lCTIONAL CREATION OF Baum’s as Dorothy and the Wizard. It is sometimes said that “radio” was a buzzword for anything “high tech” at the time (the way that “cyber” would BEUSEDINTHES BUTTHETERMHARDLYAPPEARSINPRINTATALLCIRCA EXCEPTINREFERENCETORADIOACTIVITY4HETERMh2ADIO0LAYvDOESNOT APPEARATALLPERHAPS AS3ELIGSOMETIMESHAD "AUMWHOSEIMAGINATION WASGREATLYEXCITEDBYTHEh7HITE#ITYvATTHE#HICAGO7ORLDS&AIR HAD caught a glimpse of the future. The show consisted of different filmed segments that have been credITEDTO3ELIGSTOPDIRECTORS &RANCIS"OGGSAND/TIS4URNER)NADDITIONTO THElLMS THETWO HOUREXTRAVAGANZAALSOFEATUREDLIVEACTORS ACHOIR REAR PROJECTION ANDSLIDESHOWS"AUMHIMSELFNARRATED APPEARINGINAWHITE suit with tails. The Fairylogue and Radio Plays rolled into Chicago to play at Orchestra Hall in October 1908. Although the innovative multimedia NATUREOFTHISSHOWWASYEARS EVENDECADES AHEADOFITSTIME NEWSPAPER reviews tended to brush off the whole enterprise as nothing more than an amusing novelty. As the Daily TribuneREVIEWERPUTITh4HE3CARECROW 4IN7OODSMAN and a number of other pleasant characters returned to Chicago Thursday EVENINGUNDERINTERESTINGCIRCUMSTANCES)NTHElRSTPLACE THEYBROUGHT WITHTHEMTHEIRCREATOR ,&RANK"AUM WHOWOREALOVELYWHITEFROCKCOAT and won the affections of a good-sized audience of children and grownups. )NTHESECONDPLACE THEYADDEDTWOPERFECTLYGOODNEWWORDSˆ@FAIRYlogue’ and ‘radio-play’ — to the vocabulary of our already overworked press agents. … A fairylogue is a travelogue that takes you to Oz instead of China. A radio-play is a fairylogue with an orchestra … in a radio play there is the added advantage of having a cast of characters before you and knowing just who impersonate the people on the stereopticon screen. 4HEIDEAISANEWONE ANDWITH-R"AUMSCHARMINGWHIMSICALITIESAS its basis proved to be well worth while.”3 Baum himself had supervised the casting of the show and selected EIGHT YEAR OLD 2OMOLA 2EMUS AS $OROTHY )N  WHEN SHE WAS LIVING IN 5PTOWN hWITH A MENAGERIE THAT INCLUDES SEVERAL CATS A PARROT AND  YEAR OLD0ETETHE4URTLE vSHEREMEMBEREDTHEEXPERIENCEINANINTERview with the Chicago Tribuneh)WASVERYYOUNG vSHESAID hBUTREMEMBER my mother taking me to the studio that day and saying ‘It’s just another movie.’ I never would have dreamed that it would have amounted to anything more.” When asked if she regretted not moving to Hollywood with - 107 -

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THERESTOFTHEMOVIEINDUSTRYAFEWYEARSLATER SHESAIDSHEDIDNOTh7HAT if I had made it as a star? It probably would have meant endless cocktail PARTIES WHICH)THINKAREBORINGBECAUSEOFALLTHEPHONIESv 4 !COUPLEOFYEARSEARLIER 2EMUSSPOKEABOUTWORKINGWITH"AUMAND Selig: “The privilege of knowing Mr. Baum well was a happy and rewardINGEXPERIENCEFORME) ALSO PORTRAYEDTHEROLEOF$OROTHYINTHElRST ‘Wizard of Oz’ movie. I believe it was the very first colored moving picture. It was produced by Selig’s company. I remember Mr. Baum was always on hand offering encouragement or constructive criticism to all his workers. 7HENTHElLMWASSHOWNATVARIOUSTHEATERS HEWOULDLECTUREABOUTHIS various books. I recall some proud and joyous moments standing beside THIS TALL GENTLE DIGNIlED GENTLEMAN ON STAGE AFTER EACH MATINEE 4HE LITTLECHILDRENWOULDCLAMORFORHISAUTOGRAPH WITHCHEERSOFJOY
v 5 Many historians writing about The Fairylogue and Radio Plays have fallen down a rabbit hole while researching the fascinating Romola Remus LATER2OMOLA$UNLAP (ERFATHER 'EORGE BECAMEABOOTLEGGER ENDEDUP MURDERINGALOVER ANDISSOMETIMESSAIDTOBETHEINSPIRATIONFOR&3COTT Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby)NHERLATERYEARS 2EMUSOFTENREMINISCEDIN NEWSPAPERSABOUTTURN OF THE CENTURY#HICAGO ONCEWRITINGABOUTMEETING2OBERT4ODD,INCOLN WITHHERFATHER ON-ICHIGAN!VENUE 5NFORTUNATELY The Fairylogue and Radio Plays film footage does not appear to survive today. Some say that it was incorporated into another 7IZARDOF/ZMOVIETHAT3ELIGMADELATER AFTER"AUMWENTBANKRUPTTOURINGWITHTHESHOW BUTTHISEXPLANATIONISMOSTLIKELYAPOCRYPHAL!SWITH OFTHE3ELIG0OLYSCOPEMOVIES ITISPROBABLYALOSTARTIFACT!LTHOUGH the Fairylogue and Radio PlaysSHOWSWEREWELLATTENDED THEYWEREULTIMATELYTOOEXPENSIVETOPRODUCETOTURNAPROlTEVENTHOUGHTICKETSCOST FROMCENTSTOONEDOLLAR !FTERLOSINGMONEYONHISGRANDEXPERIMENT Baum granted the movie rights to three of his Oz books to Selig in order to cover his debts. This arrangement resulted in Selig’s producing another OzADAPTATION THESTILLEXTANTThe Wonderful Wizard of Oz ALSODIRECTED BY/TIS4URNER IN 3ELIG NEXT TURNED HIS ATTENTION TO A SERIES OF INCREASINGLY AMBITIOUS PROJECTS INCLUDING A RETURN TO THE PSEUDO DOCUMENTARY FORM THAT HAD BROUGHTHIMSUCCESSADECADEEARLIER)N 4HEODORE2OOSEVELTHAD DECIDED NOT TO RUN FOR A THIRD TERM AS 0RESIDENT )NSTEAD AFTER HIS SECONDTERMENDED HEPLANNEDTOGOONAYEAR LONGSAFARIIN!FRICA3ELIG BOLDLY ASKED FOR PERMISSION TO lLM THE SOJOURN AND 2OOSEVELT READILY AGREED3ELIGSPLANWASTOTRAIN2OOSEVELTSSON +ERMIT TOOPERATEA3ELIG - 108 -

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The Golden Age of Selig Polyscope The Wonderful Wizard of Oz 1910. Directed by Otis Turner.

0OLYSCOPEMOVIECAMERA4HEEX 0RESIDENTSOONINFORMED3ELIG HOWEVER that he had changed his mind and that he did not want anyone filming the safari. Selig was then outraged to learn that Roosevelt had enlisted #HERRY+EARTON ANACCLAIMEDWILDLIFEPHOTOGRAPHER TURNED lLMMAKER TO DOCUMENTTHEJOURNEY3ELIGTHENRESOLVED WITHOUTEVERLEAVING#HICAGO TOMAKEAlLMOFh2OOSEVELTvHUNTINGLIONSIN!FRICA)N THISPSEUdo-documentary became a smash hit. - 109 -

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Hunting Big Game in Africa (also known as Roosevelt in Africa) WAS SHOT ENTIRELY ON THE INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR 3ELIG 0OLYSCOPESTAGES IN #HICAGO USINGA2OOSEVELTLOOKALIKE hNATIVEDRUMMERSvFOUNDON3OUTH 3TATE3TREET BAMBOOlSHPOLES ANDARTIlCIALLEAVES!NECDOTALEVIDENCE HOWEVER INDICATESTHATMANYVIEWERSTHOUGHTITWASGENUINEFOOTAGEOF THEADVENTUROUSFORMER0RESIDENT ANDMANYTHEATERSPROBABLYEXHIBITED ITUNDEREXACTLYTHATDELUSION Though Selig did not discourage anyone from thinking the film was REAL HEALSOMADENOSECRETOFITSBEINGAFAKETHElLMINGOFTHEMOVIE WAS EXTENSIVELY DOCUMENTED AND A HANDFUL OF FEATURE ARTICLES ABOUT IT WEREPUBLISHED INCLUDINGONEINTHEDaily Tribune THATWENTINTOGREAT detail for the benefit of a public that was still mostly in the dark as to how movies were made. Selig often had lions in the stable on his vast .ORTHWEST3IDELOTACCORDINGTOLEGEND ONEOFTHEMWENTONTOBECOME THEICONICLIONINTHE-'-LOGO BUTHEBROUGHTINANEWONEJUSTTOBE killed on camera for the movie. 4HElLMSJUNGLESETWASCONSTRUCTEDINAXFOOTCAGEONTHELOT TO THE EXACTING SPECIlCATIONS OF THE PRODUCER h9OUVE GOT TO HAVE THE REALCOLORINAMOVINGPICTURE vHESAIDh7ECOMEASNEARTODOINGTHE real thing here as it can be done. Get ready for the hunt!”6 In addition TOTHELION THElLMALSOBOASTEDAhCASTvTHATINCLUDEDTIGERS ELEPHANTS ABABOON ANDEVENALITTLELAMB ALLOFWHICH ACCORDINGTO3ELIG hWERE trained and posed to act their parts.”7 !CCORDINGTOMOSTACCOUNTS h+ING,EO vTHELION WASTERRIlEDOFTHE set. He was bred in captivity and had never been anywhere near a jungle. (ESPENTMUCHOFHISTIMEHIDINGINTHEARTIlCIALBUSHES BUTHISTRACKS gave him away. As the Daily Tribune REPORTER PUT IT THE MAN PLAYING 2OOSEVELThGOTDOWNTOEXAMINETHETRACKS MADESUREITWASALION THEN xWAVEDHISARMSINFRANTICDELIGHT(ISFALSE TEETHGLEAMEDSOMEMORE ANDTHENATIVE TRACKERANDEX PRESIDENTSHOOKHANDSAND4EDDYSAIDRIGHT out loud ‘Dee-lighted!’” "Y ALL ACCOUNTS h2OOSEVELTv SPENT MUCH OF THE lLM SHAKING HANDS SMILING ANDSAYINGhDEE LIGHTEDvWHILEEVERYONEDIDALOTOFFRANTICWAVINGAROUND"ETWEENSHOTS THELEADACTORWOULDTAKEOUTTHEFALSETEETH and remark that they were a pain to wear. “It must be fierce to have ‘em GROWINGONYOU vHESAID 4HEPOORLION FORHISPART SPENTMOSTOFHISTIMEHIDING WHILETHE crew did its best to scare him into looking fierce for the three movie cameras. When the first shot (fired by an off-camera marksman) hit him in the - 110 -

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JAW THELIONLETLOOSEAMIGHTYROARANDPROCEEDEDTOSCARETHEDAYLIGHTS out of the crew by jumping for the platform where the cameramen were stationed. The platform was twelve feet above the ground but it seemed sufficiently likely that the lion would make the jump that the crew jumped DOWN ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE AND RAN +ING ,EO HOWEVER HIT THE BARS AT about the eight-foot mark and fell to the ground. The cameramen then re-took their positions and continued filming as the off-screen marksman lREDTWOMORESHOTSTHATBROUGHTTHELIONDOWN/BVIOUSLY NOTITLECARD would be claiming that no animals were hurt in the making of this motion PICTURE 4HElLMENDEDWITHTHELIONSCARCASSBEINGSKINNEDONCAMERA WHILEh2OOSEVELTvGRINNED SHOOKHANDS ANDSAIDhDEE LIGHTEDv8 4HE LION HAD COST 3ELIG Hunting Big Game in Africa made the COMPANYABOUT INPROlTS-EANWHILE 0ATHÏ&RÒRESRELEASEDTHE #HERRY+EARTONMOVIECONSISTINGOFACTUALFOOTAGEOFTHE2OOSEVELTSAFARI but it was not nearly as popular as Selig’s film. Footage of the Roosevelt PARTYCROSSINGARIVERJUSTWASNOTASEXCITINGASALIONHUNT REALOROTHerwise. The enormous financial success of Hunting Big Game in Africa led directly to Selig’s purchase of an entire zoo for his Edendale studio and the production of a new spate of jungle adventure films featuring live animals. Hunting Big Game in Africa has been credited variously to both of Selig’s MOSTIMPORTANTDIRECTORS /TIS4URNERAND&RANCIS"OGGS5NFORTUNATELY Boggs was murdered at the Edendale studio not long afterwards. Although %SSANAYHADMADEASTAROUTOFITSJANITOR "EN4URPIN 3ELIG0OLYSCOPE DIDNOTHAVEASMUCHLUCKWITHTHEIRS&RANK-INEMATSU A3ELIGJANITOR shot and killed Boggs in an attack that also involved a gunshot wound to Selig’s right arm. According to the Los Angeles Times h;-INEMATSU= is thought to have nourished a trifling grudge against Boggs and to have shot Selig because the latter attempted to avert the tragedy.”9 )NTHECENTURYSINCETHISEPISODEOCCURRED ITHASBEENWIDELYREPORTED that the Japanese Minematsu was drunk and/or mentally deranged at the time and that he subsequently offered no motive for the murder to police other than that he believed Boggs to be a “bad man.” For his Selig biogRAPHY !NDREW %RISH UNDERTOOK EXCELLENT DETECTIVE WORK IN DETERMINING THATTHEINCIDENTMAYHAVEBEENRETALIATIONFORANEPISODEINWHICH"OGGS KNOWNFORHURLINGRACIALEPITHETS PHYSICALLYATTACKED-INEMATSUAFTERHE HADALLEGEDLYMADEAPASSAT"OGGSSWIFE7HATEVERTHETRUTHMAYBE "OGGS HADBEENTHESPECIlCTARGETOF-INEMATSUSATTACK AND3ELIGHIMSELFJUST happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Minematsu died in Folsom Prison in the mid-1930s. The Colonel made a full recovery.10 - 111 -

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4OM-IX 3ELIG0OLYSCOPESMOSTIMPORTANTDISCOVERY SWINGINGA,ASSOIN#HICAGOS 3OLDIER&IELD Chicago Daily News CIRCA#OURTESYOFTHE#HICAGO(ISTORY-USEUM

The greatest movie star ever discovered by William Selig was undoubtEDLY RODEO RIDER TURNED ACTOR 4OM -IX WHO MADE HIS lRST ONSCREEN APPEARANCE IN THE #HICAGO SHOT 3ELIG 0OLYSCOPE WESTERN The Cowboy Millionaire (also known as Fell Heir to a Million Dollars and The Millionaire Cowboy IN11 (This is not to be confused with the 1913 Selig Polyscope lLMOFTHESAMETITLE WHICHALSOSTARRED-IX )NCREDIBLY -IXSPENTTHE early years of his film career alternating between acting in movies for Selig 0OLYSCOPEANDSERVINGASAREAL LIFE53-ARSHALLINTHETOWNOF$EWEY /KLAHOMA -IX WAS ONE OF THE VERY FEW SCREEN COWBOYS WITH PRACTICAL COWBOYEXPERIENCE ANDHISIMPRESSIVEABILITYTODOHISOWNSTUNTS ASWELL ASHISCHARISMATICPERSONALITY EVENTUALLYMADEHIMTHEMOSTFAMOUSWESTERNSTAROFTHEENTIRESILENTlLMERA)NANILLUSTRATIONOFAMAXIMATTRIBUTED TO$AVID"OWIETHATh)TDOESNTMATTERWHODIDITlRST WHATMATTERSISWHO DIDITSECOND vITWASNOTLONGBEFORE-IXSPOPULARITYEASILYECLIPSEDTHAT OFTHEORIGINALCOWBOYSTAR h"RONCHO"ILLYv!NDERSON 3ELIG LIKEHISRIVALSAT%SSANAY PRIDEDHIMSELFONTHEAUTHENTICITYOFHIS WESTERNS ANDINFACTHEHADBEENTHElRSTMOTION PICTUREPRODUCERTOMAKE lLMSOFTHATGENREINACTUALWESTERNLOCATIONS%VENBACKIN#HICAGO REAL Native Americans were frequently employed to populate Selig Polyscope’s - 112 -

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HORSE OPERAS /N ONE MEMORABLE OCCASION 3IOUX )NDIANS UNDER THEIR “Chief Whirlwind” visited the Chicago plant to appear in the 1909 production of On the Little Big Horn; or, Custer’s Last Stand. According to a MAGAZINEARTICLEFROMTHETIME THISCASTINCLUDEDTHREEhOLDTIMERSvWHO had actually participated in the Battle of Little Big Horn over thirty years EARLIER3ELIGEMPLOYEESINTERROGATEDTHEMEXTENSIVELYABOUTTHElGHT BUT ACCORDING TO SUPERINTENDENT 4OM .ASH h4HE MOST WE COULD GET FROM them was that the fight was over so quick that they could remember little about it. This was about all any of the Indians who were known to have been in the fight had to say. They showed us a good many details about the MANAGEMENTOFHORSESTHATWEDIDNTKNOWBEFORE HOWEVERv12 An incredible Selig Polyscope document from around this time that survives today is titled “Pointers on Picture Acting.” Meant as a handy GUIDE OF hDOS AND DONTSv FOR THESPIANS IN 3ELIGS EMPLOY IT OFFERS A FAScinating window into how movies were made in Chicago circa 1910. Among the interesting tidbits in the document: actors in Selig Polyscope films were often required to create their own costumes and make-up (“In the making of beards one cannot be too careful”); the morality of the actors’ off-screen behavior was frequently dictated by the studio (“Let the GENTLEMANEXERCISECAREWHENINTHEPRESENCEOFLADIESANDCHILDRENTO use no profanity”); and whoever composed the list of “Pointers” clearly had a wonderful sense of humor: “Do not play too many parts with your sleeves rolled up. Cowboys and miners use the sleeves of their shirts for WHATTHEYWEREINTENDED)FYOUAREPLAYINGTENNIS ORCOURTINGAGIRLATTHE SEASIDE YOUMAYDISPLAYYOURMANLYBEAUTYTOYOURHEARTSCONTENTv3EE !PPENDIX!FORTHECOMPLETETEXTOFh0OINTERSON0ICTURE!CTINGv Despite the limited commercial success of The Fairylogue and Radio Plays 7ILLIAM3ELIGCONTINUEDTOEXPERIMENTWITHCOLOR EXTENDEDRUNNINGTIMES ANDEVENSOUND)N TAKINGADVANTAGEOFRELAXED'ENERAL &ILM#OMPANYLAWS HEEMBARKEDONPRODUCTIONOFAhFEATURE LENGTHvlLM IE ONERUNNINGMORETHANFORTYMINUTESINLENGTH ABOUT#HRISTOPHER Columbus. The Coming of Columbus utilized replicas of Columbus’s ships THATHADBEENBUILTFORTHE7ORLDS&AIRIN WHICH3ELIGHADPURCHASED ANDRESTORED3HOTENTIRELYIN#HICAGOANDNORTHERN)NDIANA WITHTHE BANKSOF,AKE-ICHIGANSTANDINGINFORTHEh.EW7ORLD vTHISAMBITIOUS color-tinted feature was released to great acclaim in May of 1912. After a PRIVATE6ATICANSCREENING 0OPE0IUX8EVENAWARDEDTHENON #ATHOLIC #OLONELAMEDALFORHISEFFORTSINhPROVIDINGTHElLMINDUSTRYANARTISTIC MORALMODELOFPRODUCTIONv.EEDLESSTOSAY THISGESTUREEFFECTIVELYENDED - 113 -

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the Catholic Church’s previous ban on motion pictures. Selig’s efforts to CONVINCEPEOPLETHATMOTIONPICTURESCOULDBEAFORCEFORGOOD ANDTHAT HEWASAhBEACONOFLIGHT vWERECLEARLYMEETINGWITHREMARKABLESUCCESS The Pope was a most important convert. )N &EBRUARY OF  3ELIG TEAMED UP WITH THEATRICAL AGENT 7ILLIAM Morris to make a series of short “singing and talking” films with synchronized soundtracks that starred the Scottish comedian and singer Harry ,AUDER A 7ILLIAM -ORRIS CLIENT WHO HAD RECENTLY lNISHED A PHENOMenally successful U.S. tour. While Lauder was passing through Chicago IN&EBRUARY HEWENTTOTHE3ELIGPLANTANDRECORDEDSEVENTEENSHORT lLMS ASWELLASA FOOTERFEATURING,AUDERAND3ELIGHIMSELFTHOUGH this one does not seem to have been released). The “talkers” showed Lauder SINGING3COTTISHTUNES SUCHASh),OVEA,ASSIE vh7HEN)'ET"ACKTO "ONNIE3COTLAND vANDh2OAMININTHE'LOAMINv3ELIGAND,AUDERBOTH seemed pleased with the results. Selig wrote: “I have seen the positives of ALLTHE,AUDERlLMS PARTOFTHESEWEREPROJECTEDINACCOMPANIMENTWITH the records. The synchronism was perfect and Mr. Lauder himself was greatly elated because of the success.”13 These “talkers” also enjoyed commercial and critical success in the SPRINGOF ATLEASTFORAWHILE4HEPROGRAMWASHIGHLYTOUTEDINTHE TRADEPAPERS INCLUDINGVariety INWHICHTHEREVIEWERWROTEh4HE(ARRY Lauder Singing and Talking Pictures appear to have well nigh reached perfection in lingual and optical synchronisation [sic]. In the Lauder ‘talkers’ the art of the famous Scottish comedian is reproduced in marvelously real fashion.”14 5NFORTUNATELY A COMPLEX COMBINATION OF TECHNICAL AND lNANCIAL PROBLEMS ASWELLASLEGALDISPUTESBETWEEN3ELIGAND-ORRIS SOONBROUGHT THETHEATRICALRUNOFTHE,AUDERlLMSTOANEND&ORONCE #OLONEL3ELIG was perhaps too far ahead of his time. It would not be for another thirteen years that audiences would be able to regularly enjoy talking pictures. 3ELIG DID HOWEVER ARGUABLY ACHIEVE HIS GREATEST SUCCESSES AROUND THIS time with two other series of films: The Adventures of Kathlyn THElRST !MERICANCLIFFHANGERSERIAL ANDTHEHearst-Selig News Pictorial ALANDmark newsreel. /N$ECEMBER  3ELIG0OLYSCOPEDEBUTEDTHElRSTEPISODEOFThe Adventures of Kathlyn ATHIRTEEN PARTSERIALSTARRINGITSMOSTPOPULARLEADING LADY +ATHLYN7ILLIAMS$IRECTLYINSPIREDBYTHE"IOGRAPH#OMPANYSPROMOTIONOF&LORENCE,AWRENCE 3ELIG0OLYSCOPEPROMOTEDTHEGOLDEN HAIRED 7ILLIAMS ORIGINALLYDISCOVEREDBY$7'RIFlTH ASh4HE3ELIG'IRLv The - 114 -

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Adventures of KathlynDETAILEDTHEADVENTURESOFTHEEPONYMOUSHEROINE A YOUNGWOMANWHO INORDERTOSAVEHERFATHERSLIFE BECOMESANUNLIKELY )NDIANQUEEN MENACEDBYBOTHWILDANIMALSANDAVILLAINPLAYEDBY#HARLES #LARY 4HE SERIES BOASTING THE TAGLINE hA WILD ANIMAL MELODRAMA v WON INSTANTPOPULARITY ANDSUBSEQUENTEPISODESWERERELEASEDONABI MONTHLY BASISOVERTHENEXTHALF YEAR!LTHOUGHOTHER!MERICANSTUDIOSHADMADE EARLIERSERIALS 3ELIGSWASTHElRSTTOFEATURESUSPENSEFUL hOPENvENDINGSIN an attempt to lure viewers back to the theater week after week to see future installments. Selig had borrowed the basic cliffhanger conceit from master lLMMAKER,OUIS&EUILLADE WHOSEPIONEERINGFantômas serial had premiered in France the previous April and received distribution in the United States by Gaumont in the summer of 1913. The Adventures of Kathlyn was itself soon widely imitated: it was the template for The Perils of Pauline and countless other American cliffhangers to follow. It is hard to overstate how phenomenally popular motion pictures were in 1914. In an era before the advent of television and commercial radio (not TOMENTIONLONGBEFORETHEINTERNETANDVIDEOGAMES THEREWASSIMPLYNO other form of audio-visual entertainment with which the movies had to compete. Movies were actually more popular then than they are today in TERMSOFTHENUMBEROFTICKETSSOLD AND+ATHLYN7ILLIAMSWASASPOPULARAS any movie star of the era. Moving Picture World wrote of fans waiting in line FORHOURS EVENINTHENOTORIOUSLYBAD#HICAGOWINTERWEATHER TOATTEND the latest Kathlyn serial. The Daily Tribune office had to answer hundreds of inquiries every day regarding where “Kathlyn” would be screening on cerTAINDAYSBECAUSEhTHOUSANDSWHOMISSEDTHElRSTINSTALLMENTSAREANXIOUS to learn where they may see the first part of the interesting subject.”15 The Adventures of Kathlyn made Williams so famous that there were SOONACLOTHINGLINE ACOCKTAIL ANDEVENADANCETHEh+ATHLYN7ALTZv named for her. The down-to-earth Williams never let the success go to her HEAD HOWEVER)NCONTRASTTO SAY &RANCIS8"USHMAN SHEMADEITCLEAR in an interview that she personally read her own fan mail: “I appreciate so MUCHTHELETTERS)GET PARTICULARLYTHOSEFROMCHILDREN BECAUSEITMEANS so much effort when a child is enough interested to take the trouble to WRITE ANDTHEN)LIKETHESUGGESTINGLETTERSWHICHAREREALLYVERYHELPFUL I have had some on gowns and different things that have been of great assistance to me.” 7ILLIAMSALSONOTEDTHATSHESAWANOPPORTUNITYFORlLMSTOIMPROVE JUSTASTHEATRICALPRODUCERSWERENOW SHESAID BEINGFORCEDTOPUTONBETTERPLAYSINORDERTOCOMPETEWITHMOTIONPICTURES3HEEVENANNOUNCED - 115 -

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in the course of talking up her film Ne’er Do WellTO#HICAGONEWSPAPERS THATWHATSHEREALLYWANTEDTODOWASDIRECT MAKINGHERONEOFTHElRST MOVIESTARSTOUTTERTHENOW ICONICPHRASE h)REALLYWANTTODIRECTv4HAT IT WAS +ATHLYN 7ILLIAMS MAKING THE STATEMENT WAS NOTABLE AS FEMALE DIRECTORS WERE IN THE PHRASE OF Daily Tribune REVIEWER +ITTY +ELLY hAN undiscovered species.” h7OMENCANDIRECTJUSTASWELLASMEN v7ILLIAMSSAIDh!NDINTHE matter of much of the planning they would be more successful because they often have a keener artistic sense and more of an eye for detail — and SOOFTENITISJUSTONETINYTHING lVEFEETOFlLMMAYBE THATQUITESPOILSA PICTURE FORITISALWAYSTHELITTLEBITOFUNPLEASANTNESSTHATONEREMEMBERS … women have shown that they can do a great many things men can — OFCOURSE THEREARESOMETHINGS THEYCANT BUTTHENTHEYDONTWANTTO — but they have had to work hard for all they have achieved.”16 What that remarkable interview leaves out is that Kathlyn had already DIRECTEDATWO REELERFOR3ELIG The Leopard’s Foundling AJUNGLEADVENTURE that hit theaters two weeks after the last installment of The Adventures of Kathlyn!CCORDINGTOALONGSYNOPSISPUBLISHEDINTHEPAPERS ITTELLS THETALEOFAGIRLSEPARATEDFROMHERFAMILYONSAFARI THENRAISEDBYLEOPards in the African veldt. Kathlyn played the “jungle girl” who winds up CAPTURED BOUND ANDTIEDTOTHEBACKOFANELEPHANTBYAMANWHOFALLS in love with her in time for her to save him from being eaten by leopards. 4HEHAPPYCOUPLETHENMARRIES AND+ATHLYNSCHARACTERh"ALUvPERFORMS several comedic scenes upon re-entering society.17 It was a lot of story to cram into a two-reeler. According to adverTISEMENTS 7ILLIAMS BOTH WROTE AND DIRECTED IT AS WELL AS STARRED IN IT h+ATHLYN7ILLIAMSSGENIUS vONEADPROCLAIMED hISNOTCONlNEDTOACTING She takes rank today with the leading scenario writers and motion picture producers in the world. In The Leopard’s Foundling SHE HAS PRODUCED A PLAYINJUNGLEDANGERSANDTENSEDRAMATICCLIMAXESTHATRIVALSTHEMOST thrilling scenes in the entire Adventures of Kathlyn series.”18 The surviving STILLSSHOW+ATHLYNDRESSEDASONEWOULDEXPECTˆINATATTEREDRAGDRESS stalking through dense brush. Some modern sources state that Francis J. 'RANDONCO DIRECTEDTHElLM BUTHISNAMEISABSENTFROMANYAVAILABLE CONTEMPORARYNOTICES4HEBANNEROFTHEADSAYSh+ATHLYNS/WN0LAY v ANDTHECOPYRIGHTINFORMATION DATED*UNE  NOTESTHATITWASWRITten and produced by Miss Williams. Many ads for the picture made a point of stating that Kathlyn directed it. Although female directors in %UROPEWERENOTUNHEARDOFONEOFWHOM &RANCES!LICE'UY "LACHÏ - 116 -

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OPENEDHEROWNSTUDIOINTHE53IN 7ILLIAMSWASONEOFTHEVERY first American-born women to direct. The movie also seems to have been a success artistically. Though there AREFEWREVIEWS The Cleveland Plain DealerNOTEDTHAT h)TPOSSESSESORIGINALITYANDALSOPOSSESSESSOMEAMOUNTOFPROBABILITY WHICHWASNOTONE of the strong points of the serial thriller.” It also noted that the second reel CONTAINEDhEXCELLENTCOMEDY;AS=SHEOBJECTSTOCORSETSANDISABITTERFOE of shoes and stockings. Her adventures with a piano are highly amusing xBOTHINTHEWILDSCENESOFTHEJUNGLEANDINTHELATERTRANSFORMATION Miss Williams performs most convincingly. It is one of the best parts she HASEVERTAKEN7HENATINYLITTLEGIRL "ABY,ILLIAN7ADELIESDOWN AMONG;THELEOPARDS=ANDAPPARENTLYGOESTOSLEEP ONEFANCIESTHATTHE limit of cinematographic realism has been reached. In a production of MUCH GENERAL EXCELLENCE THE ONLY POSSIBLE ADVERSE CRITICISM IS THAT THE photography of some scenes is not as clear as it might be.”19 )N  WHEN ASKED BY Photoplay IF WOMEN COULD DIRECT 7ILLIAMS SPOKEOFHAVINGDIRECTEDhTWOORTHREEvPHOTOPLAYSh/NE INPARTICULAR Balu, The Leopard’s Foundling WASAGREATSUCCESS)WROTETHEPLAY PRODUCEDIT ANDTOOKTHELEADˆAWILDGIRLBROUGHTUPWITHLEOPARDS4HERE WERE SOME EXCELLENT EFFECTS IN IT AND A LEOPARD RAN AT ME AND PUT ITS head on my shoulder at the right moment. Isn’t that enough for you?” 4HE INTERVIEWER REPLIED h.OT QUITE 7HAT ARE YOUR LIKES AND DISLIKES v AND7ILLIAMSRESPONDEDWITHh)DISLIKEBEINGINTERVIEWED FORONE AND housework for another.”)20 "YTHISTIME 7ILLIAMSWASCERTAINLYASENSATION4HE Daily Tribune often published an “Answers to Movie Fans” section that would include ANSWERS TO LETTERS THOUGH NOT THE LETTERS THEMSELVES THE CONTENT OF WHICHCOULDUSUALLYEASILYBEGUESSED 4HE!PRIL INSTALLMENT shows that letters about Kathlyn came in constantly; answers that day INCLUDEDh-ISS-ARION.O +ATHLYNISNOTMARRIEDTO"RUCEINREALREAL v h6IDA 9ES +ATHYLN 7ILLIAMS HAS LIVED IN #HICAGO v AND h#0 !SIDE from The Adventures of Kathlyn +ATHLYN WILLIAMS HAS PLAYED IN The Young Mrs. Eames The Coming of Columbus The Leopard’s Foundling and numerous other Selig productions.”21 (This column was printed nearly two months before The Leopard’s Foundling was released; it had been in production for some time. The August 1913 issue of Motion Picture Magazine MENTIONED IT IN ITS h'REEN 2OOM *OTTINGSv COLUMN STATING THAT h+ATHLYN 7ILLIAMS IS PROBABLY THE lRST ACTRESS TO WRITE direct and play in a photoplay.”)22 - 117 -

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WASAGOODYEARFOR#OLONEL3ELIG HISLASTTRULYGOODYEARASAlLM PRODUCER)N HEHADlNALLYWONOVERTHEChicago Daily Tribune by conTRACTINGWITHTHEMTOPUBLISHh0HOTOPLAYS IN3TORY&ORMvESSENTIALLY THE Daily Tribune published the plots of Selig Polyscope’s movies as short stories on an entire page of their Sunday edition). The Daily Tribune may have been won over less by Selig’s preaching than by the boost in circulation THEYGOT BUTITWASCLEARTHATBYTHEYSAWSOMELITERARYMERITSINTHE STORIESTOLDBYMOTIONPICTURES)N THESERIALIZEDhNOVELIZATIONvOFThe Adventures of Kathlyn took this concept to a whole new level. The Kathlyn novelization not only catapulted the cliffhanger serial to new heights of POPULARITY BUTALSOGREATLYRAISEDTHEDaily Tribune’s circulation (by as much ASANASTONISHINGACCORDINGTOSOMEESTIMATES 4HEDaily Tribune’s EMBRACINGOFMOVIES INTURN HELPEDTHEMOTION PICTUREMEDIUMlNALLYTO become completely acceptable to the middle and upper classes. Selig Polyscope’s western studio was thriving at this time as well. The April 1914 release of the gold rush epic The Spoilers ALSO STARRING +ATHLYN 7ILLIAMS BUT SHOT IN %DENDALE AND ITS SURROUNDING ENVIRONS would prove to be Selig’s biggest ever financial success. The Spoilers also has the distinction of being the first two-hour feature-length film proDUCEDIN!MERICA ANDITISTHEBESTANDALMOSTONLY SURVIVINGEXAMPLE of Kathlyn Williams’ work. Another collaboration with the fourth estate came in the form of the Hearst-Selig News Pictorial THE lRST WEEKLY NEWSREEL WHICH DEBUTED IN early 1914. The PictorialCOVEREDAWIDEVARIETYOFNEWSTOPICS FROMSOCIAL PROBLEMSTOCELEBRITYGOSSIP ANDEVENINCLUDEDONEAMUSINGEPISODEIN which Colonel Selig and partner William Randolph Hearst were seen talkINGONTELEPHONESINALTERNATINGSHOTS ALLEGEDLYDISCUSSINGTHEIRNEWSREEL with each other. The Pictorial ultimately instituted many of the convenTIONSTHATWOULDBECOMESTANDARDINlLMEDANDTELEVISED NEWS SUCHAS using Hearst columnists as “on camera reporters.” Millions of Americans WEREREADING(EARSTPAPERSATTHISTIME ANDTHENEWSPAPERTYCOONSNAME ONANEWSREELWAS FORMANY AGUARANTEEOFBOTHQUALITYANDAUTHENTICITY )NDEED MANY OF THE NON (EARST OWNED TRADE PAPERS RAVED ABOUT the Pictorial. Typical was this gushing review from Motography: “No stagING NOMAKE BELIEVE NO@PLAYACTINGnJUSTTHEACTUALDRAMAOFLIFEWITH ITSHEROES UNCONSCIOUSOFTHEIRAUDIENCE SNAPPEDINTHEGREATCRISESOF THE WORLDS EVENTS AND THEIR EVERY LOOK EVERY GESTURE EVERY MOVEMENT brought from the uttermost ends of the earth and flashed upon your theater screen.”23 - 118 -

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Although William Randolph Hearst’s origins in dubious “yellow jourNALISMv WERE LEGENDARY AND 7ILLIAM 3ELIG HAD MADE HIS SHARE OF FAUX hDOCUMENTARIES vMotography’s superlatives were somewhat justified. In the LATESUMMEROF A(EARST 3ELIGCAMERACREWTRAVELEDTO%UROPETODOCUMENTTHEWAR RAVAGEDCITYOF,OUVAIN "ELGIUM4HISFOOTAGE SCREENED INTHE5NITED3TATESIN/CTOBER CONTAINEDWHATMAYHAVEBEENTHEEARLIest non-faked filmed images of World War I. Justifiably proud of this war COVERAGE 3ELIG AND (EARST SOON TOOK OUT EPIC ADVERTISEMENTS EXTOLLING THEVISCERALNATUREOFTHEIRNEWSREELSh'ETINTHERE
7OMAN CHILDAND MAN GETINLINE
4HERESYOURPLACE-ARCHINSTEPWITHTHESOLDIERSIN THISBLOODIESTOFWARS9OUWANTTOKNOWWHATWARISLIKE7ELL COMEAND see it in all its grim realism. You will go through all the havoc — charge WITHTHECHARGERS SHOOTWITHTHESHOOTERS4HECANNONWILLYAWNAND spit at you. The shot will drop at your feet.”24 ,ESSTHANTWOYEARSLATER ANDFORREASONSNEVERMADEPUBLIC (EARST SWITCHED ALLEGIANCES SIGNING A NEW DEAL WITH !MERICAN 6ITAGRAPH TO PRODUCE A NEW NEWSREEL THE Hearst-Vitagraph Daily Pictorial. The rift with William Randolph Hearst ultimately wounded Colonel Selig more than Frank Minematsu’s bullet. Although Selig later claimed that he had INSTIGATEDTHEDISSOLUTIONOFHISPARTNERSHIPWITH(EARST EXISTINGRECORDS indicate that the opposite was actually true.25 Along with the U.S. Justice $EPARTMENTSLITIGATIONOFTHE-OTION0ICTURE0ATENTS#OMPANY THISRIFT signaled the beginning of an irreversible decline in Selig’s movie empire.

