The Washington times., 1915-04-01
THE BEST
Photoplay Department in
WASHINGTON
Stories of the Film,
Stars Not of Film
, Makers Interest
the Public

Within the past few months there
has come a complete change of at
titude in the minds of the people who
arc Interested in the success of the
film business. They are realizing
that they must consult the public
before they achieve success, and
they have only recently permitted
themselves to realize that II is the
public who Is paying all the bills.
1t has been very nice for the men
who have achieved fame through tho
lures to see their names in print
and their personalities discussed. In
most of the periodicals devoted to
the motion picture business the
names and personalities of the
manufacturers or the exhibitors have
consideration than the names Of the
players and the discussions OF the
him stories. The matter of artistic
work was secondary in consideration
Of a film, What Blackton. or Sell
nick, or Spoor, had to say about it
was the last word-the fact that
they said 1t made 1t the last word.
rhat was all very we'll for trade
publications that were to go out to
the exhibitors And it must be said, in
: truth, that this is about what most
motion periodic Gals are. But the
main point Is that In the publicity
matter of the film companies that
was designed to lure the public into
the theater they used exactly the
same ideas. The public doesn't know
q thing about Spoor or Blackton-
and It cares even less.
They arc all very decent fellows
and are very much worth while as
business men and all that. But
the public isn't interested in busi-
ness careers when it goes to mo-
II. t,,t
ed in the play that is to be shown
and the actor or actress playing
1t. Everybody who goes to a pic
ture show as often as ten times
knows King Baggot or Anna Little,
or Herbert Pawlinson, or Mary Full
er--and will manifest all sorts of in
terest In them whenever the ocCa-
sion offers. Out of the 100000 people
who every day attend motion pic
ture shows and who know and re-
vere-even loVe-thc four people we
have referred to and their associates in
acting, there are probably not a
thousand who know who is the
president of the Universal Company,
which employs these actors and act
rcsses. Or after hearing who he lisp
care whether they ever hear of his
name again.
Blackton runs the Vitagraph Com
pany-but the features of the Vita
is interested and the people whose
svicws 1t viii take seriously are Cos
tello and Norma Talmagc and Wallie
Van and John Bunny, and the rest
of tho acting staff. The public
wants to know every word these
actors and actresses have to say
about themselves and the film. What
Blackton thinks or says Is of less
interest than last years fashions.
Spoor is the IS of the Essanay-
but how many of Bushman admir-
erS know that-or care about 1t?
II is Bushman they want to hear
about-what Bushman says.
The fact is that the public doesn't
care anything about the business or
ganization of its amusement enter
prises except in a very casual way.
A very good proof of that Is found
In tho theatrical business.
1t isn't the slightest disparage-
ment of the film magnates who have
been mentioned-we might give a
longer list il the space permitted
10 say that the public doesn't care
a hang about them or their opinions.
All the public wants to know about
them is contained in their film. And
the only film personalities that the
public cares about are those that
appear in the film. Perhaps the ex-
hibitors throughout the country
want to know about these gentle
men. what the exhibitors want to
know doesn't interest the public at
all. The grocers might want to
know who makes Quaker Oats and
what he thinks of his product, The
public doesn't care who makes
Quaker Oats so long as he continues
to make enough of them to supply
its wants.
That is the whole of the diff
Guilty. The film men have begun at
the wrong end. They tried from the
first to subdue the personalities of
their stars for reasons of economy,
because they didn't want the stars
10 get too high an idea of their own
Importance. 1t would be too expen-
sive. But that has been taken out
Of their hands now. The public
wanted to know about them. 1t
knows about them. And it wants to
learn more and more. G. NJ.