D. W. Griffith — Blue Book of the Screen (1923) 🇺🇸

D. W. Griffith was born in La Grange, Ky., January 15, 1880. His father was Brigadier-General Jacob Wark Griffith of the second Kentucky Cavalry, known as “Roaring Jake” because it was reputed his commands carried two miles along the valleys. So far as known, his father is the only commanding officer who led a cavalry charge riding in a buggy. His mount was shot, his right leg and left arm broken. He was put in a buggy and raced at the head of his troop; one of the few who did not surrender.

There were no schools then in La Grange. Griffith was taught by his sister, Mattie, reading nothing but classics, although accepted as merely popular reading at that time in that region.

From his sister’s reading and his father’s tales of war, Griffith’s imagination first pictured battle scenes as being like the clouds during thunderstorm. His sister said he would do nothing but read, being reluctant to do chores; but never liked to be alone; not to talk, but someone had to be around.

Mr. Griffith worked in his brother’s paper, weekly, as wrapper on mailing list, wages fifty cents a week, and food dependent upon what farmers traded for subscriptions in way of supplies and produce.

At the age of sixteen he went to Louisville where he joined a small traveling company at a salary of five dollars a week and expenses.

He started in motion pictures when he went to Biograph studios to sell scenarios. Instead he became an actor, and was finally given part of a picture to finish as a director. He met with immediate success.

He made his players act real in pictures and revolutionized general picture methods by creating the close-up; bringing suspense into pictures by switching from one location to another showing action proceeding at the same time.

He made the first two-reel picture by going into the country, and staying two days, which was against all rules of production. Company insisted he was insane and would wreck their distributing system. Finally they released it in two installments, one called “His Trust” and the other “His Trust Fulfilled.” This was the first two-reeler and first serial.

Then came three-reelers, four-reelers and on up. Names of neither the director or players were used in advertising or on the screen.

Griffith’s name was first used with “Judith of Bethulia,” the first four-reel picture he made with many now prominent stars.

In making The Birth of a Nation he had to give away over $3,000,000 in later profits to get $14,000 to finish the picture. Because bankers said, “No one would sit through a twelve-reel picture.”

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Although D. W. Griffith has been making motion pictures in the East, he believes there is no place like California. But snowstorms are necessary for his “thrillers.”

His cameraman (left), William Bitzer [G. W. Bitzer], has been with him for many years.

Portrait by Hoover • Los Angeles

Collection: The Blue Book of the Screen (1923)