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- CHAPTER TEN -

%SSANAY3IGNS #HARLIE#HAPLIN A

I

N  THE %SSANAY &ILM -ANUFACTURING #OMPANY WAS POISED TO become the most powerful movie studio in the world. Despite being lNANCIALLYSTRAPPEDATTHEENDOFTHEPREVIOUSCALENDARYEAR ITSTILLHAD in its employ many of the top draws in America’s nascent film industry. !SERIESOFHIGH QUALITY POPULARMOVIESONTHECUTTINGEDGEOFTHENEW medium might have saved the studio. 'EORGE3POOR HOWEVER HADLOSTTHEPOWERTHATHADBROUGHTHIMTHIS far in the first place: his ability to see the future. Unlike his cross-town RIVAL 7ILLIAM 3ELIG 3POOR BELIEVED THAT SHORT lLMS WOULD CONTINUE TO dominate the movies. Spoor had also stopped caring much about quality; by now he cared mostly about product. Essanay star Gloria Swanson thought the movies in which she acted were so stupid that she allegedly never even agreed to spend the twenty-odd minutes it would have taken to see one of them in its entirety. Essanay seemed to have recognized some sort of star quality in 3WANSON ALTHOUGH THEY NEVER USED HER AS ANYTHING BUT AN EXTRA 3HE noted in her autobiography that although some girls fretted over their PARTS SHEDIDNOTh)COULDNTTELLTHEGOODPARTSFROMTHEBADONES vSHE - 120 -

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His New Job $IRECTEDBY#HARLIE#HAPLIN

wrote. “Every picture started out new and different and ended up just LIKETHELASTONEv3HEDIDNOTLIKEWORKINGAT%SSANAYMUCHATALL AND often wished she had listened to people who told her to stay away from the movies on the grounds that they were “vulgar.” Certainly there were some “vulgar” goings on; she could hear Francis X. Bushman and Beverly "AYNECARRYINGONANAFFAIRINTHELATTERSDRESSINGROOM!TONEPOINT IN AWORDLESSEXCHANGETOWARDSTHEENDOFHERTENURE "USHMANPUTAHAND ON3WANSONSKNEE ANDSHERESPONDEDBYSLAPPINGHIMINTHEFACE1 )N %SSANAYMADEABOLDMOVETHATCOULDHAVEENSUREDBOTHITS ongoing success and Chicago’s place as the film capital of the world: it SIGNED#HARLES#HAPLIN THEMANWHOWOULDSOONBECOMETHEMOSTPOPULARSINGLEACTORINMOTION PICTUREHISTORY TOSTARTWORKINGFOR%SSANAYFOR ITSSEASON!SITHADDONEWHENITTURNEDDOWNTHEAWEEKSALARY DEMANDOF-ARY0ICKFORD THESTUDIOBLEWTHE#HAPLINCONNECTIONAND 1915 would be the year the company began to fall apart. The British-born Chaplin had first been to Chicago in 1910 on his iniTIALTRIPTO!MERICAWITHTHE+ARNO#OMPANY AVAUDEVILLETROUPE WITH WHICHHEWASBESTKNOWNFORPLAYINGAFUNNY ELDERLYDRUNKINSKETCHES THOUGHHEHIMSELFWASONLYTWENTYYEARSOLDATTHETIME 4HATYEAR - 121 -

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the Karno troupe had played an engagement at the American Music Hall ATTH3TREETAND 7ABASH!VENUEDURING A COLD STINT IN &EBRUARY AND #HAPLINHADFOUNDTHECITYTOBESTIMULATING IFNOTNECESSARILYPRETTY #HICAGO WAS HE LATER WROTE hATTRACTIVE IN ITS UGLINESS GRIM AND BEGRIMED ACITYTHATSTILLHADTHESPIRITOFTHEFRONTIERDAYS ATHRIVING HEROICMETROPOLISx4HEVASTPLAINSAPPROACHINGITARE )IMAGINE SIMIlar to the Russian Steppes. It had a fierce pioneer gaiety that enlivened THESENSES YETUNDERLYINGITTHROBBEDMASCULINELONELINESSv2 #HAPLINWASBACKINTOWNWITH+ARNOINAND BUTTHELIFEOF ATRAVELINGVAUDEVILLEPLAYERWASHARDLYGLAMOROUS EVENTHOUGHTHE per week he earned was good money at the time. The hotel on Wabash Avenue where the troupe stayed was a seedy joint where quarters were shared with burlesque dancers. ‘L’ trains clattered constantly past the WINDOWAND #HAPLINLATERRECALLED hmICKEREDONMYBEDROOMWALLLIKE ANOLD FASHIONEDBIOSCOPEv(EALSONOTED PERHAPSWITHAHINTOFREGRET that nothing ever happened between him and the dancers.3/FCOURSE IF HEWERESEEKINGSUCHANENCOUNTER HEWOULDNOTHAVEHADTOLOOKFAR Chicago at the time was still well known for its red-light districts with WHICHMOSTVAUDEVILLIANS CERTAINLYINCLUDINGTHE+ARNO#OMPANY WERE WELLACQUAINTED)NSMALLERTOWNS THE+ARNO#OMPANYWOULDSOMETIMES even rent out entire bordellos for the night. Had they walked a mere block west from the American Music Hall to 3TATE3TREET THEYWOULDHAVEBEENRIGHTINTHEMIDDLEOFANAREAKNOWN AS3ATANS-ILE WHICHEXTENDEDFROM7HISKEY2OW AFEWBLOCKSNORTH TOTHELEVYDISTRICTFOURBLOCKSSOUTH4HERE AMANOFMEANSCOULDATTEND THE %VERLEIGH #LUB WHICH OFFERED ITS OWN ORCHESTRAS A LIBRARY WHICH ONEPATRONFAMOUSLYSAIDWASEDUCATINGTHEWRONGENDOFTHEGIRLS ANDA CLIENTLISTTHATINCLUDEDROYALTY!MANWHOCOULDNOTAFFORDSUCHLUXURY could walk another block and find himself at places with names like Bed "UG2OWANDTHE"UCKETOF"LOOD WITHSEVERALMIDDLE CLASSOPTIONSIN BETWEEN)NHISAUTOBIOGRAPHY #HAPLINPARTICULARLYREMEMBEREDAPLACE CALLEDTHE(OUSEOF!LL.ATIONS THOUGHHEAVOIDEDSAYINGTHATHEHAD ACTUALLYBEENTHERE)NALLLIKELIHOOD HEPROBABLYHADNOT4HEBROTHEL HEDESCRIBEDWASACTUALLYNOTTHE(OUSEOF!LL.ATIONS BUTTHE%VERLEIGH #LUB WHERETHEPERNIGHTMINIMUMWASFARBEYONDHISMEANSATTHE time. The actual House of All Nations was a somewhat seedier joint with TWOENTRANCES ONEFORTWO DOLLARGIRLSANDONEFORlVE DOLLARGIRLS WITH the dim lighting scheme preventing patrons from realizing that the same girls were behind both doors). - 122 -

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4HECHILDOF%NGLISHMUSICHALLPERFORMERS #HAPLINHADSPENTMUCH of his childhood in poverty. His father had been a performer in the days WHENPERFORMERSWEREEXPECTEDTODRINKWITHPATRONSAFTEREVERYSHOW ANDHISALCOHOLISMKILLEDHIMATTHEAGEOF WHEN#HARLESWASONLY TWELVEYEARSOLD(ISMOTHERLOSTHERVOICE KILLINGHERTHEATRICALCAREER ANDTHENLOSTHERMIND3HEWASSENTTOANINSANEASYLUM ANDTHEYOUNG Charles was sent to a Dickensian workhouse. Having dealt with hunger ANDUNCERTAINTY HENEVERBECAMECOMPLACENTINSUCCESSh4HESADDEST THING)CANIMAGINE vHEWROTE hISTOGETUSEDTOLUXURYv4 #OMEDYWASAMEANSTOANENDFOR#HAPLIN THEBESTWAYHEKNEWTO keep his rent paid and his stomach full. During his first tour of America WITH+ARNO HEANDAFELLOWPERFORMER ATRAPEZEARTIST VERYNEARLYGAVE up showbiz to buy a thousand acres of land in Arkansas on which to start a hog farm. Cinema might have lost the performer and director that would come to be known as the first true genius of silent comedy had he not picked up a book on the science of hog farming and been horrified TOLEARNTHAT ASAFARMER HEWOULDHAVETOCASTRATEHOGS'IVENACHOICE between continuing to play a drunk onstage for an uncertain paycheck and gambling on a more respectable future that involved cutting off pig TESTICLES HESTUCKWITHTHESTAGE It did not take long for film companies to notice Chaplin’s talent on the vaudeville stage. Around the time Karno played Chicago for a third TIMEINTHEFALLOF HECAUGHTTHEEYEOFTWOCOMPANIES%SSANAYAND Los Angeles-based Keystone. Gilbert Anderson sought out Chaplin to offer him a contract with Essanay. With films still widely regarded as a novelty and the engagement WITH+ARNOSTEADY #HAPLINWASHESITANT!NDERSONWASUNABLETOWORK OUTWITH3POORTHEEXACTDETAILSOFTHECONTRACTAND WHILE!NDERSONAND 3POORDELAYED #HAPLINSIGNEDlRSTWITH-ACK3ENNETTOF+EYSTONEAND headed to L.A.5 The delay was the first of many mistakes Essanay would MAKEWITHREGARDTO#HAPLINOVERTHENEXTFEWYEARS /FCOURSE NOONEKNEWATTHETIMETHATTHEFUNNYYOUNGCOMEDIAN WHOPLAYEDADRUNKINAVAUDEVILLESHOWWOULDTURNOUTTOBEAGENIUS and Chaplin himself was not optimistic about the whole business of motion pictures. He had seen a handful of Keystone comedies and did not THINKMUCHOFTHEIRROUGH AND TUMBLESTYLE WHICHGENERALLYFEATUREDAS many cops as possible falling over one another in scenarios that invariably ended with a chase. #HAPLINKNEW HOWEVER WHATAGREATVEHICLEFORPUBLICITYTHEMOVIES - 123 -

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COULDBE)FHECOULDSURVIVEASTINTAT+EYSTONE HECOULDSOONRETURNTO VAUDEVILLEASAMAJORSTAR!ND3ENNETTWASOFFERINGPERWEEK TWICE what he made with Karno. !T THE +EYSTONE STUDIO THREE PICTURES WERE GENERALLY MADE SIDE BY side. The awestruck Chaplin likened it to something one would have seen at the World’s Fair. There was seldom anything like a script. Sennett would simply get an idea and a location and then let things develop into a chase scene. #HAPLINHADBEENENGAGED HEFELT TOlLLTHESHOESOF&ORD3TERLING A POPULAR STAR OF THE DAY WHO WAS LEAVING TO JOIN 5NIVERSAL 0ICTURES -ANY #HAPLIN INCLUDED FELT THAT 3ENNETT MAY HAVE MADE A MISTAKE 3CREENWRITER%LMER%LLSWORTH INPARTICULAR WASOPENLYSKEPTICAL h7ELL v%LLSWORTHSAIDTO#HAPLIN hYOUDBETTERBEFUNNYv h)F)MHALFASFUNNYASYOULOOK v#HARLIEQUIPPED h)LLDOALLRIGHTv6 Ellsworth bought him a drink. )NSTEAD OF SIMPLY IMITATING 3TERLING #HAPLIN IN NEED OF A DIFFERENT COSTUME CREATED THE NOW FAMILIAR CHARACTER OF THE ,ITTLE 4RAMP THE WANDERING ROMANTIC WITH MUSTACHE IN BAGGY PANTS A TINY JACKET AND BOWLERHAT!SSOONASHEPUTONTHECOSTUMEFORTHElRSTTIME #HAPLIN immediately understood the character completely and ran to Sennett to introduce him to what would be his new star. h9OU KNOW v HE TOLD 3ENNETT hTHIS FELLOW IS MANY SIDED A TRAMP A GENTLEMAN APOET ADREAMER ALONELYFELLOW ALWAYSHOPEFULOFROMANCE ANDADVENTURE(EWOULDHAVEYOUBELIEVEHEISASCIENTIST AMUSICIAN A DUKE APOLOPLAYER(OWEVER HEISNOTABOVEPICKINGUPCIGARETTEBUTTSOR ROBBINGABABYOFITSCANDY!NDOFCOURSE IFTHESITUATIONWARRANTSIT HE WILLKICKALADYINTHEREARˆBUTONLYINEXTREMEANGERv7 /R ANYWAY THATISHOW#HAPLINLATERREMEMBEREDHISCONCEPTIONOF the character. His early Keystone shorts did not show the Tramp to be nearly as multi-faceted as this description. #HAPLIN WOULD HOWEVER COME TO CHANGE THE WAY PEOPLE THINK ABOUTGETTINGKICKEDINTHEREAR)NJUSTAFEWSHORTYEARS #HAPLINWOULD become the most famous comedian in the history of the world and the lRST INTERNATIONAL MOTION PICTURE SUPERSTAR ,ACKING DIALOGUE HIS COMedies were just as popular with the waves of immigrants who were landing on American shores and did not speak a word of English as they were with native English speakers. One did not need to understand any particular language to find the Little Tramp funny. 4HEMEDIUMOFTHElLMCOMEDYWASSTILLABRANDNEWONE ANDTHAT - 124 -

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situation gave Chaplin a certain confidence. “No one was positive or sure OFHIMSELF vHEWROTE h;SO=)CONCLUDEDTHAT)KNEWASMUCHASTHEOTHER fellow. … Thus grew a belief in myself that I was creative and could write my own stories.”8 3OON THISCREATIVITYPUTHIMATODDSWITHTHE+EYSTONEMETHODh!NY THREE DOLLAR A DAYEXTRACANDOWHATYOUWANTMETODO vHEROAREDTOONE DIRECTORh)WANTTODOSOMETHINGWITHMERIT NOTJUSTBEBOUNCEDAROUND and fall off of street cars.”9 !S#HAPLINBECAMEMOREASSURED HEBEGANTOTAILORHISPERFORMANCES MOREANDMORETOTHEMEDIUM)NPARTICULAR HEPERFORMEDINSUCHWAYS that the “butchers” in the editing room could not change his routines. (EWASALWAYSDISTRESSEDWHENTHEEDITORSCUTOUTHISFAVORITEBITS SOHE STARTEDWORKINGGAGSINTOHISENTRANCESANDEXITSTHATHEKNEWTHEYWOULD NEVERBEABLETOEXCISEWITHOUTCONFUSINGWHATLITTLESTORYTHEREWAS )NTIME ASHISCOMEDIESGREWMORESUCCESSFUL #HAPLINWASABLETOTALK Sennett into letting him direct his own pictures (though Sennett made HIMPUTUPSOMEOFHISOWNMONEY GIVINGHIMTHECHANCETOEXPERIMENT with such things as how the placement of a camera could enhance or subtract from the effectiveness of a gag. He began to introduce a certain SUBTLETYINTOTHEMEDIUM WHICHHADALWAYSRELIEDONVERYBROADPANTOmime for comedy. The use of subtlety in Chaplin comedies made them a stark contrast TONEARLYEVERYOTHERMOVIEONTHEMARKET AND UNLIKETHEMANYSHORTSIGHTED PIONEERS BEFORE HIM #HAPLIN IMMEDIATELY REALIZED THAT HE WAS onto something big. He likened himself to “a geologist … I was entering a RICH UNEXPLOREDlELDxONTHEVERGEOFSOMETHINGWONDERFULv10 4HE YEAR OLD#HAPLINWAS INFACT TURNINGASLAPSTICKMEDIUMINTO ASORTOFART ANDTHEPUBLICLOVEDIT4HESTUDIOHEADSWERESLOWTOREALIZE IT BUTITWASTHISKINDOFVISION NOTJUSTPLAINBUSINESSSENSE THATTHEY needed to stay on top in the long run. 3OON WITHABONUSOFFOREACHPICTUREHEDIRECTED #HAPLINWAS EARNINGAWEEK ACONSIDERABLESUMATTHETIME#HAPLINLIVEDhIN SUMPTUOUS STYLEv WITH EXPENSES OF ONLY  A WEEK 3TILL THE lLMS HE MADEWEREGROSSINGTENSOFTHOUSANDS IFNOTMORE AND#HAPLINWASNO FOOLHEKNEWTHATFAMEWASAPASSINGFANCY ANDTHATHENEEDEDTOTAKE advantage of what could be a very narrow window of opportunity. 7HENTHETIMECAMETORENEWHISCONTRACT HETOLD3ENNETTHEWANTED  PERWEEK “IDONTMAKETHAT
v3ENNETTEXCLAIMED - 125 -

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h)KNOW vSAID#HAPLIN hBUTTHEPUBLICDOESNTLINEUPOUTSIDETHEBOX office when your name appears.” Sennett pointed out that it was only the Keystone organization that MADETHEPICTURESSUCCESSFUL AND#HAPLINKNEWTHATHEHADAPOINT&ORD 3TERLINGSCAREERHADmOUNDEREDSINCEHELEFT#HAPLIN HOWEVER STOODHIS GROUNDh!LL)NEEDTOMAKEACOMEDY vHESAID vISAPARK APOLICEMAN and a pretty girl.”11 (D.W. Griffith would later tweak this formula by saying that all he needed to make a film was “a girl and a gun.”12) 3ENNETT EVENTUALLY OFFERED #HAPLIN A THREE YEAR CONTRACT AT  A WEEKTHElRSTYEAR THESECOND AND THETHIRD WHICHWOULD AVERAGEOUTTOAROUND AWEEK#HAPLIN FULLYAWARETHATHEMIGHT BE OUT OF FASHION AND NOT BE WORTH   A WEEK IN TWO YEARS TIME offered to sign if the rates were reversed. Sennett was dumbfounded. -EANWHILE %SSANAYWASONTHELOOKOUTFORACOMEDIAN4HESTUDIO ALREADYHADAFEWINTHEIREMPLOY SUCHAS"EN4URPINAND7ALLACE"EERY but none were true superstars of the comedy genre. They had a romantic idol in Francis X. Bushman and a cowboy hero in Anderson. Adding a great comedian to their roster would make the studio a more formidable force than ever. /NEDAY *ESSE2OBBINS WHOHADGRADUATEDFROMCINEMATOGRAPHERTO producer/director at Essanay (and who would later direct the first Laurel AND(ARDYlLM PUTINACALLTO#HAPLINAT+EYSTONEh)UNDERSTAND vHE SAIDhTHATYOUWANTA BONUSBEFORESIGNINGACONTRACTAND  a week.” #HAPLIN WHOWASNEARINGTHEENDOFHISCONTRACTWITH+EYSTONE AND SECRETLY NERVOUS THAT NO ONE ELSE WOULD WANT HIM INVITED 2OBBINS TO DINNER WHERE2OBBINSSAIDTHAT PERWEEKWASCERTAINLYDOABLE BUT that he did not know if he could arrange the bonus. h4HATSEEMSTOBEAHITCHWITHSOMANYOFTHESTUDIOS vSAID#HAPLIN h4HEYREALLFULLOFBIGOFFERS BUTTHEYDONTPUTUPANYCASH
v13 )NFACT ITHADNEVEROCCURREDTO#HAPLINTOASKFORACASHBONUSBEFORE HE GOT THE CALL FROM 2OBBINS (IS BEST OTHER OFFER WAS FROM 5NIVERSAL which had offered twelve cents per foot of film but no actual salary. .OBETTEROFFERHADACTUALLYCOMEIN BUT#HAPLINPLAYEDTHECONVERSATIONLIKEAPOKERHAND LETTING2OBBINSDOALLTHETALKINGAND IMPLYING THATHEWASGETTINGMANYMOREOFFERSTHANHEWAS!TTHEENDOFTHEMEAL 2OBBINSPUTINACALLTO'ILBERT!NDERSON WHOWASlLMINGANEWHORSE OPERAIN3AN&RANCISCO THENCAMEBACKTOTHETABLETOTELL#HAPLINTHAT THEDEALWASON ANDTHEBONUSHADBEENAPPROVED#HAPLINFULlLLEDHIS - 126 -

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CONTRACTWITH+EYSTONEOVERTHENEXTTWOWEEKS THENLEFTFOR#HICAGO %SSANAYNOWHAD ARGUABLY THEGREATESTCOWBOY THEGREATESTROMANTIC IDOL ANDTHEGREATESTCOMEDIANALLWORKINGINITS#HICAGOSTUDIO'EORGE 3POOR HOWEVER THOUGHTTHAT!NDERSONHADLOSTHISMIND(EHADNEVER EVENHEARDOF#HARLES#HAPLIN ANDHESENTAWIRETO!NDERSONASKINGIF HEHAD INFACT GONEMAD-OSTOFTHECOMEDIANS3POOREMPLOYEDWERE MAKINGFARLESSTHANATENTHOFWHAT#HAPLINWOULDBEMAKING ANDTHEIR pictures barely broke even. 3POOR NATURALLY DIDNOTALWAYSREMEMBERTHEEVENTSQUITELIKETHAT )N HETOLDTHEChicago Daily News h)HEARDOFANEWCOMEDIANIN .EW9ORK ALITTLEMANWITHAMUSTACHE ACANE TALLHAT BAGGYPANTSAND big shoes. I wired my brother to find out about him and sign him up. He ANSWEREDTHATITMUSTBEANEXTRANAMED#HARLIE#HAPLINTHAT)MEANT ANDAWEEKWOULDBEENOUGHTOPAYHIM4HENITSTARTED ONEWIRE AFTERANOTHER&ROM #HARLIEDEMANDED THEN THEN lNALLYAWEEK%ACHWIREWOULDlNDMYBROTHERMOREINDIGNANT and me hopping mad that he didn’t give Chaplin whatever he asked and get his signature on a contract.”14 This is surely an instance of Spoor’s trying to clean up his own image in his twilight years; by all accounts he was furious over the initial contract. When Spoor was overcome with people congratulating him on the BIGCOUPOFSIGNING#HARLIE HOWEVER HEBEGANTOBECOMEMOREOPTIMISTIC!SANEXPERIMENT WHILEDININGATAHOTEL HEGAVEABOYAQUARTERTO RUNTHROUGHTHELOBBYANNOUNCINGACALLFOR-R#HARLES#HAPLIN WHICH LEDCROWDSOFPEOPLETOSTIRABOUTEXCITEDLY HOPINGFORAGLIMPSEOFTHE FAMOUSCOMIC4HISEXPERIMENTLIFTED3POORSSPIRITS BUTHETOOKALEAVE of absence from Chicago to avoid having to cut the check for Chaplin’s bonus. &ORTHETRIPTO#HICAGOFROM#ALIFORNIA #HAPLINTRAVELEDINCONSIDERably more style than he had on his Chicago trips with Karno. Anderson HIMSELFACCOMPANIEDHIMONATRAINRIDE WHICHTHEYSHAREDWITHASHERIFF APOLICEMAN ANDACONVICTONHISWAYTOBEHANGEDWHO INEXCHANGE FOR BEHAVING HIMSELF WAS BEING TREATED TO A RIDE IN lRST CLASS COMFORT Chaplin wished him luck. 4HETWOARRIVEDIN#HICAGOSHORTLYBEFORE#HRISTMAS ANDWERE GREETEDATTHESTATIONBY-OLLY !NDERSONSWIFE)TWAS -OLLYLATERREMEMBERED hBITTERLYCOLD)MET'-x4HEREWASTHELITTLEFELLOWWITHHIM (EHADNOLUGGAGE NOHANDBAGxNOOVERCOAT ANDTHEREWASASEVERE WIND7ELL WEALLRODEBACKTOMY#HICAGOAPARTMENT7HEN)COULDGET - 127 -

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'-ALONE )ASKEDHIM@WHOISTHISLITTLECHAPv 4HOUGHHESURELYWOULDNOTHAVEADMITTEDITTO3POOR ITSEEMSTHAT Anderson knew little of Chaplin’s work and had signed him solely on 2OBBINSSRECOMMENDATION(EDID HOWEVER TELLHISWIFETHATHESAWGREAT POTENTIALINTHEYOUNGMANh)lNDHIMCLEVERANDAMUSING v!NDERSON told her. “I think he could be a great comedian. He’s being wasted in Los Angeles.” 4HE TRIO PROCEEDED TO !NDERSONS LUXURIOUS HIGH RISE APARTMENT ON THECITYS.ORTH3IDE AT7EST,AWRENCE!VENUE WHERE#HAPLINWAS charmed by the homey atmosphere created by the Christmas tree and the PRESENCEOFLITTLE-AXINE !NDERSONSBABYDAUGHTERh!#HRISTMASTREE A baby. It’s wonderful!” he said. 4HOUGH-OLLYWASASCHARMEDBYHIMASHEWASBYHERHOME SHEWAS STILLSHOCKEDATHISARTISTICTEMPERAMENTANDHABITSh(ESLEPTLATE6ERY LATE vSHERECALLEDINTHESh!NDWHENHEAPPEARED ITWASWITHOUT a shirt collar. He had curly hair and never ran a comb through it. The maids kept his food waiting.” Gene Morgan of the Chicago Daily NewsBECAMEAFRIENDOF#HAPLINS and took him shopping in second-hand stores along State Street to find a new Little Tramp costume. Having cobbled his original one together FROMBITSOFCLOTHINGBORROWEDFROMHIS+EYSTONECO STARS #HAPLINDID not have a Tramp costume of his own. Finding oversized shoes proved a challenge. Morgan later noted snidely that Chicago was the “city of broad SHOULDERS NOTTHECITYOFBIGFEETv Chaplin settled in with the Andersons for a week; no work would be DONEATTHESTUDIOUNTILTHENEWYEAR!LLTHEWHILE HEWAITEDRESTLESSLY for Spoor to arrive with the rest of his bonus. The Andersons’ North Side NEIGHBORHOOD WAS BUSTLING WITH WELL TO DO FAMILIES AND MOVIE STARS A LONGWAY IFONLYASHORTRIDEONTHEh, vFROMTHESEEDY7ABASH!VENUE hotels Chaplin had shared with burlesque dancers only two years before. /N.EW9EARS%VE THE!NDERSONSTOOK#HARLIETOAlVE DOLLAR PER PLATE DINNER AT THE #OLLEGE )NN A STYLISH NIGHTCLUB IN THE BASEMENT OF the Hotel Sherman at Clark and Randolph Streets where the modern JAZZMUSICWASINSHARP ONEMIGHTSAYh#HAPLIN ESQUE vCONTRASTTOTHE Elizabethan-style décor. #HAPLIN A MAN WHO HIMSELF STOOD OUT BY SHEER CONTRAST DID NOT EXACTLYDRESSTOTHENINESh)HADTOlNDAGOODSHIRTFORHIM vSAID-OLLY “and cuff links and a suit. We wanted him to be presentable … but I NEVER THOUGHT OF A MUFmERv 3TILL WHEN THE TRIO GOT INTO THE CAR TO BE - 128 -

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Essanay Signs Charlie Chaplin

TAKENDOWNTOWN SHENOTICEDHEWASWEARINGASCARFh/NCLOSERINSPECTION vSHERECALLED h)DISCOVEREDTHATHEWASWEARINGHISPAJAMABOTTOMS around his neck. I suppose that was an indication of his ability to improVISE BUTITJUSTWOULDNTDOATTHE#OLLEGE)NN
v )NTHECROWDTHATNIGHTWEREMANYWELL KNOWNSTAGEACTORS INCLUDING (ENRIETTA #ROSSMAN -ACLYN !RBUCKLE AND -ABEL 4ALIAFERRO 4HE LOCAL PAPERS THE NEXT DAY ALSO MENTIONED THAT ONE STAR WAS THERE TO REPRESENT THE lLM WORLD COMEDIAN *OHN "UNNY WHO APPEARED WITH A RED PAPER CLOWNSHATONHISHEAD"UNNYWAS ATTHETIME ARGUABLYMORERECOGNIZABLE THAN#HAPLIN PARTICULARLYWHEN#HAPLINWASNOTINHISCOMEDYMAKEUP (reporters often mentioned that they had no idea what Chaplin looked LIKEOFFSTAGE ANDMOSTASSUMEDHEWASMIDDLE AGEDOROLDERUNTILTHEYMET HIM .ONETHELESS ONEOFTHE(OWARD"ROTHERS AVAUDEVILLETROUPE RECOGnized Chaplin at once. He grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and made him stand on a chair while he waved to the crowd of revelers to calm down. h,ADIESAND'ENTLEMEN v(OWARDANNOUNCED h)WANTTOINTRODUCEYOUTO the funniest man in moving pictures — Charlie Chaplin!”

Publicity photo of Charlie Chaplin flanked by Francis X. Bushman (left) and “Broncho Billy” Anderson (right). (Courtesy of the Chicago History Museum) - 129 -

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! FEW MINUTES LATER A FURIOUS MAN STORMED THE TABLE WHERE THE !NDERSONSAND#HAPLINWERESITTING NOWACCOMPANIEDBY(OWARDh$O YOU MEAN TO TELL ME v THE MAN GROWLED hTHAT THIS boy is the funniest comedian in moving pictures? Do you know that John Bunny is in the audience tonight? And he has always been considered the funniest man in films!” (OWARDSCOFFEDh$ID*OHN"UNNYSAYTHAT ORDIDYOUSAYTHATv h7EBOTHSAIDTHAT vSAIDTHEMAN (OWARDGLAREDh7ELL vHESAID hYOUGORIGHTONBACKTO*OHN"UNNY and tell him that is the funniest line he ever handed me!”15 )NFACT "UNNYHADALREADYlLMEDWHATWASTOBEHISlNALPICTURE(E died only a few months after his near-encounter with Chaplin. /N .EW 9EARS $AY !NDERSON RETURNED TO #ALIFORNIA AND #HAPLIN BEGANWORKATTHE%SSANAYSTUDIOON7EST!RGYLE3TREET4OHISCHAGRIN Spoor had still not arrived with his check. Chaplin and Chicago were quickly turning out to be a bad fit. On HISlRSTDAYOFWORK THETEMPERATUREWASRECORDEDASBEINGONEDEGREE &AHRENHEIT WHILE THE HIGH BARELY SCRAPED THE LOW S 4HE WIND CHILL FACTOR MADE IT EVEN COLDER SOMETHING #HAPLIN WOULD HAVE KEENLY FELT when commuting from “Broncho Billy” Anderson’s apartment near the lake to the Essanay building just a few blocks away. A publicity photo of #HAPLININ#HICAGO PROBABLYTAKENEARLIER ISREVEALINGTHESUAVE&RANCIS X. Bushman and the more ruggedly handsome Anderson flank him on EITHERSIDE"OTHMENTOWEROVERTHEDIMINUTIVE#HAPLIN WHOISWEARING an overcoat still buttoned to the very top button as well as what looks like a forced smile.

