The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1917-01-12
COIN KEEPING COMPANY
WITH 'LONESOME,[UKE'
Jlngling Society of This Sort
Stunned Hal Roach and Dan
linthicum Until Pathe Pro-
duced Their DNerting
Picture Farce.
SUCCESS ACHIEVED IN
THE HOUR OF FAILURE

Many time has young America re-
ceived renewed ambition by hearing Of
famous and successful men who were
down to their last nickel before for
tune favored them. The motion picture
business has many such men in 1t,
but not often do the stories Of their
early trials and failures find their way
into print. The heroes of those
stories are usually too busy to tell
the tale Of their failures. They have
learned success and have lost interest
In the past, save as it has taught them
how to utilize the present and the
| future.
Hal Roach, general director of the
Rolin Film Co., has, during the past
year, made a name for himself as
comedy director. He 1t is who is re-
| sponsible for the Lonesome Luke"
comedies on the Pathe program, q
trade name that means something b
all picture fans who love a laugh.
The success Of these comedies has
been marvelOns-they Caught on" at
the very start, and yet only about
twelve months ago Roach, who now
chases around in huge motor car
and has money to burn, was broke.
Such a story is typically American,
and here is how it happened:
Mr.. Roach Is young man, under
thirty in fact, and started his business
career as a mail carrier, not one Of
the kind most Of us are familiar with,
clad in gray uniforms, whistling the
tidings Of their approach and pounding
the city streets, but in Uncle Sans
service in Alaska, riding horseback for
| long distances through the wilderness
summer and winter alike. Nearly los
ing one of his feet from frost bite,
he decided upon q less strenuous Job
and got one with firm Of contractors.
While spending vacation in Los
Angeles he happened to meet some
persons connected with big motion
picture producing company. Being an
excellent rider, he sought and secured
job in the pictures. AS an "extra"
he was placed in gambling den
sceno with a number of others, play
ing roulette. The director didn't
know the game, nor did the other
,''extras," but Roach did-he had seen
1t often enough in Alaska. He straight
ened out some details and was re-
warded with a regular job.
He finally became assistant direc-
tor and ambition grabbed him. With
Dan Linthicum, who supplied the
money, he formed a comedy company.
Taking the first letters of their names
they compounded the word "ROlin" as
the name Of their company. Their
pictures were sold to two different
companies, both of which went broke,
one after the other, owing them
money.
The infant company thus went pref
ty close to the rocks. With capital
down to the zero point, Roach decided
to risk all on one last attempt. He
put his company "over the jumps" by
putting them through every funny
scene he could think Of. There was
no story and no rhyme or reason to
1t. He called 1t "Just Nuts" and sent
1t to Pathe. Pathe bought it and
asked for more. In the meanwhile
before the good news came Roach had
got starved out and had secured
job as director with Essanay.
When the good news came Roach
quit his new job, took off his coat and
started to tear into things. He in
.terested Dwight Whiting, who was
selling motor cars, and together they
started to work twenty-four hours
day. Their first company contained
several players Pathe said were good,
Harold Lloyd, Harry Pollard, Bebe
Daniels, and others. The public said
so, too, so around this nucleus they
built up a strong company. Pathe
took everything they turned out, and
SO did the exhibitors, ever on the look
out for real comedies.
Today Roln has It's own studio, sew
eral new directors and all the money
1t wants. Mr.. Roach has abandoned
the twenty-four hour day grind He
doesn't have to work that way now,
for he supervises instead of doing
property work, carpenter work, cam
era work and every other kind of pic
ture work.
Mr.. Roach neither writes nor buys
scenarios. He thinks out comedy sit
uations, outlines his ideas to his COM
pany, and puts them at 1t. This meth
cd has proven extraordinarily success
full.