THE 8EMI-WEEKLY TRIBUNE, NORTH PLATTE, NEBRASKA.
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ANY million dol
lars are invested
in motion picture
studios in southern
California. Climate
and scenery there
ideal for "producing
the filmed drama.
4
By J. C. LESSEN.
HE first motion picture maker went
to Lob Angeles, Cal., to secure
scenic or travologuo Bubjocts, hav
ing learned from railroad folders
of tho beautiful scenery tlioro.
That was not moro than eight years
ago. Tho scenic photographer so
cured tho views desired and loft,
novor onco suspecting that tho
greater part of tho Industry would
filter find California tho best placo to make pic
tures. About Bovcn years ago another director
discovered that government weather roports
ihowcd thnt full threo hundred days of each year
tho Bun shono brightly, and this man, Frank
Uogga, induced his employors, tho Sollg company,
fcvlth producing plant thon located In Chicago, to
nend a company to Los Angeles to open a studio.
All effects of tho company woro packed In a Bmall
trunk. Tho first studio opened by tho organiza
tion was on tho roof of a downtown building.
Tho first plcturo cost less than threo hundred
flollara and consisted of loss than a thousand
foot. Slnco that day tho
greatest motion plcturo
tho world has over soon,
costing moro than a quar
ter million, was mado but
Ji short distance from tho
location of tho first studio
but that Is gotting
Mioad of my story.
Cutting cost In produc
tlon was so' pleasing to
Ihts ono manufacturer
that ho could not keep
tho secret of his success.
Tho word reached his
competitors, and they In
vostlgatod statistics com
piled by tho government,
nnu a row montliB lator
bent companies West.
"Go West." bocamo tho slogan of makers of
iSiT?"1.001" anU no "or another es
tabllahod p ants in or near Los Angeles.
Bosldca tho advantageous climatic conditions
.hero aro other reasons for film producer going
to California. Within a radius of fifty miles of
Los Angeles practically any kind of a scono de
sired may bo "shot"
It was not until during tho last yoar or olghtcon
montliB that manufacturers camo to rcallzo fully
that tho producing end of tho industry should
lio located in California, and now that aomo fully
Cppreclato tho oconomy of such mraovo they nro
ulldlng expensive pormanent plants.
Doforo decisions for this movo woro reuchod,
nowovor, ovory oxcuso was offered for continu
ing In tho East, and attempts mado to prove tho
correctness of each ono of them; for a big ox
ponso Is added when tho soiling dopartmont of
n concern is located In Now York city, threo
thousand miles from tho manufacturing plant.
New York city has always boon, and, no doubt,
will for years romaln, tho theatrical center of this
continent Thoro It is that all big theatrical
producing organizations have tholr headquarters,
and as tho motion plcturo hns to a very great
extent taken tho plnco of legitimate stngo drama,
comedy nnd musical shows, and is conducted
largely by formor theatrical men, its headquar
ters should, tho managors think, contlnuo in this
castorn metropolis.
With tho offices and selling forco nt ono sldo
of tho continent and tho manufacturing at tho
othor additional exponso Is caused by tho need
of each keeping in touch with tho other. Prac
tically nil of tho communications go by wlro, and
tho telegraphic expenso of sonio companies ox
foods a thousand dollars per month. In ono or
two Instnnces wires across tho continent are
leased from tho telegraph companies nnd opera
tors maintained nt tho Now York oillco and tho
studio, In tho same manner as newspnpors leaso
wires for news received. This hns materially
lessened tho oxponso and nt tho snino time nddod
speed and efficiency to tho uervlco of tho com
panies. As tho manufacturers como to rcallzo tho eco
nomical need of continuing pormanontly tho mak
ing of motion pictures In California, thoy havo
gradually Improved their properties thoro.
Tho first Universal producing company nrrlvod
In Los Angoles Thanksgiving, 1911, nnd tho man
ager, director, scenario writer, scenic artist,
proporty man, laboratory superintendent, nnd
Actor Al. B. Chrlstio, with his band of thirty,
leased a barn. To save tho cost of buying muslin
to uso as cloths, that thoro would ho no shadvwB
In tho pictures and all faces and Images bo plain,
ho cnuBcd tho stage which consisted of a moro
fiat platform to bo built In tho north nldo of tho
barn where tho players could work all day In tho
shade without tho sun npolllng a Blnglo scene.