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- CHAPTER ELEVEN -

#HAPLININ#HICAGO (IS.EW*OB A

D

ESPITEHISBESTATTEMPTSTOPUTONABRAVEFACE #HARLIE#HAPLINWAS miserable with Essanay by the time he commenced work for the stuDIO ON HIS lRST PICTURE lTTINGLY TITLED His New Job. When he asked to SEETHERUSHESATTHEENDOFTHEDAY %SSANAYSCREENEDTHEORIGINALCAMERA NEGATIVE TO SAVE ITSELF THE EXPENSE OF MAKING A PRINT #HAPLIN WAS mortified. Chaplin traced most of the studio’s troubles back to one source: 4HOMAS%DISON WHOHADATTEMPTEDTOMONOPOLIZETHEINDUSTRYTHROUGH HIS-OTION0ICTURE0ATENTS#OMPANY%SSANAYWAS #HAPLINWROTE hSMUG ANDSELF SATISlED(AVINGBEENONEOFTHElRSTTOENTERTHElLMBUSINESS AND BEING PROTECTED BY PATENT RIGHTS THAT GAVE THEM A MONOPOLY THEIR last consideration was the making of good pictures. And although other COMPANIESWERECHALLENGINGTHEIRPATENTRIGHTSANDMAKINGBETTERlLMS %SSANAYSTILLWENTSMUGLYON DEALINGOUTSCENARIOSLIKEPLAYINGCARDSEVERY Monday morning.”1 #HAPLINWASDISTRESSEDBYTHEINNERWORKINGSOFTHESTUDIO WHICHHE FOUNDTOBEGRIMANDBUSINESS LIKE AFARCRYFROMTHEHAPPYATMOSPHERE - 131 -

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Flickering Empire His New Job $IRECTEDBY Charlie Chaplin.

Louella Parsons would later describe. He said that the staff were “stuffy and went around like bank clerks. … The business end of it was very IMPRESSIVE BUT NOT THEIR lLMS x 4HE DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS WERE PARtitioned like tellers’ cages — it was anything but conducive to creative WORKv#ERTAINLYITWASQUITEACHANGEFROMTHEGENIAL+EYSTONE WHICH Joyce Milton described as having the atmosphere of a slightly disreputable summer camp. The grim atmosphere Chaplin found may have been simply a reaction AGAINSTTHECOMPANYSRECENTDISCOVERYTHATITSBUSINESSWASINTROUBLE largely because it had not been careful enough in the previous years. The Essanay at which Chaplin arrived was trying to get its act together. When HEARRIVED HEWASDIRECTEDTOTHEFRONTDESK SOTHAT,OUELLA0ARSONSCOULD GIVEHIMASCRIPT4HISINSTRUCTIONWASMERELYANEXAMPLEOFTHESTUDIO TRYINGTOBERESPONSIBLE BUT#HAPLINWASFURIOUSh)DONTUSEOTHERPEOPLESSCRIPTS )WRITEMYOWN v#HAPLINSAID CURTLY2 0ARSONS INFACT WASABITDISTRESSEDBYTHESIGNINGOF#HAPLIN KNOWING FULL WELL THAT %SSANAY COULD NOT REALLY AFFORD HIM AND THAT AS THE HEADOFTHESCENARIODEPARTMENT SHEHADTAKENTHEBRUNTOFRESPONSIBILITYFORTHEDIRElNANCIALSTATEOFTHECOMPANY)NDEED THESAMEMONTH #HAPLIN ARRIVED 0ARSONS LEFT ROBBING THE STUDIO OF ITS MOST ESTEEMED screenwriter. #HAPLINWANDEREDABOUTTHESTUDIOALLDAY MISERABLYWONDERINGWHAT he should be doing and why nothing was being done for him after all the trouble they had gone to bring him there in the first place. He also wondered where his bonus check was. 4HE NEXT MORNING #HAPLIN REQUESTED A CAST AND WAS GIVEN ONE INCLUDING"EN4URPIN WHO#HAPLINLIKEDINSTANTLY7HENLOOKINGFORA - 132 -

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Chaplin in Chicago: His New Job

LEADINGLADY #HAPLINIMMEDIATELYPICKEDOUTAYOUNG'LORIA3WANSON)N Tramp HER#HAPLINBIOGRAPHY *OYCE-ILTONSUGGESTSTHATTHISWASNOTA CASEOF#HAPLINSRECOGNIZINGSTARQUALITYIN3WANSON BUT#HAPLINTRYING TO INGRATIATE HIMSELF WITH HIS HOSTESS -OLLY !NDERSON WHO EMPLOYED 'LORIASCIGARETTE SMOKING!UNT)NGAASANANNY#HAPLINWAS HOWEVER by no means concerned with ingratiating himself to anyone at Essanay; he was clearly concerned with making the best picture he could. It is doubtful that he would have picked her had he not seen a leading lady in Swanson. Chaplin spent a full day working up routines with the future screen LEGEND)NASTILLPHOTOTHATSURVIVESTODAY 3WANSONLOOKSLESSLIKETHE proverbial deer caught in headlights than like a deer that has actually BEENHITBYATRUCKh4HESE;ROUTINES= vSHERECALLED hALLINVOLVEDKICKING EACHOTHERINTHEPANTS RUNNINGINTOTHINGS ANDFALLINGOVEREACHOTHER x(EREMINDEDMEOFAPIXIEFROMSOMEOTHERWORLDALTOGETHERx)FELT like a cow trying to dance with a toy poodle.”3 She haughtily told Chaplin that she did not see what was funny about any of these routines. Her comment hurt him more than he let on. When Chaplin finally began work on His New Job AMOVIEABOUTA STAGEHANDBROUGHTINTOCOVERFORANUNPUNCTUALSTAR 3WANSONWASDOWNgraded to a bit part as a stenographer; another actress was given the lead. The lesson did Swanson some good however: she would do a Chaplin impersonation in Manhandled in 1923 and again in her famous role in Sunset Boulevard in 1950. Francis X. Bushman was not terribly amused by His New Job either. (E FELT THAT THE hUNPUNCTUAL STARv WAS A CARICATURE OF HIM 3TILL SEEINGTHAT#HAPLINWASUNHAPPYWITH%SSANAY "USHMANTRIEDTOREASSURE HIMh7HATEVERYOUTHINKOFTHESTUDIO vHESAID hITISJUSTTHEANTITHESISvh)DONTLIKETHESTUDIO v#HAPLINSAID h!ND)DONTLIKETHEWORD ‘antithesis.’”4 He had barely been in the studio for three days when a reporter for Picture-Play Weekly arrived. Chaplin was not yet used to reporters. Few of THEMHADMADETHEJOURNEYOUTTO,OS!NGELESh)MAFRAID vHETOLDHER WHEN SHE SAID SHE HAD ENJOYED HIS VAUDEVILLE APPEARANCES IN #HICAGO “you are trying to put me in good humor for the interview … and really you haven’t a chance to succeed.” !SHESAIDTHIS SOMEONEWHOTHOUGHTTHEROOMWASTOOWARMOPENED a window to the January air. Chaplin immediately “did one of those funny LITTLETURN THE NOSE UP AND LOOK TO THE SIDETRICKS vTHENMOVEDHISCHAIR - 133 -

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closer to the steam pipe. He had already decided that he would not be in Chicago for long. “And to think I was in California last week!” he MOANED ELICITINGALAUGHh"RONCHO"ILLYDIDTHIS;)FITWASNTFORHIM= I wouldn’t be freezing! I’ll have to stand it a while longer. Then it’s back West for mine!”5 4HEREPORTERQUICKLYNOTEDTHATTHISPERFORMANCEWASALLFORLAUGHS not based on any real anger at Anderson. Everyone present had a good CHUCKLETHOUGHITWASNOT INFACT ENTIRELYAJOKE AND#HAPLIN PERHAPS STILLSMARTINGFROM3WANSONSCRITIQUE WENTONTOTELLTHEREPORTERTHATHE really aspired to more dramatic roles. If Chaplin’s appearance at the College Inn had failed to warrant a mention in the Chicago Daily Tribune HISPRESENCEAT%SSANAYDIDTHETRICK He had been there for barely a week when the Daily Tribune’s pseudonymously — and splendidly — named movie writer Mae Tinee (“matinee”) came to conduct an interview. "YTHISTIME #HAPLINWASALREADYHIDINGOUT MAKINGHIMSELFSCARCEAND waiting for Spoor to arrive. The guide who met Tinee at the front desk had NOIDEAWHEREHEWASh9OUMAYNOTBELIEVEHIM vHESAID hBUTHEISSCARED TODEATHOFPUBLICITY AND)HADMYHANDSFULL )CANTELLYOU TOPRYPERMISsion out of him for this interview.” They looked all over the studio without SUCCESSBEFORETRYINGTHEPROJECTIONROOM WHERE4INEEHOPEDTHATEVENIF #HAPLINWASNOTTHERE MAYBESHECOULDMEET!NDERSONOR"USHMAN 4HEPROJECTIONROOMCONSISTEDOFTWOROWSOFSCHOOLROOM STYLESEATS WITHDESKSATTACHED FACINGTHESCREEN4HERE THEYFOUND"USHMANSEATED AT ONE DESK AND !NDERSON FRESHLY BACK FROM #ALIFORNIA IN ANOTHER His over-sized cowboy physique dwarfed the tiny chair. A handful of OTHERPEOPLE CLERKS ANDCREW SATATOTHERDESKS/VERINTHECORNERSAT Chaplin. The guide sat Tinee down and told her to sit there until the PICTURE!NDERSONSNEWEST When Love and Honor Called) was over. “I’ll GUARDTHEDOOR vHESAID hANDSEETHAT-R#HAPLINDOESNTGETOUTv Tinee assured her readers that Anderson was all that they dreamed HEWOULDBEh"ELIEVEME GIRLS vSHEWROTE h-R!NDERSONINTHEmESHIS SOMEWINNER
v!LLTHROUGHTHESCREENING THOUGH !NDERSONLOOKED SHE WROTE ASIFHEWISHEDHEWEREANYPLACEBUTTHERE#HAPLIN TOO CLEARLY was not in the mood to be interviewed. He was still dismayed at the way THINGSWEREGOING ANDONLYTHEBRUSQUEARMOF4INEESGUIDESTOPPEDHIM from bolting from the room the minute the screening ended. h-R#HAPLINvSAID4INEEh)GUESSTHERESNOUSEDENYINGIT vHESAID “Glad to meet you.” - 134 -

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!STHEGUIDELEDTHEMUPSTAIRSTOANOFlCE 4INEEASKEDWHYHEDIDNOT like to be interviewed. “Don’t you know it’s good for you?” she asked. h)DOUBTIT vSAID#HAPLINh9OUSEE PEOPLEARENTSTRONGFORCELEBRITIES THATAREALREADYMADE7HENAMANSBEENBOOSTEDTOTHESKIES THEYRE apt to sit back in their seats and say ‘I don’t see anything so wonderful ABOUTTHATCHAPxHESOVER RATED"UTIFTHEMANISNOTMADE THEYTAKE joy and pride in discovering him.” "YTHISTIME #HAPLINHADBEENWRITINGANDDIRECTINGHISOWNlLMSFOR NINEMONTHS ANETERNITYINTHElLMBUSINESSh)THINK)MGOINGTOLIKEIT HERE vHESAID POLITELYh.ICEPEOPLE NICESTUDIO)LLMISS#ALIFORNIAAND THEOLD+EYSTONEBUNCH THOUGHvh9OURAUDIENCEWILLFOLLOWYOU v4INEE SAID AS#HAPLINSIGHEDh4HATWILLDELIGHTYOURSOUL ANDYOURCORRESPONdents will write to you!” .OW#HAPLINGRINNEDh9OUBETTHEYWILL vHESAID ANDHISSMILEBROKE INTOALAUGHASHETOLD4INEEABOUTTHElRSTFANLETTERHEHADEVERRECEIVED FROMABOYWHOUSEDTHEWORDhFAVRITvhABOUTSIXTIMES vANDWHOENDED HISLETTERBYSAYINGh9OUWASCERTAINLYGRAND -R#HAPLIN ALLTHREW;SIC= THEPIXTER;SIC= BUTTHEWAYYOUSQUIRTEDWATTER;SIC=OUTOFYOURMOUTH was classic!” Though Tinee noted that Chaplin seemed relieved to be pulled back to WORK SHEWASDULYCHARMEDBYHIM ORATLEASTCLAIMEDTOBEh(ESANICEAS WELLASAFUNNY#HARLIE#HAPLIN vSHEWROTEhANDUNMARRIED GIRLS
v6 To Motion Picture Magazine HEGRANTEDASOMEWHATLENGTHIERINTERVIEW EXPOUNDINGABOUTHISLIFESTORY WHICHHEEMBELLISHEDABIT ANDHISMETHOD OFWORK#HAPLINCREATEDTHEIMPRESSIONTHAT GOOFYASHEWASONCAMERA he had become very serious about his craft in a way that few other motionPICTUREACTORSHADBEENh-OTIONPICTURECOMEDYISSTILLINITSINFANCY vHE SAIDh)NTHENEXTFEWYEARS)EXPECTTOSEESOMANYIMPROVEMENTSTHATYOU could then scarcely recognize the comedy of the present day.”7 He did not say that he was pretty sure that those improvements would NOTBECOMINGFROM%SSANAY BUTHEWAS(EHADALREADYDECIDEDTHATHis New Job would be his only Chicago movie. Chaplin seems never to have bothered to find a permanent address in the city. While rumors persist that he lived in a penthouse in the Brewster Apartments in Lincoln Park ABUILDINGTHATSTILLSTANDSAT.0INE'ROVE!VENUETODAY THISIS likely nothing more than an urban legend. The books that claim Chaplin RESIDEDTHEREFAILTOCITESOURCES ANDTHE"REWSTER!PARTMENTSARELOCATED ABOUTTHREEANDAHALFMILESNORTHOFTHEFORMER%SSANAYCOMPLEXINCONTRASTTO"RONCHO"ILLYSAPARTMENT WHICHWASMEREBLOCKSAWAY 'IVEN - 135 -

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THESHORTAMOUNTOFTIMEHEWASIN#HICAGO ANDHISNOTORIOUSTHRIFTINESS ITISMOREPROBABLETHAT#HAPLINBUNKEDWITHTHE!NDERSONSFORTHE entirety of his three-week stay. Though he wrote of living in “sumptuous style” while working for +EYSTONE THOSEWHOKNEWHIMIN#HICAGOSAWNOEVIDENCEOFIT(AZEL "UDDEMEYER WHOWORKEDASANEGATIVECUTTER LATERREMEMBEREDTHATSHE AND HER CO WORKERS THOUGHT THAT THEIR OWN SALARY EIGHTEEN DOLLARS PER WEEK WASFANTASTIC4HESTUDIOEMPLOYEES ACTORS ANDCREWALIKE WOULD take turns taking spins in one another’s cars and dine in high fashion at THESTYLISH'REEN-ILLh7EALLTOOKTURNSBUYINGDRINKS EXCEPT#HARLIE v "UDDMEYERRECALLEDh7HENHISTURNCAME HEWOULDHIDEDOWNATTHE end of the bar. He was the stingiest man I ever saw!”8 )N  7ILLIAM 'RISHAM ASKED -OLLY !NDERSON h"RONCHO "ILLYvS WIDOW ON WHAT IN THE WORLD #HAPLIN SPENT HIS MONEY AND SHE ALSO REMEMBERED HIM AS A SKINmINT h7ELL v SHE LAUGHED hHE DIDNT EXACTLY THROW;HISMONEY=AWAY
#HARLIEHASTHElRSTNICKELHEEVEREARNED)M certain of that.”9 /RSON 7ELLES WHO WAS BORN IN 7ISCONSIN DURING #HAPLINS TENURE AT%SSANAY ANDWOULDLATERPROVIDETHESTORYIDEAFOR#HAPLINSMonsieur Verdoux REFERREDTO#HAPLINASTHEhCHEAPESTMANWHOEVERLIVEDv10 )NDEED WHENITEVENTUALLYCAMETIMEFOR#HAPLINTOBUILDHISOWNHOUSE IN (OLLYWOOD HE SAVED MONEY BY USING STUDIO CARPENTERS 4HESE MEN WERE USED TO BUILDING TEMPORARY SETS 6ISITORS TO #HAPLINS HOUSE WERE stunned to find doorknobs and railings coming off in their hands. Chaplin himself was already joking about his stinginess in 1915. He told Motion Picture MagazineTHATWHENHElRSTGOTOFFTHETRAININ#HICAGO A NEWSBOYHADSEENHIMANDSHOUTEDTOHISFRIEND h7HATDOYOUTHINKOF THATHAMFAT AYEAR ANDHELOOKSLIKEATRAMP
v11 Chaplin was almost finished with His New JobWHEN AFTERTWOWEEKS Spoor finally arrived. Chaplin wasted no time in confronting him about THEPROMISEDBONUS3POORHEMMEDANDHAWED SAYINGITWASNOTREALLY HISDEPARTMENTANDTHATHEHADNOTSEENTHECONTRACT BUTHEWASSURETHAT the front desk would take care of it all. Chaplin was positively enraged. “What are you scared of?” he asked. “You can still get out of your contract IFYOUWISHˆINFACT )THINKYOUVEALREADYBROKENIT
vh7ELLTAKECARE OFTHEMATTERRIGHTNOW v3POORSAID SOFTLY12 .ATURALLY WHENHERETOLDTHESTORY 3POORTOLDITDIFFERENTLY ANDMADE a crack of his own about Chaplin’s legendary cheapness. “Came the day I WASTOMEETTHEMANWHOM)WASPAYING AWEEK vHETOLDTHEDaily - 136 -

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News hANDTHERESTOODALITTLECHAPINTHE#HICAGOWINTERCOLDWITHOUT ANOVERCOAT)GAVEHIMHISlRSTWEEKSPAYANDABONUSOFONEWEEKSPAY WHICHHEDEMANDEDFORSIGNING(ETUCKED INTOHISPOCKET AND I sent him downtown with an advertising man to buy a coat. I couldn’t BELIEVEITWHEN)SAWIT ANOVER SIZED RAGGEDCOATWITHNOBELTANDJUST one button that kind of camped over Charlie; it was the most misfit coat I ever saw. So I called in the advertising man and asked him if Charlie was pulling a gag on me. The answer was no. ‘I took him to Willoughby (ILL -R3POOR SAIDTHEMAN @BUTEVERYCOATWASTOOEXPENSIVE(E bought a coat at a second-hand place on Clark Street for two dollars.’ That was Charlie Chaplin.”13 3POORDIDSEETOITTHATTHECHECKWASCUT ANDDIDWHATEVERHECOULDTO MAKE#HAPLINHAPPY BUTTHETWONEVERQUITEWARMEDUPTOONEANOTHER Chaplin was not adjusting to Chicago; he missed California. Spoor OFFEREDTOSENDHIMTOTHE7ESTERNSTUDIOIN.ILES WHERE!NDERSONWAS still doing most of his work. Anderson had told Chaplin that the Chicago STUDIOWASBETTERSUITEDTOCOMEDY BUT#HAPLINHADJUSTTOLDTHEDaily Tribune that “with conditions favorable a man can do so much better WORK YOUKNOWv(EALSOLIKED!NDERSONBETTERTHAN3POOR (ENCE #HAPLIN LEFT #HICAGO FOR .ILES AS SOON AS His New Job was COMPLETED %SSANAYS PUBLIC RELATIONS DEPARTMENT AS WELL AS THE Los Angeles Times SAIDTHAT#HAPLINBLAMEDTHECOLD)NFACT THOUGHHECERTAINLYWASNOTENTHUSIASTICABOUT#HICAGOSWEATHER HEBLAMED3POOR Chaplin’s entire Chicago residency lasted just twenty-three days. When His New JobWASRELEASEDON&EBRUARY  HEWASALREADYIN.ILES never to look back. )T IS EXTREMELY IMPRESSIVE THAT THE  YEAR OLD #HAPLIN COULD WRITE DIRECT ANDSTARINAlLM EVENATWO REELER INLESSTHANTWOWEEKSTIME using Chicago facilities and collaborators with whom he had previously been completely unfamiliar. One of the reasons Chaplin was able to work so quickly and efficiently in Chicago was his ingenious idea to make His New Job a “meta film”: the movie begins with Chaplin’s familiar Little Tramp character showing up to audition for a part in a movie at “Lodestone Studios” (an obvious reference to former employer Keystone). 4HEINTERIORSTAGES ASWELLASTHEEMPLOYEESOF%SSANAY ESSENTIALLYPLAY THEMSELVESAS,ODESTONE WHICHSAVED%SSANAYTHEEXPENSEOFHAVINGTO design and construct new sets and costumes but also had the benefit of GIVINGAUDIENCESAFASCINATING DOCUMENTARY LIKEPEEKINTOTHEPROCESSOF movie-making in 1915. - 137 -

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The slim plot of His New Job centers on the Tramp getting a job first as APRODUCTIONASSISTANT THENASACARPENTER ANDlNALLYASANEXTRAINWHAT appears to be a prestigious “period” film set in nineteenth-century Russia. /FCOURSE HEWREAKSHAVOCONTHESET ANDTHEENTIREPRODUCTIONSOON devolves into a state of slapstick anarchy. )NTERESTINGLY ADVERTISEMENTSFORHis New Job played up the film’s selfREmEXIVEASPECT!LTHOUGHTHETITLEOBVIOUSLYALLUDEDTOTHEBEGINNINGOFA NEWPHASEIN#HAPLINSCAREER THEADSALSOBILLED#HAPLINANDCO STAR"EN Turpin as playing “themselves.” His New Job opened to positive reviews BOTHLOCALLYANDACROSSTHENATION SOMEOFWHICHATTEMPTEDTOCONTEXTUalize it within Chaplin’s budding filmography. In her Daily TribuneREVIEW Kitty Kelly noted that Chaplin’s persona seemed a “little nicer” than he HADBEENINHIS+EYSTONElLMSWHILEALSOCLAIMING h)TISHARDTOCONCEIVE of his being any funnier.”14 If His New Job remains one of the high points of Chaplin’s Essanay outPUT THATISLIKELYBECAUSEITWASMADEBEFOREHISPROBLEMSWITH3POORAND Anderson had become irreversible. Although Chaplin never truly felt at HOMEAT%SSANAY HEALSOADMITTEDTHAT3POORAND!NDERSONINITIALLYGAVE him “carte blanche” to do what he wanted. This freedom allowed Chaplin TOTRYNEWTHINGS INPARTICULARTHEBLENDINGOFCOMEDYANDPATHOSTHAT would become the hallmark of his mature masterpieces of the 1920s and S6ARIOUSSOURCESCLAIM#HAPLINCO WROTEHis New Job with Louella 0ARSONSBUT ASWITH#HAPLINS+EYSTONECOMEDIES THElLMWASMOSTLIKELY IMPROVISED ASTHEINCLUSIONOFABEHIND THE SCENESGAMEOFDICEBETWEEN the Tramp and a member of the crew suggests. The dice game was apparently inspired by the real-life dice games played by Essanay cast and crew members while taking lunch breaks at Al Sternberg’s bar and restaurant on the corner of Broadway and Argyle 3TREETS JUSTAFEWBLOCKSAWAY4HISWASANOLD%SSANAYCUSTOMTHATHAD APPARENTLYNOTFALLENBYTHEWAYSIDE EVENGIVENTHECOMPANYSlNANCIAL WOES3INCETHELOSERHADTOPAYTHEBILL ONECANONLYASSUMETHENOTORIOUSLYTHRIFTY#HAPLINEXCELLEDATDICE )NDEED HEWROTEINHISAUTOBIOGRAPHYTHATHEHADHADAMPLETIMETO PRACTICETHISSKILLINHISVAUDEVILLEDAYSh)NTHOSEDAYS THE-IDDLE7EST HAD CHARM v HE WROTE h4HE ATMOSPHERE WAS ROMANTIC EVERY DRUGSTORE and saloon had a dice-throwing desk in the entrance where one gambled FORWHATEVERPRODUCTSTHEYSOLD/N3UNDAY-ORNING -AIN3TREETWASA CONTINUALHOLLOWSOUNDOFRATTLINGDICE WHICHWASPLEASANTANDFRIENDLY and many a time I won a dollar’s worth of goods for ten cents.”15 - 138 -

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Chaplin in Chicago: His New Job

Although His New Job IS STILL QUITE FUNNY BY MODERN STANDARDS ITS most interesting aspect today is probably the dramatic moment in the film-within-the-film when the Tramp tearfully pleads for the leading lady not to leave him before accidentally ripping her dress and using the torn GARMENT TO DRY HIS EYES &ROM HERE THE MASTERFUL TONAL SHIFTS BETWEEN tear-jerking melodrama and uproarious physical comedy displayed in #HAPLINS FEATURE lLMS BEGINNING WITH The Kid IN  ARE JUST A FEW artistic steps away. /NCEIN.ILES #HAPLINACTUALLYLIVEDIN!NDERSONSOWNBUNGALOW which stood in stark contrast to the fancy apartment in Chicago. It was DRAB SCARCELY LIT BARELY FURNISHED AND OFFERED NO WORKING APPLIANCES h4HEBATHROOMWASUNSPEAKABLE v Chaplin recalled. “One had to take a jug and fill it from the bath tap and empty it down the flush to make the toilet work. This was the home of '-!NDERSON THEMULTI MILLIONaire cowboy.”16 )N FACT !NDERSON spent most nights in a suite at the 3AINT &RANCIS (OTEL COMMUTING back to the Bay. Chaplin may have found that living in relative squaLOR WAS HELPFUL TO HIM CREATIVELY 9EARS LATER VISITORS WERE SHOCKED to see his tiny dressing rooms. “If I HADAROOMLIKE;$OUGLAS&AIRBANKS 3RS=DRESSINGROOM )COULDNTPOSSIBLYPORTRAYTHE,ITTLE4RAMP vHE said. “I need a room that looks like him.”17/FCOURSE THATCOULDHAVE ALSOSIMPLYBEENANEXCUSEFORHIS thriftiness. &OR HIS PART #HAPLIN THE RICH YOUNG COMEDIAN ARRIVED IN .ILES carrying nothing but a small handBAGCONTAININGhASPARESHIRT AFEW dingy changes of underwear and a frayed toothbrush.”18 Though His New Job $IRECTEDBY#HARLIE Chaplin. the weather could only have been - 139 -

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MOREAGREEABLE #HAPLINWASEVENLESSHAPPYINTHERUSTIC.ILES WHERE cows seemed to outnumber people and none of the other bathrooms were ANY NICER THAN THE ONE IN !NDERSONS BUNGALOW THAN HE HAD BEEN IN #HICAGO WHERE AT LEAST HE FELT AS AT HOME AS A ,ONDON BOY WOULD IN another large city. !ROUND THE WORLD THE MOTION PICTURE BUSINESS WAS CHANGING $7 'RIFlTHS THREE HOUR EPIC The Birth of a Nation WHICH FOREVER CODIlED THEhLANGUAGEvOFMOVIES PREMIEREDEXACTLYONEWEEKAFTERHis New Job. Chaplin went to see it at least once a week and became seized with the NOTIONTHATHE TOO COULDMAKEFEATURE LENGTHMOVIES APPLYINGTHESAME “language” to comedy that Griffith did to drama.19 More and more creativity was being seen in the film world: directors WERENOWBEINGREGARDEDASARTISTS ANDMOVIESHADCLEARLYTURNEDACORNER in the journey from short snippets of Fred Ott sneezing to modern epics that would characterize the golden age of Hollywood cinema. The opporTUNITIESFORLONGER FORMMOVIESWEREALMOSTNILAT%SSANAY HOWEVER WHERE Spoor was still stuck in the old days. Much of Chaplin’s post-His New Job Essanay work was simply recycled FROMEARLIERMATERIAL4HEPLOTSFORHISHASTILYMADEMOVIESTENDED WROTE *OYCE -ILTON TO START STRONGLY AND GO NOWHERE /N THE PLUS SIDE THE PICTURESWEREMADEMUCHMORECAREFULLY ANDWITHLESSSIMPLEROUGH AND TUMBLEHUMOR THANHIS+EYSTONEWORK ANDTHEARTISTICISOLATIONHEHAD BEENABLETOMAKEFORHIMSELFALLOWEDHIMTORElNE EVENIMPROVEUPON THECHARACTEROFTHE4RAMP#HAPLIN APERFECTIONIST KNEWTHATHECOULD make better movies. He also knew that Essanay was not the atmosphere in which he could do so and that things were about to get worse. Already fearing that the smugness of being part of the old guard lorded over by Edison and his PATENTSKEPT3POORFROMCARINGMUCHABOUTQUALITY #HAPLINRESOLVEDTO go elsewhere. When 1915 drew to a close and his contract with Essanay was running OUT #HAPLINSSTARWASCLEARLYONTHERISE(IS,ITTLE4RAMPPERSONAHAD MADEHIMONEOFTHEMOSTRECOGNIZABLEFACESINTHEWORLD AND#HAPLIN knew that he was more than earning his large salary. He also knew that movies were changing and that if he wanted to be a part of this growth ANDCHANGE ASHEDESERVEDTOBE HEWOULDBEBETTEROFFATASTUDIOTHAT had not been made complacent by its membership in the Edison Trust. %VENBEFOREHESTARTEDWITH+EYSTONE #HAPLINHADKNOWN HELATER SAID THAT hNOTHING TRANSCENDS PERSONALITYv IN MOVIES ,IKE %DISON HIS - 140 -

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Chaplin in Chicago: His New Job

REAL VICTORY WAS LARGELY THE RESULT OF HIS PERSONALITY NOT NECESSARILY HIS considerable talent. There have been other silent comedians and directors who historians have held in higher esteem (Buster Keaton’s movies today ARE GENERALLY REGARDED AS MORE hMODERNv BUT IT WAS #HAPLIN WHO WAS MOSTSUCCESSFULATWINNINGTHEHEARTSOFAUDIENCES JUSTAS%DISONBECAME the father of electricity despite his own actual accomplishments being overshadowed by those of Tesla. Essanay seems to have understood the value of Chaplin’s personality. )TWASTHATSTUDIOTHATlRSTCREDITEDHIMASh#HARLIE vNOTh#HARLESvTOHIS CHAGRIN ANDITWAS%SSANAYTHATLAUNCHEDTHEMARKETINGCAMPAIGNSTHAT INFECTEDTHEPUBLICWITHh#HAPLINITISvIN!LSO LIKE%DISON %SSANAY failed to understand the importance of keeping hold of the top personaliTIESINTHElELD EVENWHILEUNDERSTANDINGTHEVALUEOFPERSONALITY*USTAS %DISONHADLOST7+,$ICKSONTO"IOGRAPH ANDALLOFHISESTEEMEDVOCAL TALENTTOTHE6ICTOR4ALKING-ACHINE#OMPANY %SSANAYTOOLOSTITSOWN STARS/VERTHECOURSEOF ITHADALREADYLOST"USHMANTO-ETRO AND Louella Parsons had left the studio to pioneer the gossip column for the Chicago Record-Herald around the same time Chaplin left the city. "EN4URPIN TOO WASNOWGONE(EHADLEFTWITH#HAPLINFOR.ILES BUTFOUNDTHAT#HAPLINWASNOTABOUTTOLETHIMSTEALANYSCENES ANDHE made only one movie there before relocating to Los Angeles. Even Gloria 3WANSON WITH HER MOTHER HAD MOVED AWAY 3HE WOULD SOON LAND AT +EYSTONE WHERESHEFOUNDTHEhDISREPUTABLESUMMERCAMPvATMOSPHERE and the improvised style of making movies delightful. %SSANAY HOWEVER WASNOTDEADYET'EORGE3POORTRAVELEDTO#ALIFORNIA to make Chaplin an offer for another year at a handsome raise: he was PREPAREDTOOFFERHIM  PLUSPRODUCTIONEXPENSES FORONETWO REEL PICTUREPERMONTHFORTHENEXTYEAR h/N SIGNING ANY CONTRACT v #HAPLIN SAID h) WANT   BONUS plunked down first.”20 This offer meant that Chaplin would be earning a half-million dollars’ PAYFORTHEYEAR AHUGEINCREASEOVERTHEPREVIOUSYEARNOTTOMENTION THEPERWEEKHEWOULDHAVEBEENEARNINGINTHESECONDYEAROFTHE CONTRACT3ENNETTHADOFFERED 7HEN3POORBALKED #HAPLINMADEUPHIS mind once and for all that he was through with Essanay. #HAPLIN DISPATCHED HIS BROTHER 3YD TO .EW 9ORK TO lELD OFFERS FROM OTHER STUDIOS IN *ANUARY  4HIS TIME THERE WERE PLENTY /VER THECOURSEOFTHEYEAR %SSANAYSPUBLICITYMACHINEHADHELPEDCATAPULT Charlie to unheard-of stardom. Trinkets bearing his likeness were sold - 141 -

