Harry Weiss (1915) 🇺🇸

Harry Weiss, who is just entering his 27th year, is the youngest of the Chicago Film Exchange managers. What he is short in years, he has made up in experience. Graduating from St. Vaitors College, at Kankakee, Illinois, in 1902, Mr. Weiss put in two years studying electricity, and in 1904 was employed by the Chicago Edison Company, as calibrater, having charge of the meter department of the entire south side division of the City of Chicago.

Early in 1905 whenever there was moving picture machine trouble in Chicago (and in those days there were but six or seven machines in operation at two of the theaters in Chicago, and a few of the Colleges), the work had a fascination for Mr. Weiss, as it coupled electricity with mechanics, and the year 1906 showed him to be a full-fledged member of the old Chicago Moving Picture Operators’ Local, having one of the first cards issued in Chicago.

Between 1906 and 1908 Mr. Weiss in short succession became operator and then owner of a string of moving picture theaters. In 1908 he became associated with the Chicago Film Exchange, working for them in their various offices throughout the country. Mr. Weiss has also been manager of the Duluth Film Exchange of Duluth, Minnesota, the Minneapolis Feature Exchange of Minneapolis, the Feature Film Sales Company of Chicago, and was associated with the General Film Company of Minneapolis. Mr. Weiss, being a Chicago man, finally drifted back to his old home town in 1911. Early in 1914 he met Lewis J. Selznick, General Manager of the World Film Corporation, and on the 29th of April, 1914, took charge of the Chicago office, which then boasted of 600 square feet of space and two employees. Today the same office occupies an entire floor, has twenty-one employees, and is doing exactly twenty times the business that it did when Mr. Weiss took charge. In fact, the Chicago office is today the second office in point of business of the World Film Corporation, with a margin so close to the leading office, that it is a case of neck and neck for the first honors.

There is not a customer on the World Film Corporation’s books in the Chicago office, but what is personally acquainted and speaks the highest words of praise for “Hustling Harry,” as he is more popularly known in Chicago circles.

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“The Little Band of Gold”

Two-reel Keystone of hilarity in high life, marking also the return of Ford Sterling.

Reviewed by Louis Reeves Harrison.

Hubby — Roscoe Arbuckle
Wifey — Mabel Normand
Gassy Gotrox — Ford Sterling
Maud Brightlights — Ethel Madison

The entire audience of a veritable theater plays an active part in The Little Band of Gold. Possibly a thousand people, quite as possibly more or less than a thousand, participate with enthusiasm, for Roscoe and Mabel as husband and wife are in a box at one side, with Ford, Ethel and a secondary beauty in a box at the other, and psychology runs rampant on account of Ethel. Roscoe is slightly intoxicated when he brings his wife and her mother to an operatic performance and he evinces languid interest about all that is going on until he notices his former partner in crime, Ford, in the opposite box with a new and ravishing beauty. Ethel is not only a handsome woman but her figure is of the kind that caused Helen of Troy to be abducted by Paris. Ethel is superb enough to cause another Trojan war, and one actually takes place in miniature when Roscoe forgets The Little Band of Gold.

The self-revelation of Roscoe when he ceases to remember charming Mabel and becomes absorbed in studying the stunning creature with Ford raises the farce to comedy — characterization dominates the plot. In fact, the plot is so entirely made by the characters that The Little Band of Gold is genuine comedy rather than farce, and it is the more delightful to those weary of knockdown slapstick of clowns and acrobats. Roscoe notes that decollete Ethel — she is not demi-decollete, but the whole thing — is a splendid specimen of womanhood, corresponding closely to the average man’s idealization, and his primitive instincts become hectic. She is entirely too good for Gassy Gotrox — besides he has a chaser along — so Roscoe motions “See you outside.” He excuses himself to wife and mama-in-law and meets Ford with his Brightlight ladies in the lobby. Still actuated by the primordial, Roscoe steals the stunning beauty from under her escort’s eyes and carries her off to a lobster palace, where the customary discovery and riot follows. The story leads on to a definite and entirely natural conclusion with a deft finishing touch that is an inspiration.

Ford Sterling will be welcomed — he strengthens the cast — but it is about time for him to dispense with so much artificiality of grimace. It has a forced appearance from the front that could be relieved by more refinement of interpretation. The funniest thing in the world is not the monkey, but his noble prototype, just plain man, and he keeps on growing funnier the more seriously he takes himself.

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Scene from The Little Band of Gold (Keystone)

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Alfred Paget with Griffith-Mutual

A recent acquisition to the Griffith-Mutual forces at their studio in Hollywood, Cal., is Alfred Paget, an erstwhile member of the Biograph Company. During the time that Mr. Griffith was affiliated with the Biograph Company he engaged Mr. Paget, who remained with them five years. He is appearing in the title role of Enoch Arden, which is being produced at the Mutual studios by Director Cabanne [Christy Cabanne].

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Jack Dillon Joins Universal

J. Francis Dillon, known to the theatrical world as Jack Dillon, has joined the Universal West Coast forces and will hereafter be seen in Nestor comedies. Mr. Dillon was born in New York City twenty-six years ago. He has been on the stage for ten years, playing with Adelaide Keim, Harry Tighe and in many well known stock companies. Of the well known productions in which Mr. Dillon has been featured are The Rosary, The Right of Way, Officer 666 and A Gentleman of France. Previous to his joining the Universal company Mr. Dillon acted as director for Carlyle Blackwell. Mr. Dillon will be under the direction of Al Christie and will play juvenile leads.

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A Majestic “Temperance Lesson”

A Temperance Lesson is the title of a domestic comedy written and produced at the Majestic studio by Director John B. O’Brien.

This comedy theme deals with a wealthy aged gentleman who, in order to keep a remaining bottle of choice liquor for his wife, from his servants, locks it in his office safe. During that night his pretty young wife becomes ill. The physician prescribes the bottle of liquor. He starts for the office to get it, where he is mistaken for a burglar by a watchful policeman and is pursued to his home.

Collection: Moving Picture World, March 1915