Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1920-07-03
The First Movie Play.

The lover of movies" today knows
little of the history Of the pioneer
photoplays. Fully twenty-five years
ago Alexander Black, now novelist,
toured the country as "the plcture
play man." Mr.. Black is known to the
American public as an author, thru
his novel, THE Great Desire" To
newspaper men he is known as one
Of the most successful of New YORK
editors, to technicians as an author
ity on photography and to Mrs. Black
as an expert carpenter, musician and
all-around mechanic and as past
master In the art of entertaining
company. But it is only small
circle on the inside of movie affairs
that knows Of his connection with
that business.
Twenty-siX years ago Mr.. Black
gave the first performance Of the
first picture plays, Miss Jerry" in
New York. Up to that time he had
been thru every round" as report
er on metropolitan newspaper. The
idea came to him that the camera
what the motion picture men Of today
would call Stills" made to regis
ter thru the action of dissolving
lantern, and thus to produce an effect
Of slow motion.
The amateur photograp her had
sufficient faith In his idea to write
out scenario for the first of tire
picture plays. assemble cast Of ac-
tors, buy the best camera to be had,
and build projecting machine. Des-
cribing the results of this experi-
ment Mr.. Black said:
Here is the way Miss Jerry, first
Of the picture plays. hit New York as
reported in New York newspaper
Oct. 10. 1894:
"A picture play combines photog-
raphy and literature. III the case or
Mr.. Blacks play art comes to form a
triumvirate. Miss Jerry" is dra-
matically conceived story, which is
read by Mr.. Black in a darkened hall.
As the reader progresses, large
number of photographs, taken from
life and illustrating the narrative.
are thrown by a stereopticon on a
screen There is an almost constant
change of pictures. SO
/" After the novelty Of the scheme
has worn off. the fact that spectators
are looking at a lot of photographs
enlarged to life size seems to disar-
pear, and the effect is produced OF
looking upon actual scenes and liy-
ing people -
Nowadays stories that are written
as books go on the screen afterward
as movies" Not so with Alexander
Black One after another he wrote his
fashioned romances for the
screen, later rewriting them and hav'
ing them published in book form as
novels.
Tho known in, inside circles as
the 'granddaddy" of the movies, Mr..
Black never made a fortune on his
invention and today has no connec-
ton with the industry.
!. + i.
First Run in Iowa.
Marshalltown movie fans will be
the first in Iowa to see Mack Sen
rett's super five-reel comedy Mar
sried Life" which is the holiday at
traction at the Strand, starting Sun
day for run of three nights. OF this
picture the New York American
says: smack Sennett has outdone all
his former efforts as master mirth-
maker of the silent orama in his lat
est offering. Married Life Mack
Sennett has in this picture one of the
most impressive arrays of comedy
stars ever presented in one company.
Heading the list as the serio-comic
hero is Ben Turpin--he of the funny
crisis crossed eyes. Supporting him
are Phyllis Haver, Ford Sterling
James F'inlayson, Charles Conklirl,
Louise Fazenda, Charles Murray,
Charlotte N1ineau, little John Henry
and Kalla Pasha.
A bon fire at the H. A. Dost home,
sol South Seventh avenue, which it
was feared would get beyond control
caused the department to be called