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everywhere (though the honor of being the first to market Chaplin statUESBELONGEDTOA#HICAGOMANWHOSOLDTHEMINCATALOGS 3TAN,AUREL WHOHADONCEBEEN#HAPLINSROOMMATEINHISVAUDEVILLEDAYS WASSTILL ONTHESTAGECIRCUIT PERFORMINGASA#HAPLINIMPERSONATOR Chaplin knew that his movies were making tremendous amounts of MONEY BUTITSEEMSTHATINHISCOMPARATIVEISOLATIONIN#ALIFORNIA HEHAD NOIDEAEXACTLYHOWPOPULARHEHADBECOMEACROSSTHECOUNTRY7HENHE boarded a slow train to New York to meet with his brother and negotiATEOFFERSWITHOTHERCOMPANIES HESTILLFELTTHATNOONEWOULDRECOGNIZE HIMWHENHEWASNOTWEARINGHISCOMEDYMAKEUP!FTERALL HEHADNOT even made the finals at a recent Charlie Chaplin lookalike contest in San Francisco. (EWASSHOCKEDWHENHUGECROWDSGATHEREDATEVERYSTOP EVENDRAGging him out of the car in his dressing gown to accept a key to the city OF!MARILLO 4EXAS WHENTHETRAINSTOPPEDTHERE4HISKINDOFEVENTˆ mobs waiting at every train stop in an age when the lack of airports and interstates made it impossible for stars to travel privately and in secret — WOULDHORRIFYANUMBEROFSTARS7HENITHAPPENEDTOHERIN 'LORIA Swanson would say that she felt like the half-dead whale that people had lined up to see when P.T. Barnum had moved it across the country in a seaweed-lined train car years before. !TTHEENDOF ONLY-OLLY!NDERSONHADBEENPRESENTTOGREET #HAPLINWHENHEARRIVEDIN#HICAGO DESPITETHEFACTTHATHEWASTRAVELINGWITHHERHUSBAND THEFAMOUSh"RONCHO"ILLYv.OW BARELYMORETHAN A YEAR LATER WHEN #HAPLINS TRAIN PULLED INTO 5NION 3TATION CHEERING crowds mobbed him as a waiting limousine took him to stay a night as a guest at the Blackstone Hotel. The Blackstone was an opulent palace RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER FROM THE !MERICAN -USIC (ALL WHERE HE HAD QUIETLYMADEHIS#HICAGODEBUTLESSTHANSIXYEARSEARLIER 4HOUGHHEMANAGEDTOAVOIDTHEMIN#HICAGO 3POORAND!NDERSON traveled to New York onboard the Twentieth Century Limited THESAME TRAIN#HAPLINTOOK EAGERTORENEWTHECONTRACTDESPITETHEEARLIERBREAKdown in negotiations. "Y THIS TIME %SSANAY HAD LOST NEARLY ITS ENTIRE STABLE OF STARS AND Spoor was not eager to lose his last great comedian. He was not far from LOSINGHISLASTGREATCOWBOYSTAR ANDPARTNER EITHER3POORAND!NDERSON WERENOTONTHEBESTOFTERMSBYTHISTIME!NDERSON WHO#HAPLINHAD FOUNDTOBESOMETHINGOFACHARMINGECCENTRIC INFURIATED3POORWITHHIS ANTICS,IKE%DISON 3POORSIMPLYDIDNOTSEEMTOUNDERSTANDTHATMOVIES - 142 -

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Chaplin in Chicago: His New Job

WERETOBEABUSINESSDRIVENBYCREATIVITYANDTALENT ANDTHATIFHEDID NOTTREATTHEMOSTIMPORTANTTALENTLIKEROYALTY THEYWOULDSIMPLYlNDA STUDIOTHATWOULD$ESPITEHISBEINGAPARTNERINTHEBUSINESS 3POORDOES not seem to have treated Anderson very well at this time. Any attempt they made to retain Chaplin’s services fell on deaf ears. Chaplin was eventually signed by the Mutual Film Corporation at a rate OF PERWEEK PLUSTHE BONUS3POORHADREFUSEDTOPAY him. Many commentators and historians have since pointed to the loss of Chaplin as the single greatest mistake Essanay ever made. It would prove to be not just a nail in the company’s coffin but also a signal of the end of the days when Chicago was a major film center. None of the stars who left Essanay stayed in Chicago. They all headed for Los Angeles. Less than TWOMONTHSAFTER#HAPLINSIGNEDWITH-UTUAL 3POORSENTACABLETO.ILES ANNOUNCINGTHATTHE.ILESSTUDIOWASTOBESHUTDOWN/NLYWEEKSLATER Harper’s Weekly became the first major publication to seriously put forth THEPROPOSITIONTHAT#HAPLINWASNOMERECOMEDIAN BUTAGENIUSOFTHE highest order. Nearly all of the actors had left by now. Swanson was gone before %SSANAYCOULDMAKEHERINTOASTAR"USHMANWASGONE"EERY FORONE seemed to leave behind a trail of bad memories. More than twenty years LATER WHEN MOST OF THE BACKSTAGE PEOPLE FROM 3ELIG AND %SSANAY WERE WORKINGASSTAGEHANDSIN#HICAGOTHEATERS THEDaily TribuneWROTETHAT “The stagehands of Chicago almost to a man have very little to say in HONOR OF 7ALLACE "EERY 4HEY REMEMBER AN EXPERIENCE THEY HAD WITH him when he was leaving Essanay in Argyle Street for the lush celluloid pastures of California. They determined to touch off a party in honor of HISTREKWEST4HEYTOOKUPACOLLECTIONSOTHATTHEYCOULDSENDATAXICAB FOR"EERYATHISLODGINGS(EREFUSEDTORIDEINIT ALLEGEDLYDEMANDINGA LIMOUSINE 3O HE DIDNT SHOW UP AT THE PARTY AND THE STAGEHANDS HAVE never forgotten it.”21-ICHAEL&IGLIULO ASTUNTMAN MAYBETHEONLYONE WHOREMEMBEREDHIMWELL DESCRIBINGHIMINAShTHEKINDOFGUY WHOWOULDTAKEINASTRAYDOGORCATv&IGLIULODID HOWEVER ALSONOTE that Chaplin was “a real son of a bitch … cheap as hell.”)22 %SSANAY HAD LOST MOST OF ITS LEADING LIGHTS MOST OF THE TALENT THAT COULDHAVEKEPTTHEMONTOPOFTHElLMWORLD4HECOMPANY AND THE #HICAGOlLMSCENE WASHANGINGONTOLIFEBYATHREAD

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- PA R T F O U R -

IT ALL CAME CRASHING DOWN A

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- C H A P T E R T W E LV E -

4HE$ECLINEOFTHE #HICAGO3TUDIOS A

A

S OF  #HICAGO TECHNICALLY REMAINED A HUB FOR lLMMAKING There were still certain advantages that the Windy City could proVIDETHATTHELUSHCELLULOIDPASTURESOF,OS!NGELESCOULDNOT SUCHASTHE OPPORTUNITY OF CAPTURING URBAN STREET SHOTS )N  -ACK 3ENNETT OF Keystone hired Michael Figliulo to perform motorcycle stunts in Chicago city streets. Figliulo later remembered filming a scene in which he rode off the roof of a twenty-story building downtown. “They sent me off of the building into a big steel net that was suspended from the window a floor BELOW vHESAID(EGOTSTEADYWORKDOINGSTUNTSFOR3ENNETTIN#HICAGO throughout 1915.14HESTUDIOSTHEREWEREALREADYINDECLINE HOWEVER AND BYTHETIME&IGLIULOSCAREERWASHALTEDBYANINJURYIN THEREWASNOT much film work left in Chicago. 4HE STORY OF THE DECLINE OF THE MAJOR #HICAGO STUDIOS IS INEXTRICAbly tied to that of the decline of the Motion Picture Patents Company. The MPPC first ran into serious trouble in February 1911 when Eastman +ODAK EXPLOITING A LOOPHOLE IN ITS CONTRACT BEGAN SELLING lLM STOCK TO UNLICENSED INDEPENDENT COMPANIES "Y THIS TIME THE INDEPENDENTS had started to fight back in earnest against the Trust by organizing - 147 -

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themselves into something called the Motion Picture Distribution and 3ALES#OMPANY4HEBUDDINGSTUDIOHEADSWHORANTHISOUTlT 7ILLIAM &OX #ARL ,AEMMLE AND !DOLPH :UKOR ESTABLISHED RELATIONSHIPS WITH INDEPENDENT lLM EXCHANGES AND THEMSELVES BEGAN PRODUCING FEATURE length films in an attempt to provide an alternative product to the Trust-sanctioned one- and two-reelers. (Foreign-produced features had ALREADYBEENAROUNDFORYEARS 3HORTLYTHEREAFTER THE4RUSTRELUCTANTLY changed its policies to allow for the production and distribution of longerformat movies that could compete with these foreign and independent lLMS7ILLIAM3ELIG VIRTUALLYALONEAMONG-00#MEMBERS RELISHEDTHIS CHANGE 4HISCHANGEOFPOLICYESTABLISHED A PATTERN THAT STILL EXISTS TO this day: foreign and independent filmmakers have often defined themSELVES AS ALTERNATIVES TO (OLLYWOOD ONLY TO SEE (OLLYWOOD RESPOND BY co-opting their alternative strategies. 4HENEXTBLOWTOTHE4RUSTCAMEIN!UGUSTWHENTHE3UPREME Court reversed its decision to uphold the Biograph Company’s patent on the Latham film loop.2 This ruling meant that the independents were now free to use cameras and equipment that had previously been availABLEONLYTOMEMBERSOFTHE-00#!SARESULT THETECHNICALQUALITYOF INDEPENDENT lLMS IMMEDIATELY IMPROVED $7 'RIFlTH SENSING WHICH WAYTHEWINDWASBLOWING SOONLEFT"IOGRAPHTOFORMHISOWNINDEPENDENTCOMPANY 2ELIANCE -AJESTIC3TUDIOS ANDBEGANPRODUCINGFEATURES ALMOSTEXCLUSIVELY The Trust became increasingly embattled as more lawsuits were filed AGAINSTIT lRSTBY7ILLIAM&OXSOONTOBETHENAMESAKEOFTHE&OX&ILM #ORPORATION WHOCHARGEDhRESTRAINTOFTRADE vTHENBYTHE5NITED3TATES *USTICE$EPARTMENTONTHESAMEGROUNDSh/NORABOUT!PRIL vTHE *USTICE $EPARTMENTS lLING READ hDEFENDANTS SET OUT TO MONOPOLIZE THE BUSINESSOFALLRENTALEXCHANGESINTHE5NITED3TATES THEIRPURPOSEBEING to drive out of business all persons so engaged and to absorb to themselves the profits theretofore made therein.”3 This suit was filed at the beginning OF"YTHETIMETHECASEWASDECIDEDONCEANDFORALLlVEYEARSLATER a sea change had already occurred in the industry that saw virtually all of the MPPC-licensed studios go out of business while the former independents they had tried to squeeze out had established a new order in Hollywood. )NHINDSIGHT THEFATALmAWOFTHE-00#SPLANTORULETHE!MERICAN film industry lay in Thomas Edison’s stubborn decision not to allow any newcomers to join the Trust after its formation. Edison was shortsighted - 148 -

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The Decline of the Chicago Studios

in not anticipating the long-term resistance that the independents would offer. He believed he could simply keep them shut out indefinitely through SUBPOENASANDLAWSUITS)NTHISRESPECT 'EORGE+LEINEWASCORRECTTOlGHT Edison over the issue in 1908; had the MPPC been more generous in THEGRANTINGOFITSLICENSES ITPROBABLYCOULDHAVEPROLONGEDITSREIGNFOR many more years. Internal struggles within the Trust became increasingly contentious in 1913 and also contributed to its decline. The MPPC’s escalating legal COSTS FORINSTANCE HADTOBESPLITEQUALLYAMONGALLOFITSMEMBERS EVEN though the vast majority of their profits were going only to Edison and "IOGRAPH !S A RESULT 'EORGE 3POOR AND 'EORGE +LEINE THREATENED TO sue Edison for damages. In addition to the troubles the Trust faced as a RESULTOFTHELAWSUITS THEYALSOSAWTHEEXPIRATION IN OFTHELASTOF the patents relating to motion-picture cameras and projectors that Edison HADlLEDINTHEMID S'OINGFORWARD THE4RUSTCOULDRELYONLYON revenues generated through the distribution of movies by the General &ILM#OMPANY3UDDENLY MEMBERSHIPINTHE%DISON4RUSTSEEMEDTOBE more trouble than it was worth. )N THEOUTBREAKOF7ORLD7AR)CAUSEDFURTHERDAMAGETOTHE Trust. Because the GFC was responsible for importing more European lLMSTHANITSINDEPENDENTRIVALS THEHALTINTHEmOWOF%UROPEANIMPORTS MEANT A SHARP DECLINE IN BUSINESS #ONVERSELY THE 4RUST ALSO EXPORTED MOREOFITSOWNlLMSTO%UROPETHANDIDTHEINDEPENDENTS ASOURCEOF lucrative income that now also sharply declined. (This change was sigNIlCANTIN THENUMBEROFMOVIES6ITAGRAPHDISTRIBUTEDABROADWAS double the amount it distributed domestically.4 'EORGE+LEINE EVERTHE VOICE OF REASON BEGGED %DISON AND "IOGRAPH TO LET THE '&# DISTRIBUTE FEATURElLMSREGULARLY ESPECIALLYAFTERHEHADMADEAKILLINGBYDISTRIBUTing ten-reel European epics such as Quo Vadis? (1913) and The Last Days of Pompeii (1913) in limited release. The myopic MPPC brass declined the request by saying that the future of motion pictures would be “the old regular program with film not longer than three reels.”5 Even more damning than the MPPC’s failure to recognize the staying POWER AND WIDESPREAD APPEAL OF THE FEATURE lLM HOWEVER WAS ITS INSIStence on relying solely upon internal financing while its independent RIVALSTURNEDTO7ALL3TREET)N MAVERICKDISTRIBUTOR TURNED PRODUCER Adolph Zucker founded Paramount Pictures in Hollywood; he promptly LISTED IT ON THE .EW 9ORK 3TOCK %XCHANGE 4HIS ACTION WOULD BE THE beginning of a long financial partnership between Wall Street and the - 149 -

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!MERICANMOTION PICTUREINDUSTRY4HE-00# ASITHADINSOMANYOTHER WAYS MADEAPOORDECISIONNOTTOOPENITSELFUPTOOUTSIDEINVESTORS4HE access to Wall Street funds sent the financial profile of the independents surging ahead of those of Edison and the old guard. 4HElNALNAILINTHECOFlNCAMEON/CTOBER WHENAFEDERAL court decided that the Motion Picture Patents Company had operated in violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act in going “far beyond what was necessary to protect the use of patents or the monopoly which went with them.”6 Although the MPPC was not officially terminated for another THREEYEARS WHENALLOFITSLEGALAPPEALSHADlNALLYBEENREJECTED ITSMEMbers had by that time long ceased to be major players in the American motion-picture industry. Most of Essanay’s acting talent left the company in 1915. After inheritINGALARGESUMOFMONEY 'LORIA3WANSONANDHERMOTHERDETERMINEDTO GOONVACATIONIN-ANILA WITHNOINTENTIONOFEVERRETURNINGTO%SSANAY Swanson gave her notice. When she first arrived in California en route to -ANILA 3WANSONWASMETBY7ALLACE"EERYIN,OS!NGELES WHICHTHEN PRIMARILYSTILLCONSISTEDOFRICKETYHOUSES WITHTHEOCCASIONALCOWWANdering around. When they drove towards the city she began to see signs that read “FOR RENT: DOGS AND ACTORS NOT WANTED.” “This ISIT vSAID"EERYWITHALAUGHh4HISIS(OLLYWOOD,OOKATSOMEOFTHESE freaks. No wonder homeowners won’t put them up. They’ll do anything to attract attention to themselves and get into movies.” Swanson could clearly see that Hollywood was becoming the city of MOVIESh4HEMEN WOMEN CHILDRENANDANIMALSALLLOOKEDABSURD vSHE wrote in her autobiography. “I had never seen such weird costumes — loud SUITS RUFmEDDRESSES FURJACKETS COWBOYBOOTSANDCRAZYHATSvh4HEYRE DESPERATE v"EERYEXPLAINEDh%VERYONEWANTSTOGETINTOPICTURESxWHEN )lNISHTHESERIESOFPICTURES)MMAKINGIN.ILES )MCOMINGDOWNHERE too. It’s thePLACE NOQUESTIONv7 3WANSON HAD INTENDED ONLY TO STOP BRIEmY IN (OLLYWOOD BUT WAS SNAPPEDUPBY+EYSTONEATARATEOFAWEEKh-AYBEPICTURESWERENT SOBAD AFTERALL vSHETHOUGHTTOHERSELF83OON SHEWOULDBEARGUABLYTHE MOSTFAMOUS ANDWELLPAID WOMANINTHEWORLD Chicago’s time as a prototype Hollywood was clearly coming to a close. $ECADESLATER IN #HICAGOAN!NDREW3ULLIVANREMEMBEREDTHEATMOsphere in Uptown: “We school kids of the neighborhood used to hang AROUNDTHESTUDIOANDGOTTOKNOWMOSTOFTHEACTORS DIRECTORSANDCAMeramen. They would sometimes tell us to come in a gang on a certain day to - 150 -

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appear as a bunch of kids in a picture taken in the neighborhood. We would GETCENTSAPIECEx7EGOTTOKNOWBYSIGHT&RANCIS8"USHMAN "EVERLY "AYNE 2UTH 3TONEHOUSE "EN 4URPIN #HARLIE #HAPLIN 7ALLY 2EID AND Wallace Beery. They acted in outside scenes and tore around the neighborhood in a low-slung yellow Mercer racing car. Also we knew George Spoor … he used to hire us boys sometimes to do odd jobs around his home.”9 3UCH A FRIENDLY MID WESTERN ATMOSPHERE NEVER COULD HAVE EXISTED THEN IN ,OS !NGELES WHICH WAS ALREADY REFERRING TO ITSELF AS h3TUDIO #ITYv#HICAGO AFTERALL ALREADYHADANIDENTITY)N(OLLYWOOD AWHOLE city could grow up around the nascent industry. Those who talk about why motion-picture production moved on from Chicago usually cite the WEATHERANDTHE%DISON4RUSTASPRIMARYFACTORS BUTANOTHERREASONMAY simply be that the industry was outgrowing the confines of an alreadyBUSYCITY ANDNEEDEDAPLACEOFITSOWN )NTHEWAKEOFTHECOURTDECISIONTODISSOLVETHE-00# ANDTHE MIGRATIONOFACTINGTALENTWESTWARD THENOW mOUNDERING#HICAGOSTUDIOS employed new strategies in an attempt to resuscitate business. Essanay TRIEDITSHANDATPRODUCINGANIMATEDlLMS WHICHWERETHENSTILLINTHEIR infancy. They hired the St. Louis-born animator Wallace A. Carlson to CREATEANIMATEDSHORTSFEATURINGRECURRINGCHARACTERS THEMOSTPOPULAR of which was the “Dreamy Dud” series of 1915/16. These black-and-white HAND DRAWN ANIMATIONS WERE MINIMALIST IN STYLE BUT FUNNY CHARMING ANDINVENTIVEASSTORYTELLING!GOODEXAMPLEISDreamy Dud: He Resolves Not to Smoke  IN WHICH THE TITLE CHARACTER AN IMAGINATIVE LITTLE BOY GETSINTOMISCHIEFWHENHESTEALSAPIPE SMOKESITOBSESSIVELY ANDIS whisked away by a spirit that emerges from his smoke rings. This “spirit of smoke” takes Dud to the moon and leaves him there in order to teach HIMALESSON$UDFALLSOFFTHEEDGEOFTHEMOONANDTHEN WAKINGUPIN HISBEDTOREALIZETHATITWASALLADREAM RESOLVESNEVERTOSMOKEAGAIN"Y 1917 Wallace Carlson was working for Paramount. 1915 was also the year that the Trust finally relented on its decision not to produce and distribute feature films. Essanay combined with the most POWERFUL REMAINING -00# STUDIOS TO FORM A NEW DISTRIBUTION COMPANY 6 , 3 %6ITAGRAPH ,UBIN 3ELIG %SSANAY ANDLATER+%3%+LEINE %DISON 3ELIG %SSANAY THEAIMOFWHICHWASTORELEASEFEATURESEXCLUSIVELY)TSTIMING WAS OFCOURSE TOOLATE!LTHOUGHTHE%SSANAY PRODUCEDFEATUREGraustark  WASASMASHHIT STARS&RANCIS8"USHMANAND"EVERLY"AYNESOON DEFECTEDTO-ETROIN(OLLYWOOD!SEQUEL The Prince of Graustark (1916) was devoid of big-name stars and subsequently did not fare as well. - 151 -

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&RANCIS8"USHMANINAPUBLICITYSTILLFROM'RAUSTARK #OURTESYOFTHE#HICAGO History Museum)

$URINGTHISTIME THERELATIONSHIPBETWEEN'EORGE3POORAND'ILBERT !NDERSON WHICH HAD GROWN INCREASINGLY UNEASY THROUGHOUT #HARLIE #HAPLINS %SSANAY TENURE OF  REACHED A BREAKING POINT 4HE lNAL STRAWBETWEENTHETWO ASRECALLEDBY"ILL#ATO !NDERSONSSTUNTMAN CAMEWHEN3POORINSTALLEDATIMECLOCKATTHE.ILESSTUDIO WHICHWAS STILLCRANKINGOUTANEWHORSEOPERAEVERYWEEKOR INSOMECASES SEVEN INONEWEEK AFTERWHICH!NDERSONWOULDTAKESIXWEEKSOFF &URIOUS !NDERSONSMASHEDTHETIMECLOCKWITHANAXEANDHADITSENTBACKTO Spoor.10 3POOR BOUGHT OUT !NDERSONS SHARE OF %SSANAY IN EARLY  which was around the same time that the Niles studio was shuttered. The most significant Chicago-shot Essanay films of this era were The Raven AN%DGAR!LLAN0OEBIOPICDIRECTEDWITHIMAGINATIVEmAIRBY#HARLES "RABINANDSTARRINGTHEGREAT(ENRY"7ALTHALL ANDSherlock Holmes A seven-reel feature directed by Arthur Berthelet. The latter was the first feature-length Sherlock Holmes movie as well as the first film in which the famed detective was portrayed wearing his soon-to-be-iconic deerstalker CAP 7ILLIAM 'ILLETTE AN ACCLAIMED THEATRICAL ACTOR WHO HAD ORIGINATED THISLOOKONSTAGE REPRISEDHISROLEFOR%SSANAYSSCREENVERSION'ILLETTEHAD originally worked with Arthur Conan Doyle on a theatrical script about - 152 -

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(OLMESIN ANDHADSPENTTHEPREVIOUSDECADEANDAHALFTRAVELINGTHE world starring in it. In her Chicago Daily TribuneREVIEW +ITTY+ELLYWROTE “It is a production to which Essanay may point with pride and may file away INTHESTRONGBOXFORFUTUREANDAGAINFUTUREREVIVALv5NFORTUNATELY THE %SSANAYhSTRONGBOXvWASALMOSTNOTSTRONGENOUGHSherlock Holmes was lost for almost a century until it turned up at the Cinémathèque Française in 2014.* The Raven ONTHEOTHERHAND HASALWAYSBEENINCIRCULATIONAND has always been one of the easiest Essanay films to see. The RavenBEGINSWITHANEXCEPTIONALLYBIZARREPROLOGUETHATTRACES Edgar Allan Poe’s ancestors all the way back to Ireland in the eighteenth century. This scene has absolutely nothing to do with the story that will FOLLOWBUTITDOESINTRODUCESOMEINTERESTINGTRIVIA SUCHASTHEFACTTHAT Poe’s biological parents were theatrical actors. Brabin then shows a still PHOTOGRAPHOFTHEACTUAL0OE WHICHDISSOLVESINTOACLOSE UPOFLEADACTOR Henry B. Walthall. The moment is startlingly effective because Walthall bears a striking resemblance to Poe — albeit if Poe had possessed movie star good looks. (Walthall’s casting may also have been the result of his having starred in D.W. Griffith’s Poe-inspired The Avenging Conscience a year earlier.) This dramatic introductory scene was also fitting for a star of Walthall’s caliber: The Raven was the eleventh of twelve films he would appear in that were released in 1915. (The second was Griffith’s The Birth of a Nation INWHICHHEPLAYEDTHELEADROLEOFTHEhLITTLE#OLONELv The Raven’s narrative proper begins with Poe as a young man living in 6IRGINIAASTHEADOPTEDSONOFTHEWEALTHY!LLANFAMILY(ECOURTSHIS COUSIN6IRGINIATHElRSTOFSEVERALWOMENINTHEMOVIE REALORIMAGINED to be portrayed by Essanay contract player Warda Howard). One of the most interesting sequences in the film is from this section: Poe sees a slave BEINGBEATENBYHISOWNERAND THOUGHHECANNOTREALLYAFFORDIT ARRANGES to buy the slave’s freedom. The shocking progressiveness of this scene as WRITTENISSOMEWHATTEMPERED HOWEVER BYTHEFACTTHATTHESLAVEISPLAYED with broad comedic flourishes by a white actor in blackface make-up. The death of Poe’s beloved bride is seen as precipitating his descent INTOMADNESS WHICHPROVIDESThe Raven’s dramatic high point: a reenACTMENTOFTHETITLEPOEMWITH0OEINTHEROLEOFTHENARRATOR ALONEIN

!TTHETIMETHISBOOKWENTTOPRESS Sherlock Holmes was undergoing a digital restoration through the joint efforts of the Cinémathèque Française and the San &RANCISCO3ILENT&ILM&ESTIVAL WITHTHEATRICALhRE PREMIERESvPLANNEDFORBOTH&RANCE and the United States in 2015. - 153 -

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Flickering Empire Henry B. Walthall as Edgar Allan Poe in a still from The Raven #OURTESYOFTHE Chicago History Museum)

HISSTUDY TAUNTEDBYAREALRAVENANDHAUNTEDBYTHEGHOSTOFHIShLOST ,ENOREv(OWARD )NTHISSCENE 7ALTHALLSTORTUREDANDHIGHLYEMOTIVE performance is effectively matched by director Brabin’s use of proto%XPRESSIONISTHIGH CONTRASTLIGHTINGANDANIMPRESSIVEANDCREATIVEUSEOF 4HEODORE7HARTON STYLESUPERIMPOSITIONSEG AHUMANSKULLAPPEARSAS an eerie vision before Poe). The Gothic atmosphere of this climactic scene — and Poe’s “wine”-induced hallucinations — was certainly ahead of its time: the horror genre would not really catch on in America until the late SILENTERA AFTERWHICHTIMEITHADALREADYFULLYBLOSSOMEDIN'ERMANY The Raven would prove to be the highlight of Walthall’s tenure at %SSANAY ALTHOUGH HE WOULD CONTINUE TO APPEAR IN PRODUCTIONS FOR THE studio on and off through 1917 before returning to Hollywood for good. Among the scrapbooks that belonged to “Major” Marvin Spoor (brother of Essanay-founder George Spoor and one of Essanay’s top directors of phoTOGRAPHY THATARENOWINTHEARCHIVESOFTHE#HICAGO(ISTORY-USEUM one is devoted entirely to photographs of The Raven ANINDICATIONOFJUST how important the studio thought the movie was at the time. Charles "RABINWOULDGOONTOAFAIRLYDISTINGUISHED(OLLYWOODCAREER DIRECTING AMONGMANYOTHERlLMS THE"ORIS+ARLOFFVEHICLEThe Mask of Fu Manchu IN(EMAYBEBESTKNOWNTODAY HOWEVER FORBEINGTHEANSWERTOA trivia question: he was also the husband of notorious stage and screen star - 154 -

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-AX,INDERAND-ARTHA-ANSlELDINAPUBLICITYSTILLFORMax Comes Across  (Courtesy of the Chicago History Museum)

4HEDA"ARA4HEIRLONGAND UNUSUALFOR(OLLYWOOD SUCCESSFULMARRIAGE lasted from 1921 until her death in 1955. George Spoor’s final big gamble as a studio boss was to sign a conTRACT WITH &RENCH COMEDIAN -AX ,INDER IN  ,INDER HAD STARRED IN ANDDIRECTEDASERIESOFHITSFOR0ATHÏ AND3POORFELTTHATHECOULDTURN ,INDERINTOTHEhNEXT#HARLIE#HAPLINv3POORPAID,INDER FORA one year contract.115NFORTUNATELY THE!MERICAN,INDERlLMSWEREMOSTLY POORLYRECEIVED CRITICALLYANDCOMMERCIALLY THOUGHSOMECRITICSANDHISTOrians have since positively reappraised them. This failure was probably just ASWELLFOR,INDER WHO LIKE#HAPLIN DESPISEDTHE#HICAGOWEATHERAND RETURNEDTO&RANCEIN )NONEOF%SSANAYSLASTOFlCIALACTS ADESPERate Spoor unsuccessfully attempted to sue Charlie Chaplin for breach of contract. Production at the Argyle Street studio ceased for good in 1918.

,INDERS lRST TWO %SSANAY lLMS Max Comes Across and Max Wants a Divorce WERE SHOTIN#HICAGOINTHEDEADOFWINTERBUTTHETHIRD Max in a Taxi (the only one to enjoy MODERATESUCCESSATTHETIME WASMADEIN,OS!NGELES.EWSPAPERREPORTSMADEMUCH OFTHEFACTTHATTHESTRESSOFTRAVELINGTOTHE53HADEXACERBATED,INDERS7ORLD7AR) injuries. It was likely a combination of ill health and Essanay’s financial woes that led to the premature cancellation of Linder’s ocntract. - 155 -

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3ELIG 0OLYSCOPE MEANWHILE HAD RESPONDED TO THE -00# CRISIS BY again turning its focus to the newsreel format. Because the novelization of The Adventures of KathlynHADBEENSUCCESSFULFORBOTHPARTIESINVOLVED William Selig formed a partnership with the Chicago Daily Tribune to produce a new weekly newsreel in 1916. The Colonel called this new endeavor the Selig-Tribune AND ADVERTISED IT AS h4HE 7ORLDS 'REATEST News Film” (a riff on the Daily Tribune’s motto of “The World’s Greatest Newspaper”). Selig granted an interview with the Moving Picture World to COINCIDEWITHTHENEWSREELSLAUNCH(ECLAIMED DISINGENUOUSLY THATHE had severed ties with William Randolph Hearst because he thought the PUBLICWASDEMANDINGSOMETHINGhINTERESTINGvANDhDIFFERENT vIMPLYING that these were qualities that Hearst was lacking but that the Selig-Tribune would now be able to provide. “In my opinion the Selig-Tribune will meet a want long felt by distribuTORSOFMOTIONPICTURES v3ELIGSAIDh4HESEEXHIBITORSDESIREANEWSlLM THATISSTRICTLYUPTODATE INTERESTINGANDENTERTAINING4HEPATRONSOFTHE various motion-picture theaters have felt there was something lacking in THENEWSPICTORIALlLMSANDHAVENOTHESITATEDSOTOEXPRESSTHEMSELVES NOTONLYTOTHEEXHIBITORSOFMOTIONPICTURES BUTTOTHElLMMANUFACTURers. It has been my ambition to supply that something. “When I concluded to sever our connection with the Hearst-Selig News Pictorial and to manufacture and release a news film that would be someTHING@DIFFERENT )WASNATURALLYPLEASEDTOCOOPERATEWITHTHEChicago Daily and Sunday Tribune ASTHEREPUTATIONOFTHATPUBLICITYMEDIUMFORUNIVERsal pictorial and news service is flattering. I am sure that the picture-play PUBLICWILLBEMORETHANSATISlEDWITHTHE3ELIG 4RIBUNE.OTIME MONEYOR thought will be spared to make this news film everything it ought to be.”12 While the Selig Polyscope studio in Edendale continued to focus on PRODUCING lCTIONAL NARRATIVES THE #HICAGO PLANT BEGAN TO FOCUS MORE ANDMOREONTHENEWSREEL!DMITTEDLY THESelig-Tribune was a big operation but Colonel Selig had not constructed a man-made lake and giant outdoor stages for what was rapidly turning into a mere post-production facility. In addition to the war correspondents it had stationed all over THEWORLD THEREWERESEVENTY lVE3ELIG0OLYSCOPEEMPLOYEESIN#HICAGO who worked solely on the creation of the Selig-Tribune PRINTS OF WHICH were shipped out twice weekly to hundreds of theaters across the United 3TATES4HENEWSREEL HOWEVER WASNOTlNANCIALLYSUCCESSFULENOUGHTO JUSTIFY THE ENORMOUS EXPENSE INVOLVED IN ITS CREATION AND DISTRIBUTION Production of the Selig-Tribune stopped at the end of 1916. - 156 -

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William Selig had first ordered a halt to the production of fictional NARRATIVES AT THE #HICAGO PLANT IN MID  BUT WOULD THEN PERIODICALLYRE OPENFORTHEPRODUCTIONOFSPECIALPROJECTSOVERTHENEXTCOUPLE of years.13 /NE PROMINENT EXAMPLE WAS S The Crisis AN AMBITIOUS attempt to make a Birth of a Nation-style Civil War epic. The Crisis was SUCCESSFUL BUTNOTENOUGHTOREVERSE3ELIG0OLYSCOPESDECLININGFORTUNES 3ELIGWOULDNEVER INFACT RECOVERFROMTHElNANCIALTROUBLESHEENCOUNtered in 1916. The rate of production of his jungle adventure films had dropped from one per week in 1915 to just one per month the followING YEAR !NOTHER BLOW CAME WHEN +ATHLYN 7ILLIAMS HIS TOP STAR FOR SEVERALYEARSRUNNING BECAMEMARRIEDTO0ARAMOUNT0ICTURESEXECUTIVE Charles Eyton and signed a new contract with his studio. (In an interview NOTLONGBEFORE7ILLIAMSSDEPARTURE 3ELIGHADIRONICALLYBOASTEDOFHIS star’s loyalty while criticizing other studios for not treating their top talENTASWELLASHEHADh)VESEENSOMEOFTHEM;MOVIESTARS=LOOKINGPRETTY UNHAPPY vSAID3ELIGh4HEYOUGHTTOREMEMBERTHATTHEIRCOMPANYSPENT ALOTOFMONEYINMAKINGTHEMx-ISS7ILLIAMS FORINSTANCE OWESA GREATDEALTOUS BUTSHEISLOYALTOUS ANDSOAREWETOHER7EWILLALWAYS KEEP HER EVEN WHEN SHE DOESNT PLAY MUCH ANYMOREv14) To help comPENSATEFORTHESElNANCIALLOSSES 3ELIGLEASEDOUTHIS%DENDALESTUDIOTO 7ILLIAM&OX

!ZEBRABELONGINGTOTHEILL FATEDh3ELIG:OOv Chicago Daily News (Courtesy of the Chicago History Museum) - 157 -

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4HE #OLONEL WAS HOWEVER IN #HICAGO AS OF  APPARENTLY STILL WORKINGWITHANEYETOTHEFUTURE)NTHATYEAR NEWSPAPERSCARRIEDAPHOtograph of him kissing one of four chimpanzees he owned at the Lincoln 0ARK:OO WHERETHECHIMPSˆ-IKE -ARY "ETTY AND"ILLˆWEREBEING TRAINED FOR A CAREER IN MOVIES -ARY HAD LEARNED TO SMOKE CIGARETTES UNLOCKLOCKS ANDhEXPECTORATELIKEACOALHEAVERv%VENSO WHENTHEIR TRAININGWASCOMPLETE THECHIMPSWEREULTIMATELYSENTTO#ALIFORNIATO launch their acting careers.15 The most press Selig seems to have received at this time was not for a movie at all but for a bizarre publicity stunt: he sued Chicago millionaire George Fabyan on the grounds that Fabyan’s claims that Francis Bacon had written William Shakespeare’s plays would hurt the ticket sales of future Selig Shakespeare adaptations. Even Selig’s friends at the Daily Tribune could barely disguise their mirth at the disingenuous nature of this stunt: they pointed out that Fabyan and Selig were friends and that SOMEhEXPERTSvHADESTIMATED3ELIGWOULDRECEIVEh  COLUMNSOF FREEADVERTISINGvASARESULTOFTHESUIT,IKE%SSANAY 3ELIGSTOPPEDPRODUCtion altogether in 1918.16 4HEULTIMATEIRONYINTHISSAGAISTHAT4HOMAS%DISON WHOHADBEEN DIRECTLY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DECLINE OF THE -00# AFlLIATED STUDIOS WAS relatively unaffected. There was good reason: in the second decade of THETWENTIETHCENTURY %DISONSSCIENTIlCANDBUSINESSCONCERNSWERESO widespread that he had begun focusing increasingly on audio-recording technology while leaving his motion-picture concerns mostly to business ASSOCIATES&ORMENLIKE'EORGE3POOR 'ILBERT!NDERSON AND7ILLIAM 3ELIG HOWEVER THEDECLINEOFTHEIRMOVIEEMPIRESALSOMEANTTHEDECLINE of their personal fortunes. The only Chicago motion-picture mogul to remain relatively unscathed by the unceremonious end of this era was 'EORGE+LEINEWHO BECAUSEHISINTERESTSHADALWAYSBEENINDISTRIBUTION RATHERTHANPRODUCTION RETIREDAWEALTHYMANIN "Y THE END OF THE S THE TOTAL NUMBER OF lLMS BEING PRODUCED each year in Chicago was a mere fraction of what it had been just a few years earlier. Most of the movies being made at this time were indepenDENTPRODUCTIONS INCLUDINGhRACElLMSvMOVIESCREATEDBY ABOUT ANDFOR African-American audiences) such as the landmark The Slacker (1917) by 0ETER0*ONES ANDGIMMICKYSTUNTlLMSSUCHASCousin Jim and the Lost Fraternity Pin (1916). Members of the high-society Casino Club financed THE LATTER THE PRODUCTION OF WHICH WAS AMUSINGLY DOCUMENTED BY THE Daily Tribune. - 158 -

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Cousin Jim and the Lost Fraternity Pin told the story of a country boy WHO COMES TO THE BIG CITY AND IT WAS TO CLIMAX WITH A STUNT IN WHICH TWOCHARACTERSPLUNGEDFROMh3UICIDE"RIDGE vTHEHIGHBRIDGEOVERTHE Lincoln Park lagoon (a location that had also been central to From the Submerged four years earlier). A professional swimmer was brought in as ASTUNTPERFORMERANDOFFEREDALOTOFMONEYIN TOTAKETHE JUMP BUTHEDETERMINEDTHATITWASIMPOSSIBLESINCETHEWATERWASONLY ABOUTTENFEETDEEP4HETWOACTORS HOWEVER lGUREDTHEYCOULDJUSTDO ITTHEMSELVES ANDRANUPTOTHETOPOFTHEBRIDGE!SQUIRRELSETUPSHOP NEARBY LEADING AN ONLOOKER BELOW TO REMARK h4HATS A WISE SQUIRREL Coupla nuts up there.” The two men made the drop and calmly swam to SHORE ONEOFTHEMREMARKING h7HEREIN;BEEP=ISMYHATv17 The fact that the local media covered such a story so comprehensively IN WHEN%SSANAYAND3ELIG0OLYSCOPEWERESTILLOSTENSIBLYINOPERATION WASONEMOREINDICATIONTHATTHETRUEGOLDENAGEOFlLMPRODUCTION in Chicago had come to an end.

