M-G-M 100 -- April 17. 2024

Film Daily, 06-April-1924

100 years ago today, on 17-April-1924, the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (M-G-M) Corporation was formed by the merger of the Goldwyn Company and Louis B Mayer's Metro Pictures Corporation. M-G-M became the most powerful film corporation in Hollywood. I notice that this item does not mention the Loewe Corporation. I remember the credit on M-G-M movies that said "Controlled by the Loew's Corporation." 

Along with Mayer, the new company received production manager Irving Thalberg and his wife actress Norma Shearer.

Holiday Number -- December 23, 2023

Christmas is coming. 

The cover of the holiday number of Motion Picture News has an ad for Name the Man, a Goldwyn picture. It was Victor Sjöström's (Seastrom's) first film directed in the US. I have not seen it. 

Samuel Goldwyn Allowed Use of Name -- November 26, 2023

Motion Picture News, 03-November-1923

Samuel Goldwyn was born in Warsaw, which was then part of the Russian Empire, in 1879 or 1882. When he came to the US in 1899, he was called Samuel Goldfish. He worked in the glove industry, eventually becoming a successful salesman. In 1913, he joined with Jesse Lasky, Cecil B. DeMille, and Arthur Friend to found the Jesse L Lasky Feature Play Company. In 1916, the Lasky Company merged with Adolph Zukor's Famous Players Film Company to form the Famous Players–Lasky Corporation. Goldfish was chairman of the board, but, later in 1916, he resigned after repeatedly clashing with Adolph Zukor, he resigned. Goldfish joined with brothers Edgar and Archie Selwyn to form Goldwyn Pictures. Goldfish liked the name Goldwyn, so he changed his last name in 1918. In 1924, Goldwyn Pictures merged into the Metro Company. Goldwyn left before the merger and formed Samuel Goldwyn Productions.

The original Goldwyn Company sued to prevent Goldwyn from using his name on the new company. He eventually prevailed in court and went on to a long career as an independent producer.

One Big Picture a Week -- August 28, 2023

Motion Picture News, 04-August-1923

Hearst's Cosmopolitan Productions and Goldwyn Pictures joined forces to form Goldwyn-Cosmopolitan. Distinctive Pictures was a company that produced films with George Arliss and others. Goldwyn-Cosmopolitan used this large and expensive trade ad to promote its upcoming series of big pictures, to be released one a week. 

Motion Picture News, 04-August-1923

King Vidor directed Three Wise Fools. I like the armored car. The Spoilers was based on a novel by Rex Beach. It was set during the Alaska Gold Rush. It was filmed many times, and the highlight was always knock-down drag-out fight between Glennister and McNamara.

Motion Picture News, 04-August-1923

I don't know a thing about Enemies of Women except that it was based on a novel by Vicente Blasco Ibáñez, directed by Alan Crosland and starred Lionel Barrymore.  6 Days was based on another smutty book by Elinor Glyn. Someday I will write about a joke people made about her titles. 

Motion Picture News, 04-August-1923

The casually racist Green Goddess was based upon a stage play that George Arliss had played in for years. It was later remade as a talkie. It was a Distinctive Pictures production. The Eternal 3 was directed by Mickey Neilan. 

Motion Picture News, 04-August-1923

Clarence Badger was a short-legged omnivore with an incredibly strong bite. He directed Marie Prevost in Red Lights, a railroad story. The Steadfast Heart was a Distinctive Pictures production. 

Motion Picture News, 04-August-1923

The Magic Skin was based on a story by Honoré de Balzac. The Day of Faith was directed by Tod Browning.

Motion Picture News, 04-August-1923

In the Palace of the King was a melodrama. 

Motion Picture News, 04-August-1923

A Few of the Thrills in Sherlock Holmes -- November 17, 2022

Casper Daily Tribune, 07-November-1922

John Barrymore played Sherlock Holmes in a loose adaption of William Gillette's play. I didn't enjoy the movie much, but Barrymore certainly looked like Holmes. I like the illustration. Notice that at the bottom of this ad for the America Theater in Casper, Wyoming There is a pass for Mrs Jessie M Haggerty plus one. 