From this very humble boginnlng has grown
tho only municipality in tho world devoted ex
clusively to tho manufacture of motion pictures
Universal City, four mllcB north of Los Angelos.
This mammoth plant consists of almost four
hundred acres, contains a river, valleys, hills
and picturesque nooks suitable for filming scones.
The grounds aro divided Into two sections, bo
causo of foot hills extending through tho center,
with flat valleys on either side. In front aro the
Scotch Village Street Scene Reproduced
administration buildings, n cafo with a capacity
of sorvlng ono thousand pcoplo an hour; barber,
manicuring, hair dressing and photography
shops; tho laboratories, whoro all film Is de
veloped and a posltlvo print made; a wardrobo
dopartmont, whoro clothing for an army can bo
had at a mlnuto'B notlco, no matter what nation
tho army Is to roprcscnt. Horo, too, will bo found
tho dressing roomB of tho flvo hundred players,
tho carpontor shop, scono painting studios and
flvo mammoth stagos with a floor spaco equiva
lent to four acres. All buildings nre ct concrete
and stoel. Boyond tho foothills are other stages
and tho zoo, which contains approximately two
hundred wild animals trained to work in pictures.
Across tho road from this Is an honest-to-good-noss
wlld-wost horso and cnttlo corral and bunk
houses for tho cowboys. Tho big grounds nro
dottod at all times with settings built for this or
that production. On ono sldo will bo scon a coal
mlno, whllo a few feet nway Is a reproduction
from photographs of a street scono in Cairo,
Egypt, or tho Bowory of Now York possibly a
typical Scotch scono, or tho natlvo huts of Af
rican savages. Ono of thtso sots, fifty to flvo
hundred foot long Is frequently erected nt a cost
of sovornl thoupand dollars nnd ton down after
tho making of from ono to throe hundred feet of
fllm that will roqulro ono to flvo minutes to show
at tho theator. It Is very Boldom that tho eaino
sotting is used in moro than ono production.
Tho world's grontost privately owned collodion
of wild nnlmnls is said to bo that at tho zoo of
tho Sollg company, located near a public park
on hlBtoric Mission road, lending Into Los Ange
los from tho famous San Gnbrlcl missions.
This big ahow plnco, built at an expense of
moro than two hundred thousand dollars, con
tains thirty-eight acres thirty of which nro taken
up In animal Iioubos nnd ponB nnd beautiful lawns
and groves. In all thoro aro Bovon hundred
or moro specimens, Including fifty lions, a herd
of olophnnts, droves of ostrlchs, scoroa of mon
keys, nnd mnny rnro nnlmnls, togcthor with birds
nnd reptiles from ovory pnrt of tho world. All
nro maintained for oxcluslvo uso In motion pic
tures, nnd thut thoy may havo homelike sottlngs
to "work" In, duplicates of tholr nntlvo haunts
havo boon built on tho grounds, onch ono strong
ly Inclosed to provont escape, Injuries or fatali
ties to employees. Within tho Sollg zoo woro
mado all scones for tho fifteen oplsodcs of tho
first sorlnl motion plcturo, "Tho Advonturos of
Knthlyn," which hnd nn East India locnlo, to
gothor with Bcoros of othor great nnlina1 pictures.
Horo also was built and filmed tho Alaskan vll
lago for 'Tho Spoilers," adapted from tho story
by Itox Bench, ono of tho two most profltnblo
pictures mado.
Moro thnn a quarter of a million dollars Is
bolng spent In tho building of a mammoth studio
at Culver City, a suburb of Lob Angoloa, by tho
Now York Motion Plcturo corporation. Slnco
1910 this company has leased a tract of ground
consisting of 18,000 ncros thirty miles southwoGt
of Lob AngelcB where cattlo raising hna boon
conducted In connection with tho making of mo
tion pictures. Tho reason for leaning this great
tract was that tho company originally intonded
making only western dramas. Lator otho- kinds
of stories wore filmed, and recent') tho producing
manager or director, Thomas II, Inco, bocamo ono
irm iwioikiihhm ii, n vmwmm inwm i iw iiri nn r 1
INVENTOR OF THE FOKKER
Mljnheer Fokkor, tho inventor of
tho monoplano that bears his namo
nnd that for soveral months has boon
greatly disturbing tho adversaries of
Germany by Its speed nnd destructive
powers, is a natlvo of Holland, and Is
said to bo not moro than twenty-thrco
or twenty-four years old. Ho has
spent tho greater part of his llfo In
Germany, but would appear to- bo
thoroughly familiar with tho French
flying machines. A number of tho de
vices on tho Fokkor nro claimed by
tho French to bo outright copies of
their own.