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- CHAPTER THIRTEEN -

-AJOR-,#&UNKHOUSER ANDTHE#HICAGO #ENSORSHIP#ODE A

B

ESIDESITSPIONEERINGROLESINTHEPRODUCTION DISTRIBUTION ANDEXHIBITION OF MOTION PICTURES IN !MERICA #HICAGO HAS THE DUBIOUS distinction of pioneering movie censorship laws and ratings boards as well. Chicago’s stringent early censorship code almost certainly hurt the local filmmaking industry and probably contributed at least in small part TOITSDECLINE)RONICALLY THECENSORSHIPLAWSSEEMEDTOHURTLOCALlLMMAKERSTHEMOSTBETWEENAND WHENTHE#HICAGOSTUDIOSWERE ATTHEIRSTRONGESTAFTERTHAT THECENSORSLAIDOFFTHELOCALINDUSTRYJUST ASITBEGANTODECLINE ANDBECAMEMOREVIGILANTABOUTGOINGAFTERTHE MPPC’s independent rivals as they were growing increasingly powerful. )NDEED THE STORY OF THE BIRTH AND EVOLUTION OF lLM CENSORSHIP LAWS IN Chicago has curious parallels to the rise and fall of the major Chicago studios in general. "EGINNING IN  THE 3ECOND #ITY BECAME ONE OF THE lRST CITIES INTHE5NITED3TATESTOCENSORMOVIESATTHETIME WHEN'EORGE3POOR and Gilbert Anderson were in the process of founding the Peerless Manufacturing Company and when Colonel Selig’s production fortunes were taking a drastic turn for the better. This is also the year in - 160 -

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Major M.L.C. Funkhouser and the Chicago Censorship Code

WHICH#HICAGOSCITYHALLlRSTGAVE'EORGE3HIPPY THE#HIEFOF0OLICE THEAUTHORITYTOGRANTEXHIBITIONPERMITSTOTHEATEROWNERSONAlLM BY film basis.1 A movie without the proper permit could face being re-cut to meet the local censorship code or else risk being banned outright. "ECAUSE OF THE SHEER VOLUME OF NEW lLMS THAT WERE BEING EXHIBITED IN #HICAGOSHUNDREDSOFTHEATERSEVERYWEEK ITWASIMPOSSIBLEFOREACHONE to be screened in advance at police headquarters. Chief Shippy therefore assigned ten police officers to the task of patrolling nickelodeons to watch out for pictures depicting “blood and thunder” violence or behavior that might be deemed salacious. Theater owners who allegedly violated this code were subject to having their licenses revoked.2 Essanay’s The James Boys in Missouri FROM INSPITEOFBEINGALOCALPRODUCTIONTHATHAD PROVENPOPULARELSEWHEREACROSSTHECOUNTRY WASDEEMEDSOIMMORALIN its overall tone that no amount of editing could have resulted in its being granted a permit to play in Chicago. 2ECOGNIZINGTHATTHELOCALCENSORSHIPLAWSWEREBADFORBUSINESS THE Motion Picture Patents Company challenged them on legal grounds in  BUTBOTHTHE)LLINOIS3UPREME#OURTANDTHE5NITED3TATES3UPREME #OURTUPHELDTHECENSORSHIPCODE3HORTLYAFTERWARDS #HICAGOMUNICIPALLAWALSODECREEDTHATASEPARATEPERMIT PINKINCOLOR BEISSUEDFOR movies that were deemed fit only for “adult” audiences. The plan was to DIVIDE#HICAGOTHEATERSINTOTWOCATEGORIES THOSEFORGENERALAUDIENCES AND THOSE FOR ADULTS ONLY (UMOROUSLY BUT PERHAPS UNSURPRISINGLY THIS phenomenon was short-lived: it was quickly discovered that the “pink permit” actually functioned as the best possible form of advertising for the lLMSTOWHICHITHADBEENAFlXED3 As the film industry became regulated and stabilized by the policies IMPLEMENTEDBYTHE%DISON4RUST #HICAGOPUTINPLACEINANOFlCIAL censorship board. The chief censor was the incredibly named Metellus ,UCULLUS #ICERO &UNKHOUSER A CAREER MILITARY MAN AND VETERAN OF THE Spanish–American War who had joined the Chicago police force and GRADUALLYRISENTOTHERANKOF3ECOND$EPUTY3UPERINTENDANT(EWAS IN THEGRAND#HICAGOFASHION FABULOUSLYCORRUPT NOTONLYFORALLEGEDLYTAKing bribes from motion-picture studios but also for reportedly breaking his OWNLAWSBYHOLDINGPRIVATEEXHIBITIONSOFTHENAUGHTYBITSTHATHEHAD ordered cut from the movies he had censored.4 Descriptions of censorship activity were also published in local newspapers every week. Kitty Kelly’s “Flickerings from Film Land” column in the Daily Tribune FORINSTANCE CONTAINEDAPOPULARSUB FEATURETHAT - 161 -

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-AJOR-,#&UNKHOUSER FARRIGHT EXAMINESACOUPLESTANDINGINADANCEPOSE Chicago Daily News (Courtesy of the Chicago History Museum)

PROVIDEDCURTDESCRIPTIONSOFBANNEDlLMSANDEXCISEDSCENESTHAT HAD been provided to her by Funkhouser’s board. This arrangement meant that Funkhouser’s censorship work received favorable publicity in the Daily Tribune WHILE SOMEWHAT HYPOCRITICALLY THE PAPER SIMULTANEOUSLY ALLOWEDITSREADERSTHETHRILLOFEXPERIENCINGBANNEDMOVIESORCONTROVERsial movie scenes by at least being able to read about them. A typical banned picture was an independently produced instructional lLMFROMONHOWTODANCEhTHEHESITATIONWALTZ THETURKEYTROT AND THETANGO vWHICHTHEDaily Tribune colorfully described as “freak dances.” 0RESUMABLY THESEDANCESWEREMORERISQUÏTHANTHEWALTZTHATWASSOON to be named for Kathlyn Williams.) In a Daily Tribune ARTICLE -AJOR Funkhouser warned against the dangerous influence that such a movie would allegedly have on the youth of the day: “The objection is not based so MUCHONTHESEPICTURESINTHEMSELVES BUTUPONTHEEFFECTTHEYWOULDHAVE on young people. After witnessing these professional performers go through THESEDANCESINACAREFULLYREGULATEDWAY THEYWILLGOTOTHEPUBLICDANCE halls and try them. That is where the danger is. Most of these halls either sell liquor or are close to the places where it is sold. Think of a young girl or a young man with two or three drinks down trying these dances.”5 - 162 -

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Major M.L.C. Funkhouser and the Chicago Censorship Code

)NASPEECHGIVENNOTLONGAFTERWARDSTOTHE%VANSTON7OMENS#LUB Funkhouser elaborated on what his standards were for what he considered to be moral pictures. In addition to showing zero tolerance for “scenes SHOWING THE DEGRADATION OF WOMEN THE HERO WORSHIP OF CRIMINALS THE PORTRAYAL OF CRIME OR THE RIDICULING OF THOSE IN AUTHORITY v &UNKHOUSER MADEITCLEARTHATALLlLMSEXHIBITEDIN#HICAGOSHOULDBElTTOPLAYFOR audiences of all ages: “85 percent of those who attend moving picture SHOWS vHESAID hWEREWOMENANDCHILDREN-ANYOFTHELATTERAREUNDER YEARSOFAGE ANDNOTHINGHARMFULTOTHEMSHOULDBESHOWNv Funkhouser then revisited the dance theme by declaring not only what he considered permissible in a dancing scene within a movie but also how Chicagoans should behave when dancing in public themselves: “Tango DANCERSMUSTKEEPASIX INCHSPACEBETWEENTHEMTHEYMAYTOUCHHANDS ANDAMANSARMMAYENCIRCLEAFAIRDANCERSWAIST BUTIFACOUPLEFAILSTO observe the rule as to space it will mean a ride in a patrol wagon.” !TTHESAMEMEETING (ARRIET6ITTUM hSUPERINTENDENTOFTHE.ORTH WESTERN5NIVERSITYSETTLEMENT vSTATEDTHATMOVIETHEATERSSHOULDIDEALLY PROVIDEhFAIRIESTORIESvFORCHILDREN BEFOREALSOCOMPLAININGTHATTHECONgested nickelodeons forced children to “breathe air laden with germs.” Covering the meeting for Moving Picture World *AMES-C1UADEWROTE WITH INDIGNATION h-ISS 6ITTUM EVIDENTLY WOULD LIKE TO SEE THEATERS TURNED INTO NURSERIES AND -AJOR &UNKHOUSER IN HIS ZEAL WOULD ASSUME divine rights to prescribe a code of morals.” McQuade ended his notice with a sentence that would prove to be prophetic: “The moving picture WILLOUTLIVEALLSUCHNARROW MINDEDRESTRICTIONS ANDINAFEWYEARSONE will look back in amazement at these Puritanical outbursts.”6 )NACOLUMNTITLEDh!MONGTHE-ISSING v+ITTY+ELLYNOTEDTHAT THETWOhREJECTIONSvIE BANNEDlLMS FORTHATWEEKWERE0ATHÏSIt’s a Long, Long Way to Tipperary and the independently produced The Great Mysteries of New York. The former was rejected on grounds that it depicted hNATIONALFACTIONALISM BELLICOSEACTIVITIESBETWEENNATIONSENGAGEDINTHE PRESENT%UROPEANCONmICT ANDHASATENDENCYTOVIOLATETHELAWSOFNEUtrality and to disturb the public peace.” The latter was refused a permit BECAUSEIThSHOWSOPERATIVEMETHODSOFCRIMINALS MORBIDSCENESOFVIOLENCE THEBRINGINGOFAWOMANINTOALIFEOFCRIMEBYDRUGGEDWINE ANDIS NOTRELIEVEDBYANYADEQUATEMORALLESSONv3IGNIlCANTLY NEITHERlLMWAS produced by an MPPC-affiliated studio. Among the descriptions of scenes that had been censored for that week were “cutouts” from films produced by a host of independents as well as a few by Edison Manufacturing and - 163 -

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6ITAGRAPH4HESEOFFENDINGSCENESRANGEDFROMAhDEFAULTERMAKINGFALSE ENTRYINBANKLEDGERvTOTHATOFSOMEONEhHANDINGPOLICEOFlCERTIP vBUT no locally produced movies were censored that week.7 The board seems to have been willfully inconsistent. No cuts to The Leopard’s FoundlingWERENOTED ANDTHATlLMCONTAINEDSCENESOF+ATHLYN 7ILLIAMSSCANTILY CLADINJUNGLERAGS ASWELLASINACORSET NOTTOMENTION various scenes of her and her love interest in bondage. Similar kinds of SCENES MEANWHILE WERECUTFROMMANYOTHERNON 4RUSTMOVIES #HICAGOAUTHORITIESDID HOWEVER CENSORATLEASTONENOTABLELOCALLY PRODUCEDlLMAROUNDTHISTIME/N*ULY  THE33Eastland capsized INTHE#HICAGO2IVERITHADBEENLOADEDTOITSNEWCAPACITY   FOR THElRSTTIME ANDSUFFEREDFROMBOTHMECHANICALFAILURESANDAFEWDESIGN mAWS4HEEXACTNATUREOFWHATCAUSEDITTOCAPSIZEISSTILLINDISPUTE BUT the body count is generally agreed to be 844. While the disaster was still UNDER WAY CAMERAMEN FROM THEChicago Daily Tribune set up camp on THElREESCAPEOFTHE2EID-URDOCHBUILDING AGROCERYWAREHOUSEONTHE OTHERSIDEOFTHERIVERFROMTHEDISASTER ANDSHOTABOUTATHOUSANDFEET of film. Other scenes consisted of footage shot at the two main buildings that functioned as morgues (the Reid Murdoch and the Second Regiment !RMORYON7ASHINGTON"OULEVARD ASWELLASAFEWSHOTSOFSURVIVORS"Y ALLACCOUNTS THElLM SIMPLYTITLEDThe Eastland Disaster WAShTASTEFULv 3TRETCHERSCOULDBESEENBEINGCARRIEDOUTOFTHEHULLOFTHESHIP BUTTHEY were all covered. No actual corpses were seen. The Daily TribunePROMPTLYOFFEREDALLPROlTSFROMEXHIBITIONSTOTHE FUNDSTHATWEREESTABLISHEDTOPROVIDEFORTHEFAMILIESOFTHEVICTIMS AND the footage was being shown in several regional theaters within three days OF THE DISASTER ! &LINT -ICHIGAN THEATER ADVERTISED THAT VIEWERS COULD thrill to “the struggle for life in a river teeming with death” on a double-bill with The Knockout A#HAPLINTWO REELERFROMHIS+EYSTONEDAYS The Eastland DisasterWASALSOONEXHIBITINSUBURBAN&OREST0ARK BUT #HICAGOPROPERWOULDNOTSEEIT/N*ULY ASCREENINGWASHELDINCITY hall for a few local dignitaries. A spokesman for the Daily Tribune said THATFORTYPRINTSHADBEENSTRUCK ANDALLOFTHEMWEREBEINGUSEDSTRICTLY TORAISEFUNDSFORTHESURVIVORS NOTTOCOMMERCIALIZETHEDISASTERh7EFEEL THEREISNOTHINGMORBIDINIT vHESAIDh7EFEELTHATITPROPERLYMAYBE SHOWNASAGRAPHICILLUSTRATIONOFTHEDISASTER CARRYINGITSCLEARLESSONv (EMADEANINTERESTINGCASE4HEDEADWEREDEAD ANDTHEIRSURVIVORS WEREINDIFlCULTlNANCIALSTRAITS3TILL CHARGINGADMISSIONTOSEEAlLMOF the disaster arguably skirted the bounds of good taste. The Daily Tribune’s - 164 -

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OWNDESCRIPTIONREAD h4HEREARENOHORRORSOFAREPULSIVENATURE!LLlGures on the stretchers are covered so there is no possibility of recognition of the dead. The distance of the camera prevented any close-up effects at ALL EXCEPTTWOGIRLSURVIVORS SAFEANDDRY WHOPOSEDFORTHElLMv8 )NTHEEND ITWASBANNEDIN#HICAGO ALONGWITHALLOTHEREastlandrelated films. The one made by the Daily Tribune was not the only such film put before the municipal censor board. A series of slides made by one (ARRY#OHANWASFORBIDDENTOBEEXHIBITED ASWAS Eastland Disaster A h(EARST 3ELIG.EWS0ICTORIAL%XTRAv4HENATUREOFTHE3ELIGlLMOFTHE disaster is wholly unknown; it may simply have been a series of still phoTOS ACTUALFOOTAGEOFTHEDISASTERANDMORGUES OREVENARE ENACTMENT lLMEDAT3ELIGSSTUDIO4HESAMEBOARDMEETING FORTHERECORD ORDERED a subtitle removed from Selig’s Isle of Contenth'OWITHYOURPARAMOUR but I will take the child”) and ordered Essanay to cut a scene showing a woman kicking a man from Street Fakers and a scene showing a woman’s leg above the knee in A Bunch of Keys. These cuts give an interesting view of the kind of scenes to which the board objected.93EE!PPENDIX#FOR a longer selection of censored scenes.) The Eastland Disaster film by the Daily Tribune is now thought to be LOSTALONGWITHANYOTHERlLMVERSIONS OFWHICHTHERESEEMTOHAVEBEEN SEVERAL 4HEOWNEROFA4OLEDOTHEATERBOUGHTTHERIGHTSIN3EPTEMBER and it was said that the Daily Tribune destroyed its footage in 1926. Since THEDISASTERLEDTONUMEROUSLEGALPROCEEDINGSANDHEARINGS ITSEEMSLIKELY that a print must have been kept for evidence. With so many prints havINGBEENSTRUCK ITISFARFROMIMPOSSIBLETHATONESURVIVESSOMEWHERE That the important EastlandFOOTAGEWASUNAVAILABLEIN#HICAGO BUT EASYTOSEEELSEWHERE WASONEOFMANYFACTORSTHATBEGANTOSOURPEOPLEON &UNKHOUSERANDTHEBOARD5NDER&UNKHOUSERSREIGNASCENSOR ITAPPEARS THATFOREIGNANDINDEPENDENTPICTURESIE NON 4RUSTMOVIESSUCHASTHE Daily Tribune’s Eastland film) were consistently banned more frequently; they came in for far harsher censorship than their MPPC counterparts. 4HE #HICAGO CENSORSHIP CODE WAS ALLEGEDLY BASED ON EXCISING MATERIAL DEEMED POLITICALLY INmAMMATORY OR TOO VIOLENT OR SEXUALLY EXPLICIT IN NATURE BUTITALSOAPPEARSTHATMANYlLMSWERECENSOREDORBANNEDARBItrarily and that these fates were more likely to befall non-Trust pictures. 4HISBIASMEANTTHAT WHILETHELOCALPAPERSMAYHAVEPORTRAYED-AJOR &UNKHOUSER FAVORABLY HE WAS SPECTACULARLY UNPOPULAR WITH THE NATIONALLYDISTRIBUTEDTRADEPAPERSANDMAGAZINES ESPECIALLYASTHEINDEPENDENT studios were growing more powerful. Moving Picture World FORINSTANCE - 165 -

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DENOUNCED &UNKHOUSERS hEXTREME AND NARROW VIEW OF lLM CENSORSHIPv and compared his puritanical zeal to that of the persecutors in the Salem witch trials.10 Major Funkhouser’s over-zealous attitude and unfair practices as censor ultimately hurt the local film culture not only because he denied #HICAGOANSTHERIGHTTOSEEIMPORTANTMOVIESBUTALSOBECAUSE ACCORDING TOAUTHOR2ICHARD+OSZARSKI HEhCONTINUALLYSUPPRESSEDMATERIALTHATHAD been passed by the National Board in New York.”11 Because Chicago’s STANDARDS WERE STRICTER THAN NATIONAL STANDARDS &UNKHOUSERS CONTINUous meddling repeatedly halted the regular flow of local distribution AND EXHIBITION )NEVITABLY DURING HIS lVE YEAR TENURE 3ECOND $EPUTY Superintendent Funkhouser was himself continually litigated for his controversial practices. Major Funkhouser was finally fired by Chicago Mayor William Hale h"IG"ILLv4HOMPSONIN JUSTASTHEMAJOR#HICAGOSTUDIOSWEREAT the end of their own ropes. The ouster came about as the result of friction between Funkhouser’s censorship board and the new Chief of Police John !LCOCK WHOCLAIMEDTHAThTHEDIVISIONWHICH&UNKHOUSERHEADSHASNOT been properly cooperating” with him. The final straw appears to have been the bad publicity generated by Funkhouser’s censoring of two war films from 1918: Hearts of the World by D.W. Griffith and My Four Years in Germany by William Nigh. These non-Trust films were both massive hits ACROSSTHENATION AND&UNKHOUSERSINTERFERENCECAMEINFORSEVERECRITICISMINTHEMEDIA-ORRIS'EST ATHEATRICALPRODUCERWHOWASRESPONSIBLE FORDISTRIBUTING'RIFlTHSlLMIN#HICAGO ACTUALLYACCUSEDTHECENSOROF hPRO 'ERMANSYMPATHIES vASERIOUSCHARGETHATWASWIDELYQUOTEDINTHE press.12 Even Mae Tinee at the Daily Tribune accused Funkhouser of going too far and suggested that he should be “soundly spanked” towards the end of his career as censor.13 !FTER&UNKHOUSERWASlRED ITWASSCHADENFREUDETIMEFORTHETRADE PAPERS SOMEOFWHICHREPORTEDTHESTORYWITHBARELYCONCEALEDGLEE4HE Daily Tribune HOWEVER WHICHHADBEENALIGNEDWITHTHE3ELIG0OLYSCOPE #OMPANYFORYEARS PRAISED&UNKHOUSERFORDOINGHISJOBEFlCIENTLYAND DEFENDEDHIMAGAINSTCHARGESOFCORRUPTIONh7EBELIEVE vADaily Tribune STAFFEREDITORIALIZED hTHAT-AJ&UNKHOUSER ANAGGRAVATIONASACENSOROF ANYKINDOFARTISTICEXPRESSION WASDOINGABLEANDEFFECTIVEWORKINAN endeavor which almost defies any one to do successful work. The larger idea in the police management that led to the attempt to get rid of him has not been made apparent. A low-minded person might even suspect - 166 -

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that the intent was to rid the force of an activity useful to the city but embarrassing to the police.”14 )F ASTHEANECDOTALEVIDENCESUGGESTS THE%DISON4RUSTHAD&UNKHOUSER INITSPOCKET THISSITUATIONALMOSTCERTAINLYPLAYEDAROLEINTHE#HICAGO censorship chief’s downfall. Historian Raymond J. Haberski notes that Funkhouser “failed to play favorites with the ‘right’ distributors and EXHIBITORS AND HAD ALIENATED NOT ONLY THE MOVING PICTURE INDUSTRY BUT the police who had friends in the business.”15 If Major Funkhouser had INDEED ALLIED HIMSELF WITH THE %DISON 4RUST BEGINNING AROUND  IT would have seemed to be a wise decision at the time: the Motion Picture 0ATENTS#OMPANYWAS AFTERALL THEMAINSTREAMCENTEROFTHENATIONSlLM industry. Funkhouser could not have known then that its position would SOONBEUSURPEDBYTHENEW(OLLYWOOD BASEDhINDEPENDENTS vWITHWHICH HEWASTOMAKEENEMIES INASPANOFJUSTlVESHORTYEARS

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%PILOGUE

T

he later fortunes and careers of the major players in Chicago’s original motion-picture scene varied wildly. 'EORGE+LEINE BECAUSEHISBUSINESSHADLONGDEPENDEDUPONIMPORTING%UROPEANlLMS WENTINTOSEMI RETIREMENTAFTERTHEOUTBREAKOF7ORLD War I; he had already amassed his fortune by that time. Kleine would CONTINUETODABBLEINPRODUCTIONANDDISTRIBUTIONTHROUGHOUTTHES MOSTLYINTHEEDUCATIONALlLMMARKET BUTMOREASAHOBBYTHANOUTOF NECESSITY (E DIED IN  THREE YEARS AFTER OFlCIALLY RETIRING AT WHICH time he was estimated to be about 67 years old. ! DECADE AFTER CLOSING UP SHOP 'EORGE 3POOR GAVE AN INTERVIEW IN which he discussed the hectic final days of Essanay. He blamed other studios for essentially forcing him out of business and thus absolved himself of having made poor business decisions in the process. “The place was a MADHOUSE v3POORRECALLEDh)TRIEDANUMBEROFGENERALMANAGERSWITHNO success. I found I was running a high-class school for directors and actors. I’d make stars out of them and other producers would offer them more MONEY)HADTOMEETTHOSEOFFERSORLOSETHESTARS(AD)METALLTHEOFFERS )WOULDHAVEGONEBROKEMYSELF CONSTANTLYDOUBLINGSALARIES3O)LOCKED UPTHEPLACEANDTOOKAGOOD LONGRESTv1 - 168 -

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)RONICALLY 'EORGE3POORSHOWEDMOREmAIRFORINNOVATIONINHISPOST Essanay career as an inventor and independent producer than he ever had ASAHEADOFSTUDIO)NTHEEARLYSHEINVENTED ALONGWITH$R0AUL*OHN "ERGGREN ANEARLY $PROCESSCALLEDh.ATURAL6ISIONv4HISCOMPLICATED process used a camera with two lenses that shot two images simultaneously. The images were then supposed to be projected onto two screens (one transparent and one opaque) to deliver a three-dimensional effect that DIDNOTREQUIRETHEUSEOF $GLASSES"YTHETIME.ATURAL6ISIONOFlCIALLY DEBUTED YEARS LATER HOWEVER IT HAD MORPHED INTO A MM WIDESCREEN process that gave an impressive illusion of depth but without any true stereoSCOPICEFFECTS)NADDITIONTOAFEWSHORTSANDONENEVER RELEASEDFEATURE RKO’s well-regarded railroad adventure film Danger Lights was made with THISPROCESSIN4HEWIDESCREENVERSIONWAS HOWEVER ONLYEXHIBITED INTWOTHEATERS ONEIN#HICAGOANDONEIN.EW9ORK!LLOFTHESEEXPERIments were ahead of their time: neither 3-D nor widescreen technology would enjoy widespread popularity with movie audiences until the 1950s. Spoor estimated that he sunk more than four million dollars of his own MONEY THELASTOFHISPERSONALFORTUNE INTOTHE.ATURAL6ISIONPROCESS an investment that he never recouped. He later described Hollywood’s REACTIONTO.ATURAL6ISIONLIKETHISh4HEYWEREALLMYFRIENDS BUTTHEY didn’t hesitate to murder me.”23TILL IF3POORFELTBETRAYEDBYTHEINDUSTRY HEHADHELPEDTOCREATE HECERTAINLYDIDNOTLETITCRUSHHISSPIRIT%VEN INTOHISLATESEVENTIES THEFORMERMOGULCONTINUEDTOTINKERWITHINVENTIONS IN HIS HOME LABORATORY ON !RGYLE 3TREET JUST A FEW HOUSES DOWN from the original Essanay studio. )N 3POORWASGIVENANHONORARY!CADEMY!WARDALONGWITHHIS OLDRIVAL7ILLIAM3ELIGASWELLAS4HOMAS!RMATAND6ITAGRAPHS!LBERT E. Smith. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences cited them ASAhSMALLGROUPOFPIONEERSWHOSEBELIEFINANEWMEDIUM ANDWHOSE CONTRIBUTIONSTOITSDEVELOPMENT BLAZEDTHETRAILALONGWHICHTHEMOTION PICTURE HAS PROGRESSED IN THEIR LIFETIME FROM OBSCURITY TO WORLD WIDE ACCLAIMv 4O COINCIDE WITH THIS HONOR 3POOR WAS INTERVIEWED BY THE Chicago Sun. “Movies?” Spoor replied when asked his opinion of the conTEMPORARYlLMSCENEh.O YOUNGFELLOW )DONTGOTOTHEMOVIESMUCH ANYMORE9OUSEE THEREAREONLYABOUTTHIRTYSTORIESINTHEWORLD ANDBY this time I guess I know them all by heart.”3 George Kirke Spoor died in #HICAGOON.OVEMBER ATTHEAGEOFEIGHTY !FTERENDINGHISPARTNERSHIPWITH3POOR %DWARD!METRELOCATEDTO California where he continued his own inventing ways with considerable - 169 -

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success. He styled himself the “Wizard of the West” (in opposition to %DISONS DESIGNATION AS THE h7IZARD OF THE %ASTv AND HE RETURNED TO DABBLINGINMOTIONPICTURES INVENTINGBOTHA $PROJECTORANDASOUND PROCESSHECALLEDh!UDO -OTO 0HOTO vWHICHSYNCHRONIZEDAPHONOGRAPH WITH A lLM PROJECTOR )N DESCRIBING THE LATTER !MET SUGGESTED THAT IT could be used to create what sound like prototypical music videos: “With ASINGERINAGARDEN PHOTOGRAPHEDATADISTANCEOFAFEWFEET THEPOSsibilities of dramatic entertainment through the Audo-Moto-Photo are ILLUSTRATED4HELIPSOFTHEPERFORMERMOVEINEXACTACCORDWITHTHEUTTERance of the phonograph.” Among Amet’s other important late inventions were a torpedo guidance system and a manned glider. Edward Hill Amet DIEDIN2EDONDO"EACH #ALIFORNIA IN ATTHEAGEOF4 !SBOTHlLMMAKERANDACTOR 'ILBERTh"RONCHO"ILLYv!NDERSONRETIRED many times and made just as many comebacks in the decades after he sold HIS%SSANAYSHARESTO3POORIN&IRST HEBOUGHTATHEATERIN.EW9ORK ANDTRIEDHISHANDATPRODUCINGPLAYS7HENTHATEFFORTWASNOTSUCCESSFUL HEBRIEmYRETURNEDTOMOTIONPICTURES PRODUCINGCOMEDYSHORTSFOR-ETRO including The Lucky Dog THElRSTPAIRINGOF3TAN,AURELAND/LIVER (ARDY !S A FORMER STUDIO HEAD HOWEVER !NDERSON WAS UNDERSTANDABLY unhappy working for others and again tried his luck as an independent. !FTERAFEWUNSUCCESSFULlLMS !NDERSONRETIREDAGAININ Anderson made news in 1943 when he sued Paramount Pictures for including a character named “Bronco Billy” in their musical film StarSpangled Rhythm. Alleging defamation (the character was portrayed by 6ICTOR-OOREASAhWASHEDUPANDBROKENDOWNACTORv !NDERSONASKED FOR   IN DAMAGES BUT THE OUTCOME OF THIS SUIT IS NOT KNOWN5 )N  TEN YEARS AFTER HIS FORMER PARTNER 'EORGE 3POOR HAD RECEIVED ASIMILARHONOR !NDERSONTOOWASGIVENASPECIAL!CADEMY!WARDhFOR his contributions to the development of motion pictures as entertainment.” This award was followed two years later when he received a star on (OLLYWOODSh7ALKOF&AMEv)N !NDERSONCAMEOUTOFRETIREMENT yet again at the ripe old age of 85 to play a cameo role in the western The Bounty Killer)NACAREERTHATINCLUDEDAPPROXIMATELYSCREENAPPEARANCES ITWASTHEONEANDONLYTIMEHISVOICEWASEVERHEARDONlLM 'ILBERT-h"RONCHO"ILLYv!NDERSONDIEDIN3OUTH0ASADENA #ALIFORNIA ON*ANUARY ATTHEAGEOFNINETY!LTHOUGHSOMESOURCESREPORTED HIMTOBETWOORTHREEYEARSYOUNGER !NDERSON LIKEMANYMOVIESTARS HADLONGAGOSHAVEDACOUPLEOFYEARSOFFHISAGE0ULASKI#OUNTY !RKANSAS CENSUSRECORDSSHOWTHATHEHAD INFACT BEENBORNIN - 170 -

