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| Moving Picture World, 13-February-1915 |
George Middleton, a San Francisco automobile dealer, married the beautiful and celebrated prima donna (that's how she was billed), musical comedy actress Beatriz Michelena in San Francisco in 1907. She left the stage for a while, then returned in 1910. In 1912, Middleton, son of a famous family in the lumber business, founded the California Motion Picture Company in San Rafael, north of San Francisco. At first he made promotional films for his auto business, but in 1914 he began to produce dramatic features starring his wife.
Salomy Jane still survives and is very impressive. Most of the CMPC movies were destroyed in a fire.
By the time of the ad above, the CMPC had moved its distribution from Alco, which was in financial trouble, to Lewis J Selznick's World Film Corporation.
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| Moving Picture World, 06-February-1915 |
George Middleton was probably able to get some of his society acquaintances to let the company use their homes.
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| Motography, 13-February-1915 |
Michelena was injured during the shooting of
Salomy Jane.
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| Moving Picture World, 13-February-1915 |
I think the Motography and Moving Picture World articles were copied from the same press release.
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| Moving Picture World, 20-February-1915 |
I wonder if anyone has a collection of this publication.
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| Motography, 27-February-1915 |
I like the use of original gowns.
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| Moving Picture World, 27-February-1915 |
Lewis J Selznick, father of David O and Myron, was the head of World Film Corporation. The Cliff House is still there. I'd like to see the "Poverty Flat Trot."
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Happy 100th birthday to Zero Mostel, a force of nature.
The Producers.
The Front.
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. He was blacklisted.
Every time I told someone that Louis Jordan had died, that person said "I thought he was dead." Every time. He sure was good-looking, and he could act. He worked for the Resistance during World War II. I remember Hitchcock telling Truffaut that Jourdan was too good-looking and clean for his part in
The Paradine Case, but that is hard to hold against someone. I didn't like Gigi, but I liked most of the movies I saw him in.
I know many people who are more serious Trekkies than I will have a bad time dealing with the death of Leonard Nimoy. I admired his acting, his directing and his frequent comments on society. He was an NCO in the army. I think the first movie serial I saw was
Zombies of the Stratosphere. A San Francisco television station, I think KPIX Channel 5, had a Saturday night locally produced magazine show to ran the Republic serial because of
Star Trek. Leonard Nimoy had a small part. I had to watch every episode. I wanted to be the Rocket Man or whatever he was called in that movie. I remember his seasons in
Mission: Impossible. I liked it when he appeared on
Fringe.
