Edgar Lewis – An Appreciation (1920) 🇺🇸

The man who long ago had the foresight to see the approach of the day at which we have now arrived, the day when story worth was to take precedence over star exploitation, is Edgar Lewis, the producer of Edgar Lewis Productions, released through Pathé.

by Harry Poppe

And not only was Mr. Lewis convinced of the coming of this day but he had the courage to prove himself right by using his own money to make Edgar Lewis Productions upon the “Story First” principle.

Mr. Lewis had been making pictures for Lubin [Siegmund Lubin] — among the latter of his subjects being The Barrier and The Great Divide, the latter featuring Ethel Clayton and House Peters, when he decided to start in “on his own.” Here is a confession of policy, as Mr. Lewis made it then and is making it now.

“The thing to do is to play up the story, and not build up a picture for a star that a personality might be exploited. If a star is the picture’s biggest point every other element must naturally be submerged in favor of the star. This should not be. A star should not so dominate a picture as audiences are entertained not merely by the star but by the combination of story with other elements.”

Mr. Lewis believes that every picture should be a complete harmonious whole, a blending of all the necessary ingredients that go into the making of the picture. No one ingredient should be so dominant, as is often the case when star must be considered first, last and all the time, that all others must suffer. The story should be selected for its entertainment value, the players chosen to suit the characters, and the atmosphere be kept in harmony with the general whole, Mr. Lewis says.

To prove that he was right, Mr. Lewis made The Bar Sinister. Everyone remembers what a hit the picture made. It was produced in thorough keeping with Mr. Lewis’ theory of what should go into a picture. Since then he has produced one success after another, such as Other Men’s Shoes, Sherry, Lahoma, and A Beggar in Purple. His forthcoming production, of which much is expected, is The Sage Hen, founded on a short story by Harry Solter, which has just been completed.

In every one of these pictures the story is the thing that was given first consideration. Mr. Lewis believes that with an excellent story to begin with the result will be an excellent picture, all other things being equal. Even with only average players a good picture can be made if the story is good, Mr. Lewis says, but with the best players on earth a picture of real merit cannot be made if the story is bad.

Therefore it is story first with Mr. Lewis, and after that cast, atmosphere, camera work, lighting, etc. Direction is not mentioned, for it is to be assumed that the director knows the technique of picture making thoroughly.

Besides being a picker of exceptional stories, Mr. Lewis has shown himself a master at selecting those actors who are peculiarly equipped to best delineate the characters that are to be shown on the screen. More than one actor has scored a pronounced personal hit because he was given the opportunity by Mr. Lewis to play a sort of role he could interpret.

A stickler for good stories always, Mr. Lewis likes best the human stories, stories of life as it is, but of the clean, wholesome side, with manly, virile characters, with big men and whole-souled women. He is essentially a man’s man and is happiest when he is close to nature in the sweeping outdoors. He is generally associated with pictures mirroring life in the outdoors, yet he has always done exceedingly well with other stories as well.

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Six Months’ Growth Told by Si Greiver

by S. B. Greiver

Six months ago Russell-Greiver-Russell opened its office at 8 South Dearborn street, Chicago, to act as distributing agents for film producers. We have expanded rapidly and now our activities embrace production, supervision of one of the large studios on the coast, as well as supervision of a national distributing organization.

We are grateful to the industry for so kindly receiving our initial efforts, the Fritzi Ridgeway two-reel Westerns, the single-reel Tusun comedies, five-reel Cuneo Westerns and “Gasoline Alley” animated cartoon.

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We now have under consideration numerous propositions for the production of film suitable for our requirements, which are very precise and exact. They must be the very finest of their kind before we will give them consideration.

Indications point to an unusually active and prosperous forthcoming year to the industry, to all members of which we extend cordial greetings.

Collection: Exhibitors Herald, December 1920