Volume I: Narrative History

Chapter 10: 1917 February Events

In early 1917 the Pathé Exchange, Inc. continued to do a lively business releasing films for several makers, including Astra, Rolin, International, Thanhouser, as well as its own Pathé films and Hearst-Pathé News subjects. Astra, with a studio in New Jersey, was an up and comer in the film business and made numerous multiple reel pictures which, like Thanhouser's output, were released as Pathé Gold Rooster Plays.

"The house of Pathé Frérès is one of the most important film manufacturing and displaying concerns in the world, and perhaps the most important industrial concern in France," stated The Moving Picture World. Note "It is a house which employs over 6,500 workers and which in time of peace has offices at almost every civilized country on the globe." Over 30,000 meters (nearly 100,000 feet) of film prints were produced each working day.

A Modern Monte Cristo, another five-reel Gold Rooster Play, was distributed on February 4th. Taking the lead role of Dr. Emerson was Vincent Serrano, an old-time stage actor hired for the film by Edwin Thanhouser. Dickson G. Watts reviewed the picture for The Morning Telegraph:

Seeking an adventure story for screening, Lloyd Lonergan hit upon a modern version of The Count of Monte Cristo. The result is A Modern Monte Cristo, which in a general way follows the original. However, there are many points of dissimilarity.

The photo-play is undoubtedly spectacular and will be found good entertainment. It has been finely produced so far as locations go and is played with creditable speed and suspense. Action is the paramount feature, but at the same time there are several clever character delineations introduced. Dr. Emerson, now passing as a sailor, swears an oath of revenge, and by an opportune accident finds little Virginia Deane in his power on shipboard. The vessel sinks in a storm, the only survivors being the doctor and the child. They take refuge on a desert island, from which Virginia is rescued by an aeroplane. In sending the child back to her father Emerson appends a note of warning that he will strike at his enemy through the child. He then disappears again, turning up about ten years later as a rich Brazilian. Neither Deane nor Virginia recognize the doctor, who gains the confidence of both. Then, when his plans are ready, he lures the girl to his house, intending to wreak vengeance on her for the wrong done by her father. Virginia, however, disarms him by her utter faith in him, and he permits her to return home.

As Emerson, Vincent Serrano gives a fine impersonation. His supporting cast has been well selected, especial mention being due to little Helen Badgley as Virginia at the age of 6. The production throughout shows careful direction and is marked by good photography and pleasing settings.

The Exhibitor's Trade Review found that while the film could not be compared to the original novel from which the title was taken, nevertheless the picture "contains enough entertainment for the average audience." Similarly, The New York Dramatic Mirror commented: "This picture will suit the patrons of a theatre catering to average patronage." Variety noted that: "The feature will hold thrills for the less discriminating fans."

Next on Thanhouser's list was Her Life and His, released on February 18, 1917. Florence LaBadie took the lead role of Mary Murdock. One scene was filmed in Times Square on October 9, 1916 and showed Florence watching a moving, illuminated news sign giving the results of the 10th inning of the second game of the World Series, a contest in which Boston beat Brooklyn 2 to 1 in 14 innings.

An article in The Moving Picture World Note told of the film:

Her Life and His, the Florence LaBadie drama to be released by Thanhouser-Pathé on February 18, has a prison warden whose experiences in office somewhat parallel the Sing Sing career of Warden Thomas Mott Osborne. H.E. Herbert, the eminent English actor, plays the part of the warden who first takes office from humanitarian resolves, but is then marked for slaughter by political powers. Unable to have him ousted on a charge of inefficiency, the conspirators try to organize a wholesale escape by prisoners in the honor squad. The next move was to have the warden tricked in a hotel room where Nan Travers, a beautiful lobbyist, was "planted." Nan "frames" a scandal and the warden has to face trial. The sale of "coke" and whiskey by prison guards also figures in the story. Miss LaBadie as an innocent inmate at the prison first discovers the illegal traffic in opiates. Her information is the basis of the reforms in the prison.

Reviews of Her Life and His were mixed but mostly favorable, with that in the hard-to-please Variety being especially complimentary.

