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About The Oregon statesman. (Salem, Or.) 1916-1980 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 15, 1939)
- PAGE FOURTEEN The OREGON STATESMAN, Salem, Oregon, Sunday Morning, October 15, 1939 Celebrating 50tli Anniversary of Founding Motion Pictures Edison Cinema History Noted First Patent for Movie Machine Is Applied for in 1891 IX yon bad dropped In on Tho mas A. Edison SO years ago at his laboratory in West Orange, N. J., you probably would have found hint dividing bis time between ex periments on the phonograph, his pet" project at the hlme, and a photographic device with which be hoped to show objects in mo tion. His chief interest in motion photography was to provide a vl saal accompaniment for his pho nograph.! He. wanted people to see as well as hear the artists who performed; but hearing them was -more Important to him. With his assistant, William Kennedy Laurie Dickson, Edison had been at work on motion pho tography since 1887. However as Terry Ramsaye points out in his authoritative history of the motion picture, "A Million and One Nights," progress was blocked by the lack of a flexible substance la strips long enough for his pur poses. i Failure Threatened Obviously glass, plates were too brittle to show successive images with sufficient rapidity to give a spectator the illusion of motion. So Edison tried some heavy cellu loid sheets that he obtained from John Carbutt. They were clumsy and could be obtained only in very short pieces. For lack of a more flexible substance, Edison told Ramsaye, 1 his experiments were threatened with failure. The Rev. Hannibal Goodman, of Newark, N. J., tad applied for a patent on a film base of nitrocellu lose compound on Hay 2, 1887. Early In j 1889 George Eastman also hit upon a suitably flexible film base for photographic emul sions. It was the Eastman film that Edison used in his experi ments, i Motion Picture Born Dickson went to work so effec tively that, when Edison returned to West Orange from a trip to Paris on October 6, 1889, he saw pictures In motion through his Klnetoscope No. 1. His experi ments were successful; the motion picture was born. On August 24, 1891, Mr. Edison made application for a United States patent on bis' Invention. It was suggested to him that he ap ply for foreign patents. Including England and France, as well. "How much will It cost!" Edi son asked. -Oh, about $110." "It isn't worth It," Edison said, and thereby left his invention un protected In Europe. Ramsaye's comment is: "One hundred and fifty dollars saved; an empire lost." Shack First Studip The first motion picture studio la the world was a tar-paper shack erected on the Edison lot la West Orarge, N. J., at a cost of 1637.67. His assistants dukhed it the Black Maria. Fred Ott, an Edison employe whose sneeze was recorded by the movie camera, bad the honor of being the first film actor. The priority of Edison's Klne toscope, first demonstrated on Oc tober 6, 1889, in the laboratory In West Oregon, N. J., Is beyond dis pute. That demonstration is gen erally accepted as the birthday of the motion picture and the fiftieth anniversary is being celebrated this year. It was not until some years la ter that the story picture was born. "The Life of an American Fireman" was among the first. Better known to present day au diences because of its revival by the film library of the Museum of Modern Art Is "The Great Train Robbery." made by Edwin S. Por ter in the fall of 1903 near Pater son, N. J. The train robber him self, impersonated by George Barnes, appeared In a full screen closeup at the end of the one-reel, 8 001 foot thriller. Movie Theatres Spread The motion picture was on its way. Hale's Tours and nickelo deons spread through the larger cities of the United States. In 1905 John P. Harris opened a con tinuous show motion picture the atre in Pittsburgh. In 1906 Carl Laemmle started two theatres In Chicago. Because he found that many existing ser vices were "slack In organization and uncertain in delivery," be opened the Laemmly Film service in October of the same year. La ter he went into production to in sure that he would have films to deliver. In 1907 Broncho Billy Anderson appeared in one of the first west erns and D. W. Griffith became a director in the Biograph studio in East 14 th street in New York City. Two years later, when Mary Pickford became a player, there were 9,000 motion picture thea tres in the United States. The following year the first American newsreel, Pathe Weekly, was started. Adolph Zukor had gone Into business with Marcus Loew In 1903 as part owner of a penny arcade in 14 th street. By 1106 Zukor was a full-fledged theatre owner. Soon he became fired with .the idea of showing longer pictures than the one reelera then in vogue. He bought the Ameri can rights to the four-reel "Queen Elizabeth" with Sarah Bernhardt, for $35,000 and opened it at the Lyceum theatre In New York City on July 12. 