Volume I: Narrative History

Chapter 9: 1916 November Notes

The Moving Picture World, November 11, 1916, informed its readers:

Florence LaBadie has been invited as the guest of honor to the big Halloween party for the employees of the Marcus Loew offices, which will be held in the huge general office next Tuesday night. Marcus Loew and all the heads of the Loew enterprises, managers and others, will be present and Marcus Loew has personally invited Miss LaBadie. Note

For many years the Thanhouser Company and its successor, the Thanhouser Film Corporation, had occupied the inside front cover advertising position in The Moving Picture World. This spot had been vacated during the summer, after Thanhouser was ejected from the Mutual program and before the arrangement with the Pathé Exchange was announced. Once the Pathé alliance was established, Thanhouser regained its traditional advertising position. Then beginning with the November 18, 1916 issue the firm vacated the spot, and McClure Pictures used the space.

On November 22, 1916 the fourth annual ball of the Motion Picture Exhibitors' League of America, Massachusetts branch, was held in the Boston Arena. Note A crowd estimated at 7,500 people attended, and 150 contestants competed for a position with the Atlas Film Corporation. The winner was Beatrice Roberts. Among those in attendance were Florence LaBadie and Ethyle Cooke from the Thanhouser studio.

On November 25th the New Rochelle Evening Standard printed what subsequently proved to be fiction:

According to information from an official at the Thanhouser studio the local concern will open its Jacksonville studio this year. Ernest Warde has been advised to be prepared to go south as soon as he finishes his present picture. It is thought still another director will be sent to the Southern clime. It will not be Eugene Moore or Fred Sullivan according to the report. With the going south of two companies, only two companies will remain in New Rochelle for the winter. The local company is enjoying prosperity. The pictures turned out for the Pathé program are fully 200% better than those turned out for the Mutual. The Pathé has made a market for the local pictures in every corner of the earth. In Africa it is stated here the pictures from the local studio are very popular.

The same newspaper on November 27th printed the following:

Under arrangements just completed by the Thanhouser Film Corporation of this city who recently affiliated with the Pathé Exchanges, Inc. to handle the distribution of their five-reel features through the Pathé exchanges, the new products, which are known as Thanhouser-made Pathé Gold Rooster Plays, will have a worldwide distribution surpassing that of any other producing company.

The Thanhouser features are being distributed in the United States and Canada through the Pathé's 40 exchanges, one exchange being located in each of the principal cities of the United States and Canada. Contracts have just been closed for the distribution of the local product in Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, and Peru in South America, while negotiations are also being considered for Brazil and the northern countries of South America, for Central America, and for Mexico. The pictures are also being shown regularly in the West Indies islands.

The Australasian firms are the successful bidders for the Australasian territory. Through the Thanhouser Films, Ltd. of London films are marketed in Spain, Italy, Portugal, France, Russia and India in addition to the United Kingdom. Negotiations are also pending, it is stated, for the territories of China, the Philippines and South Africa. When these are completed the Thanhouser Company's product will have the most complete distribution of any brand of pictures on the market. The Million Dollar Mystery, the Thanhouser super-serial from the pen of Lloyd Lonergan, has already been shown in all of these countries and has therefore paved the way for the Gold Rooster plays.

W. Ray Johnston, the assistant secretary and treasurer of the company, has been in charge of the export department of Mr. Thanhouser's organization. Among the new features which are now being shown worldwide are the following: The Fugitive, featuring Florence LaBadie, The Shine Girl and Prudence the Pirate, featuring Gladys Hulette, The Pillory and Saint, Devil and Woman, in which play Miss LaBadie is also starred, and The Hidden Valley with Boyd Marshall.

It was learned today that the staff of directors would be increased. An additional director is expected here within two weeks. Others are to follow. Director Jack O'Brien has finished the picture in which Charlotte Walker, former Vitagraph star, was the principal. The picture turned out very successful, according to assistant director George Grimmer. As yet no definite plans have been announced for the opening of the Southern studio. The Florida studio, it is said, will be opened by January 1st.