Omaha daily bee., 1920-01-18
BY MACK SENNETT.
(Producers Of Paramount Mack sennett
COmedies.)

C0medies.)
MYTH the coming of the year
w 1920 dawns a new era for the
~ motion picture comedy, an era
which we firmly believe will bring
the comedy production up to the
same standard as a multiple reel dra-
matte feature. Worthy comedies
will receive the same billing as
dramatic features have received in
the past, and at the same time will
constitute the body of the program.
In the early days of motion pic
lures, comedies were used as filters.
Dramas were the big thing and while
they were giving entertainment
value, the public wanted a little
change. Instead of having their emo
tions continually pulled and hauled
over the fiery Goals, they wanted to
laugh-they wanted to see the hu-
morous side of life. We predicted
then that the time would come when
comedy production of high quail
ity would take its place as feature
regardless of its length.
It was new profession, this max
ing OF motion pictures. We were
all feeling our way in those days,
but / felt certain that the comedy
of human interest of the natural and
unforced laugh, had its place on the
screen as on the stage, for in life
laughter is mixed with heart-throbs,
and Is not the stage and the screen
the mirror Of lifei
"Oh, anything will do for q COM
edy," was the distributors valuation
of real gold nugget idea, in the
early days, If he had only known it.
And thus was born false, arbitrary
idea, the filler valuation for come
dies which we are glad to say is
now being rapidly demolished.
Then the war came along in 1914,
the most serious fact the world has
ever experienced. Conservative dis
tributers and exhibitors agreed that
something was needed to offset the
gloom, and the comedy films were
waiting for the job which was at
hand. Exhibitors began to preview
comedies with careful consideration.
s. But even before the war the de-
mands from exhibitors for comedy
productions had slowly grown to
such proportions that producers
were kept busy grinding them out.
For instance, at our Los Angeles
studio, which. covers 80 acres, we
had as many as 20 companies at
work at one time and we literally
made swarms of comedies. We have
outdoor stages, 4 great indoor stu
dio, where 20 companies can work
at one time, revolving stages, acres
of open land, where we can stage
everything from the burning of San
Francisco to street scene in China
town.
With ali these facilities at hand
and the demand from exhibitors
growing, we felt that the time had
come to turn out not mere comedies /
but comedy productions. We have
gradually reduced the number of our
companies until we have but six at
work. Instead of making picture ev- /
cry two weeks, we now take months,
aud we spend more time and money, /
I'D we use every possible studio ia
AlSity in making the comedy feature,
man is utilized on many multiple reel ,
dramatic films. We usually take on
an average of 10000 feet of most ex-
pensively produced film for each pic
ture, although no limit is set. Then
by working it over in the projection
room, we finally have as finished
product to send out to the exhibitor
1000 feet of human interest. packed
full of action.
That this new type of what we
might call two-reel super-comedy is |
being appreciated is shown by the
manner in which exhibitors have,
during the past eight months, quickly
recognized the new product and have
featured and are more and more fea-
turing as principal picture of their
two-reel comedy produc-
tons such as Uncle Tom Without
the Cabin" East Lynne With Varia-
tons "Salome against Shenan-
doah." over and above longer. null