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Epilogue

!MONG%SSANAYSSTABLEOFSTARS MANYWENTONTOSUCCESSFUL(OLLYWOOD CAREERS#HARLIE#HAPLINWENTFROMSTRENGTHTOSTRENGTH BECOMINGONE OFTHEWORLDSMOSTPOPULARAND EVENTODAY INSTANTLYRECOGNIZABLEENTERtainers and filmmakers. His mature Hollywood masterpieces such as The Gold Rush City Lights (1931) and Modern Times (1936) have conTINUALLYBEENREVIVED RESTORED ANDRE RELEASED ANDTHEYCONTINUETOWIN over legions of new admirers. St. Augustine College has named Essanay’s OLDINTERIORSTAGE WHERE#HAPLINMADEHis New Job ANDWHICHSTILLLOOKS REMARKABLYSIMILARTOITSORIGINAL EARLY TWENTIETH CENTURYAPPEARANCE THE “Charlie Chaplin Auditorium.” Ben Turpin left Essanay around the same time as Chaplin. He first MADEASERIESOFCOMEDICTWO REELERSFORTHE6OGUE#OMPANYBEFORESIGNING with Mack Sennett and achieving superstardom in 1917. As much a clown OFF SCREENASON 4URPINTOOKTOINTRODUCINGHIMSELFWHILESIMULTANEOUSLY BOASTINGOFHISSALARYWITHTHEPHRASE h)M"EN4URPIN AWEEKv6 4HE BELOVED COMEDIAN RETIRED AT THE END OF THE SILENT ERA ALTHOUGH HE WOULDCONTINUETOMAKEGUESTCAMEOSAFTERTHATFORAmATFEEOF PER lLM7HEN4URPINDIEDOFAHEARTATTACKIN #HARLIE#HAPLINSENTA SEVEN FOOTSPRAYOFREDROSES THESINGLELARGESTmORALPIECEATTHEFUNERAL7 5PONLEAVING%SSANAY ANDLATER+EYSTONE 'LORIA3WANSONWENTONTO successfully rebrand her image as a serious dramatic actress in a series of films with director Cecil B. DeMille before appearing in such important late silent movies as Raoul Walsh’s Sadie Thompson AND%RICH6ON Stroheim’s Queen Kelly !TTHEHEIGHTOFHERFAME 3WANSONWOULD EARN PERPICTUREWHICH ATPRICES WOULDHAVEBOUGHTHER five million “fresh from the brine” dill pickles at the Stop & Shop on Michigan Avenue.8) A victim of the transition from silent to talking picTURES 3WANSONSSTARTHENFADED BUTSHEWOULDLATERRESUSCITATEHERCAREER with her best-known role in Billy Wilder’s Sunset Boulevard. 5NLIKE 'LORIA 3WANSON HER %SSANAY CO STAR 7ALLACE "EERY WITH WHOMSHEALSOHADABRIEF UNHAPPYMARRIAGE FOUNDHISBIGGESTSUCCESSIN the early sound era. He played lead roles in important MGM films like The Champ FORWHICHHEWONA"EST!CTOR!CADEMY!WARD ANDGrand Hotel BEFORESETTLINGINTOALONGCAREERASACHARACTERACTOR !FTERHISSTARHADWANEDAT-ETRO &RANCIS8"USHMANMADEASURprising comeback in 1925 by playing the villain in Fred Niblo’s Ben-Hur A MOVIETHATGUARANTEEDHISSCREENIMMORTALITY!SSOONASHEHADRETURNED HOWEVER THE ACTOR SEEMS TO HAVE DISAPPEARED JUST AS MYSTERIOUSLY BACK into obscurity. Bushman later claimed that he had been blacklisted by - 171 -

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Flickering Empire 7ALLACE"EERY LEFT INASTILL ASh3WEEDIE vTHE%SSANAY character that made him famous. (Courtesy of the Chicago History Museum)

-'-STUDIOBOSS,OUIS"-AYER ANDHEWOUNDDOWNHISCAREERDOING guest spots on radio and television; his last appearance was as a silent film collector in an episode of the 1960s Batman television show. A gorilla named for Bushman is stuffed and preserved at Chicago’s Field Museum. Beverly Bayne left Essanay for Metro along with Bushman. The two STARREDTHEREINASERIESOFPOPULARlLMSBETWEENAND WHICH established them as the first superstar screen couple. She then took off FOURYEARSFROMACTING FOLLOWINGTHEBIRTHOFHERAND"USHMANSSONIN  7HEN "AYNE RETURNED TO THE SCREEN IN  SHE DID NOT REGAIN HERFORMERPOPULARITYANDRETIREDTWOYEARSLATER ATWHICHTIMESHEAND "USHMANALSODIVORCED)N "AYNECAMEOUTOFRETIREMENTFORONE LASTPERFORMANCE AMEMORABLECAMEOINTHECLASSIClLMNOIRThe Naked City (1948). It was her one and only appearance in a sound movie. 4HELOVELYANDTALENTED2UTH3TONEHOUSE ALTHOUGHAFORGOTTENlGURE TODAY LEFT%SSANAYFOR5NIVERSAL3TUDIOSWHERESHENOTONLYACTEDBUTALSO wrote and directed a series of films. In spite of being treated poorly by the STUDIO SHEMANAGEDTODIRECTTENWELL REGARDEDMOVIESBETWEENAND  BECOMINGONEOF(OLLYWOODSVERYlRSTFEMALEDIRECTORS3TONEHOUSE CONTINUED ACTING UNTIL THE END OF THE SILENT ERA AT WHICH TIME SHE GOT married and retired.9 - 172 -

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Epilogue Essanay publicity photo of Ruth Stonehouse. (Courtesy of the Chicago History Museum)

Film historian and Gilbert Anderson biographer David Kiehn has estiMATED THAT %SSANAYS #HICAGO STUDIO PRODUCED ABOUT   lLMS WITH ANOTHER lVE HUNDRED OR SO PRODUCED OUT WEST  5NFORTUNATELY MANY OF these films were destroyed in a studio vault fire in 1916. More were thrown away in 1932 when George Spoor sold the studio buildings on Argyle Street. More still have perished as a result of the ravages of time. That only APPROXIMATELYOF%SSANAYSTOTALOUTPUTSURVIVESTODAYMAKESITDIFlCULT to evaluate the quality of its films. Essanay always had a reputation for a chaOTIC hANYTHINGGOESvAPPROACHTOPRODUCTION AND3POORAND!NDERSON AS STUDIOHEADS WEREKNOWNTOBELESSINTERESTEDININNOVATIONTHANWASTHEIR rival William Selig. It is perhaps curious then that Essanay’s best known SURVIVINGMOVIESEG Mr. Flip From the Submerged His New Job ETC SEEM to hold up better than their surviving Selig Polyscope counterparts from ANARTISTICASWELLASANENTERTAINMENTPOINTOFVIEW4HENAGAIN ITISALSO possible that the reason for this disparity lies in the fact that simply more %SSANAY lLMS SURVIVE THAN DO THEIR 3ELIG 0OLYSCOPE COUNTERPARTS %XTANT Essanay films are certainly easier to see: they are more widely available on COMMERCIALHOMEVIDEORELEASESTODAYSEE!PPENDIX"  7ILLIAM3ELIG HOWEVER PROBABLYHADTHEMOSTFASCINATINGCAREER OF all the former Chicago moguls following the end of the Second City’s - 173 -

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GOLDEN AGE OF lLM PRODUCTION )N  3ELIG PERMANENTLY RELOCATED TO Los Angeles and pinned all of his hopes on his zoo. His plan was for WHATHEDUBBEDh3ELIG:OO0ARKvTOBECOMEAMAJORTOURISTATTRACTION and his ideas about amusement parks were as ahead of their time as his IDEASABOUTlLMMAKINGHADBEENDECADESBEFORE$ISNEYLAND 3ELIGENVISIONEDATHEMEPARKTHATWOULDFEATUREAHOTEL MECHANICALRIDES AhWATER PARK v RESTAURANTS AND THEATERS )N REALITY 3ELIG WENT BANKRUPT BEFORE 3ELIG:OO0ARKCOULDBECOMPLETED INPARTASARESULTOFSLOWBUSINESS He attempted to rebound from his losses by renting out space in the zoo to other Hollywood studios looking to shoot their own jungle adventure lLMS%VENTUALLY THEZOOBECAMEAMEREANIMALRENTALCOMPANYBEFORE permanently closing. Selig did produce a few independent movies in the 1930s. He is someTIMESNAMEDASANUNCREDITEDPRODUCERON$7'RIFlTHSlNALlLM THE innovative early talkie The Struggle ALTHOUGHTHISMAYBEAMISATtribution: Selig had produced a movie with the same title a decade earlier. The last film on which Selig’s name appears is the 1938 low-budget quickie Convicts at Large.ONEOFHISLATERMOVIES HOWEVER WERElNANCIALLYSUCCESSFUL AND3ELIGRETIREDFROMPRODUCTIONFORGOODATTHEENDOFTHEDECADE 3ELIGREMAINEDSPRYANDRESILIENTTOTHELAST THOUGH SWITCHINGCAREERSYET again and reinventing himself as a literary agent; he continued to make a living by re-selling the rights to the stories that he had originally acquired during his glory days as a studio boss decades earlier. 7ILLIAM.3ELIGDIEDIN,OS!NGELESON*ULY  NOTLONGAFTER accepting the honorary Academy Award he shared with George Spoor ANDTHEOTHEREARLYlLMPIONEERS(EWASYEARSOLD)N HEALSO posthumously received a star on Hollywood’s “Walk of Fame.” This was the same day on which his former employee Gilbert Anderson and his former uneasy ally Thomas Edison received their stars only a few blocks away. 7ILLIAM3ELIGSBIGGESTDISCOVERY 4OM-IX WOULDEVENTUALLYSTARIN APPROXIMATELYlLMS ALLBUTNINEOFWHICHWEREMADEDURINGTHESILENT ERA ANDHECAMETOBEKNOWNASTHEh+INGOFTHE#OWBOYSv)NTHEMID S -IXRETIREDFROMSCREENACTINGANDRETURNEDTORODEORIDINGAND circus performing. He died in a car accident in Arizona in 1940 at the age OFSIXTY4OTHISDAY HIS3TETSON HATTEDVISAGEREMAINSTHEMOSTRECOGNIZable of any screen cowboy from the pre-John Wayne era. 3ELIG 0OLYSCOPES BIGGEST FEMALE STAR AND 4OM -IXS OCCASIONAL CO STAR +ATHLYN 7ILLIAMS CONTINUED TO BE A STAR AT 0ARAMOUNT 0ICTURES - 174 -

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Epilogue

where she made the transition from playing ingénues in the late 1910s to playing matronly character roles in the 1920s and 1930s. She retired from acting in 1935. For years there were rumors that Williams would come OUTOFRETIREMENTANDMOUNTASCREENCOMEBACK RUMORSTHATWERESADLY quashed when the actress lost her right leg in a serious car accident in 1949. Many accounts of Williams’ post-movie career describe her later life ASASERIESOFTRAGEDIESCAPPEDBYTHEACCIDENT ATWHICHTIMESHEALLEGEDLY became a shut-in. Historian Eve Golden disputes that story: she claims that Williams threw a party in 1951 to debut a new prosthetic leg and resumed a normal social life that even involved her re-learning her dancing skills. Kathlyn Williams died of a heart attack in her Hollywood home IN ATWHICHTIMESHEISTHOUGHTTOHAVEBEENYEARSOLD10 Only one of the original buildings from the Selig Polyscope lot still STANDSTODAY THEGLASS ROOFEDSTUDIOONTHECORNEROF"YRON3TREETAND Claremont Avenue. The building has been converted into upscale condoMINIUMS ALTHOUGHTHEONCE FAMOUShDIAMOND3vLOGOISSTILLVISIBLEABOVE the front entrance. An unusually elaborate water works in the basement still testifies to the lagoon it originally had to service. Comparing the BUILDINGTODAYTOEARLYILLUSTRATIONSDEPICTINGITSGLASS ROOFEDEXTERIOR ITIS easy to see where the glass once was and the ways in which the original building has been changed. 'IVENTHEIRREPUTATIONFORCREATIVITYANDINNOVATION ITISPARTICULARLY regrettable that precious few of Selig Polyscope’s Chicago-shot films surVIVETODAY.ONETHELESS 7ILLIAM3ELIGSCONTRIBUTIONSTOANDINmUENCEON the American film industry are incalculable. As David Kiehn has noted of THEEARLY#HICAGOlLMMAKERS h4HEYBUILTTHEFOUNDATIONFORANINDUSTRY THATDIDNTEXISTBEFOREANDCHANGEDTHEWORLDv5NFORTUNATELY !MERICAN film scholars have always tended to show an aversion to writing about hLOSTvMOVIES ANDSOTHEOFlCIALlLMHISTORIESARECONSEQUENTLYINCOMPLETEANDDISTORTED ESPECIALLYWHENITCOMESTOTHESILENTERA!S+IEHN SUCCINCTLYPUTIT h5NFORTUNATELY TO WHEN;THE#HICAGOSTUDIOS=WEREALLTHRIVING ISABLACKHOLEINlLMHISTORYv11 !FTER LOSING HIS JOB AS CENSOR -AJOR -,# &UNKHOUSER APPEALED TOTHECOURTS WHICHULTIMATELYRULEDHEHADBEENhILLEGALLYOUSTEDvAND ordered his reinstatement as Second Deputy Superintendent of Police. By THATTIME h"IG"ILLv4HOMPSONHADABOLISHEDTHEPOSTOF3ECOND$EPUTY 3UPERINTENDENT BUT&UNKHOUSERNONETHELESSSUCCESSFULLYSUEDTHECITYFOR  INBACKWAGES4WO$EPUTY3UPERINTENDENTPOSTSWERETHENCREATEDBY4HOMPSONSSUCCESSOR 7ILLIAM%MMETT$EVER AND&UNKHOUSER - 175 -

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WAS TECHNICALLY REINSTATED BUT HE IMMEDIATELY RESIGNED FROM THE JOB Forever dogged by corruption charges but officially vindicated in the COURTS &UNKHOUSERSPENTHISlNALYEARSWORKINGASANINSURANCEBROKER He died of a sudden heart attack while dining at Chicago’s Atlantic Hotel in 1926. He was 62 years old.12 Thomas Edison’s last known credit on any movie is as a producer of the 1914 film The Patchwork Girl of Oz (the script of which L. Frank "AUMADAPTEDFROMHISOWNNOVEL ALTHOUGHTHE%DISON-ANUFACTURING Company continued to release films until as late as 1918. Following his LEGALTROUBLESWITHTHE-OTION0ICTURE0ATENTS#OMPANY %DISONTURNED his back on movies altogether and focused instead on other areas of RESEARCH ALTHOUGHINHEWASGIVENANHONORARYMEMBERSHIPINTHE Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences during its inaugural year. 4HEINVENTORDID HOWEVER CORRESPONDATLENGTHWITHHISTORIANAND author Terry Ramsaye who published a book in 1925 entitled A Million and One Nights WHICH WAS CONSIDERED AT THE TIME TO BE THE DElNITIVE ACCOUNTOFTHEORIGINSOFTHE!MERICANCINEMA)NHISPIONEERINGHISTORY Ramsaye hyperbolically called Edison the “inventor of the motion-picture lLM THECAMERAANDTHE+INETOSCOPEˆTHETECHNOLOGICALFOUNDATIONOF the art of the motion picture.”13!GAIN %DISONWASMORETHANHAPPYTO TAKETHECREDIT3UBSEQUENTHISTORIANSWOULDEVENTUALLYCOMEALONG HOWEVER CONDUCTMORETHOROUGHRESEARCHANDGIVEMANYOFTHEOTHEREARLY MOVIEPIONEERSTHEIRDUE)FANYTHING %DISONHASCOMETOBEVILIlEDBY MORERECENTlLMHISTORIANSFORHISMONOPOLISTICBUSINESSPRACTICES WHILE his positive contributions to the medium have tended to be ignored. &ORBETTERORFORWORSE DIRECTLYANDINDIRECTLY %DISONCAUSEDBOTHTHE RISEANDTHEFALLOFTHE#HICAGOMOTION PICTUREINDUSTRY WHICHSOONGAVE way to the American film industry’s more permanent base in Hollywood. 4HIS WAS AN EVOLUTION THAT HE OBSERVED FROM A DISTANCE 'ODLIKE AND ALOOF ANDFORWHICHHEAPPARENTLYFELTNEITHERPRIDENORREGRET)NSPITEOF ITSENORMOUSPOPULARITY THEMEDIUMITSELFHADGROWNINTOSOMETHINGFOR which he did not much care or understand. 4HOMAS!LVA%DISONDIEDON/CTOBER IN7EST/RANGE .EW *ERSEY ATTHEAGEOF(ISLASTWORDS SPOKENTOHISWIFEAFTERSLIPPING IN AND OUT OF CONSCIOUSNESS WERE REPORTEDLY h)T IS VERY BEAUTIFUL OVER there.”14 His description of this glimpse of paradise was uncannily similar to what many had said decades earlier when first peering into the wondrous Edison Kinetoscope.

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0OST 3CRIPT /SCARAND/RSON

A

lthough William Selig shut down production at his Chicago studio FORGOODIN ITWOULDBEANOTHERTWOYEARSBEFOREHESOLDTHE COMPLEXOFBUILDINGSTOANAUTOMOBILEMANUFACTURER)NTHEINTERIM HE rented out his facilities to independent filmmakers looking to break into the market with low-budget productions. It must have seemed ignominious to many of Selig’s army of former employees that the once-mighty STUDIOWASBEINGUSEDFORCHEAPPRODUCTIONSBYINEXPERIENCEDCOMPANIES at the same time that all of the real talent was migrating to southern #ALIFORNIA$URINGTHISTIME HOWEVER THE3ELIG0OLYSCOPELOTWOULDSERVE as the unlikely launching pad for the career of one more major figure of the silent-movie era. One of the best-kept secrets of Chicago’s secret film history is that the Second City was in fact first when it came to producing “race movIESv7ILLIAM&OSTER THE!FRICAN !MERICANMANAGEROF#HICAGOS0EKIN 4HEATER HADFOUNDEDTHE&OSTER0HOTOPLAY#OMPANYANDDIRECTEDWHAT ISBELIEVEDTOBETHElRSTlLMWITHANALL BLACKCAST The Railroad Porter IN  4HE SUCCESS OF THAT SLAPSTICK SHORT lLM REPORTEDLY INSPIRED BY THE+EYSTONE#OPS INTURNINSPIREDOTHER!FRICAN !MERICANSTOTRYTHEIR - 177 -

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Flickering Empire Within Our Gates  $IRECTEDBY/SCAR-ICHEAUX

HAND AT lLM PRODUCTION AND BLACK OWNED INDEPENDENT lLM COMPANIES soon sprang up in major metropolitan areas across the U.S. The most significant and durable filmmaker to emerge from the race-film boom was #HICAGO BASED/SCAR-ICHEAUX(ISDEBUTlLMWASThe Homesteader AN epic “super-production” running more than two-and-a-half hours that was RELEASEDTOCRITICALANDBOX OFlCEACCLAIMIN)TWOULDBETHEBEGINning of a remarkable movie career that spanned decades. -ICHEAUXWASWELLKNOWNIN#HICAGOEVENBEFOREHEVENTUREDINTOTHE movie business. As a young man he spent five years homesteading a farm HEHADPURCHASEDIN'REGORY 3OUTH$AKOTA&ROMTHERE HEPUBLISHED articles in the Chicago Defender ONE OF THE NATIONS MOST WIDELY CIRCULATED !FRICAN !MERICAN NEWSPAPERS URGING BLACK !MERICANS TO FOLLOW HISEXAMPLEBYMOVINGWESTANDPURCHASINGLAND-ICHEAUXSEXPERIENCES ASAFARMERSERVEDASTHEBASISFORTHEPLOTOFHISlRSTNOVEL The Conquest which he self-published in 1913. He followed up with The Forged Note in 1915 and The Homesteader: A NovelIN-ICHEAUXTRAVELEDAROUND 3OUTH $AKOTA SELLING THESE NOVELS DOOR TO DOOR TO HIS PREDOMINANTLY white neighbors. -ICHEAUX INCORPORATED AS THE -ICHEAUX "OOK AND &ILM #OMPANY in 1918 and used the same door-to-door business model to sell shares in WHAT WOULD BE HIS lRST lLM AN INDEPENDENTLY PRODUCED ADAPTATION OF HISMOSTRECENTNOVEL4HERESULTINGMOVIE SHOTENTIRELYATTHERECENTLY ABANDONED 3ELIG 0OLYSCOPE STUDIO WAS PHENOMENALLY SUCCESSFUL WITH !FRICAN !MERICANAUDIENCESANDCRITICS)TIS SADLY ALOSTlLMTODAY4HE SUCCESS-ICHEAUXHADWITHThe Homesteader encouraged him to invest HISPROlTSBACKINTOHISCOMPANYAFOLLOW UPlLM Within Our Gates WAS rushed into production and released the following year. This incredible - 178 -

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Post-Script: Oscar and Orson

MOVIE ANINCENDIARYANDUNmINCHINGLOOKATRACISMALSOMOSTLYSHOTIN #HICAGO THISTIMEATh#APITAL#ITY3TUDIOSv REMAINSTHEEARLIESTSURVIVing feature made by a black director. One of the most interesting aspects of Within Our Gates ESPECIALLY FROMATWENTY lRST CENTURYPERSPECTIVE ISTHATTHElLMEFFECTIVELYFUNCtions as a response to Griffith’s The Birth of a Nation 'RIFlTHS MOVIE A TECHNICALLY ASTONISHING PIECE OF VIRTUOSO lLMMAKING GALVANIZED audiences wherever it played. This result was in part due to Griffith’s unparalleled skill with dynamic framing and cutting and in part due to THElLMSUNFORTUNATERACISM NOTABLYTHECLIMACTICSCENEINWHICHTHE+U +LUX+LANHEROICALLYRIDETOTHERESCUEOFTHEMOVIESWHITEPROTAGONISTS WHOARETRAPPEDINACABINBESIEGEDBYABLACKMILITIA4HISCLIMAXISA GOODEXAMPLEOF'RIFlTHSPIONEERINGANDGREATLYINmUENTIALTECHNIQUEOF using cross-cutting to create suspense during rescue scenes. The fact that Within Our Gates would appropriate Griffith’s editing schemes (on a tiny fraction of the budget of The Birth of a NationANDINORDERTOEXPLICITLY REVERSE THE EARLIER lLMS IDEOLOGY HAS ENSURED THAT IRONICALLY 'RIFlTH AND-ICHEAUXARENOWJOINTLYSTUDIEDINlLMHISTORYCLASSESINCOLLEGES throughout America. Within Our Gates tells the melodramatic and somewhat convoluted tale OF3YLVIA,ANDRYPLAYEDBYTHEPEERLESS%VELYN0REER AYOUNG!FRICAN American woman who endeavors to raise money to save a school for black children in the rural south. Much like The Birth of a Nation -ICHEAUXS story alternates between scenes taking place in the north and scenes taking PLACEINTHESOUTH ANDALSOCUTSBACKANDFORTHBETWEENACTIONOCCURRING INSEPARATELOCATIONSINORDERTOGENERATEASUSPENSEFULCLIMAX The climactic scene in Within Our GatesIS HOWEVER RENDEREDEVEN MORECOMPLEXBECAUSEITCONTAINSALENGTHYmASHBACKTO3YLVIASYOUTH ANDTHUSINVOLVESCUTTINGACROSSTIMEASWELLASSPACE AND SPECIlCALLY the events that led to her adoptive black parents being lynched by an angry white mob. This lynching scene is intercut with an equally horrifyINGSCENEINWHICH-R'RIDLESTONE AVILLAINOUSMIDDLE AGEDWHITEMAN attempts to rape the young Sylvia before recognizing a scar on her chest that identifies her as his own illegitimate daughter. This disturbing nearRAPEPOINTEDLYOCCURSBENEATHAPORTRAITOF!MERICAS'REAT%MANCIPATOR Abraham Lincoln. The Birth of a Nation justifies and even valorizes the actions of the Ku +LUX+LANASNECESSARYINORDERTOCOMBATTHETHREATOFPOTENTIALASSAULTSON white civilians (particularly white women) by supposedly dangerous black - 179 -

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MEN4HECOMPLEXANDCLEVERINTERCUTTINGOFTHECLIMAXOFWithin Our Gates deconstructs this racist ideology by showing the historical reality of who did THELYNCHINGASWELLASWHOREPRESENTEDAMORELIKELYSEXUALMENACE 5PON ITS INITIAL RELEASE Within Our Gates created its own Birth of a Nation STYLECONTROVERSY WHICHINCLUDEDAPROTRACTEDTWO MONTHBATTLE with Chicago’s local censorship board (headed by Charles Frazier following the ouster of Major Funkhouser). This battle may have been more contentious than it otherwise would have been: the city was still reeling from a major race riot in the summer of 1919 that had killed dozens of PEOPLE AND INJURED HUNDREDS MORE 4HE CENSORSHIP CONTROVERSY EXTENSIVELYCOVEREDINTHEBLACKPRESS VIRTUALLYGUARANTEEDTHATTHElLMWOULD play to packed houses when it eventually did open in early 1920. 2EVIEWS IN THE BLACK PAPERS WERE EXTREMELY FAVORABLE 4HE Chicago DefenderSAIDh)TISTHECLAIMOFTHEAUTHORANDPRODUCERTHAT WHILEITIS ABITRADICAL ITISTHEBIGGESTPROTESTAGAINST2ACEPREJUDICE LYNCHINGAND concubinage that was ever written or filmed. … There are more thrills ANDGRIPPING HOLDINGMOMENTSTHANWASEVERSEENINANYINDIVIDUALPROduction. … People interested in the welfare of the Race cannot afford to MISSSEEINGTHISGREATPRODUCTION ANDREMEMBER IT4%,,3)4!,,v1 Like The Homesteader Within Our Gates was thought to be a lost film until a single print was discovered in Spain (under the title La Negra) in THELATES2ESTOREDBYTHE,IBRARYOF#ONGRESSIN THEMOVIEIS STILLONLYANAPPROXIMATIONOF-ICHEAUXSORIGINALVISION3ADLY ALLlFTEEN OF-ICHEAUXSKNOWNSURVIVINGlLMSEXISTTODAYONLYINTRUNCATEDFORM TYPICALLYARESULTOFCENSORSHIPBOARDSEXCISINGMATERIALDEEMEDINmAMMATORYALTHOUGH ASWITH-AJOR&UNKHOUSER OFTENTIMESSUCHDECISIONS were made arbitrarily). Even more remarkable than the movie itself is the fact that Within Our Gates was merely one of the earliest events in a directorial career that LASTEDTHIRTYYEARSANDCOMPRISEDAPPROXIMATELYFORTY lVEFEATURElLMSBY far the most prolific career of any black filmmaker in the first half of the TWENTIETHCENTURY -ICHEAUXWOULDGOONTOBETHElRSTDIRECTORTOCAST the great Paul Robeson in a film (Body and Soul  THElRSTTOMAKE an “all-talkie” race movie (The Exile  AND UNDAUNTED HE WOULD CONTINUE TO MAKE lLMS EVEN UNDER THE THREAT OF LOOMING BANKRUPTCY ANDOCCASIONALLYINTHEFACEOFSCATHINGCRITICISMBYTHEBLACKPRESS UNTIL shortly before his death in 1951. 4HE/SCAR-ICHEAUXSTORYDESERVESTOBEMUCHMOREWIDELYKNOWN AND HIS lLMS DESERVE TO BE MORE WIDELY SEEN 4HROUGHOUT HIS CAREER - 180 -

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Post-Script: Oscar and Orson

-ICHEAUXSFORTUNESROSEANDFELL THEQUALITYOFHISOUTPUTVARIEDWILDLY ANDHISBATTLESWITHLOCALCENSORSHIPBOARDSWERELEGENDARY(EWAS HOWEVER ALWAYS INDEFATIGABLE AND RESILIENT (E HAD TO BE -ICHEAUX SPENT DECADES TOURING THE COUNTRY WITH HIS MOVIES WHICH HE SELF DISTRIBUTED OUTOFTHETRUNKOFHISCAR OFTENTIMESWHILESTAYINGJUSTONESTEPAHEADOF HISCREDITORS)MPRESSIVELY HEDIDITALLDURINGANAGEWHENINDEPENDENT film production was not considered a viable career path for anyone in !MERICA MUCHLESSABLACKMAN 4ODAY-ICHEAUXISHONOREDWITHASTARONTHE(OLLYWOODh7ALKOF &AMEvANDANANNUALlLMFESTIVALIN'REGORY 3OUTH$AKOTA5NFORTUNATELY there is nothing in Chicago to mark the addresses where he shot his first FEATURElLMS4HE/SCAR-ICHEAUXSTORYISYETANOTHERTOOLITTLEKNOWN chapter in the remarkable history of early motion picture-production in Chicago. *** )WARNYOU *EDEDIAH YOURENOTGONNALIKEITIN#HICAGO4HE wind comes howling in off the lake and gosh only knows if they ever heard of lobster Newburg. – Orson Welles as Charles Foster Kane in Citizen Kane  "YTHEMID S lLMPRODUCTIONIN#HICAGOHADGROUNDTOAHALT%VEN /SCAR-ICHEAUXHADLEFTTOTRYHISLUCKIN.EW9ORK)NTHETENYEARS SINCETHE%DISON4RUSTHADDISSOLVED #HICAGOHADGONEFROMBEINGTHE nation’s film capital to a veritable cinematic ghost town. The arrival of “talkies” helped to consolidate the power of the major Hollywood studios ANDMADELOCATIONSHOOTINGIE SHOOTINGONACTUALLOCATIONSOUTSIDEOF sets constructed in the California studios) increasingly rare.