About flvo years ago Fokker mado
his appcaranco In tho German flying
corps, and his first monoplnno was re
ceived with such small enthusiasm
thoro thnt tho Invention was offered
to tho Brltlah government. Somo Eng
lish oxports examined It, recommend
ed It as being uncapalzablo, but so bad
ly constructed that It mado tho flyor's
llfo anything but secure. Thoy, thcroforo, declined to recommend Its pur
chnso by Britain.
Nothing moro was heard of Fokker, except In a general way, until his
formldablo now monoplano entored tho field last December and speedily
captured, for tho tlmo bolng, tho honors of war.
Tho chief valuo of tho Fokker Is Its Bpeed, this being over ono hundred
miles an hour and to exceed by twenty-flvo or thirty miles an hour anything
which tho British or tho French monoplanes can accomplish, and Fokker
himself scorns to bo responslblo for this unique feature of his machine. The
gun is stationary. Tho flyer has only to Bteor tho monoplano.
WRISLEY BROWN'S PLIGHT
of tho threo points of the Triangle Fllm corpora
tion, which inaugurated in Now York, Philadel
phia nnd Chicago, motion plcturo theater pro
grams, whoro two dollars was charged for tho
best seats. Tho new plant will consist of twenty
or moro concrete and steel fireproof buildings.
Including nine soparato Inclosed with ground
glass stagos ono for each producing organization.
Tho player8 will havo every comfort, Including
Individual dressing rooms, with steam heat, elec
tric fans, and hot and cold water, etc. Factories
in connection with tho plant will manufacture all
sets, furnlturo and wardrobe needed. Tho ranch
atudlo will bo maintained, and thoro two big or
ganizations mnklng western drama will bo main
tained. Every hamlet In tho country has been invaded
by Koystono comedies made In Los Angeles.
Four years ago tho nucleus of this company, com
slstlng of Mack Sennett, Mabel Normand and
Fred Mace, arrived thoro and rented a vacant
lot. Now tho Koystono studio occuplos two city
blocks, practically half of which spaco Ib cov
ered with stages, where fun making reigns su
premo. Padded bricks, billies and trick propa
of every nature, from a toy warship to an aero
plane, are on hand at every turn, and here are to
bo found tho greatest collection of comedians the
world haB even known Wobor and Fields, Sam
Bernard, Eddie Foy, Raymond Hitchcock, Roscoo
Arbucklo, Chester Conklln, Chnrllo Murray ol
Murray and Mack fame, and scores of others who
havo graced tho comedy and vaudeville stage ot
tho sawdust ring, aa hoadllnors. Fun making la
horo a serious proposition and tho hundred odd
players, writers and directors treat It aB such
oven tho famous Koystono cops.
Tho producing quarters of tho maker of the
most profitable motion picture over filmed, "The
Birth of a Nation," adapted by David Mark Grif
fith from tho book, "Tho Clansman," consists ol
two city blocks at present ono taken up with
executive office buildings, Btagos and dressing
rooms, laboratories, and factories, and tho othei
block rotalncd nB a site for settings. Mr. Grif
fith enmo to Los Angeles In January, 1914, and
loased a lot containing a bungalow. Back of this
ho built a stago and began work. Additions to
tho producing staff woro made so frequently thnt
no time could bo given for futuro planning. As
tho rosulf Bcoros of buildings woro erected na
needed for workshops, dovolpplng and printing,
laboratories, dressing rooms, otc, so that the
studio now has a hit-or-ml8a appcaranco, where
ubout flvo hundred peoplo aro employed, fully
two hundred bolng actors, actrt'asea and wrltors.
In Fobrunry. 1914. a livery stable In Hollywood,
which had lator been used for a garago, waa
leased by two men well known In tho theatrical
producing world, and thoy began mnklng amotion
plcturo along now linos. That their method was
successful Is proved by tho fact that flvo times
Blnco thoy havo found It necessary to leaso ad
dltlonnl grounds, and tholr plant now covers t
block 350 by 700 feet, and tho studio Is crowdod
Tho mon woro Jesso L. Lasky, previously a vaudo
vlllo producor, and Cecil B. do Mlllo, legltlmato
stago producor and playwright. Their company
became tho Jesso L. Lasky Plcturo Play company,
nnd thoy, during tho laat year( Introduced Amer
ica's groatest opera star, Goraldino Fnrrsr, on the
motion picture acroon. Miss Fsrrur worked at tho
studio twolvo weeks in tho making ot Ihroo flvo
rool subjocts at a salary of more than a dollar a
minute.
