Volume III: Biographies Volume III: Biographies
Thanhouser Career Synopsis: Leon J. Rubenstein, a promoter and publicist, did work for Thanhouser from time to time, from 1910 until 1917. He appeared in a minor role in a 1916 Thanhouser film, What Doris Did.
Biographical Notes: Leon J. ("Ruby") Rubenstein was born in New York City on July 4, 1889. Finishing grade school at the age of 13, he went to work for Doubleday, Page & Co., and by the time he was 17 years old was a proofreader there. At the age of 18 he misrepresented his age as 24, and on the basis of his assumed age and experience landed a job as the editor of Film Index. Later he published Film Reports, after which he became the New York City representative for Novelty News. He assisted with the Thanhouser Company's business and distribution arrangements beginning in 1910, on a non-exclusive basis.
His name appeared in conjunction with numerous business and promotional ventures. For example, in The New York Dramatic Mirror, issue of September 20, 1911, an editorial commented: "With proper humiliation The Spectator withdraws his indictment of the daily press for having announced so promptly that there would be films exploiting the poor derelict, Beulah Binford, who figured in the recent Beattie murder case. Frankly, The Spectator's confidence in the good sense of the American picture producers was too universal and far-reaching. He erred by failing to remember that there is always at least one blamed fool in every crowd.... The picture has actually materialized. It was 'acted' on Staten Island with the Binford girl in the cast, and the film was submitted last week to the National Board of Censorship, which promptly and unanimously turned it down.... One L.J. Rubenstein, who formerly conducted a little 'trade' publication now defunct, is put forward as being the producer of the Binford film, but the real people back of the 'enterprise' are alleged to be the Yankee Film Company.... At least the film was made at the Yankee plant...."
In The Moving Picture News, issue of September 20, 1911, Leon J. Rubenstein printed a rebuttal to his detractor, noting that "the picture in itself is a rebuke to those who object to it without viewing it" and that "it did a great moral service" to the public. The film involved the eternal triangle, with Beulah Binford, a girl of 17, the lover of Mr. Beattie, whose wife had been murdered. In a periodical in which an advertiser's dollars wielded clout, it helped matters that the Special Feature Film Company, 429 Sixth Avenue, New York City, distributor of the film, had a full-page advertisement!
In the autumn of 1911, Rubenstein substituted as publicity director for a few weeks at Thanhouser when Bertram Adler was stricken with a severe case of typhoid fever and a subsequent relapse, which at one point brought him near death. Around the same time Rubenstein wrote advertisements for several other Independent motion picture companies, and for a while he was a scenario editor for IMP. On February 25, 1912, he was married to Gertrude Coleman at Lexington Hall, New York City, in a ceremony attended by Carl Laemmle, Mark Dintenfass, and other motion picture dignitaries. An item in The Billboard, November 9, 1912, noted that at the time he was somewhere north of Lake Superior in Canada with his camera negatives and expected to go to Vancouver to take care of a proposition on which he was working. Traveling with him was his brother Irving, who was a photographer from Port Arthur, Canada.
In December 1912 Leon J. Rubenstein was in charge of the just-formed New Era Motion Picture Plan, 145 West 45th Street (the same address as the Mutual Film Corporation at the time), a supplier of educational motion pictures. By April 1913 he was operating the Ruby Feature Film Company with his brothers Irving and Edward. In a full-page advertisement in the May 3, 1913 issue of The Moving Picture World he is shown discussing a new three-reel film, The Doom of the Gunmen of New York (also called by a shorter title, The Gunmen of New York), with New York City Mayor William J. Gaynor. In the same year he released several other multiple-reel films, including Out of the Dust, and The Black 107, directed by Sidney Golden, which told of the persecution of Jews in the Russian Empire. At the end of 1913 the Ruby Feature Film Company moved to new quarters occupying 17,000 square feet on two floors at 217 East 24th Street, New York City. Leon J. Rubenstein became the father of a 10-pound son on Thanksgiving 1913. In March 1915, shortly after Edwin Thanhouser returned to the film company bearing his name, he hired Leon J. Rubenstein to be publicity director, replacing Jay Cairns.
A 1915 Sketch: As part of a biographical series by William J. Kellette, the following appeared in The New Rochelle Pioneer, April 3, 1915: "'Ruby!' According to Noah - not he of the ark stuff - but the lexicographer with the high batting average, 'ruby' is the clear rich red variety of corundum, highly prized as a gem, ranking above the diamond in price from three to ten times, when the carats vary from one to five. So, you see 'Ruby' is the high priced stuff. It's almost as hard as the diamond, and the coarser grade is known as 'emery.' When it gets the college education, it's a full-fledged ruby. That's one kind of ruby. Now there's another Ruby. It's as smooth as velvet - yea - as smooth as Dewar's White Label with a touch of anise. Here he is: 'Ruby' for short, to all the lil' pals he calls his friends, and he's never found an enemy, yet.
"Leon J. Rubenstein is publicity man for Edwin Thanhouser. In his line he's as famous as the only other Rubenstein that got into the three-quarters morocco of the Century Cyclopedia, for it will be remembered that one Anton Rubenstein, who died in 1854, was director of the Royal Orchestra at St. Petersburg and founded the St. Petersburg Conservatory of Music in 1862. What Anton was to music, Leon is to publicity. Isn't that some statement? Well, here's your proof, if you're skeptical: He invented the national phrase - 'The dimpled Duke of the Duplex Studios,' meaning P.A. Powers. He blew himself for $25,000 in erecting a 'Twinplex' studio right in the heart of New York City. According to 'Ruby,' a few of the big ducks in the film game accused him of having more nerve than any other five men in the field. He got ex-Governor Sulzer to play the star part in a 'Ruby Feature' - The Shame of the Empire State. He followed it up by having the late Mayor Gaynor, Governor Charles A. Whitman, Canon Chase and Assistant District Attorney Frank Moss pose in The Gunmen of New York, a four part picture that helped to cauterize the rotten spots in national police protective systems.