1912. Nineteen twelve was a year of important beginnings for the screen. Up to then pictures had been only one or two reels long and the distribution machinery of the industry was not geared to handle longer pictures. Bqt the motion picture was reaching be yond the nickelodeons. The Prisoner of Zenda" with James K. Hackett and "The Count of Monte Cristo" with James O' Neill were among the earliest American features. Samuel Gold wyn, Cecil B. deMille and Jesse L. Lasky collaborated on "The Squaw Man" In 1913. Mary Pick ford appeared in "A Good Little Devil." The following year Mack Sennett went into production of a six reel comedy, "Tlllle's Punc tured Romance," with Charlie Chaplin and Marie Dressier, and the feature picture had come to stay. Meanwhile, D. W. Griffith had been chafing at the restrictions imposed by one reelers. After a venture into production of the four-reel "Judith of Bethulla," bis technique came to maturity in 1914 in "The Birth of a Nation," one of the milestones of screen history. By skillful use of the camera, Griffith combined the great sweep of battle scenes with close-ups in producing his power ful drama. The motion picture had prog ressed through the Hale's Tour and nickelodeon stages and by 1915 it already had a wide popu lar following. A steady advance In the quality of film entertainment began, marked by such pictures as "The Four Horsemen of the Apoca lypse," made in 1921 by the pro duction organization that Marcus Loew had acquired to assure his theatre patrons of an adequate supply of entertainment; "The Covered Wagon," presented by Adolph Zukor, and "The Hunch back of Notre Dame," presented by Carl Laemmle in 1923; "The Gold Rush," Chaplin's contribu tion in 1925; "The Big Parade" and "What Price Glory in 1926 and "Sunrise" in the fall of 1927. Sound Trials Begin While the art of the silent screen was approaching its zenith, Darryl F. Zanack's 'Hollywood Tells the Screen 9s Greatest Cavalcade9 Its Own Story Hi!0 mm (D? msmm m i M m Just as "Alexander's Ragtime; Band" brought back your; happiest memories with its tunes. ..so will this heart warming drama of today with its 1001 thrilling yesterdays! -V DARRYt F. 'ZAllUCK': "Production 4f s " O 1W ALICE, DON J. Edward Bromberg 'i Alan Curtis - Stuart Erwtn iy Jed Prooty Buster Keaton JfL ; Donald Meek George vivo? taaie Collins Directed by Irving Cummings ,Aaoaa Pxxfacar Harry Jo Iwm W. "ykylnwtf raori . Slarf ky rWary iymm m4 tnmm lriliHl M U ,mm rczar Tht most brilliant new nott in entertainment! r..wilh great stars of today . . 4 and great personalities of yesterday I STAGED ANEW! fHOTOGRAPHEDTODAY! SEE Mack Seaaett bathing beauties (Alice Faye is oae!) ,SEE Baster Keaton, Ben )Terpia sad tht Keystone vCop la castard-pie comedy, kwith Don Amecbc directing ! HEAR A! Jolsoa tieg again ate soog mat electrified the world! SEE HoIIrwood?. ; it . .ai it is.in a three-ringed mm III PMC PI I Alice Faye, Don Ameche Star in Romance of Movie Capital from Bathing Beauties To World Premieres; Filmed In Technicolor The romance of Hollywood, from bathing Beauties to world premieres, has been staged anew and photographed in Technicolor, and the highly entertaining result is Darryl F. Zanucrs production of "Hollywood Cavalcade," starrinl 'Alice Faye and Don Ameche. Great stars of today and great personalities of yesterday tell this human drama of today the story of the men and women who conquered the entertain ment world of Mike, who wanted to make movies, and Molly who wanted only to be loved by Mike, but who won greatness on the screen. Those memorable Mack Sennett bathinor beauties. trie'K'evcfnnn fWc. tj , t m . n. O -"-J wwiiu WKO. UUOtCl ionKiin, custard-pie comedy, Al Jolson singing the climac tic song of "The Jazz Singer" they're all here again to warm your heart with the happiest memories of 1001 thrilling yesterdays. This 20th Century-Fox film marks the Technicolor debut of Alice Faye, as well as her first straight dramatic role. As Molly, ahe secretly loves her "discoverer" and director, Mike (Don Ameche), through the early days when he Introduces custard-pie comedy, bathing beauties and Keystone Cops. Then, in despair, she mar ries her handsome leading man Alan. C1"8). only