In a brief manner tho foregoing describes tho
producing plants ot tho largest makors ot motion
pictures. Thoro aro many othor studios In Los
Angoles, with from ono to four companies work
Ing nt each. It would bo impossible to go from
tho conter of tho business djtrlct to tho city
limits In any direction without coming upon ono
or more motion plcturo plants.
Among tho bright young lawyers
attached to tho department of justlco
at Waahlngton Is Wrisloy Brown. Not
long ago ho was sent to a town in tho
middle West to Inve8tlgate quietly tho
condition of a bank thero. In order
not to arouse any suapiclons ho used
an assumed namo in registering at
tho hotel.
All day long he busied himself
about the town and went to his hotel
at night tired and footsore.
"Lot's seo, what's your room num
ber?" asked tho proprietor, when
"Wrl8ley went to tho desk for his key.
"I forget," said Wrlsley.
"What's your name, then? I'll look
it up."
For tho llfo of him, Wrlsley
couldn't remember what namo ho had
used when ho registered that morn
ing, and tho register had been put
away.
"I forget or, that is " began.
tho usually self-possessed "Wrisloy.
"What, you don't know your namo?" Bhrloked tho hotel proprietor. And
ho looked scared half to death. Nor would any amount of explanation go
down.
"I'd be afraid to havo such a follow in tho house," Bald ho.
And as thero was no other hotel In town, Wrlsley Brown was obliged to
tramp tho stroets all night like an outcast.
in iuiiiiii ww
WHY UNDERWOOD DECLINED
- . - i
Senator Underwood, who for many
years was a member and chairman
of tho houBO committee on ways and
means, and who is the author of tho
presont tariff law, declined a position
on tho finance committee of tho son
nto, tho tariff-making body of tho up
per branch. Asked why ho refused
tho proffered appointment, Mr. Un
derwood told this story of an old Ala
bama shoemaker:
"This old chap used to sit all day
pegging shoes. Once a month ho
bought a ticket in tho Louisiana stato
lottery. Finally his persistence was
rewarded, and ho was notified that ho
had won tho $25,000 prize. Ho closed
his shop, bought an outfit of new
clothes and went up to Now York, aa
ho had always dreamed of doing.
"Two yearB ho spent In the me
tropolis, doing all tho things ho had
wanted to do for many years. But
tho paco was too fast. Ho wont back
to Birmingham with tho little money ho had left and reopened his shoo
maker's shop. As before, ho began buying tickets In tho lottery. Just as
ho was becoming contented with his life as a cobbler, and beginning to
enjoy his moals onco more, an official of tho lottery company camo to tho
Bhop and told him he had won tho $25,000 prlzo for tho second tlmo.
"Tho old man looked at tho lottery agent blankly, and thon exclaimed:
"'My God, havo I got to go through with all that again?'"
"COUSIN BOB" BROUSSARD'S HOLD
Down In his stato of Louisiana
Robert P. Broussard, United States
sonator, Is generally addressed as
"Cousin Bob," and, indeed, ho seems
to bo related to most of tho peoplo
in his district, If not most of thoso In
tho stato. Ho speaks Louisiana
Fronch, which Is a languago entlroly
distinct from young-lndles'-flnlshlng-school
French, or lenrnto-spcak-Freneh-for-einhteen-dollars
French.
Speaking their language as ho docs,
"Cousin Bob" baa a strong hold on
tho peoplo of '.ils section of tho stato,
and tholr main religion Is to voto for
Bob Broussnrd without question and
without stint whouovor ho runa for
anything.
When Broussard was running for
tho Unltod States sonnto, Roprcsonta
tlvo James B. Aawoll was seeking
oloctlon to the lowor house of con
gress, Aawoll was talking to a man
in tho section whoro Broussard is best
known, and askod him for hlB voto.
"No, I'm going to voto for Bob Bob Broussard," aald tho man.
"That's all right. You can voto for Bob and for mo, too," Aswoll ox
plained. "Wo'ro not running for tho samo thing."
Tho man shook his hoad. "No," says ho, "I'll voto for Bob. Then If
you'ro ontitlod to havo an otfico, Bob con appoint you to it"