Casper Daily Tribune, 08-November-1922

Another ad for the American has an Annie Oakley for M N Castle plus one. 

Seattle Star, 13-November-1922

"The shadow of Moriarity on the wall." Thrilling. 

Motion Picture News, 04-November-1922

Educational supported Children's Book Week with an ad for the British-produced series of short films which starred Eille Norwood as Holmes. 

Sherlock Holmes -- America's Foremost Actor Now Appears in the Most Famous Fiction Role of all Time -- October 22, 2022

Moving Picture World, 07-October-1922

I like the lettering and colors on this magazine cover ad for the Goldwyn Company's Sherlock Holmes, starring John Barrymore.

Motion Picture News, 28-October-1922

I like this profile view of Barrymore as Holmes. It reminds me of Sidney Paget's drawing for Holmes stories in The Strand Magazine. 

Motion Picture News, 21-October-1922

"Every Exhibitor Who Has Seen This Picture is Strong for It!"

Motion Picture News, 14-October-1922

The Goldwyn company was determined to block other movies that might be advertised as Sherlock Holmes or Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. "A motion for temporary injunction has been filed in the Supreme Court by William Gillette, Charles Frohman, Inc. (Frohman himself had died on the Titanic in 1912.), and Aleet Enterprises, Inc., restraining the Stoll Film Co., Ltd., and the Education (Educational? JT) Film Exchanges, Inc., from using the title "Sherlock Holmes" or "Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" in connection with any motion picture."

Motion Picture News, 14-October-1922

Motion Picture News, 14-October-1922

"The Priory School" and "The Solitary Cyclist" were two episodes in the series of short Holmes films produced by Stoll and starring Eille Norwood. Educational released this series as The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.

Motion Picture News, 07-October-1922

After the first season of popular shorts, Stoll produced The Hound of the Baskervilles as a feature. I like the picture of the Hound.

Motion Picture News, 21-October-1922

"Because all the world read the original Sir Arthur Conan Doyle stories...?

Albuquerque Evening Herald, 07-October-1922

I haven't mentioned the many funny movies inspired by Sherlock Holmes and his name. Bert Lytell played other detectives including Michael Lanyard in The Lone Wolf and Boston Blackie.

Ben Hur -- The Greatest Motion Picture Property in the History of the Screen -- June 25, 2022

Film Daily, 11-June-1922

The Goldwyn Company, which Samuel Goldwyn left in 1922, purchased the rights to the popular novel Ben Hur, published by Civil War general Lew Wallace in 1880. The book was adapted into a popular stage play in 1899. Future western star William S Hart played Messala. 

Film Daily, 11-June-1922

Several producers fought to win the motion picture rights to Ben Hur. There was a plan to make most of the movie abroad. 

Moving Picture World, 24-June-1922

After much struggle, the movie was released in 1925.

Lloyd Hamilton and Max Linder -- August 29, 2021

Exhibitors Herald, 20-August-1921

At this point, Lloyd Hamilton, who had been the Ham of Ham and Bud, was starring in a series of Mermaid Comedies distributed by Educational Comedies. Please excuse the racism in the ad. Racism seems to have turned up in a number of his movies.

Exhibitors Herald, 27-August-1921

This item claims that Lloyd Hamilton had been in 307 movies in ten years.

Moving Picture World, 27-August-1921

Max Linder was the biggest star in film comedy before Charlie Chaplin. Linder appeared in hundreds of early Pathé slapstick comedies in France. He became a major star before World War One. There is some confusion about what he did in the war, but he was wounded or became seriously ill and newspapers reported that he had died. This was not true, but the French film industry, the most powerful in the world before the war, had mostly shut down. Max took an offer from Essanay and came to America, signing a deal to make six short films. The first two did poorly and the third did only a little better, so that was the end of the series. Max returned to France and opened a cinema. He made a feature in France, and then headed back to the US. He made a feature, Seven Years Bad Luck, which did well at the box office. His next American film, Be My Wife, was going to be distributed by the Goldwyn Company.