to find that Mike loves her so much that the blow crushes him and, for a time, writes finis to his glorious career. Mack Sennett Plays Himself Zanuck sighed the famous King of Comedy, Mack Sennett, as tech nical adviser and also to play him self in a scene of the picture. This marks Sennett's first appearance before a camera aince 1917 and the ROMANCE of Hollywood from r0' rtwee hathlnir beauties to world premieres, told in the story of two who conquered the entertainment world, la the theme of Darryl F. Zanack's production of "HoUywood Cavalcade," tarring Alice -i i. ...i j mi n mmm j,i mi - . M TWO stirring scenes from tho film: above, Don and Alice with Alan Curtis; below, with ml. Edward Bromberg. on has been heard the screen. The early scenes In which Alice Faye is hit smack in that lovely face with a succession of 19 cus tard pies, tossed by inn veteran pie llineer. Buster Keatorr (and In tended for the ever-present top hatted villain, played by George Giyot), are reminiscent of the days Srhen Mabel Normand, Gloria II IN Ml J , I ?- - X J t'vV N i i 1 '! Cr ,j i -" a I pG2z , - r X:- " fimPif tiVcyi r ;IV' n$'Z"Tr FILMED anew, with Al- X:clfH I iij-i-- Jhry Mack Sennett mermaid ' Airljrj -JSv- ff" -" Iack Sennett mer- W W - X N Jt Ji--sitSAX maids are more appeal- iflX UTjNfcjL-' '' V&jTrA 18 than ever.! Here -f A I i Zb'SZ V-V you see them decora- f Vs ting Santa Monica's I. . 'mirfT -7"2 a .vViStVjft'.L this time thev're Dho- " s 4 VRf tographed in sparkling :MrA CrX technicolor. f' tr ' -;&2a- ' U xl : h. if - 'a .. Faye and Don Ameche. OOJIEDY The Key atone Cops (above) re photographed again and Baster Keaton and Ben Turpin (right) re enact their old brand of slapstick and costard-pie comedy. Swanson, Phyllis Haver, Madeline Hurlock, Louise Fazenda and other well-known actresses stopped half a dozen pies a day for a living. They got around $75 to $100 a week and earned every cent of it! This was during the days of Edendale, where Sennett made his famous comedies, the days when kuuiuaus vi Bjwvuikurs psiu A quar ter a neaa to watch the stars work. Irving Cummings, who di rected "Hollywood Cavalcade," was one of- the dandies of the coast. He owned a Stuta "Bearcat" he was mighty proud of and could be seen whizzing between Santa Barbara, where he was making a 80-episode serial, "The Diamond from the Sky," and Edendale, where he was the frequent escort of famous beauties of the time. Once again the alluring Sennett bathing beauties stroll by famous old Castle Rock on Santa Monica beach, as they did back in 1916. But this time, the- scantily-garbed brigade boasts the presence of Alice Faye among their number. Although these curvaceous beau ties had the effect of liberating the women of the day from rigidly confining fashions, Sennett admits he had .no such object in mind when he introduced them. "It really was a publicity stunt at first," Sennett recalled. "I couldn't get pictures of my come dians published in newspapers and magazines. I thought if I had a good-looking girl don a bathing suit and stand close enough to one of my comedians so that he couldn't conveniently be cut out of the photograph, the picture would get printed. It worked.. Then I reasoned that if the girls were so interesting to magazine and news paper readers, there wasn't any reason why they shouldn't draw on the screen. They drew millions of dollars into the box office!" The advent of those inimitable Keystone Cops is also faithfully rey produced in the film. The hilarious and nostalgic scenes in which they, disport feverishly about in the in terests of law and disorder were directed by Mai St. Clair (who was a Keystone Cop himself once), with the advice and aid of Sennett. Jed Prouty brings the excitable Keystone Chief to life again on the screen, while the antics of rubber faced Eddie Collins, as a member of the force, add much to the gen eral gaiety. Colorful Erm Is Rebuilt Don Ameche, who plays the director-hero of "Hollywood Caval cade," will recall to mind, with his riding togs and leather puttees, the great megaphone-wielders of the teens and early 20's, while Stuart Erwin carries on the tradition of the demon Cameraman who wore his cap backwards, and Donald Meek plays a pioneer producer. Ameche directs sumptuous period pictures in the grand manner and out-does D. W. Griffith and Cecil B. DeMille in extravagance with Babylonian revels, scenes crowded with hundreds of dress extras and filmed from the top of the highest parallels ever built in Hollywood 110 feet high. The highest in screen history was the 90-foot parallel which DeMille