Evening star., 1939-09-25
Carl LaemmIe, St.,
Dies Of Heart Attack
Al Age Of II
Motion Picture Pioneer
Produced First Million
Dollar Film
Sy the Associated Press.

Sy the Associated Press.
BEVERLY HILLS, Calf, Sept.
25.-Carl Laemmle, ST., who started
In the Aim industry as nickelodeon
proprietor and became the first man
to make million dollar picture"-
Foolish Wives"-died yesterday at
the age of u years.
In i'll health for some time, the
pioneer Aim producer died from a
heart attack as he lay In bed at
his Benedict Canyon estate. Earlier
In the day he suffered two other
heart attacks.
his daughter, Mrs. Stanley Ber-
german, and two physicians were
at his bedside when he died. A
son, Carl Laemmle, jr.; two brothers,
Siegfried and Louis Laemmle, both
OF Los Angeles, and two grand
children, Stanley Bergerman, 7, and
Carl Bergerman, 9, also survive. His
wife died in 1918.
Funeral services for the former
producer will be held tomorrow at
the Wiltshire Temple of B'nai Birth
in Los Angeles, with Rabbi Edgar
F. Magnin officiating.
Entered Movie Field in 1906.
>, "Uncle Carl" as he was affec-
tionately known in the Hollywood
film colony, got his start in the
movie world as a nickelodeon pro-
prietor in Chicago in 1906. He
eventually established Universal
Studio, largest In the industry.
Mr.. Laemmle also introduced the
star system to the screen and made
the first million-dollar picture,
Foolish Wives"
He sold out his controlling inter-
est in Universal about three years
ago and retired.
Stars, producers, directors, writer's,
agents, as well as studio carpenters
land the like, regarded the genial
little 5-foot German-born Laemmle
as their friend. He was noted for
his interest in the welfare of studio
employees and players.
Mr.. Laemmle, native of Laup-
helm, Germany, came to America in
1893 with $50 and landed a job as a
package wrapper in Chicago during
the Worlds Fair there. He later
clerked in an Oshkosh, Wis, clothing
store and, becoming manager, saved
$4,000. He became an American
citizen in 1889.
Taking his money back to Chicago,
he saw the public interest in motion
pictures. He rented a vacant store
building, painted it brilliant white,
transformed it into scent theater,
and began exhibiting such crude
films as were available.
He went into the film exchange
business and moved to New York.
After troubles with the then dom
~'inant General Film Co., Mr.. Laemmle
decided to produce his own pic
lures.
Organized Imp" Co.
He organized the independent
moving picture company, known as
the Imp" in 1909 and its first pic
ture was "Hiawatha" He estab-
lished film exchange in England
after producing "Ivanhoe" there.
Eventually, Mr.. Laemmle's exchanges
handled both the General Film and
imp" pictures.
Mr.. Laemmle started the star sys-
TEN in 1909 when he signed Florence
Lawrence of the old Biograph Co. for
the mheard-of salary Of 81 900 a
week.
In 1912, he merged the leading in
dependent companies into Universal
Co. Two years later, he established
the first Universal Studio in an old
brewery in Hollywood.
Not long afterward, he bought 230
acres in San Fernando Valley just
north Of Hollywood and established
Universal City. This incorporated
studio town is still the largest film
producing unit in the industry.