The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1914-01-16
BLACK EYE WAS
BASE OF FORTUNE
william X. Fox, 20 Years Ago Was
an "A. D. T." Boy

New York, Jan. 16.--Twenty years
oao William Fox wore a neat blue uni
form with brass buttons. ON his cap,
the letter ~, ID. r." appeared. If YOU
handed Mr.. Fox a dime for himself he
would run his two legs TO quiverins
srumps with your message. Every
saturday night he drew down $i-if no
fines had been assessed against him
and was permitted Ia retain fifty
cents If that for his very own.
Now Fox is thirty-siN years old
Each day the 10000 people who visit
his twcnty-seven moving picture the
pt,rs here and in New England confer
mon him $4,000 i'm dimes. He is the
principal owners of all these theaters,
and the sole owner of most of them. 1t
is assumed that he would melt down
for $4,000, OOO. Not long ago he brought
suit against the movies trust for the
right to use its films in his theatcrs
If he succeeds the trust ceases to be a
trust enough To hurt. If he fails-well.
he has something of Il trust, of his
own lie is building a million dollar
studio on Two Hundred and Twenty
first street which will be the largest OF
IFS sort IN the world. Two hundred
and fifty actors work constantly before
his cameras. Sometimes he employees
5000 of them. lie is black-eyed, slen-
der. profound cigar smoker, and ST.
lent When he talks, it is about NOV
mg pictures.
II is possible that the moving picture
business has built up more modest
and othcrwisc-fortuncs than any
other single development of the last
decade. Fox is included among the
hale dozen big men in it. He runs to
superlatiyes. He owns the largest thea
ter iu the World-opera houses and
homes of spectacle barred from COM
petition. lie owns the only double |
decker theatcr in the world. He has !
his own real estate and architectural |
ana contracting and producing depart
mculs.
Fox might never have become mill
en- had not hit Cliff Gordon upon his
one good ego. Gordon was a message |
running pal of FoXs twenty years ago.
They formed "A vaudeville team for the
purpose of disseminating rough Ger
man comedy for So an evening. one
hight the alert Fox detected hostile
note in the applause. He set up a
careless whistle.
'fou-twect, twcet-get your mon
eN' said he, "rllr-twcct, twcet--wait
for You outside"
The secretary of the social club
which they had assumed To entertain
not only not paid the SO, but hit Cor ,
don upon the other eye. IL swellcd
SHUT and Fox led his partner home ,
through miles of jeering streets, not
having the price of street car luxury. ,
lhen he pushed Gordon through the +,
doors into the arms OF an outraged
FAMILY and ran. The team of Schmalz ,
"iotherS German comedians, burst >,
'IEhl there with an echo.
"'rdon stuck to his art ana became +,
Known ON the vaudeville stage later as
l0' German Senator" Deprived of 81.
us partner Fox went into the cloth j.,
'PV0Eih@ business as 4 porter and
.dne fairly woll-to-do. During his
''' period rs an actor he had caught
'IS"I IL great fact of the theatrical j.,
'u''''Ss II is the producer who gets
'y"' the actor is i'm luck if he is able
- '''I'o To little farm. So that when
'' movies began To burgcon Fox sold
Az ''"lh spongcry, defied his head .
"'MhS friends, and went To the new -
nuS, hook, line and sinker. y
p'h forget that he is just thirty II
~ Years old
" Il
Crewsome Meeting. e.