Volume I: Narrative History

Chapter 5 (1912): Unusual Reviews

Called Back, a two-reel Thanhouser release of June 21, 1912, was adapted from a popular novel and featured James Cruze and Florence LaBadie in the leading roles. Around this time, readers of various reviews may have thought they were seeing double, for The Morning Telegraph had this to say about the film:

Called Back, the Thanhouser two-reeler from Hugh Conway's novel, grips. That is the best of a lot of good things that you can say about it. It just lassoes your interest. You follow breathlessly the efforts of Gilbert Vaughn, the once blind man, to locate the house in which the fatal quarrel occurred - the quarrel which he heard but did not witness for then he was blind. The presentation of a blind man on the stage or in a film is often unpleasant, but the blind Gilbert Vaughn of Thanhouser's Called Back is very acceptable.

On the other hand - well, actually on the same hand - readers of The Moving Picture News were greeted with this:

Called Back, the Thanhouser two-reeler from Hugh Conway's novel, grips. That is the best of a lot of good things that you can say about it. It just lassoes your interest. You follow breathlessly the efforts of Gilbert Vaughn, the once blind man, to locate the house in which the fatal quarrel occurred - the quarrel which he heard but did not witness - for then he was blind. The presentation of a blind man on the stage or in a film is often unpleasant, but the blind Gilbert Vaughn of Thanhouser's Called Back is very acceptable.

Apart from suggesting that reviews of Thanhouser or any other films of the era should be digested with the proverbial grain of salt, such duplication, which occurred among other periodicals and with the films of other studios as well, was probably caused by the slavish reprinting of canned reviews sent out by the studio's publicity office. In an era in which dozens of films were released each week by various studios, few if any publications could afford to have a paid staffer sit through the screening of each and take notes. Canned reviews, if used in moderation or if somewhat rewritten or paraphrased, were an easy way out. Of course, this casts suspicion upon certain of the glowing reviews received by Thanhouser and other studios. However, as duplication of Thanhouser reviews occurred only at widely spaced intervals in time, it is believed that the majority of reviews were authentic, and certainly all unfavorable reviews were the real thing!

Farm and Flat, a comedy released on June 23, 1912, featured Riley Chamberlin as a farmer in a scenario which told of a country man who longed to visit the city, and a city man who wondered what spending the summer on a farm would be like. Each proved inept in the other's surroundings, and before long both the rural farm and the city apartment were in shambles. On June 25th, In Blossom Time, a love story featuring Florence LaBadie as the girl and Harry Benham as the country sweetheart, was released to good reviews. Then came the release on June 28th of The Professor's Son, with Marie Eline in the role of a seven-year-old boy.

Next on the Thanhouser schedule came Doggie's Debut, released on June 30th, with the Thanhouser Poodle in the title role and Marie Eline as Jack, the dog's owner. The dog in real life was Marie's pet, Toodlums, who was a Christmas present given to her with suitable press agentry by Edwin Thanhouser in December 1911. Out of the Dark followed on July 2nd, and Ma and Dad was released on July 5th. Thanhouser's publicity department must have been busy with the changeover to the Film Supply Company, or perhaps it was vacation time for Bert Adler, but, in any event, few press notices were sent out for the last several films.

Under Two Flags, a two-reel Thanhouser film released on July 7, 1912, was adapted from Ouida's story of the same name. Two days later, on July 9th, a competing version, by Gem, directed by George O. Nichols, late of Thanhouser, came on the market to the confusion of reviewers and the public. To counter the Gem effort, the Mutual Film Corporation advertised that Thanhouser's Under Two Flags was "the only ORIGINAL film presentation of Ouida's great play [sic]; the only picture with a spectacular race track scene and other details mentioned in the story."

It was one thing for an Independent firm to butt head-on with a Patents Company member and release films under the same title, but traditionally this wasn't the thing to do against another Independent. However, the times were changing, and in early July the Independent members of the Film Supply Company group, including Thanhouser, were anything but friendly with the Independents in the opposing Universal camp. Later in the same year Thanhouser and Gem had a virtually identical conflict when Thanhouser released its version of The Woman in White on October 20th and Gem released a competing treatment of The Woman in White two days later on the 22nd.

