WHAT the cinema has done to
pile up heaps of money for
authors, playwrights and var
ious other people is illustrated by
the history of "45 Minutes From
Broadway," which Charles Ray is
about to turn into a motion picture.
The author, George M. Cohan,
made more than $100,000 in the first
nine months of the play at the New
Amsterdam theater in New York
and probably as much "more on the
road wijh it.
The play has made another for
tune for Cohatt since its release for
use by stock companies.
Ray paid Cohan $50,000 cash for
the picture rights which a lot of
people regard as a tidy fortune.
Ray will make a neat fortunfc for
himself by filming and selling it.
The First National Exhibitors'
circuit, which is the releasing or
ganization, will make perhaps the
14 B ' ' N .THE OMAHA SUNDAY' BEE; MARCH 21, 1920.
f live Days
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Cohan Comedy About to Make .
. Fifth Fortune by Transfer to Films
biggest fortune of the five in its
theaters.
Cohan's play is interesting for the.
further reason that it was not
written but v was "built," as the
author expresses it. He says that
when he had only the first act
written he called his company to
gether and went to work on rehears
als. While this act was being
whipped into shape Cohan was de
veloping his ideas for the second,
and they were soon ready for re
hearsals of that act.- Asd so on to
the end. -
"To finish the play after calling
the first rehearsal for the first act,"
explained the actor-ptaywright,
"took me about four weeks, and be
lieve me, I was some busy boy di
recting the work of the company
and framing up the structure of the
piece. While I had this complicated
task in hand I was also revising. I
would find that a certain character
was worthy of more importance in
the scene and would set about en
larging the scope of that character
and minimi zing the importance of
others to fit in with the changes."
Cohan was hardly more than a
boy when he gave this thumping
success to the stage in 1904. It not
only started him on the high road
to the millionaire class but practical
ly made the permanent fame of
Victor Moore, who played the part
of Kid Burns, the pugilist which
Charles Ray will depict in the film
version. Fay Templeton also made
the part of Mary Jane Jenkins one
of the memorable portraits in her
large gallery of-characters.
One of the largest insurance pol
icies ever issued is that which has
been taken out by the Westinghouse
company to cover its 42,500 em
ployes.
MM
f STARTING TODAY
li
fl
R
A Regular Whirlwind
of a Picture!
It's the fastest moving drama you ever saw a
veritable tornado of thrills, action, daring, romance
and adventure. Tom Mix as a member of ' the
Mounted Police of the Northwest rides to avenge the
death of his pal! Arrayed against him are the evil
forces of international smugglers, but he fights them
to a finish! And wins! You'll grip your seat in
breathless suspense when Mix, on horseback, crashes
from the roof of a four-story building and alights in
the basement den of the smugglers! Right side up? '
You bet! Then the fun starts!
Dare' Devil Horsemanship!
Greased Lightning Action!
Real, Red-Blqoded Romance!
Daring Gambles With Death!
Smashing, Sweeping Thrills!
ff
SPECIAL
Moving Pictures of an
event which occurred seven
years ago this week the f earf u:
6
Actual motion pictures taken a few
hours after the terrible tornado
had swept Omaha! Scenes you
will never forget A record
of a catastrophe that stir
red the world!
Comedy-'A Roaring Love Affair"
NEW MOON ORCHESTRA
Direction Robert Cutcaden
EDWIN STEVENS IS BACK
Omaha' pramiar organist it back at the New Moon Organ
after an illneta of orer three weeks!