Leaders All — W. Ray Johnston, ‘Independent’ States Righter (1924) 🇺🇸

Leaders All — W.  Ray Johnston

Because he brings to his work an intimate knowledge of banking problems; because he has had actual experience in nearly all essential departments of picture-making and distribution; because to these possessions there is joined a frank and likable personality and a faculty for making strong friends to whom he sticks and who stick to him.

Another of the younger men who have earned recognition in the motion picture trade is W. Ray Johnston, vice president and general manager of Arrow Film Corporation. Mr. Johnston has been an active part of the business for ten years.

The Arrow executive is one of the few men sitting at a desk who has had actual experience in front of the camera. It all came about in an unusual way and was caused by the desire of the very thorough Edwin Thanhouser that Mr. Johnston should know more of the actual workings of a studio.

In the course of three months Mr. Johnston was featured in nearly a dozen one and two reel subjects. Some of the friends of the executive recently obtained a print of one of these and had it titled in modern fashion, but after their own ideas. It is said the revised version really is satirical in vein, so much so it is unlikely it will be generally distributed.

It remains only to be added that in this phase of Mr. Johnston’s career, he soon decided he would leave the acting side to others and would confine his own activities, to other channels, but this experience had been worth while.

Mr. Johnston was born in Janesville, Iowa, thirty-two years ago. His first connection with the “picture business” was when at the age of thirteen, with other boys, he contrived a projection “machine” from plans printed in the Scientific American.

The contraption was a small box lined with colored cheesecloth and containing candles to light the “screen.” Then long strips of Buster Brown cartoons extracted from the newspapers, accompanied by appropriate titles, were rolled between spools, across the so-called “screen.”

At a public show the gate receipts were 98 cents.

Following his graduation from high school and later the Waterloo College of Commerce the young man was employed on the Waterloo Daily Reporter. Here for a year on the news staff he handled matter from suburban towns and did general work.

Then an opening as secretary for a local banker was quickly accepted. The affiliation of several years standing brought opportunities for acquiring an insight into general banking as well as the financial side of real estate. Among the responsibilities among others was that of secretary and treasurer of the Western Realty and Development Corporation.

Associated with Mr. Johnston’s employer was Wilbert Shallenberger, brother of Dr. W. E. Shallenberger, who later was to start Arrow. The brothers also were interested in the Thanhouser Company with Charles J. Hite, who had taken over this pioneer independent concern on the first retirement of its founder Mr. Hite desired a secretary who had knowledge of banking and general finance and asked Mr. Johnston to join him. The invitation was accepted and the young lowan came to New York. This was in 1914, when Mr. Johnston was twenty-two years old.

Within two months the new-comer was made treasurer of the Syndicate Film Company, which made The Million Dollar Mystery. Then he was elected president of the Big Productions Film Corporation, the concern which distributed the Hite Independent product, not released through Mutual Films Co.

Among the subjects made were Beating Back, featuring Al Jennings, who at that time was much in the public eye by reason of his smashing but unsuccessful campaign for the governorship of Oklahoma.

Among the properties owned by Mr. Hite was the North Avenue Theatre in New Rochelle, which had the unpleasant distinction at the time of being its owner’s only “lemon,” or losing possession. The management was wished on to Mr. Johnston, with the understanding that if he could make any money out of the picture house it should go to the manager.

The experience, although somewhat rough in spots, was of the utmost benefit in the end. It gave Johnston a new angle on the picture business. The house was brought to the stage where the losses were converted into a small profit — averaging perhaps $10 weekly.

Mr. Johnston then was brought back to the distribution side of the industry and was made secretary of the Thanhouser Syndicate Corporation, which was issuing Zudora, a twenty-episode serial which it was believed would be a worthy successor of The Million Dollar Mystery.

Following Mr. Hite’s tragic death, Mr. Thanhouser, who emerged from his retirement again to take charge of the company bearing his name, sent Mr. Johnston to Florida to manage the studio in Jacksonville. He remained here eight months.

When the company was brought back to New York Mr. Johnston became treasurer of the Thanhouser company, which position he retained until its liquidation, in 1917.

Immediately upon the winding up of the company’s business Mr. Johnston was made secretary of Arrow, and very shortly afterward was promoted to his present position as vice president.

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Collection: Exhibitors Trade Review, 7 June 1924

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