Meanwhile, the three leading exchange programs for the week beginning Sunday July 7th, as printed in The New York Dramatic Mirror, Note indicated that there was room on the two Independent programs, but that the Patents Company release days were becoming quite congested. By this time, Thanhouser was releasing three films each week:

FILM SUPPLY COMPANY (MUTUAL) FILMS

Sunday: Majestic, Thanhouser (2 reels) Note

Monday: American, Comet

Tuesday: Gaumont, Majestic, Thanhouser

Wednesday: American, Gaumont Weekly (newsreel), Reliance, Solax

Thursday: American, Gaumont

Friday: Solax, Thanhouser

Saturday: Great Northern, Comet, Reliance

UNIVERSAL COMPANY FILMS

Sunday: Rex, Eclair

Monday: IMP, Nestor, Champion

Tuesday: Eclair, Bison, Gem

Wednesday: Nestor, Powers

Thursday: Eclair, IMP, Rex

Friday: Ambrosio, Nestor, Powers, Victor

Saturday: Bison, IMP, Itala

PATENTS COMPANY (LICENSED) FILMS

Monday: Biograph, Kalem, Lubin, Pathé Weekly (newsreel), Pathé (special 2-reel feature), Selig, Vitagraph

Tuesday: Edison, Essanay, C.G.P.C., Cin-es, Selig, Vitagraph

Wednesday: Edison, Eclipse, Kalem, Lubin, Pathé, Vitagraph

Thursday: Biograph, Essanay, Lubin, Méliès, Pathé, Selig

Friday: Edison, Essanay, Kalem, Lubin, Selig, C.G.P.C., Vitagraph

Saturday: Edison, Essanay, Cin-es, Lubin, Pathé, Vitagraph

Pa's Medicine, released by Thanhouser on July 9, 1912, was split with Hazers Hazed. Both were comedies incorporating footage taken in Florida months earlier and both had been directed by the since-departed George O. Nichols. The Morning Telegraph reviewed the latter:

A rough and tumble comedy in which two country boys on arriving at a small college are immediately made the scapegoats for the edification of the collegians. They are hazed in a rude fashion, when one of the boys while running from his room with his mate thinks of a scheme to get even. He gives an alarm of fire, and while the hazers are enjoying a smoke and refreshments in one of their member's rooms they are suddenly doused with the spray of a fire hose. They scamper out, drenched to the skin, learn the cause of their troubles, and chase the new students to the station, where they succeed in boarding a train out of town.

Next on the Thanhouser schedule were Nursie and the Knight, July 12, 1912, The Finger of Scorn, July 14th, and Vengeance is Mine on July 16th. Releases across the various distributing companies' schedules were coming at such a rapid rate that Thanhouser films were reviewed only occasionally by trade publications, for there was simply too much product and not enough review space. For example, in its issue of July 10th, under the category "Reviews of Supply Co. Films," The New York Dramatic Mirror commented on one Thanhouser film (Pa's Medicine), two Majestic films, two Solax films, one Gaumont picture, and one Reliance subject. The next week under the same heading four recent Majestic releases but no others were reviewed. Although no one knew it at the time this was an omen of things to come. In the future many publications would drop reviews of numerous one-reel films and concentrate instead on expanded reviews of multiple-reel features.

Nearly all Thanhouser scenarios of the time were the work of Lloyd F. Lonergan, as they had been since day one. Around May 1912 his brother Philip began helping, at first on a part-time basis. Philip Lonergan's name would not appear in publicity until the following year. From time to time the studio reminded film columnists that it was not a candidate to buy scripts from outsiders. There was a popular conception that the acceptance of a scenario idea by a studio was not much different from being touched by King Midas. Real rates of payment were somewhat less munificent, as an article in The Moving Picture News, July 13, 1912, indicated. The story stated that Thanhouser would pay a minimum of $25 for script ideas, but no other information exists to substantiate this. Note Minimum payments by other companies for accepted scripts were given as follows: American Film Manufacturing Company $10 to $15, New York Motion Picture Company $15, Champion Film Company $5, Comet $15, Eclair $20, Great Northern $20, Imp $15, Majestic $15, Nestor $15, Powers $10, Reliance $25, Rex $15, Solax $20, Feature & Educational Film Company (Cleveland) $10, Gaumont $25, Biograph $15, Edison $20, Essanay $10, Kalem $10, Lubin $20, Méliès $15, Pathé $5 to $25, Selig $25, and Vitagraph $10 to $20. Such articles set the stage for a host of correspondence schools which took payments from Jane Doe and promised that with no experience and with very little effort she could turn out scripts that would put her on Easy Street, once Biograph, Vitagraph, Lubin, and others learned of her existence. Unfortunately for thousands of Jane and John Does, reality was far different.

The Ranchman and the Hungry Bird, released by Thanhouser on July 19th, featured Marie Eline and was filmed in New York City's Central Park. Then followed Only a Miller's Daughter on the 21st. The Portrait of Lady Anne, released on July 23rd, saw Florence LaBadie in the title role. Lady Anne is seen in the year 1770, and then in a reincarnation in 1912, all to the delight of reviewers. The Morning Telegraph considered the film to be "unique, thoroughly artistic, and an offering well worth securing," while The Moving Picture World found it to be "a mighty pretty picture." The New York Dramatic Mirror printed several nice comments as well.