John Mackenzie, Cameraman I. (1915) 🇺🇸

Veteran photographer, writer, globe-trotter, all-around interesting personality, returns from visit to old home in Scotland.

Stopping over in New York on his way back to resume his duties at the Balboa studio in Long Beach, Cal., John Mackenzie favored the staff of The Moving Picture World with a call on Tuesday. With him was his second son, Ian (Jack) Mackenzie, Biograph cameraman. His older son, Gerald, is a cameraman at the Selig Edendale studio at Los Angeles [Jack MacKenzie | Gerald W. Mackenzie Sr.]. Mr. Mackenzie had just returned from a visit to his old home in Scotland. His stay in the British Isles lasted five weeks.

It is a many-sided personality, that of Mr. Mackenzie’s, and an all-around interesting one. For twenty years he has operated a motion picture camera — for fourteen of these in the continuous employ of Charles Urban — in the course of his professional work he has traveled all over the world; he has met men of all kinds and in all conditions. He has been a keen observer. Added to the gift of observation he is blessed with a wide vocabulary, a “fine pick” of descriptive language. He has written of his experiences in books and in magazines. Among the former is “Rambles in Many Lands.”

It was twenty years ago, when Mr. Mackenzie was in business in Inverness as an optician and a photographer, that a juggler came to the Scotch town with one of the primitive “blinkers” showing Lois Fuller in a skirt dance. Mr. Mackenzie admitted he was hopelessly inoculated with the cinematographic virus on the first contact. Undeterred by the possession of a growing family and uninfluenced by the ominous shaking of heads of his older relatives he raised what funds he could and started out to secure a projector. In his search he went as far as Brussels. Finally in London he purchased what he was after. When he returned to Inverness he caused it to be known he was going to give a show. His fellow-townsmen rallied around him with a unanimity that bespoke their pride in a pioneer. On his first night’s exhibition he took in a sum sufficient to recoup him for his outlay in London. On his second night he was money ahead.

At that time there was but one concern in London — Fuerst Brothers — that sold film. The lengths were in sizes of 53 or 54 feet. The same firm also possessed a camera about which it was very secretive. It was used to take local pictures around London. When Mr. Mackenzie inquired about the possibility of purchasing it something was said about £250 and then it was declared £1,000 could not buy it. Mr. Mackenzie was not to be stopped. Being an optician he was an expert mechanic. He had taken medals for artistic photography. He proceeded to build, and did build, a camera, and with it he was the first man in Scotland to take local pictures. His business grew until he was clearing a profit that averaged a thousand pounds a year. Then came the disastrous winter of the belated coronation of King Edward, which ceremony was postponed on account of the sovereign being compelled to undergo an operation.

Mr. Mackenzie had booked for the showing of the coronation the most expensive halls in Scotland. In spite of the falling off in the show business he carried out his schedule, exhibiting at such a loss that at the end of the season he was £3,000 a loser. The cameraman smiled as he referred to the men who, in order to be first in the field, had had photographed in Paris a fake coronation — only to have their labor for their pains — and expense.

Forced by his losses to make a fresh start, Mr. Mackenzie seventeen years ago joined Mr. Urban, at a time when that pioneer manufacturer had but one cameraman. For Mr. Urban he traveled all over Europe, Northern Africa, India, Australia, New Zealand, Tasmania and America. For a year and eight months Mr. Mackenzie was at the Kalem Glendale studio. For the past year he has been at the Balboa — and he speaks with enthusiasm of his associates and his surroundings.

Mr. Mackenzie said his five-weeks’ visit to England and Scotland was purely a social one. In London he visited many trade shows. At one of these he had a two-hours’ reminiscent chat with Mr. Urban.

Asked if he had noted any striking points of difference between the American and the European producer, Mr. Mackenzie said he believed where the European director was more concerned as to larger results, for the main achievement, he did not possess the keenness for continuity, for smaller details, he was not such a stickler for accuracy in the little things, as his American competitor. One gathered the impression that Mr. Mackenzie considered the American producer in attainments on the whole had the advantage over his European confrere.

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Screen Man Has Pleasant Trip.

S. H. Jones, president of the Gold King Screen Company of Altus, Okla., and inventor of that famous screen, is again back at his desk after a prolonged visit to the San Francisco Fair. He reports a pleasant and profitable trip to the coast, having secured a large number of orders besides placing a Gold King Screen in the projection room at Universal City, which he considers quite an achievement, considering the fact that nearly every screen manufacturer in the country had a representative on the ground.

The many courtesies extended Mr. Jones by the numerous famous picture stars were greatly appreciated and he hopes to repeat the pleasant trip in the near future.

Collection: Moving Picture World, October 1915

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see also Anders Randolf (1915)