"Wait a moment - this is not all. With his fingers on the public pulse he shot across The Hounds of the Underworld, On the Trail of the Dock Rats, The Thorns of the Great White Way, The Serpent of the Slums, The Black 107, portraying the persecution of the Jews in Russia, and gave to the world the true story of Mendel Beiliss, whose trial in Russia for ritual murder, shocked civilization. 'Ruby' was the only man that ever got the right to photograph American money, despite the fact that most of the big bits of picture scenery carries the line that reproduction in any way calls for a large fine and a jail sentence. He went right into the United States mint and had the O.K. of Director Roberts, and the title of the picture was Uncle Sam's Money Shop. [Ed. note: Actually, there were no restrictions at the time concerning the photographing of coins made at the mint; there were restrictions, however, concerning paper money made at another facility, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing.] This was taken in the face of repeated refusals to others, and before 'Ruby' went to Washington everybody in the game took a loud laugh at the quiet young live wire who said he was 'gonna get it.' Well, you know the proverb about 'He who laughs last - ?' That was 'Ruby.'
"And then came Protect Us, the big feature that had the long run at Belasco's, New York City - a record run. It told indifferent mothers where the blame lay when their daughters went astray. It accused the parents and told the truth - sensationally, to be sure, because it requires blows to awaken a sleeping conscience. But the blows did much to wipe out the 'cadet' system wherever the pictures were shown. New York newspapers took it upon themselves to give it write-ups, and 'Hank' of the Evening Journal took three days to do justice to it. Yes, 'Ruby' is but 27 years old. He's been so successful in everything he's tackled - leading the field, as it were - that it would be a safe prediction that he could be president of the United States by the time he's reached 50, and I don't know how he votes. But he's a genuine 'Yankee Doodle Boy.' He was given the National holiday as his birthday by loving, proud parents. So thankful was he, that he wanted to repay, in like spirit, and he picked out Thanksgiving Day as the birthday of his son - another gem - born in 1913.
"At nine Ruby formed a desire to be a newspaperman. He had seen so many near-writers trying to do justice to journalism that he set his mark high, and at 11 he was editor-in-chief of his school paper. by the time he was 17 he was proofreader with Doubleday, Page & Co., and the following year, the film industry being in formative transition, Ruby became editor of the Film Index - the first periodical to espouse the moving picture game. The year after he was a full-fledged expert and represented the Patents Company, now known as the General Film Company, but, as the Independents - Thanhouser, Imp, and like brands, under the name Motion Picture Sales Company - began to show speed, Ruby jumped to their camp and began to boom Independent sales. He wrote advertisements for half a dozen independents and finally became scenario editor and right hand man to Carl Laemmle, now president of the great Universal Company.
"And after three wonderful years of travel and study, Edwin Thanhouser, erstwhile king of producers, and soon again to be, sent for Ruby to take charge of Thanhouser publicity, and thus we find him among us. He started in with wonderful national publicity and now has the film world gasping for the first Edwin Thanhouser release. It's certain to be good. And it's certain that Ruby will be responsible in letting the world know that Edwin Thanhouser is producing the best pictures makable, and that New Rochelle is a very large spot on the national map. He expects to move to New Rochelle. If you are a real estate man and recognize him from the illustration in this article, don't stick 20 bucks more on the rent price because he can afford to pay it - give him a deed to the property to show him you're glad that a real live wire has come along to throw the lie back to Georgie Cohan on the 45 Minutes from Broadway stuff."
After Thanhouser: Rubenstein was before the Thanhouser camera at least once, when he played a cameo role in the March 1, 1916 release of What Doris Did. He remained publicity director of Thanhouser through mid 1916, when he resigned, effective June 3rd, to re-enter the field of film production.
The Moving Picture World, June 17, 1916, told of the move: "Leon J. Rubenstein ('Ruby'), the Thanhouser publicity director, has resigned his position, with two weeks' notice. It has long been rumored that Ruby would make this move, yet his resignation caused no mild surprise. Rubenstein has been at New Rochelle for almost two years, since Edwin Thanhouser returned from Europe. He engineered Mr. Thanhouser's reintroduction into the industry and then started a series of spectacular publicity stunts. His advertising won quick recognition by its originality, and his knack of playing to the theatre man produced results. While at the helm in New Rochelle he made a specialty of stunt work, and in the past year he gathered in a number of scoops. Florence LaBadie will no doubt be sorriest of all to see him go, for Ruby was particularly successful in securing publicity for her.
"Before taking up his work at Thanhouser he was in the producing business as head of the Ruby Twinplex Studio, which he built. When the time came he sold out, which later transpired to be wisdom on his part. Now he will practically resume where he left off but declines to give any details of his plans except that he will show the trade an entirely new style of production. Rubenstein leaves New Rochelle with the best wishes of the company and the board of directors."
Leon J. Rubenstein died in New York City on February 18, 1972, from burns sustained when a heat lamp set fire to his clothing. He was survived by a sister, two sons (Matthew C. Rubenstein and Dudley Ruby), two grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. At the time he was living at 706 Riverside Drive, New York City. During the preceding year he had endured five major operations, including the resetting of a broken hip and a leg amputation.
Note: His surname was frequently misspelled as "Rubinstein" in trade journals.
Thanhouser Filmography:
1916: What Doris Did (3-1-1916)
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Copyright © 1995 Q. David Bowers. All Rights Reserved.