Squaw Man, Brewsters Millions and The Keystone Cops

Let's Go to the Movies

Hollywood Silents 1914-1929 Part 1
The year of 1913 was a turning point for the fledgling American motion picture industry.
There were two major factors in play, one was production and it had to do with light, the second was the Motion Picture Trust. For the most part early American movies were shot outdoors on location in Manhattan, Astoria, Long Island and Fort Lee New Jersey.
During those early days of nickelodeons the format was very short films and the weather and sunlight was not so much a factor. But for longer feature films it could be a nightmare. Long weather delays could be a problem just holding a cast and crew together.
The other problem was even larger in the short term and it was the Motion Picture Patents Company a monopoly referred to as The Trust. This organization controlled production by holding onto Thomas Edison's Patents. The monopoly either owned or had control of most of the film theaters, and nickelodeons. Their scheme was to limit the size of a picture to one reel in order to get the nickel and dime customer in and out in a hurry, then do it again. Quality didn't mean a thing.
The men with true vision wanted to tell the big story, expand theater to the great
outdoors, widen the horizon with scope, color and background.

The year was 1913 when Sam Goldwyn, Cecil B. De Mille, Jesse L. Lasky and Arthur Friend, under the banner of Lasky's Feature Play Company set out to make an end run around the big guns of the Trust and produce a feature film. They chose to base their film on the Broadway hit titled 'The Squaw Man.' The decision was made to do this western out among the cactus in it's natural setting.
They put a group of five key people together with baggage, camera, and Cecil B. De Mille with his fancy title of director-general heading the group. Dustin Farnum, a good actor and Broadway star, would be the picture’s leading man. Oscar Apfel, a well-established film director, would do the directing with DeMille looking over his shoulder, and learning some of the techniques that would eventually make him famous.
Alfred Gandolfi cameraman and Fred Kley, Farnum's dresser, rounded out the group. Their destination was Flagstaff, Arizona and as it turned out Flagstaff didn't work for several reasons, days of rain being one and lack of extra cast talent in such a small town was another -- so they proceeded to Los Angeles.
Los Angeles was sprawling and gaudy but it was dry and the beautiful sun was a welcomed sight. They found a nice hotel, the Alexandria, and recognized a number of film people from the east.
DeMille's first job was to find the best location and rent some kind of studio space.
They rented a yellow barn located on the outskirts of Los Angeles in a place called Hollywood.
DeMille was busy with interviewing and hiring as well as working with Oscar Apfel on their shooting script. Perhaps a feeling of being behind schedule, the director-general was determined to begin filming before the year played out. As it happened, all the pieces fell into place and director Oscar Apfel yelled, "Action" as cameraman Alfred Gandolfi viewed through the camera and hand cranked film past the lens. The first scene of ‘The Squaw Man’ was shot on the morning of December 29, 1913. The Jesse L. Lasky Feature Play Company was in business and its first production was in the works. The Hollywood movie industry was stretching and yawning it's way to life. It only took the ‘Squawman’ crew three weeks to complete major photography, and that was quite an accomplishment, considering the fact that the monopoly trust had spotted their operation and tried to ruin their undeveloped film.
The making of that first movie took on the tone of a western melodrama when rifle shots rang out in the Cahuenga Pass, just missing DeMille and the horse he was riding home from work. The director-general improved his chances of survival by adding a gun and holster to his everyday wardrobe. He also put out the word that he knew how to use his pistol and wouldn't hesitate to shoot back if fired on again. It didn’t happen, but DeMille wore his armament for many months following that episode. Even with the shooting and film sabotage a daily threat the major part of the picture was completed in January of 1914, a near miracle.
DeMille and his production crew were not the only New Yorkers following the sun and moving west to Los Angeles. However most of the others were shooting short films, possibly still under the influence of the Monopoly Trust. But once DeMille produced the Squaw Man in spite of monoply threats, and that seemed to open the flood gates.
During those early production days the Los Angeles gentry considered the whole lot of film makers as outcasts and that was the way they were treated.
Of Course they brought some of the rath upon themselves. For example the Keystone Cops would take over a street and do whatever they needed to do and be gone before the real cops showed up.
The early feature films of 1914 were The Squaw Man, Brewsters Millions Followed by Tillie's Punchtured Romance.
'Tillie's Punctured Romance' was Mack Sennett's Keystone Studios first feature length film and it starred Marie Dressler, supported by Mabel Normand and Charlie Chaplin.
So in early 1914 star power was beginning to show up in Hollywood.
(To be continued)

'Doc Holliday's Road to Tombstone.'
On October 26, 1881 in the dusty little town of Tombstone, Arizone the shootout at the OK Corral took place. Next week I plan to excerpt a few pages from 'Doc's Road to Tombstone' and tell you what actually happened that day.

Writers Notebook:
Frustrated by her own limitations as an artist and writer Frances Marion sought out an old family friend, Jack London for advice.
London was blunt and to the point. 'If you expect to write stories pulsing with real life or put upon canvas compositions that are devinely human, you must go forth and live. Study human nature by rubbing elbows with the people. Go out and work with them, eat with them, dream with them.'
Inspired by Jack London's dramatic words Marion tried her hand at a dozen or more different jobs ranging from waiting tables and sales clerk to pitting peaches where she did indeed rub elbows.
Frances Marion eventually became a top Hollywood writer and in the early 1930's won Oscars for 'The Big House' and 'The Champ.'.
Tom Barnes -- Actor, Writer and Hurricane Hunter.
Check out my website for books, blogs, western legends, a literary icon, reviews and interviews. Also my novels The Goring Collection and Doc Holliday’s Road to Tombstone along with a non fiction remembrance of The Hurricane Hunters and Lost in the Bermuda Triangle.
www.tombarnes39.com
www.RocktheTower.com
http://TheHurricaneHunter.blogspot.com