Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-01-19
EX-SENATOR HANNA
FOOLED BY MOVIES
He Believed in 1900 That the
Trade Was on the Down.
ward Path
BY the Photoplay Editor

!
Mark Hanna, the late United States
| Senator from Ohio, and personal friend
| of President Mckinley, was undoubtedly
| an astute business man so far as his par
! ticuiar line of business was involved, but
history has proved that he was a mighty
poor prophet as to art, and had men taken
! him at his word the motion picture in
| dustry would not today be the third larg-
est and important In the Industrial world
According TO Mr.. Hanna's statement in
1900 the motion-picture industry had then
overlapped its zenith and was virtually
dead This statement was made by Mr..
Hanna to George Kleine after he had
given the matter considerable thought.
How utterly wrong he was. time has con-
clusively proved.
Mr. kleine describes the interview with
Mr. Hanna as follows:
Back in l900-amost 16 years ago, re.
member-1 had a scheme for using mo.
tion pictures for campaign propaganda |
Always thought well of the educational
end of the business, just as do today.
ana believe that along educational lines
the picture Is to accomplish it's greatest
innuence. | went to Chicago and OBJ
tained an audience with the late Senator
Hairr who was In charge of the cam
paign, and William Mckinley. who was
the Repubhcan candidate. My scheme
was to take motion pictures of them en-
gagged in their routine campaign duties
also or other men prominently associated
with them. This series of pictures pro-
posed to show up and down the country
IN every city, dale and hamlet where there
was lurking a possible Republican vote.
Ny proposition for the whole thing was
for the campaign managers to give me
something like $4,000, sum which was
not so large In view of the work in
volved, and what thought the results
would be. Hanna and Mckinley thought
nnnEi6arad nae. 4
seemed to be on the point of accepting
my offer, but in the end Senator Hanna
said: have come to the conclu Ion
that the day of the moving picture
over. is dead and through with And
mind you, Senator Hanna was n man ,
VINO Knew something about the public's
likes and dislikes whims, tastes and de-
sires. The motion picture is dead lie
repeated, and would have nothing more |
to do with my proposition"
Where Is the man, who knows anything |
about the motion-picture industry, who |
VIII come forward today and repeat the |
late Mr.. Hanna's prophecy?
There are many well-posted men who |
today 16 years after Mr.. Hanna's predc- |
tion, are putting vast fortunes into the |
industry, believing the |
business Is just getting under fair head
way. There are some, who will prophesy |
hat in another 16 years the industry will
nave just begun to get under a full head |
If steam.
Announcement is made this week that
lawrence Weber, president of the Popu-
ar Plays and Players. has signed a long
lme contract with Nine. Petrova to
ppear exclusively in Metro feature pro-
uctions. Under the new arrangements
line. Petrova will practically abandon
he speaking stage entirely and devote
ii her time 10 mn of ]
ictures.
Nine. Petrova has met with remark
BILE success since she made her debut in
he silent drama. The Petrova pictures
ave proved to be among the most attrac-
we productions on the Metro program
Nine. Petrova is now working i'm the
ig five-part feature, What VIII People