used for "The Ten Commandments." The days when Douglas Fair banks and Mary Pickford ruled Hollywood's social life will be re called by many when Alice Faye marries her leading man, Alan Curtis, and they become known as the "Lovers of the World." Cast Typifies Film Pioneer i Curtis, incidentally, was made up to look like a composite of the great screen idols of the silent era and the 20th Century-Fox makeup experts kept stills of many of the great film heroes before them while working on him. J. - Edward Bromberg, on the other hand, plays a composite of all Hollywood producers. Extrava gant one moment, penny-pinching the next, he is addicted to huge automobiles and highly-quotable remarks. The historic answer to the imaginative director who wanted to take a troupe on an ex pensive location trip into the open country, often credited to A. B. Steam, is revived in the film. "A tree's a tree, a rock's a rock! Shoot it in the park!" Another concomitant of the silent picture era which is re called In "Hollywood Cavalcade" is the musical accompaniment which was used to stir the emo tions of the stars and to evoke their best dramatic efforts. Musicians Emote Once More In those days no star ever went before the camera for a big emo tional scene without having his or. her favorite music played for the occasion. In this matter, Director Cummings consulted Ray Mar tinez, now a member of the studio symphony orchestra, but once bead of a leading string quartet which coaxed the famous stars of yore into the proper mood for emoting. Not only the same musicians, but the same music will be heard in "Hollywood Cavalcade." What was perhaps the most sig nificant scene in talking picture history was re-made for the film when Al Jolson sang again the famed "Kol Nidre" with which he electrified the world in the first talkie ever made, "The Jaza Singer." The triumph of the beloved dog star, Rin Tin Tin, is also commem orated in "Hollywood Cavalcade," the canine star being imperson ated by his own great-grandson, who bears the distinguished name of his forebear. The screen play was prepared by Ernest Pascal. The story by Hil ary Lynn and Brown Holmes is based upon an original idea by Lou Breslow. Harry Joe Browa served as associate producer. experiments were being made with sound motion pictures. Some of Edison's first efforts had com bined the phonograph with motion pictures. In 1920 Theodore Case patented his photo-electric cell and was working with the aid of Earl I. Sponable, co-Inventor of Movietone, on experiments that led to the development of a suc cessful method of sound record ing. In 1923 Lee de Forrest pub licly demonstrated sound motion pictures on film at the Rlvoli thea tre in New York. In 1926 the Western Electric Yitaphone had developed to the stage of commer cial exploitation. The first sound picture, Warner Brothers "Don Juan," synchronized with a musi cal score on discs, was presented to the public at the Warner the atre in New York on August t, 1926. In 1928 the industry began to equip itself to produce and ex hibit sound pictures and the first all-talking picture, "The Lights of New York," produced by Warner Brothers, was publicly exhibited. The first outdoor feature pic ture to combine sound and move ment effectively was "In Old Ari zona." Then followed "All Quiet on the Western Front" and "Cim arron." The American art-industry has been in existence only 50 years a period considerably less than the Biblical span of man's Ufe. It is observing its 60 th anniversary by marshaling the creative genius of its 276 arts, crafts and profes sions to produce entertainment for the 85,000,000 Americans and 150,000,000 moviegoers in tbe remainder of the world who at tend motion pictures every week. ... ABIE) A GAVAXiGAIBE OF HITS Richard Greene - Brenda Joyce - Richard Dix "HERE I AM STRANGER" "DRUMS ALONG THE MOHAWK" with Claudette Colbert - Henry Fonda (Technicolor) Frank Capra'a "MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON" with Jean Arthur - Jas. Stewart , Joe,k Brown - Mary Carlisle inEWARE SPOOKS" : TACK UP YOUR TROUBLES" with Jane Withers - The Ritz Bros. - Lynn)Bari ' Tyrone Power - Linda Darnell - Joan Davis - Binnie Barnes in DAY-TIME WIFE" Shirley Temple - Sybil Jason- Sprinsr Byington - Eddie, Collins in THE BLUE BIRD" (Technicolor) r ;"HIS GIRL FRIDAY" with Car Grant - Rosalind Russell - Ralph Bell amy Joel McCrea - Nancy Kelly - Mary Boland in "HE MARRIED HIS WIFE" PICTURES THAT ARE A GREAT TRIBUTE TO 50 YEARS OFPROGRESS "SWANEE RIVER" (Technicolor) with Don Ameche - Andrea Leeds - Al Jolson jyro the 7- s-r J eiltke