The Hearts of Age  Directed by Orson Welles. - 181 -

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It would not be until after World War II that a gritty new documenTARY STYLEAESTHETICWOULDBECOMEPOPULARIN!MERICANMOVIES BRINGING Hollywood crews back to the Windy City for evocative crime films like Call Northside 777  Union Station  AND City That Never Sleeps 4HEREWAS HOWEVER ONEBELATEDSILENTSHORTMADEINTHE suburbs of Chicago that deserves a mention for marking the beginning of one of the all-time great filmmaking careers. )N SEVENYEARSBEFOREHESETTHEMOTION PICTUREWORLDONlREWITH Citizen Kane ANINETEEN YEAR OLD/RSON7ELLESMADEHISDIRECTORIALDEBUT with The Hearts of Age AN EXPERIMENTAL SHORT lLM SHOT DURING DOWNtime while he was studying at the Art Institute of Chicago. Ostensibly a parody of classic avant-garde movies he had seen while on trips to New York City (in particular Robert Wiene’s The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari;Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari = ,UIS"U×UELSUn Chien Andalou;=AND Jean Cocteau’s The Blood of a Poet;Le sang d’un poète = THESEEDSOF Welles’ visionary genius are already evident in this formative work: it is ONEMOREEXAMPLEOFAFASCINATINGlLM ANDTHESTORYOFITSMAKING THAT are both rooted in Chicago and unjustly unknown. Young Mr. Welles shot The Hearts of Age entirely in suburban WoodSTOCK )LLINOIS ONTHECAMPUSOFTHE4ODD3EMINARYFOR"OYSWHEREHEHAD GRADUATEDFROMHIGHSCHOOLTHREEYEARSEARLIER!TTHISTIME 7ELLESWAS ALREADYSOMETHINGOFALOCALCELEBRITY HAVINGBEENFEATUREDINADaily TribuneARTICLETITLEDh%IGHTEEN9EARS/LD 3CORES(ITIN3HAKESPEAREvTHAT TOUTEDHIMASAh7ONDER"OYOF!CTINGv!CCORDINGTOTHEARTICLE 7ELLES had astonished “Chicago’s first nighters” with his recent performance as Mercutio in a Milwaukee production of Romeo and Juliet.2 Although a #HICAGORESIDENT 7ELLESFREQUENTLYRETURNEDTO7OODSTOCKTODIRECTTHEATRICALPRODUCTIONSFORTHE4ODD3CHOOL ANINSTITUTIONTOWHICHHEFELT a lifelong sense of loyalty. It was during one such trip that he made The Hearts of AgeWITHATEAMOFCLOSEFRIENDS INCLUDINGPRODUCERCO DIRECTOR CINEMATOGRAPHER7ILLIAM6ANCEANDACTORS0AUL%DGERTONAND6IRGINIA Nicholson (Welles’ future bride). While the resulting eight-minute short film is unquestionably the WORKOFANAMATEUR FANSOF7ELLESFEATURElLMSSHOULDlNDITESPECIALLY INTERESTINGTHEENTIREMOVIERELIESONRAPID lREMONTAGEEDITING WHICH Welles would eschew in his early features a few years later in favor of the deep-focus/long-take style so beloved by the French critic André Bazin. )NTRIGUINGLY 7ELLESWOULDRETURNTOTHISMONTAGE BASEDAPPROACHTOlLMMAKINGTOWARDSTHEENDOFHISLIFE PRIMARILYOUTOFNECESSITYCAUSEDBY - 182 -

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Post-Script: Oscar and Orson

budgetary constraints. From The Hearts of Age to F for Fake (1973) nearly FORTYYEARSLATER 7ELLES INHISlLMCAREER TRULYCAMEFULLCIRCLE The Hearts of Age begins with shots of a well-dressed woman (Nicholson) wearing old-age make-up and sitting atop a giant bell on the second story OFANANONYMOUS LOOKINGBUILDING/NTHElRSTmOORBELOWHER AMANIN blackface and colonial dress (Edgerton) pulls a rope that rings the bell. At ONEPOINT THEWOMANWAVESHERUMBRELLAATTHEMANANDSEEMSTOCHIDE HIMINTORINGINGITHARDER4HElLMBOLDLYENTERSMURKYPSYCHOSEXUALNOT to mention racial) territory by showing the woman pleasurably rocking back-and-forth astride the bell with what appears to be her black servant toiling under her. The ringing of the bell also seems to have an unintended consequence: it brings a series of strange-looking characters out of a door ONTHEmOORABOVETHEWOMAN ALLOFWHOMACKNOWLEDGEHERASTHEYWALK past her on a nearby fire escape. One of these passers-by is a sinister-looking DANDY7ELLES ALSOWEARINGOLD AGEMAKE UP WHOREPEATEDLYPASSESBYTHE WOMANAND INTHEPROCESS POLITELYTIPSHISTOPHATTOHEREACHTIME Then things get really weird: the man in blackface hangs himself as 7ELLES AND 6ANCE CUT TO SHOTS OF A GRAVESTONE WITH A BECKONING HAND SUPERIMPOSEDOVERIT ANDSHOTSOFAHUMANSKULLINNEGATIVEà la F.W. Murnau’s Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror;Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens = 4HESINISTER LOOKINGDANDYTHENENTERSAROOMHOLDINGA CANDELABRUM(ESITSDOWNATAPIANOANDBEGINSTOPLAY ONLYTOlNDTHAT ONEORMOREOFTHEPIANOKEYSARENOTWORKINGPROPERLY4HEOLDDANDY WHOMTHEVIEWERCANNOWINFERIS$EATH OPENSTHEPIANOTOlNDTHELIFEless body of the old woman inside. The film ends with Death holding up a series of gravestone-shaped title cards reading: “SLEEPING / AT REST / IN PEACE / WITH THE LORD / AMEN.” It is not known when or even if The Hearts of Age was screened in the years immediately following its production. It was certainly an “unknown lLMvFORDECADES)NTHELATES lLMCRITICANDFUTURE/RSON7ELLES biographer Joseph McBride learned about a 16mm print in the William 6ANCECOLLECTIONOFTHE'REENWICH #ONNECTICUT0UBLIC,IBRARY-C"RIDE published an article in the Spring 1970 issue of Film Quarterly entitled h7ELLES"EFORE+ANE vWHICHDISCUSSEDBOTHThe Hearts of Age and another 7ELLESSHORT THETHEN LOSTToo Much Johnson)N-C"RIDESEXCELLENTBIOGraphy What Ever Happened to Orson Welles? HEWRITES h7ELLESSEEMED BEMUSEDANDSOMEWHATIRRITATEDBYTHEDISCOVERY vBEFOREQUOTING7ELLES LONG TIMECINEMATOGRAPHER'ARY'RAVERh/RSONKEPTSAYING @7HYDID Joe have to discover that film?’”3 - 183 -

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In the indispensable book-length interview This is Orson Welles (based on transcribed conversations between Welles and filmmaker Peter "OGDANOVICH EDITEDBY*ONATHAN2OSENBAUM THEGREATDIRECTORCLAIMS that The Hearts of Age was nothing more than “Sunday afternoon fun out on the lawn” and “a send-up.”4/FCOURSE ITISENTIRELYPOSSIBLETHAT Welles did not originally intend the film to be a light-hearted parody of the avant-garde but rather an earnest attempt to work in a mode that he HADSEENANDADMIREDASAYOUNGMAN ANDHISLATERCOMMENTSMAYHAVE been made in defensive hindsight. If The Hearts of Age indeed embarRASSEDOLD-R7ELLES HOWEVER ITPROBABLYSHOULDNOTHAVEDONESO,IKE THEEARLYSKETCHESOFAMASTERPAINTER THElLMINMANYWAYSPOINTSTHE way towards the greatness that was to come (in particular in Welles’ use of elaborate make-up and in his practice of blending techniques gleaned FROMTHE'ERMAN%XPRESSIONISTAND3OVIET-ONTAGEMOVEMENTS WHICH makes it an invaluable piece of the Orson Welles puzzle. 4HESOLEEXISTINGPRINTOFThe Hearts of Age has been deposited with and preserved by the Library of Congress and is readily available in a GOOD QUALITY$6$EDITIONBY+INO6IDEOTHETRANSFEROFWHICHISACCOMpanied by a delightfully jaunty acoustic guitar score by Larry Morotta). Yet in spite of Orson Welles’ reputation as one of the greatest directors of ALLTIME ITSEEMSTHATEVENMANY#HICAGO AREAMOVIELOVERSAREUNAWARE of his local filmmaking roots.

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Appendix A: SELIG POLYSCOPE’S POINTERS ON PICTURE ACTING

A

nyone appearing in a Chicago-shot Selig Polyscope production circa WOULDHAVEBEENGIVENTHISHANDY EXCEEDINGLYAMUSINGMANual on “picture acting.” Amazing but true: ACTION — When the director gives you the word for action at the start OFASCENE DONTWAITANDLOOKATTHECAMERATOSEEIFITISGOING4HATWILL be taken care of and started when the action settles down to where the directors think the scene should start. LOOKING AT THE CAMERA — Never look toward the director when he speaks to you during the action of a scene and while the camera ISRUNNING(EMAYBEREMINDINGYOUTHATYOUAREOUTOFTHEPICTURE OR of some piece of business that you have forgotten. Glancing toward the camera near the finish of a scene to see if it has stopped is also a bad habit. The director will inform you when the scene is over. EYES — Use your eyes as much as possible in your work. Remember that THEYEXPRESSYOURTHOUGHTSMORECLEARLYWHENPROPERLYUSEDTHANGESTURES - 185 -

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or unnatural facial contortions. Do not squint. You will never obtain the results you are striving for if you get into that very bad habit. MAKING EXITS —)NMAKINGANEXITTHROUGHADOOR OROUTOFTHE PICTURE NEVERSLACKUPJUSTONTHEEDGEUSEALITTLEMOREEXERTIONANDCONtinue well out of range of the camera. Many scenes have been weakened by such carelessness. LETTER WRITING —)NWRITINGBEFORETHECAMERA DOSONATURALLY Do not make rapid dashes over the paper. You are completely destroying THEREALISMYOUAREEXPECTEDTOCONVEYBYSODOING7HENREADINGALETTER MENTALLYCOUNTlVESLOWLYBEFORESHOWINGBYYOUREXPRESSIONTHEEFFECTOF the letter upon your mind. READING A LETTER — When a lady receives a letter from her sweetheart or husband she must not show her joy by kissing it. That is overdone and has become so common by usage in pictures and on the stage as to be tiresome. KISSING —7HENKISSINGYOURSWEETHEART HUSBANDORWIFE DOSONATUrally — not a peck on the lips and a quick break-a-way. Also use judgment INTHELENGTHOFYOURKISS6ARYITBYTHEDEGREEOFFRIENDSHIP ORLOVE THAT YOUAREEXPECTEDTOCONVEY GESTURES — Do not use unnecessary gestures. Repose in your acting ISOFMOREVALUE!GESTUREWELLDIRECTEDCANCONVEYAGREATDEAL WHILETOO many may detract from the realism of your work. STRUGGLING — Avoid unnecessary struggling and body contorTIONS-ANYSCENESAPPEARRIDICULOUSBYSUCHACTION&OREXAMPLE IFINA SCRIMMAGEYOUAREOVERPOWEREDBYSUPERIORNUMBERS DONTKICK lGHTAND SQUIRM UNLESSYOUAREPORTRAYINGAMANIACORAMANMADDENEDBEYOND control. Use common sense in this. SHUTTING THE DOORS — Be careful in opening and shutting of DOORSINASET SOASNOTTOJARTHESCENERY#ARELESSNESSINTHISRESPECT CAUSES MAKE OVERS WITH A CONSIDERABLE LOSS OF TIME AND lLM BOTH OF which are valuable.

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Appendix A

IN PICTURE — Be sure that you stay in the picture while working. -ENTALLYMARKWITHYOUREYESTHELIMITATIONSOFTHECAMERASFOCUS AND keep within bounds. You can do this with a little practice without appearing purposely to do so. SMOKING — Don’t smoke near the camera or where the smoke can blow across the lens. Take just as good care about kicking up a dust. If you are on a horse it is not necessary to ride circles around the camera. 4HROWINGDUSTINTOACAMERAWILLCAUSESCRATCHES ANDBRINGDOWNUPON your head the righteous wrath of the operator. GOSSIP — Avoid discussing the secrets of the business you are engaged in. Remember that much harm is done by spreading the news of all the happenings of the day in your work. Revealing to outsiders the plots and names of pictures you are working on or have just finished is frequently TAKENADVANTAGEOFANDCAUSESGREATLOSSTOYOURlRM BYSOMERIVALCONCERN RUSHINGAPICTUREOUTAHEADTHATTHEYHAVEONHAND OFTHESAMENATURE !LLGOSSIPOFANINJURIOUSNATUREISDEPLORABLE ANDWILLNOTBEINDULGED in by any people who appreciate their position and wish to remain in the good graces of their employer. PROMPTNESS — Come to work on time. An allowance of ten minutes WILLBEGRANTEDFORADIFFERENCEINWATCHES BUTBESUREITISTENMINUTES "%&/2%ANDNOTTEN!&4%24HEREARENOHARDSHIPSINmICTEDUPONYOU and you owe it to your employer to be as prompt in this matter as you EXPECTHIMTOBEINTHEPAYMENTOFYOURSALARY MAKE-UP — 2EGARDING MAKE UP AND DRESS DO SOME THINKING FOR YOURSELF 2EMEMBER THAT THE DIRECTOR HAS MANY TROUBLES AND HIS PEOple should lighten his burden in this matter as much as possible. For EXAMPLE IFYOUARETOLDTOPLAYASAhvMINER lGUREOUTINYOUROWN MIND HOW YOU SHOULD APPEAR AND DONT ASK THE DIRECTOR IF HIGH LACED boots will do when you should know that they have only been in use FOR A FEW YEARS $ONT ASK HIM IF PANTS WITH SIDE POCKETS WILLDO WHEN you know they were never worn at that period. A poor country girl SHOULD NEVER WEAR HIGH &RENCH HEELS SILK STOCKINGS AND LONG FORM CORsets; nor should her hair be done in the latest fashion. She would look very much out of the picture in such make-up carrying a milk pail. Do not redden lips too much as a dark red takes nearly black. Likewise in - 187 -

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ROUGINGTHEFACE DONOTTOUCHUPTHECHEEKSONLYANDLEAVETHENOSEAND forehead white. The effect of such make-up is hideous in photography. Get in the habit of thinking out for yourself all the little details that go TOCOMPLETEAPERFECTPICTUREOFTHECHARACTERYOUARETOPORTRAY4HEN if there is anything you do not understand do not be afraid to ask the director. BEARDS — In the making of beards one cannot be too careful. This ISANARTTHATEVERYACTORCANBECOMEPROlCIENTIN IFHEWILLONLYTAKE the pains to do so. Remember that the camera magnifies every defect in your make-up. Just use your mental faculties to give some thought to your character studies and you will win out. SLEEVES — Avoid playing too many parts with your sleeves rolled up. Cowboys and miners use the sleeves of their shirts for what they were INTENDED)FYOUAREPLAYINGTENNIS ORCOURTINGAGIRLATTHESEASIDE YOU may display your manly beauty to your heart’s content. Do not let common stage usages govern you in this matter. PROFANITY —,ETTHEGENTLEMANEXERCISECAREWHENINTHEPRESENCE OFLADIESANDCHILDRENTOUSENOPROFANITY)TISJUSTASEASYTOEXPRESSYOURself without it if you will only try it. USE NO PROFANITY IN THE PICTURES — There are thousands of deaf mutes who attend the theatres and who understand every movement of your lips. PARTS — Do not become peeved if you are not given the part you think you ought to have. The director knows what type person he wishes to use INAPARTICULARPART ANDIFITISNOTGIVENTOYOUITISBECAUSESOMEOTHER person is better fitted for it. We should all work for the general good. By GIVINGOUREMPLOYERTHEBESTWEHAVEINUS WEAREGREATLYBENElTINGHIM and by so doing are enhancing our own value.

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Appendix B: A COMPLETE LIST OF THE EXTANT CHICAGO-SHOT FILMS NAMED IN THIS BOOK AND WHERE TO SEE THEM

T

RAGICALLY MORE THAN  OF ALL !MERICAN lLMS MADE BEFORE  have been estimated to be lost. The further back into the silent era ONELOOKS WHENTHEMAJOR#HICAGOSTUDIOSWEREATTHEIRMOSTPROLIlC THE MORETHATPERCENTAGEINCREASES.ONETHELESS SOMEOFTHElLMSDISCUSSED INTHISBOOKDOSURVIVETODAYAND THROUGHTHEPRESERVATIONEFFORTSOFTHE ,IBRARYOF#ONGRESS THE'EORGE%ASTMAN(OUSE)NTERNATIONAL-USEUM OF0HOTOGRAPHYAND&ILM THE!MERICAN&ILM!RCHIVESANDOTHERINSTITUTIONS THEYAREAVAILABLETOBEVIEWEDINMMPRINTS ON$6$AND"LU RAY ANDONLINE4HEFOLLOWINGISALISTOFALLOFTHEEXTANT#HICAGO SHOTlLMS mentioned in this book as well as how and where they can seen. The Adventures of Kathlyn, Chapter 10R3ELIG0OLYSCOPE $IR&RANCIS* 'RANDON  ˆMMPRINT %YElLM !MSTERDAM 4HE.ETHERLANDS Armour’s Electric Trolley0R%DISON-ANUFACTURING $IR*AMES( 7HITE  ˆMMPRINT ,IBRARYOF#ONGRESS0APER0RINT#OLLECTION 7ASHINGTON $#HTTPWWWYOUTUBECOMWATCHVNME/5PW$1

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An Awful Skate; or, The Hobo on Rollers0R%SSANAY $IR'ILBERT- !NDERSON  ˆMMPRINT 'EORGE%ASTMAN(OUSE)NTERNATIONAL -USEUMOF0HOTOGRAPHYAND&ILM 2OCHESTER .9 Back to the Old Farm0R%SSANAY $IR!RCHER-C-ACKIN  ˆ&ARMINGTON)MPLEMENT#O$6$HTTPWWWYOUTUBECOM WATCHV"OWBZ(lThe Battle of Santiago Bay (aka Spanish Fleet Destroyed 0R!MET $IR %DWARD!MET  ˆ6IDEOEXHIBIT ,AKE#OUNTY$ISCOVERY-USEUM 7AUCONDA ), Cattle Driven to Slaughter0R%DISON-ANUFACTURING $IR*AMES( 7HITE  ˆMMPRINT ,IBRARYOF#ONGRESS0APER0RINT#OLLECTION 7ASHINGTON $#HTTPWWWYOUTUBECOMWATCHV,J0,%*5FAFEAT URERELMFU Chicago Police Parade (aka Chicago defile de policemen 0R,UMIÒRE $IR !LEXANDRE0ROMIO  ˆ4HE-OVIES"EGINˆ!4REASURYOF%ARLY #INEMA n +INO$6$ 4HE,UMIÒRE"ROTHERS&IRST&ILMS +INO$6$ HTTPWWWYOUTUBECOMWATCHVTTAA)GM?0 Chicago Fire Department Runs0R!MET $IR%DWARD!MET  ˆ 6IDEOEXHIBIT ,AKE#OUNTY$ISCOVERY-USEUM 7AUCONDA ), The Coming of Columbus0R3ELIG0OLYSCOPE $IR#OLIN#AMPBELL  ˆMMPRINT ,IBRARYOF#ONGRESS 7ASHINGTON $# Corner Madison and State Streets, Chicago0R%DISON-ANUFACTURING $IR*AMES(7HITE  ˆMMPRINT ,IBRARYOF#ONGRESS 0APER0RINT#OLLECTION 7ASHINGTON $#HTTPWWWYOUTUBECOM WATCHV#,LCMY0Y1 The Count of Monte Cristo0R3ELIG0OLYSCOPE $IR&RANCIS"OGGS 4HOMAS0ERSONS  ˆMMPRINT ,IBRARYOF#ONGRESS 7ASHINGTON D.C. The Cowboy Millionaire0R3ELIG0OLYSCOPE $IR&RANCIS"OGGS/TIS 4URNER  ˆMMPRINT %YElLM !MSTERDAM 4HE.ETHERLANDS - 190 -

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Appendix B

The Crisis0R3ELIG0OLYSCOPE $IR#OLIN#AMPBELL  ˆMM 0RINT 4HE,IBRARYOF#ONGRESS 7ASHINGTON $# Dreamy Dud: He Resolves Not to Smoke0R%SSANAY $IR7ALLACE! #ARLSON  ˆMM0RINT 4HE,IBRARYOF#ONGRESS 7ASHINGTON $#4HE/RIGINSOF&ILM/RIGINSOF!MERICAN!NIMATION )MAGE%NTERTAINMENT$6$ HTTPWWWYOUTUBECOM WATCHV/UP%N+-'XFrom the Submerged0R%SSANAY $IR4HEODORE7HARTON  ˆ4REASURES)))3OCIAL)SSUESIN!MERICAN&ILM n )MAGE%NTERTAINMENT$6$ HTTPWWWYOUTUBECOM WATCHV.BMH#'JJ The Gans-McGovern Fight0R3ELIG0OLYSCOPE $IR  ˆHTTP WWWYOUTUBECOMWATCHVQ/$L&Q&The Hearts of Age0R$IR/RSON7ELLES7ILLIAM6ANCE  ˆ MMPRINT 4HE,IBRARYOF#ONGRESS 7ASHINGTON $#!VANT'ARDE %XPERIMENTAL#INEMAOFTHESS +INO$6$ HTTP WWWYOUTUBECOMWATCHVP8+)-AGH(% His New Job0R%SSANAY $IR#HARLES#HAPLIN  ˆ#HAPLINS %SSANAY#OMEDIES6OL )MAGE%NTERTAINMENT$6$ HTTPWWW YOUTUBECOMWATCHV7))UHLRUC Mamma’s Pets0R!MET $IR%DWARD!MET  ˆ6IDEOEXHIBIT ,AKE#OUNTY$ISCOVERY-USEUM 7AUCONDA ), Maud Muller0R3ELIG0OLYSCOPE $IR/TIS4URNER  ˆMMPRINT 'EORGE%ASTMAN(OUSE)NTERNATIONAL-USEUMOF0HOTOGRAPHYAND&ILM 2OCHESTER .9 Max Wants a Divorce0R%SSANAY $IR-AX,INDER  ˆHTTPWWW YOUTUBECOMWATCHVR+VVA$IV11 Mr. Flip0R%SSANAY $IR'ILBERT-!NDERSON  ˆ3LAPSTICK %NCYCLOPEDIA +INO$6$ HTTPWWWYOUTUBECOM WATCHV4CK'!S!

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The Prince of Graustark0R%SSANAY $IR&RED%7RIGHT  ˆMM PRINT 'EORGE%ASTMAN(OUSE)NTERNATIONAL-USEUMOF0HOTOGRAPHYAND &ILM 2OCHESTER .9 The Raven0R%SSANAY $IR#HARLES"RABIN  ˆ'RAPEVINE6IDEO $6$  .OTETHE'RAPEVINEVERSION WHICHAPPEARSTOBECOMPLETE runs 59 minutes. Other circulating versions run shorter and do not feature the scenes in the correct order. The Roller Skate Craze0R3ELIG0OLYSCOPE $IR  ˆMMPRINT 'EORGE%ASTMAN(OUSE)NTERNATIONAL-USEUMOF0HOTOGRAPHYAND&ILM 2OCHESTER .9MMPRINT ,IBRARYOF#ONGRESS0APER0RINT#OLLECTION 7ASHINGTON $#(EAVILYEDITED,IBRARYOF#ONGRESSVERSIONHTTP WWWYOUTUBECOMWATCHV 1W3(C-3,G Sheep Run, Chicago Stockyards0R%DISON-ANUFACTURING $IR*AMES( 7HITE  ˆMMPRINT ,IBRARYOF#ONGRESS 7ASHINGTON $# HTTPWWWYOUTUBECOMWATCHV,J0,%*5FAFEATURERELMFU Sherlock Holmes0R%SSANAY $IR!RTHUR"ERTHELET ˆMMPRINT #INÏMATHÒQUE&RANÎAISE 0ARIS &RANCE Tempted By Necessity0R3ELIG0OLYSCOPE $IR,EM0ARKER  ˆMMPRINT 'EORGE%ASTMAN(OUSE)NTERNATIONAL-USEUMOF 0HOTOGRAPHYAND&ILM 2OCHESTER .9 Within Our Gates0R-ICHEAUX"OOKAND&ILM#O $IR/SCAR -ICHEAUX  ˆMMPRINT ,IBRARYOF#ONGRESS 7ASHINGTON $# 'RAPEVINE6IDEO$6$ 4HE/RIGINSOF&ILM!FRICAN!MERICAN #INEMA) )MAGE%NTERTAINMENT$6$  The Wonderful Wizard of Oz0R3ELIG0OLYSCOPE $IR/TIS4URNER 1910) — The Wizard of Oz4HREE$ISC%MERALD%DITION 7ARNER (OME6IDEO"LU RAY More Treasures from American Film Archives 1894–1931 )MAGE%NTERTAINMENT$6$ HTTPWWWYOUTUBECOM WATCHV&-MA8C%)

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Appendix C: SOME CENSORED SCENES OF CHICAGO FILMS NOTED IN LOCAL NEWSPAPERS

F

ROMTO APOPULARPORTIONOF+ITTY+ELLYSh&LICKERINGSFROM Film Land” column in the Chicago Daily Tribune detailed scenes that the censorship board ordered to be cut (as well as some movies that were rejected outright). Here are some Essanay and Selig films that were targeted: 5/5/1914 At Last We Are Alone (Selig) — Bedroom scene showing embracing of couple in night robes. A Pair of Stockings (Selig) — Man entering and leaving room through window; shorten scene in which he rifles (through) dresser; cut out actual stealing of necklace and stockings. 6/4/1914 Broncho Billy: Outlaw (Essanay) — Shorten to flash struggle between -EXICANANDGIRL Finger Prints (Essanay) — Struggle between crook and girl; shorten scene between detective and crooks. - 193 -

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6/26/1914 The Count of Monte Cristo (Selig) — Subtitle: “To further his own end $R6ILLEFORDSUGGESTSROBBERYANDMURDERvSHOOTINGWOMANHITTINGMAN on the head with bottle; man stabbing himself; and the actual killing in duel. Broncho Billy and the Sheriff (Essanay) — Drinking scene in church; “bad man” driving congregation from church; shorten scene showing sheriff giving money to the “bad man”; giving file to prisoner; showing file after escape; prisoner filing bars; prisoner escaping from jail. 10/14/1914 Escape of Jim Dolan (Selig) — Putting file in bottle; sawing prison bars; Indians attacking man; tying him to horse’s tail; and horse dragging him; subtitle about Indians torturing man. 10/13/1914 Hearst-Selig Pictorial News Company No. 1 (Selig) — Subtitle: “A farmer shoes his horse by the wayside while the soldiers amuse themselves by making an effigy of the Kaiser.” Her Sacrifice (Selig) — Subtitles: “A little girl who loved not wisely but too well.” “That man owes my little sister something.” 5/21/1915 How Callahan Cleaned Up Little Hell (Selig) — Shorten gambling scene; shooting police captain; interior of dive from beginning to where doors in rear are closed; dive keeper with currency in hand; eliminate idea that politician was being paid for protection. Beautiful Belinda (Selig) — Man with arrow sticking in his back. 2/16/1915 A Night Out (Essanay) — Man kicking woman; five scenes of man improperly clad in a strange woman’s bedroom. 4/30/1915 Sweedie in Vaudeville (Essanay) — First half of gambling scene in which money is shown. 6/21/1915 A Woman (Essanay — Charlie Chaplin) — Woman kicking man; woman - 194 -

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Appendix C

picking man’s pocket in park; all scenes of man minus trousers; all scenes in bedroom showing him dressing up as a woman; all scenes showing EXTRACTIONOFHATPINSFROMMANSANATOMYMANPULLINGSKIRTOFFWOMAN and subsequent and subsequent vulgar actions; picture with father giving couple blessing. 11/11/1915 How Marjorie Won a Career and Lifted the Mortgage from Her Mother’s Home (Essanay) — Rejected outright because the picture is a demonstration of a corset fitting on live models and is offensive to public modesty.

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ENDNOTES

Introduction: Hollywood Before Hollywood 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

0HILLIPS -ICHAEL h7HEN #HICAGO #REATED (OLLYWOOD v Chicago Tribune *ULY  0ARSONS ,OUELLAThe Gay Illiterate $OUBLEDAY  PG "ORDWELL $AVIDAND4HOMPSON +RISTINFilm History: An Introduction RD ED -C'RAW (ILL  PG 2IESLER *IMCash and Carry: The Spectacular Rise and Hard Fall of C.C. Pyle, America’s First Sports Agent -C&ARLAND  PG Show World *UNE  Billboard !UGUST  E-mail to author Michael Glover Smith ,AUERMAN #ONNIEh(OLLYWOOD%AST vChicago Tribune -ARCH 

I. THOMAS EDISON, INVENTION, AND THE DAWN OF A NEW CHICAGO 1. Edison Kinetoscope and Pre-Motion Picture Entertainment 1

Chicago Daily Tribune *UNE  - 197 -

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Flickering Empire 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

/BITUARY New York Times /CTOBER  Chicago Daily Tribune -ARCH  REPRINTEDFROMTHE.EW9ORK3UN Chicago Daily Tribune -ARCH  REPRINTEDFROMTHE.EW9ORK3UN h4HE3PEAKING0HONOGRAPH vScientific American Supplement -ARCH  p. 1828. Reprinted from the New York Sun. h4HE3PEAKING0HONOGRAPH vScientific American Supplement -ARCH  p. 1828. Reprinted from the New York Sun. h4HE3PEAKING0HONOGRAPH vScientific American Supplement -ARCH  p. 1828. Reprinted from the New York Sun. $YER &RANK ,EWIS AND -ARTIN 4HOMAS #OMMERFORD Edison: His Life and Inventions Volume 2 (ARPERS  PG -ILLER 2EESE (UTCHINSON QUOTED IN h,EARNING FROM &AILURES v Munsey’s Magazine 6OLUME Biographiq. Thomas Edison: Life of an Electrifying Man &ILIQUARIAN  PG 23 0ICKOVER #LIFFORD!Strange Brains and Genius: The Secret Lives of Eccentric Scientists and Madmen (ARPER#OLLINS  PG Chicago Daily Tribune *UNE  Chicago Daily Tribune *UNE  Chicago Daily Tribune *UNE 

2. The Columbian Exposition 1

h0ROlTSONTHE3IDE vChicago Daily Tribune *ULY  h0ROlTSONTHE3IDE vChicago Daily Tribune *ULY  3 -USSER #HARLES Before the Nickelodeon: Edwin S. Porter and the Edison Manufacturing Company 5NIVERSITYOF#ALIFORNIA0RESS  PG 4 #LARK (ERMAh7HEN#HICAGO7AS9OUNG vChicago Daily Tribune !PRIL 1942 5 ,ARSON %RIKThe Devil in the White City 6INTAGE  PG 6 “Burton Holmes’ Third Talk.: Gives His Illustrated Lecture on ‘The City of THE"ARBARY#OAST vChicago Daily Tribune .OVEMBER  2

3. The Dawn of Exhibition 1

h#LASSIlED!D vChicago Daily Tribune -AY  2 Western Electrician *ANUARY *UNE  3 The Motion Picture World *ULY  4 *OSEPHSON -ATTHEW Edison: A Biography *OHN 7ILEY  3ONS  PG 173–174 5 Maguire & Baucus Fall Catalogue  P 6 h4HE7ONDERFUL+INETOSCOPE vChicago Daily Tribune -AY  7 "ERNARD 4AVERNIER QUOTED FROM THE COMMENTARY ON +INO 6IDEOS Lumière Bros. First Films$6$  - 198 -

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Endnotes 8

h(OPKINS3OUTH3IDE4HEATER hChicago Daily Tribune *UNE  h!MUSEMENTS vChicago Daily Tribune *ULY  10 The undated Chicago Post article on the cinematographe was reprinted in SEVERALREGIONALPAPERSTHETEXTWEHAVEUSEDCOMESFROMAPRINTINGINTHE *ANUARY EDITIONOFTHETrenton Evening Times. 11 Morning OlympianDISPLAYAD !UGUST  12 h3HOW,IFEAND"EAUTY vChicago Daily Tribune /CTOBER  13 Maguire & Baucus Fall Catalogue  P 14 h+INEMATOGRAPH  ,ANTERN 7EEKLY v The Film Index 6OL )6 .O  3EPTEMBER  PG 9

II. CHICAGO RISING 4. Colonel William Selig 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17

$ENGLER %UGENE h7ONDERS OF THE @$IAMOND 3 0LANT v Motography *ULY 1911 %RISH !NDREW Col. William N. Selig, the Man Who Invented Hollywood 5NIVERSITYOF4EXAS0RESS  PG %RISH !NDREW Col. William N. Selig, the Man Who Invented Hollywood 5NIVERSITYOF4EXAS0RESS  PG 5NTITLED-ANUSCRIPT 3ELIG&OLDER -ARGARET(ERRICK,IBRARY !CADEMY of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences 5NTITLED-ANUSCRIPT 3ELIG&OLDER -ARGARET(ERRICK,IBRARY !CADEMY of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences h#HICAGOAS-OVIE#APITAL vChicago Daily Tribune $ECEMBER  Selig Catalog  -USSER #HARLES The Emergence of Cinema: The American Screen to 1907 5NIVERSITYOF#ALIFORNIA0RESS  PGn Selig Catalog  !YCOCK #OLLEENAND3COTT -ARKJoe Gans: A Biography of the First African American World Boxing Champion -C&ARLAND  PGn h+NOCKOUTFORPRIZElGHTS vChicago Daily Tribune $ECEMBER  -USSER #HARLES The Emergence of Cinema: The American Screen to 1907 5NIVERSITYOF#ALIFORNIA0RESS  PGn The Moving Picture World /CTOBER  Selig Catalog  "ERNSTEIN !RNIEHollywood on Lake Michigan: 100 Years of Chicago and the Movies ,AKE#LAREMONT0RESS  PG 'AUDREAULT !NDRE American Cinema: 1890–1909: Themes and Variations 2UTGERS5NIVERSITY0RESS  PG %RISH !NDREW Col. William N. Selig, the Man Who Invented Hollywood 5NIVERSITYOF4EXAS0RESS  PG - 199 -

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2AMSAYE 4ERRY A Million and One Nights 3IMON3CHUSTER  PG h3ELIGS-OTION0ICTURE0LANTv!D Chicago Examiner  20 h&ILM-AKERS.EW)NDUSTRY vChicago Daily Tribune .OVEMBER  19

5. George Spoor, George Kleine and the Rise of the Nickelodeon 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17

18 19 20 21 22 23

3TATEMENTOF%DWARD!MET lLED-ARCH  FEDERALARCHIVES Undated (1940s) letter from Edward Amet to the Waukegan Historical Society ,ETTERFROMh6ERNEvTOh5NCLE vDATED!PRIL  ,AKE#OUNTRY$ISCOVERY Museum archives -USSER #HARLES The Emergence of Cinema: The American Screen to 1907 5NIVERSITYOF#ALIFORNIA0RESS  PG Chicago Daily News /CTOBER  Undated (1940s) letter from Edward Amet to the Waukegan Historical Society $RETSKE $IANAh)LLUMINATING,AKE#OUNTY )LLINOIS(ISTORYv%DWARD!METS &ILMS n7EB*UNEHTTPLAKECOUNTYHISTORYBLOGSPOT com/2010/09/edward-amets-films-1896-1898.html> Undated (1940s) letter from Edward Amet to the Waukegan Historical Society Chicago Daily News /CTOBER  Waukegan Daily Gazette Register .OVEMBER  Chicago Daily News !PRIL  h&IRST -OVIE 3TAR .EVER IN (OLLYWOOD v Cleveland Plain Dealer *UNE  1939 Chicago Daily News /CTOBER  h-OVE!)F!LIVE vChicago Daily Tribune !PRIL  +IEHN $AVIDBroncho Billy and the Essanay Film Company &ARWELL  PG 7 'RAU 2OBERT The Stage in the Twentieth Century: Third Volume "ROADWAY 0UBLISHING#O PG “Reel Chicago.” - Chicago Magazine. Robert Loerzel. Web. 17 June  HTTPWWWCHICAGOMAGCOM#HICAGO -AGAZINE-AY 2EEL Chicago/> The Moving Picture World 6OL The Moving Picture World 6OL 'AUDREAULT !NDRE American Cinema, 1890–1900: Themes and Variations 2UTGERS5NIVERSITY0RESS  PG h4HE/RIGINSOFTHE&ILM%XCHANGE vFilm History Vol. 17 4AYLOR&RANCIS  PG New York Clipper /CTOBER  ,AEMMLE #ARLh4HE"USINESSOF-OTION0ICTURES vIN4INO"ALIO ED The American Film Industry 5NIVERSITYOF7ISCONSIN0RESS  PG - 200 -

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Endnotes 24

$ICK "ERNARDCity of Dreams: The Making and Remaking of Universal Pictures 5NIVERSITY0RESSOF+ENTUCKY PG 25 2ABINOVITZ ,AURENFor the Love of Pleasure: Women, Movies and Culture in Turn-of-the-Century Chicago 2UTGERS5NIVERSITY0RESS  PG 26 2INGER 2ONALDExcel HSC Modern History 0ASCAL0RESS  PG