Meanwhile, Thanhouser and Pathé were extolling the virtues of Gladys Hulette. An article in The New York Dramatic Mirror Note is typical and was drawn from a news release:

The demand for Gladys Hulette pictures released by Pathé is increasing steadily it is announced, and there is a general consensus of opinion that the star is improving with each release. Such is the expressed conviction of the press and of the Pathé Film Committee, after viewing Pots and Pans Peggy, Note the next Gold Rooster play in which she stars. Pots and Pans Peggy is said to be her best picture yet, charming, clean, full of human interest, pathos, humor and quaint whimsical touches. Agnes Johnston wrote it, and she has turned out a story that ranks with the best.

It is a most happy combination of talent, that of Miss Johnston and Miss Hulette. The pair work out pictures that are different - that have a charm all of their own. The Cleveland Plain Dealer in speaking of Her New York, Miss Hulette's last picture, said: "If there has ever been produced a picture containing more rare charm than Her New York we have failed to see it. Its charm is not so much in the plot of the story, but in its novel and original touches, a twist here and a turn there, a tear and a happy laugh."

Exhibitors have not been slow to recognize the great drawing value of these pictures. When their patrons saw The Shine Girl, the first one of all, they came back and asked for more like it.

Indeed, Miss Hulette, who usually played sympathetic ingenue roles, was very appealing to the public.

In its issue of Saturday, February 17, 1917, the New Rochelle Evening Standard carried news of a forthcoming social event:

The Thanhouser employees are giving their annual ball at Germania Hall Monday evening. The grand march is to be led by Florence LaBadie and Wayne Arey. Wayne Arey was the judge in the recent production of The Shine Girl.

Attractive programs are being prepared and will be a special interest as they contain many cuts of officials and players. Representatives from various other studios are expected at the ball. The proceeds of the ball are to be added to the emergency fund for the use of sick or disabled employees.

What happened on Monday evening was related by the same newspaper on the following day:

Four hundred attended the annual ball of the employees of the Thanhouser Film Corporation in Germania Hall last evening and enjoyed the dancing to Grimmer's Orchestra until 3:00. The music was so good that the musicians had to stay another hour in response to popular request....

Noticeable at the affair were the handsome gowns of many of the woman and the presence of stars from the local and other studios. The grand march was worthy of its name, led by Miss Florence LaBadie in a handsome black velvet gown carrying a huge bouquet of pink carnations, and Wayne Arey. They were followed by Miss Jessie Bishop, secretary of the company, in white satin, with Boyd Marshall, Mr. and and Mrs. Charles Gercke, Miss Agnes Johnston and George Dickson Long, Mr. and Mrs. W. Ray Johnston, Miss Doris Grey and Lord McCaskill. During the march varied colored spotlights were thrown on the group. When the march proceeded with 16 abreast the audience broke forth to hearty applause. The march was directed by Leo Wirth and Frank Grimmer. Little Helen Badgley and Tula Belle escorted the march.

Shadow dances were the feature of the evening. The ball was prettily decorated with boxwood trees, and the orchestra was hidden behind palms and potted ferns. During the evening Helen Badgley gave an interpretive dance which elicited applause, and Tula Belle recited. Booklets containing photographs of the actors and actresses were given as souvenirs.

On February 24th the New Rochelle Evening Standard carried this item:

At the annual meeting of the Thanhouser Film Corporation, W. Ray Johnston was elected assistant treasurer and assistant secretary, thereby relieving Dr. A. E. Jones of the actual work. All other officers were reelected as follows: president, Edwin Thanhouser; vice president, Wilbert Shallenberger; treasurer, W. E. Shallenberger; secretary, Dr. A. E. Jones. The directors voted to continue on the same policy of the past half year.

The Moving Picture World, February 24, 1917, told of Edwin Thanhouser's testimony before a New York State joint legislative committee which was investigating taxing the motion picture industry. The Thanhouser Film Corporation was at a low ebb, as was the rest of the industry. Clearly, the speaker was not a happy man at the time:

Edwin Thanhouser, head of the Thanhouser Film Corporation, was a witness on Wednesday morning. He verified the financial report of his concern, which had previously been filed with the committee. Mr. Thanhouser, with some little satisfaction, declared that he was going to retire from the film business in about a year.