6. Gilbert “Broncho Billy” Anderson 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

"IANCULLI !NTHONY Iron Rails in the Garden Sate: Tales of New Jersey Railroading )NDIANA5NIVERSITY0RESS  PG -USSER #HARLES Before the Nickelodeon: Edwin S. Porter and the Edison Manufacturing Company 5NIVERSITYOF#ALIFORNIA0RESS  PG "ROWNLOW +EVINHollywood, The Pioneers +NOPF  PG "ROWNLOW +EVINHollywood, The Pioneers +NOPF  PG Edison Films Catalogue .O  ,AHUE +ALTON#Winners of the West: Sagebrush Heroes of the Silent Screen !3"ARNES  PG +IEHN $AVIDBroncho Billy and the Essanay Film Company &ARWELL  PG 7 #OURTLANDT 2OBERTAh!#HATWITH'-!NDERON;"RONCHO"ILLY=v Motion Picture Magazine6OL  Chicago Daily News /CTOBER  "OWSER %ILEENHistory of the American Cinema: The Transformation of Cinema, 1907 – 1915 5NIVERSITYOF#ALIFORNIA0RESS  PG %SSANAY!D The Moving Picture World *ULY  'RISHAM 7ILLIAM h4HOSE -ARVELOUS -EN AND 4HEIR -OVIE -ACHINES v Chicago Tribune $ECEMBER  $AVIS $EBRA AND $AVIS ,ON King of the Movies: Francis X. Bushman "EAR-ANOR-EDIA  PG h!NNOUNCEMENT vThe Moving Picture World *ULY

7. The Edison Trust 1

"ALIO 4INOThe American Film Industry 5NIVERSITYOF7ISCONSIN0RESS  pg. 135 2 h%DISON'ETS &ROM-OVING0ICTURE-EN vChicago Daily Tribune &EBRUARY  3 Edison v. American Mutoscope & Biograph Co.  &   ##!  ;-ARCH = 4 h3UITS3TARTED"Y%DISONON-OVING0ICTURE0ATENTS vChicago Daily Tribune -ARCH  5 h!0LANTO2EORGANIZETHE-OTION0ICTURE"USINESSOFTHE5NITED3TATES v UNSIGNED -AYIN4INO"ALIO ED The American Film Industry 5NIVERSITY OF7ISCONSIN0RESS  PG - 201 -

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Flickering Empire 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

h4OTHE%XHIBITORSOF-OVING0ICTURES vThe Moving Picture World Vol. 4 .O  *ANUARY  h$ECLARE7ARON&ILM4RUST vChicago Daily Tribune *ANUARY  "ACH 3TEVENFinal Cut .EWMARKET0RESS  PG 'RISHAM 7ILLIAM h4HOSE -ARVELOUS -EN AND 4HEIR -OVIE -ACHINESv Chicago Tribune $ECEMBER  h+INEMATOGRAPH  ,ANTERN 7EEKLY v The Film Index 6OL )6 .O  3EPTEMBER  PG h)NSURANCEFOR0ICTURE(OUSES vNew York Dramatic Mirror !PRIL  pg. 14 h-OTION0ICTURE0ATENTS#OMPANY4HEIR0OLICYAND0ROCEDURE vThe Moving Picture World !PRIL  h#ENSORSHIP"OARD vThe Moving Picture World -ARCH  "RIEFFORTHEDEFENDANTS U.S.A. v. M.P.P.C. PGn %RISH !NDREW Col. William N. Selig, the Man Who Invented Hollywood 5NIVERSITYOF4EXAS0RESS  PG

III. THE GOLDEN AGE OF CHICAGO FILM PRODUCTION 8. The Golden Age of Essanay 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 10 11 12 13 14

$AVIS $EBRAAND$AVIS ,ONKing of the Movies: Francis X. Bushman "EAR -ANOR-EDIA  PGn "OGGS *OHNNYJesse James and the Movies -C&ARLAND  PG h,ETTERFROM7#1UIMBYTOTHE%DITOR vThe Moving Picture World &EBRUARY   The Essanay Guide -ARCH  7ATERBURY 2UTHPhotoplay: the aristocrat of motion picture magazines, Vol. 11 pg. 69 $AVIS ,ON AND $AVIS $EBRA King of the Movies: Francis X. Bushman "EAR-ANOR-EDIA  PG 0ARSONS ,OUELLAThe Gay Illiterate $OUBLEDAY  PG $AVIS $EBRA AND $AVIS ,ON King of the Movies: Francis X. Bushman "EAR-ANOR-EDIA  PG $AVIS $EBRA AND $AVIS ,ON King of the Movies: Francis X. Bushman "EAR-ANOR-EDIA  PG 0ARSONS ,OUELLAThe Gay Illiterate $OUBLEDAY  PG 'RISHAM 7ILLIAM h4HOSE -ARVELOUS -EN AND 4HEIR -OVIE -ACHINESv Chicago Tribune $ECEMBER  "OWSER %ILEENHistory of the American Cinema: The Transformation of Cinema, 1907–1915 5NIVERSITYOF#ALIFORNIA0RESS  PG 3LIDE !NTHONYEarly American Cinema 3CARECROW0RESS  PG

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Endnotes

9. The Golden Age of Selig Polyscope 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

14 15 16 17 18

19 20 21 22 23 24 25

h4HE&IVE#ENT4HEATERS vChicago Daily Tribune !PRIL  Chicago Daily News Almanac and Year Book for 1911 PUBLISHED h.EWSOFTHE4HEATRES vChicago Daily Tribune /CTOBER  h6OICEOFTHE0EOPLEv Chicago Tribune *ANUARY  h6OICEOFTHE0EOPLEv Chicago Tribune !PRIL  h(UNTING!FRICAN,IONS vChicago Daily Tribune -AY  h+INEMATOGRAPH  ,ANTERN 7EEKLYv The Film Index 6OL )6 .O  3EPTEMBER  PG h(UNTING!FRICAN,IONS vChicago Daily Tribune -AY  h3TUDIO*ANITOR+ILLS-OVIE$IRECTOR vLos Angeles Times /CTOBER  %RISH !NDREW Col. William N. Selig, the Man Who Invented Hollywood 5NIVERSITYOF4EXAS0RESS  PG *ENSEN 2ICHARD The Amazing Tom Mix: The Most Famous Cowboy of the Movies I5NIVERSE  PG The Film Index 6OL)6.O *ANUARY  PGn 3ELIG LETTER TO 7ILLIAM 2ENICK &EBRUARY   QUOTED IN h)F )TS .OT 3COTTISH)TS#RAP(ARRY,AUDER3INGSFOR3ELIG v3COTT#URISFilm History 6OL .O  h(ARRY,AUDER0ICTURES vVariety !PRIL  -C1UADE *AMESh#HICAGO,ETTER vThe Moving Picture World *ANUARY 1914 +ELLY +ITTY h&LICKERINGS FROM &ILM ,AND v Chicago Daily Tribune -ARCH  1915 h'OSSIP OF THE -OVIE 0LAYS AND 0LAYERS v Chicago Daily Tribune *UNE  1914 4AKENFROMANUNDATEDEXHIBITORSCATALOG MOSTOFTHECOPYWASREPRINTED in “Kathlyn Williams’ Great Success at the Pastime Theatre Today Only” in THE*ULY ISSUEOFThe Bakersfield Californian h&ILMOFTHE7EEK vCleveland Plain Dealer *ULY  Photoplay DATED!PRIL BUTPROBABLYFROMLATER h!NSWERSTO-OVIE&ANS vChicago Daily Tribune !PRIL  h'REEN2OOM*OTTINGS Motion Picture Magazine !UGUST  Motography -ARCH  h(EARST 3ELIG-OVING0ICTUREv!D Chicago Examiner  %RISH !NDREW Col. William N. Selig, the Man Who Invented Hollywood 5NIVERSITYOF4EXAS0RESS  PG

10. Essanay Signs Charlie Chaplin 1

3WANSON 'LORIASwanson on Swanson: An Autobiography 0OCKET  PG 44 2 #HAPLIN #HARLESMy Autobiography 0LUME0ENGUIN  PG - 203 -

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Flickering Empire 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

#HAPLIN #HARLESMy Autobiography 0LUME0ENGUIN  PG #HAPLIN #HARLESMy Autobiography 0LUME0ENGUIN  PG "ELL 'EOFFREYThe Golden Gate and the Silver Screen !SSOCIATED5NIVERSITY 0RESSE  PG #HAPLIN #HARLESMy Autobiography 0LUME0ENGUIN  PG #HAPLIN #HARLESMy Autobiography 0LUME0ENGUIN  PG #HAPLIN #HARLESMy Autobiography 0LUME0ENGUIN  PG #HAPLIN #HARLESMy Autobiography 0LUME0ENGUIN  PG #HAPLIN #HARLESMy Autobiography 0LUME0ENGUIN  PG #HAPLIN #HARLESMy Autobiography 0LUME0ENGUIN  PGn !RNOLD *AMES Seen any good dirty movies lately? 3T !NTHONY -ESSENGER 0RESS  PG #HAPLIN #HARLESMy Autobiography 0LUME0ENGUIN  PG Chicago Daily News /CTOBER  'RISHAM 7ILLIAM h4HOSE -ARVELOUS -EN AND 4HEIR -OVIE -ACHINES v Chicago Daily Tribune $ECEMBER 

11. Chaplin in Chicago: His New Job 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19

#HAPLIN #HARLESMy Autobiography 0LUME0ENGUIN  PG #HAPLIN #HARLESMy Autobiography 0LUME0ENGUIN  PG 3WANSON 'LORIASwanson on Swanson: An Autobiography 0OCKET  PG 42 #HAPLIN #HARLESMy Autobiography 0LUME0ENGUIN  PG Picture-Play Weekly) !PRIL  PGn h2IGHT/FFTHE2EEL vChicago Daily Tribune *ANUARY  Motion Picture Magazine -ARCH PGn h0URSUEDBY3ILENT3CREEN'HOSTS vChicago Daily Tribune !PRIL  'RISHAM 7ILLIAM h4HOSE -ARVELOUS -EN AND 4HEIR -OVIE -ACHINES v Chicago Daily Tribune $ECEMBER  *AGLOM (ENRY /RSON 7ELLES AND 0ETER "ISKIND My Lunches with Orson: Conversations between Henry Jaglom and Orson Welles-ETROPOLITAN  PG 143 Motion Picture Magazine -ARCH PGn #HAPLIN #HARLESMy Autobiography 0LUME0ENGUIN  PG Chicago Daily News /CTOBER  +ELLY +ITTY h&LICKERINGS FROM &ILM ,AND v Chicago Daily Tribune &EBRUARY  1915 #HAPLIN #HARLESMy Autobiography 0LUME0ENGUIN  PG #HAPLIN #HARLESMy Autobiography 0LUME0ENGUIN  PG #HAPLIN*R #HARLESMy Father, Charlie Chaplin 2ANDOM(OUSE  PG 32 -ILTON *OYCETramp: The Life of Charlie Chaplin $A#APO  PG -ILTON *OYCETramp: The Life of Charlie Chaplin $A#APO  PG - 204 -

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Endnotes 20

#HAPLIN #HARLESMy Autobiography 0LUME0ENGUIN  PG h,OOKING AT (OLLYWOOD 7ITH %D 3ULLIVAN v %D 3ULLIVAN Chicago Daily Tribune /CT  22 7ITTER $AVIDh#HI,IVES-ACK3ENNETTS-OTORCYCLE3TUNTMANvChicago Reader *ANUARY  21

IV. IT ALL CAME CRASHING DOWN 12. The Decline of the Chicago Studios 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17

7ITTER $AVIDh#HI,IVES-ACK3ENNETTS-OTORCYCLE3TUNTMANvChicago Reader *ANUARY  Motion Picture Patents Co. v. Independent Moving Pictures Company of America & ND#IR  /RIGINALPETITION United States v. MPPC  53  "ALIO 4INOThe American Film Industry 5NIVERSITYOF7ISCONSIN0RESS  pg. 149 *!"ERSTTO'EORGE+LEINE *ULY  'EORGE+LEINE#OLLECTION "OX U.S. v. Motion Picture Patents Co. & $#0A  3WANSON 'LORIASwanson on Swanson: An Autobiography 0OCKET  PG 48 3WANSON 'LORIASwanson on Swanson: An Autobiography 0OCKET  PG 53 h6OICEOFTHE0EOPLE vChicago Daily Tribune -ARCH  "ELL 'EOFFREYThe Golden Gate and the Silver Screen !SSOCIATED5NIVERSITY 0RESSE  PG h-AX,INDER#OMINGTO!MERICA vThe Moving Picture World 6OL The Moving Picture World 6OL *ANUARY  h3ELIG#OMPANYTO3HUT$OWN"IG#HICAGO0LANT vThe Morning Telegraph *ULY  +ELLY +ITTYh&LICKERINGSFROM&ILM,AND4ELLS(OW4HE.AMEOF3ELIG'REW &AMOUS vChicago Daily Tribune!PRIL  h-ONKEYSHINES vChicago Daily Tribune /CTOBER  h!HA
3HERLOCKIS/UTDONE
vChicago Daily Tribune !PRIL  h#ASINO3TARS3TAGE4HRILLER vChicago Daily Tribune -AY 

13. Major M.L.C. Funkhouser and the Chicago Censorship Code 1

#OUVARES &RANCES Movie Censorship and American Culture 5NIVERSITY OF -ASSACHUSETTS0RESS  PG 2 -C#ARTHY +ATHLEENh.ICKEL6ICEAND6IRTUE-OVIE#ENSORSHIPIN#HICAGO nv Journal of Popular Film PGn 3 (ABERSKI 2AYMONDIt’s Only a Movie!: Films and Critics in American Culture - 205 -

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4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

5NIVERSITY0RESSOF+ENTUCKY  PGSn h-OVIE#ENSOR#HIEF@*UMPED/VER4WO7OMEN vChicago Daily Tribune -ARCH  h&REAK$ANCES"ETOLDIN-OVING0ICTURES vChicago Daily Tribune /CTOBER   -C1UADE *AMES h#HICAGO ,ETTER v The Moving Picture World *ANUARY  1914 +ELLY +ITTYh&LICKERINGSFROM&ILM,AND vChicago Daily Tribune &EBRUARY 1915 h!LL.ATION3EES%ASTLAND&ILM vChicago Daily Tribune *ULY  +ELLY +ITTYh&LICKERINGSFROM&ILM,AND vChicago Daily Tribune !UGUST 1915 -C1UADE *AMESh#HICAGO,ETTER vThe Moving Picture World &EBRUARY 1914 +OSZARSKI 2ICHARDAn Evening’s Entertainment: The Age of the Silent Feature Picture, 1915–1928 5NIVERSITYOF#ALIFORNIA0RESS  PG +OSZARSKI 2ICHARDAn Evening’s Entertainment: The Age of the Silent Feature Picture, 1915–1928 5NIVERSITYOF#ALIFORNIA0RESS  PG h9O (O
!ND THE #ENSOR )S /N 2AMPAGE !GAIN v Chicago Daily Tribune !UGUST  h4HE0OLICEAND3OCIAL6ICE vChicago Daily Tribune *ULY  (ABERSKI 2AYMONDIt’s Only a Movie!: Films and Critics in American Culture 5NIVERSITY0RESSOF+ENTUCKY  PG

Epilogue 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

Chicago Daily News *ANUARY  h%SSANAY,OT'ONE .OT)TS'UIDING(AND vChicago Daily Tribune $ECEMBER   (AYNER $ONAND-C.AMEE 4OMChicago Sun-Times Metro Chicago Almanac .ATIONAL"OOK.ETWORK  PG !DAMS -IKE Lee De Forest: King of Radio, Television and Film !DAMS 3PRINGER  PG h"RONCO ;SIC= "ILLY 2ECALLS &ILMS OF  v Los Angeles Enquirer *UNE  1943 h+INGOF#OMEDY vTonawanda News *ANUARY  h6ETERANS OF &ILMS (ONOR "EN 4URPIN v Prescott Evening Courier *ULY  1940 $ISPLAY!D Chicago Tribune *AN  -AHAR +ARENWomen Filmmakers in Early Hollywood *(50RESS  PG 190 'OLDEN %VEGolden Images: 41 Essays on Silent Film Stars -C&ARLAND  pg. 209 “Reel Chicago.” - Chicago Magazine. Robert Loerzel. Web. 17 June 2012. - 206 -

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Endnotes

HTTPWWWCHICAGOMAGCOM#HICAGO -AGAZINE-AY 2EEL #HICAGO h$EATH4AKES&UNKHOUSERAT,UNCH4ABLE vChicago Daily Tribune 3EPTEMBER   13 2AMSAYE 4ERRYA Million and One Nights 3IMON3CHUSTER  PG 14 "ALDWIN .EIL Edison: Inventing the Century 5NIVERSITY OF #HICAGO 0RESS  PG 12

Postscript: Oscar and Orson 1

h7ITHIN/UR'ATES vChicago Defender *ANUARY  PG h%IGHTEEN 9EARS /LD 3CORES (IT IN 3HAKESPEARE v Chicago Daily Tribune $ECEMBER  3 -C"RIDE *OSEPHWhat Ever Happened to Orson Welles? 5NIVERSITY0RESSOF +ENTUCKY PG 4 7ELLES /RSON AND "OGDANOVICH 0ETER *ONATHAN 2OSENBAUM ED This Is Orson Welles $A#APO  PG 2

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INDEX

Ade, George 5 Adventures of Kathlyn, The 114–18, 156 Alcock, John 166 alternating-current electricity 15, 24, 25 Amarillo (Texas) 141 American Film Manufacturing Company 3, 94, 99 American Music Hall 122, 142 American Mutoscope and Biograph Company 2, 33, 69, 77 American Vitagraph Company 3, 72, 75, 77–8, 81, 96, 119, 149, 151, 164, 169 Amet, Edward 3, 12, 25, 33–4, 43–4, 53–63, 73, 169–70 Anderson, Gilbert M. “Broncho Billy” 5–6, 25, 50, 54, 66–77, 84, 89–94, 99, 102, 112, 123, 126–30, 133–4, 136–9, 142, 152, 158, 160, 170, 173–4

Anschutz, Otto 23, 33, 38 Anthony Scoville Company 79 Appeal to Reason 50 Arbuckle, Maclyn 129 Armat, Thomas 34, 56, 59, 78–9, 81, 169 Armour’s Electric Trolley 38 Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat 35, 67 Arrival of Humpty Dumpty 47 Avenging Conscience, The 153 Awful Skate, An 74–6, 89–91 Baker, Richard Foster “Daddy” 95, 97 Bandit King, The 73 Banning, Ephraim and Thomas 46, 49 Bara, Theda 155 Batman 172 Battle of Santiago Bay, The 57–8, 43 Baum, L. Frank 5, 26, 106–8, 176

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Index

Bayne, Beverly 94, 98–9, 121, 151, 172 Beery, Wallace 5, 102, 126, 143, 150–1, 171–2 Bell, Alexander Graham 9 Bell, Don J. 61 Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ 5, 171 Berthelet, Arthur 152 Birth of a Nation, The 94, 140, 153, 157, 179, 180 Birth of a Race Photoplay Company 3 Black Maria 31, 33 Blackton, J. Stuart 43, 57 Blood of a Poet, The 182 Body and Soul 180 Boggs, Francis 103–5, 107, 111 Bordwell, David 2 Bosworth, Hobart 103 Brabin, Charles 152–4, 182 Broncho Billy’s Redemption 93 Brush Between Cowboys and Indians, A 72 Buddmeyer, Hazel 136 Bunch of Keys, A 165 Bunny, John 129–30 Buñuel, Luis 182 Bushman, Francis X. 5, 94–8, 115, 121, 126, 129–30, 133–4, 141, 143, 151–2, 171–2 Bushman (gorilla) 172 Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, The 182 Calcium Light & Film Company 75 Call Northside 777 182 Calvert, E.H. 99, 101 Canned Meat Department No. 6: Painting and Labeling 49 Capone, Al 5 Carlson, Wallace A. 151 Casino Club 158 Cato, Bill 152 Cattle Driven to Slaughter 38 Central Music Hall 26

Champ, The 171 Chaplin, Charlie 5, 42, 76, 85, 102, 120–43, 151–2, 155, 164, 171 Chicago Daily News 51, 56, 58, 65, 73, 78, 104, 112, 127–8, 157, 162 Chicago Daily News Almanac 105 Chicago Daily Tribune 10, 17, 28, 31, 34, 61, 78–9, 118, 134, 153, 156, 164 Chicago Defender 178, 180 Chicago défilé de policemen See Chicago Police Parade Chicago Fire Department Runs 58 Chicago Police Parade 32, 35–7 Chicago Projecting Company 48 Chicago Recording Scale Company 53 Chicago Stockyards 38 Chicago Theater 65, 143, 161 Chief Whirlwind 113 Chien Andalou, Un 182 Christmas Adoption, A 89 Christmas Carol, A 3, 90 Cinematographe 32, 34–6, 38, 42–3, 54 City That Never Sleeps 182 Clark, Herma 24, 29 Clary, Charles 115 Cleveland Plain Dealer 117 Cocteau, Jean 182 Cody, William F. “Buffalo Bill” 13, 26 College Inn 128–9, 134 color-tinted films 60 Columbian Exposition of 1893 9, 12, 19–28 Coming of Columbus, The 26, 113, 117 Convicts at Large 174 Corner in Wheat, A 101 Corner Madison and State Streets 36–7 Count of Monte Cristo 103–5 Cowboy Millionaire, The 4, 112 Crisis, The 157 Crossman, Henrietta 129

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Flickering Empire

Custer’s Last Stand See On the Little Big Horn Damon and Pythias 3, 106 Dancing Nig, The 89 Dever, William Emmett 175 Dickson, W.K.L. 16–18, 23, 33, 69, 77, 79, 141 Dillinger, John 52 Doyle, Sir Arthur Conan 4, 152 Dreamy Dud: He Resolves Not to Smoke 151 Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde 3 Dunn, Bessie 60–1 Dyer, Frank 84 Eastland Disaster, The 164–5 Eastman Kodak Company 16, 80, 147 Ebony Film Company 3 Edendale 101, 111, 118, 156–7 Edgerton, Paul 182–3 Edison Manufacturing Company 1, 30–1, 36, 43, 69–71, 81, 176 Edison’s Vitascope 34 Edison, Thomas Alva 3, 6–18, 23–8, 30–8, 42–3, 45–6, 48–53, 56, 61–6, 68–72, 75, 77–85, 102, 131, 140, 142, 148–9, 150–1, 158, 161, 163, 167, 170, 174, 176, 181 Electrical Advertising Scale Company 55 Ellsworth, Elmer 124 Exile, The 180 Exposition Universelle 13, 19, 21 Eyton, Charles 157 Fabyan, George 158 Fairylogue and Radio Plays, The 3, 106–8 Fantomas 115 Feuillade, Louis 115 F For Fake 183 Field Museum 172 Film Quarterly 183

Fire! 47 Fitzgerald, F. Scott 108 Flying A Studios See American Film Manufacturing Company Ford, John 71 Foster Photoplay Company 3–4, 48, 177 Foster, William 48, 177 From the Submerged 99–101, 159, 173 Funkhouser, Major M.L.C. 160–7, 175–6, 180 Gans, Joe 45 Gans-McGovern Fight, The 44–5 Gay Illiterate, The 1, 97 General Film Company 84–5, 113, 149 General, The 67 Gest, Morris 166 Gillette, William 152 Goodfellas 70 Grand Hotel 171 Grandon, Francis J. 116, 189 Graustark 151–2 Great Gatsby, The 108 Great Mysteries of New York 163 Great Train Robbery, The 26, 68–72 Green Mill Gardens 5 Griffith, D.W. 33, 82, 91, 94, 101, 114, 126, 140, 148, 153, 166, 174, 179 Gunning, Tom 30 Guy-Blache, Alice 116 Hardin, John 63 Hearst-Selig News Pictorial 4, 114, 118, 156, 165 Hearst-Vitagraph Daily Pictorial 119 Hearst, William Randolph 118–19, 156 Heart of a Race Tout, The 104 Hearts of Age, The 181–4 Hearts of the World 166 Heise, William 37

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Index

His First Ride 73 His Friend’s Wife 96–7 His New Job 171, 173, 121, 131– 43 Historical Feature Film Company 3 Hobo on Rollers, The See Awful Skate Holmes, Burton 26, 48, 56, 106 Holmes, H.H. 25–6 Homesteader, The 178, 180 Hopkins’ Theater 34 Hopper, E. Mason “Lightning” 96 Howard, Warda 153 Howell, Albert 61 Hunting Big Game in Africa 110–11 Infantry Charge 45 In the Sultan’s Power 104 Irwin, May 30, 35 Isle of Content 165 It’s a Long Long Way to Tipperary 163 James Boys in Missouri, The 3, 90, 93, 161 Jenkins, Charles 34 Johnson, Lew 48 Jones, Peter P. 3–4, 158 Kalem Company 78–9 Karloff, Boris 154 Katz, Sam 65 Kearton, Cherry 109, 111 Keaton, Buster 67, 92, 141 Kelly, Kitty 116, 138, 153, 161, 163, 193 Kerrigan, J. Warren 94–6 K.E.S.E 151 Keystone Studios 102, 123–8, 132, 135–8, 140–1, 147, 150, 164, 171, 177 Kid, The 139 Kinetograph 16–8, 30 Kinetoscope 9–18, 23–7, 28–34, 42, 53, 56, 176 Kinodrome 61–2 Kirsanoff, Dimitri 101

Kleine, George 4, 49, 53–66, 78–9, 81, 84, 149, 151, 158, 168 Kleine Optical Company 2, 48 Knockout, The 164 Kyne, Peter 72 Laemmle, Carl 4, 64–5, 148 Lardner, Ring 5 L’arrivée d’un train à La Ciotat See Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat Last Days of Pompeii, The 149 Latham Film Loop 79, 148 Lauder, Harry 114 Laurel, Stan 126, 142, 170 Lawrence, Florence 51, 114 Leopard’s Foundling, The 116–17, 164 Leslie, Margaret 50 Lewis, Max 82–3 Life of Abraham Lincoln, The 3, 90 Life of a Fireman 47 Life on State Street 36 Lincoln, Robert Todd 108 Lonedale Operator, The 91 Long, Samuel 79 Los Angeles Times 111, 137 Louisiana Purchase Exposition 61 Lubin Manufacturing Company 78, 81 Lubin, Siegmund 46, 78, 151 Lumière brothers 32–8, 42–3, 49, 54, 67, 70 Lumière, Claude-Antoine 27, 32 Lynching in Cripple Creek, A See Tracked by Bloodhounds Magniscope (Magni-scope) 33, 55–6, 58, 59, 61, 73 Mamma and Her Pets 57–8 Manhandled 133 Man With the Movie Camera 67 Marble, Scott 68 Marey, Étienne-Jules 13, 16, 42 Marion, Frank J. 79 Mask of Fu Manchu, The 154 - 211 -

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Masonic Building 29 Maud Muller 75 Max Comes Across 155 Max in a Taxi 155 Max Wants a Divorce 155 McCutcheon, Wallace 82 McGovern, Terry 45 McKinley, William 56, 58 Méliès, Georges 47, 68, 78 Melies Manufacturing Company 78 Ménilmontant 101 MGM 85, 110, 171–2 Micheaux Book and Film Company 3, 178 Minematsu, Frank 111, 119 Mix, Tom 4–5, 112, 174 Mr. Flip 3, 90–3, 173 Mr. Inquisitive 89 Monsieur Verdoux 136 Motion Picture Magazine 73, 117, 135, 136 Motion Picture Patents Company (MPPC) 51–2, 64, 80–1, 85, 119, 131, 147, 150, 161, 167, 176 See also Edison, Thomas Alva Motion Picture World 29 Motography 41, 118–19 Morgan, Gene 128 Morris, William 114, 166 Mottershaw, Frank 68 Moving Picture World 46–7, 76, 81–2, 93, 115, 156, 163, 165 Murnau, F.W. 183 Muybridge, Eadweard 12–13, 15, 22–3, 32, 38, 42 My Four Years in Germany 166 Nash, Tom 51, 113 National Board of Censorship 84 Natural Vision 169 Ne’er Do Well 116 Nicholas, Howard E. 50 Nicholson, Virginia 182–3 nickelodeons 64, 66, 82, 161, 163

Night in Blackville, A 48 Niles (California) 99, 101–2, 137, 139, 141–3, 150, 152 Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror 183 Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens See Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror Oakley, Annie 13 On the Little Big Horn 113 Ott, Fred 33, 140 Panzer, Paul 72 Parker, Lem B. 101 Parsons, Louella 1, 5, 94, 96–7, 132, 138, 141 Patchwork Girl of Oz, The 176 Pathé Frères 63, 78, 81, 99, 111 Peerless Film Manufacturing Company 73 Perils of Pauline, The 115 Peter P. Jones Film Company 3–4 Phantoscope 34 Phillips, Michael 1 Phoenix Opera House 53–4, 56 phonograph 8, 10, 12–13, 16–17, 24, 31, 61, 170 Photoplay 95, 117 Pickford, Mary 121 Picture-Play Weekly 133 Pie, Tramp and the Bulldog 43 Piux X 113 Porter, Edwin S. 47, 69–70, 79 Preer, Evelyn 179 Prince of Graustark, The 151 Projecting and Producing Company (IPPC) 83 Promio, Alexandre 35, 36 Queen Kelly 171 Quo Vadis? 149 race films 158 Raffles, the Amateur Cracksman 72

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Railroad Porter, The 4, 48, 177 Ramsaye, Terry 176 Raven, The 152–4 Remus, Romola 5, 107–8 Ricketts, Tom 90 RKO 85, 169 Robbins, Jesse 94, 126, 128 Robeson, Paul 180 Roller Skate Craze 7–5 Roosevelt in Africa See Hunting Big Game in Africa Roosevelt, Theodore 50, 108–11 Root’s Masonic Temple 29 Sadie Thompson 171 Sandow, Eugen 26, 33 sang d’un poète, Le See Blood of a Poet, The Schustek, Andrew 42 Selig Polyscope Company 2, 25, 38, 41–2, 46, 50, 73, 74, 101, 166 Selig Standard Camera 42–3 Selig, William 2–6, 12, 25–6, 37–8, 40–53, 62, 66, 68, 73–8, 81–5, 93–4, 101, 103–20, 143, 148, 151, 156–60, 165–6, 169, 173–5, 177–8, 185, 193–4 Seminary Girls 30 Sennett, Mack 123–6, 141, 147, 171 Serenade 43 Sherlock Holmes 4, 152–3 Sherman Antitrust Act 82, 150 Shippy, George 161 Show World 4, 83 Sinclair, Upton 50 Skladanowsky, Max 32 Slacker, The 4, 158 Smith, Albert E. 169 Something Good–A Negro Kiss 48 Spanish-American War 3, 43, 57–8, 62, 161 Spanish Fleet Destroyed See Battle of Santiago Bay, The Spoilers, The 118

Spoor, George K. 3, 6, 12, 25, 33, 38, 43, 53–66, 68, 73–7, 84, 90, 93–9, 102, 120, 123, 127–8, 130, 143, 136–8, 140–3, 149, 151–2, 154–5, 158, 160, 168–70, 173–4 Spoor, Marvin 154 Spyropoulos, Farida Mazar “Little Egypt” 22 SS Eastland 164 Stagecoach 71 St. Augustine College 76, 171 Stereopticon and Film Exchange 48, 56, 63, 107 Sterling, Ford 124, 126 Stevenson, Robert Louis 3 Stonehouse, Ruth 94–95, 99, 151, 172, 173 Street Fakers 165 Struggle, The 174 Stuffing Sausage 49 Stunning Cattle 49 Sullivan, Andrew 150 Sunset Boulevard 133, 171 Sunshine 99 Swanson, Gloria 5, 54, 102, 120–1, 133–4, 141–3, 150, 171 Tachyscope 23, 25, 33 Taliaferro, Mabel 129 telegraph 9, 70 Tempted by Necessity 101 Tesla, Nikola 10, 14–16, 24–5, 141 Thomas Edison’s Trust 6, 66, 77–85, 140, 149, 151, 161, 167, 181 Thompson, Kristin 2 Thompson, William Hale “Big Bill” 166, 175 Todd Seminary for Boys 182 Tomboys, The 50 Too Much Johnson 183 Tracked by Bloodhounds 50 Train Wreckers 72 Tramp and the Baby’s Bottle, The 43 Tramp and the Crap Game, The 43

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Tramp and the Dog, The 42–3 Tramp and the Giant Firecracker, The 43 Trip to the Moon, A 68, 70 Turner, Otis 107–9, 111 Turpin, Ben 73–5, 90–1, 93, 111, 126, 132, 138, 141, 151, 171 Twentieth Century Fox 85 Union Station 182 Unique Film Company 3 Universal Studios 4, 172 Unveiling Ceremonies of the McKinley, The 89 Uptown Theater 65 Vance, William 182–3 Variety 114 vaudeville 6, 34, 53, 56, 58, 61, 64, 66, 71, 75, 83, 92, 96, 121–4, 129, 133, 138, 141 Vertov, Dziga 67 Von Stroheim, Erich 171 Voyage dans la lune, Le See Trip to the Moon, A Walsh, Raoul 171 Walthall, Henry B. 94, 152–4 Warner Bros. 85 Washburn, Bryant 94 Washing the Streets of Porto Rico 44 Wauconda (Illinois) 58

Waukegan Daily Gazette-Register 59 Waukegan (Illinois) 43, 53, 55–6, 59–60 Wayne, John 174 Webster, Henry McRae 90, 96, 98–9 Weighing Mutton 49 Welles, Orson 136, 181–4 Western Stage coach Hold Up 72 Wharton, Theodore 94, 99–100, 154 When Love and Honor Called 134 Where Is My Hair? 89 White Front Theater 64–5 White, James H. 31, 37 Who Said Watermelon 48 Wiene, Robert 182 Wilder, Billy 171 Williams, Kathlyn 114–18, 157, 162, 164, 174–5 Within Our Gates 178–80 Wonderful Wizard of Oz, The 3, 5, 26, 106, 108, 109 World’s Fair See Columbian Exposition of 1893 World War I 119, 149, 155, 168, 182 Young Mrs. Eames, The 117 Zoetrope 12 Zoopraxigraphical Hall 22–3 zoopraxiscope 22–3 Zukor, Adolph 148

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