Mr. Thanhouser was asked if, in his opinion, the film industry should be taxed, and if so, through what source or sources. He said: "I don't know that any of our competitors are paying dividends. Certainly we have ceased to. The business is so rapidly changing that, to my mind, it would be unfair to tax anyone in it. I frankly believe the majority of manufacturers are losing money, and many large distributors are sailing on thin ice. My own contract expires in a year, and then I'm going back to my little farm on Long Island. I have had enough of the business."

The final Thanhouser release of the month was The Vicar of Wakefield, which reached theatres on February 25th. Originally the picture was announced as a Gold Rooster Play of five reels. Then it was billed as a "Pathé Special" of eight-reel length. Other accounts gave the length as six reels or seven reels. Most publicity gave the eight-reel figure. Note If the film was an eight reeler, it was the longest feature ever produced by the New Rochelle studio.

Variety reviewed the picture:

The much-heralded Thanhouser (Pathé) feature production of Oliver Goldsmith's novel, The Vicar of Wakefield, is being shown this week at the Rialto and, in most respects, lives up to its advance promises. Thanhouser has gone to unusual care in the creation of atmospheric detail, but at times falls down woefully with such errors of direction as screening a picket fence for a view in England. Mr. Thanhouser has visited Great Britain at least once and should know that such things do not exist - and never have - in that country. Then again they didn't have wagons with iron rims in the period in which the Goldsmith story was laid. He has fared better with his interiors, which are admirably done.

Ernest Warde, the director, has done well on the whole, but the bulk of the glory should go to his father, Frederick Warde, who is magnificent in his portrayal of the old vicar, and who goes through a series of misfortunes and finally sees his two daughters married to noblemen. All things considered, The Vicar of Wakefield will prove a credit to the Pathé program. - Jolo.

The Variety review was favorable compared to that which appeared in Wid's Film and Film Folk:

It is probably a safe bet to use this for one night because of the fact that the title is so very very well known. You can undoubtedly pull some school business for your matinee, but certainly I wouldn't promise that it is an excellent production, nor would I make any specific statements as to the work of Mr. Warde as the Vicar. The direction is decidedly theatric and very poor technically, as considered by standards of today. Four years ago it would have been a good production. The groupings are very bad, with entirely too much foreground in almost every scene, and the characters are always coming down to a 10- or 15-foot line to stand in a row before the camera. Either the director didn't know how to make use of camera angles, or he had a very lazy cameraman, because he repeatedly played long scenes straight through, at from 10 to 20 feet foreground without shifting the camera a foot. The players were rather mechanical, and the entire action had a theatric touch.

You must figure this offering however, as one which may seem very good to the special clientele which will probably turn out for this sort of a subject. Those who will care particularly about seeing The Vicar in films may not know that this is not technically good. They may feel that it is a bit tiresome in spots and rather slow, but they won't know why. Those who profess to the "highbrow" stuff will probably feel that they should like this whether they really do or not, and so you may not have any complaint from them. Your regulars will probably think it is pretty poor.

The story, as developed on the screen, is rather obvious, since every one knows from the very first that the mysterious friend of the Vicar is the uncle of the man at present in charge of the estate, so it is only a question of time until the villainous nephew is exposed. There is a suggestion of the thought that parents should not guard and confine their children so closely as to cause them to rebel, but, really, considered from the plot basis for a picture, there's nothing much to The Vicar. In accordance with the other old school things done, we have one scene where the Vicar's house burns down, and they give us quite a bit of footage showing the final burning of the home, for no apparent reason other than to prove that they actually do burn up this set. The scene is held on the screen until the walls topple over. In the "old days" this was considered a "thrill," or a "punch," but such things are decidedly unwelcome today.

Gladys Leslie, the youngest of the Vicar's daughters, was quite a pretty youngster, and she screened particularly well. Kathryn Adams was a good type as the older sister, and the other members of the cast fitted acceptably, although their playing had a little too much of the theatre touch. In the cast were Boyd Marshall, Carey Hastings, Thomas C. Curran, Robert Vaughn and William Burke [sic; Parke was intended], Jr.

The Box Office Angle: Figuring this as a production to play on a bad night when you can possibly pull in people who are not regulars, with the additional chance of a good matinee from the school kids, I'd say that it is a safe booking. I surely would not consider this an offering worthy of presenting where you must please an audience of mixed ideas regarding stories, who have a real insight into present-day possibilities of screen direction. They would think this slow, theatric and rather tiresome.