Sizing Up George "Serial" Seitz (1919) 🇺🇸

Said George Seitz: "No, I didn't write the scenario." Said I: "You surprise and disappoint me. When a man organizes a production company, puts up the financial backing, directs, cuts and assembles its first serial and plays the hero of same, his neglect to provide so trifling a detail as the scenario for the aforesaid serial is evidence of downright indolence and slack business methods on the part of a rising young chap who once thought nothing of working eighteen hours out of the twenty-four."

by Edward Weitzel

Young Mr. Seitz only crossed his legs more comfortably, leaned back lazily in a wooden-seated chair, blew a cloud of smoke from his cigarette with the grace of your properly brought up leading man and laughed brazenly, just as if he had a perfect right to take a five minutes' rest in his dressing-room after having. been hard at it since nine in the morning logging off a scene every five minutes for Bound and Gagged, the new serial in ten episodes to be released by Pathé, which the George B. Seitz Productions, Inc., is now making in a studio overlooking the mysterious and muddy waters of the Harlem River.

Stowing Away Salty Atmosphere

Many of the scenes in Bound and Gagged are of ships and the raging billows, so the actors all stand on the front steps of the studio and inhale deep draughts of atmosphere and local color before entering the building. That is, all but proprietor-director-cutter-assembler-leading man Seitz. He needs so many different kinds of atmosphere to jibe with his manifold occupations that he stows away one quick breath as he dashes into the studio on the run and never stops to take another breath until his head is resting on his pillow and he wastes a few moments in peaceful slumber before working out in his dreams a new scenario to take the place of the one he was too shiftless to write.

Take it from the subtitle man and other eminent authors: A fellow's conscience is sure to find him out.

No Stunt Is Barred by Seitz

It will be noticed that there are several nautical terms in the second and third paragraphs of this article, such as "logging off," "to jibe" and "stows away." That is to emphasize the prominence of the ship scenes in the earlier episodes of the serial. Frank Leon Smith, who wrote the story and also the scenario, evidently was well acquainted with Director Seitz's fondness for calmly instructing members of his companies when diving from the bowsprit or crosstrees of a ship to do it in the most reckless manner possible and was determined to give him every opportunity to take several doses of his own medicine. To the credit of leading man Seitz it must be recorded that he instantly obeys the instructions of Director Seitz and throws himself headlong into the sea with heroic abandon when, as Archibald Alexander Barlow, he is about to be seized by the minions of the villain, Don Esteban Carnero, and forced to yield up the valuable documents which he has just pretended to swallow.

The ease and éclat with which the star of Bound and Gagged rivals the best stunts of "Dug" Fairbanks, George Walsh and the other acrobatic heroes of the screen and drops from a second story window onto the back of a horse, scales the side of a house with the enviable agility of a tomcat disturbed in the midst of his love song by a brickbat, and leaps barriers that would daunt the holder of the running high jump record, constitute a surprising series of accomplishments and prove that, like all brave commanders, Director Seitz does not order those under him to do anything which he would hesitate to try himself — at least once.

A Lightning Change Act

While, as leading man Seitz, the proprietor of the company producing Bound and Gagged was taking that five minutes' rest in his dressing room he submitted most graciously to being interviewed, and answered each and every question put to him without showing any signs of impatience. But when the five minutes were over and a voice from below called up, "All set, Mr. Seitz!" he changed with the lightninglike rapidity of a defective assuming a new disguise in a melodrama from the suave and polished leading man to the absorbed and all-seeing director whose time— but more of this anon. Let us not forget that this is an interview, and get on with it a bit.

We left George Seitz some place in the middle of the second paragraph, laughing brazenly at the charge that he had shirked his duty by not writing the scenario of his new serial. Finding him in such unrepentant state of mind I deemed it best to change the subject:

"If you have no objections, Mr. Seitz, will you please give me a full history of how you became a moving picture director, in five lines, and let your friends in the screen world know whether you evoluted from an actor to a scenario writer and director or from a scenario writer and director to a star?"

"The Story of a Life"

Again the affable leading man smiled graciously as he replied:

"Take this as a short synopsis, and supply your own subtitles: Made my debut as actor with Castle Square Stock Company, Boston, after studying painting and practicing the art. Quit acting and wrote plays. Sold one to James K. Hackett, who played it for two years. Wrote scenario for first Pathé serial ever produced. Have been writing and directing serials ever since. Got back now to where I started in the show business and am acting again."

"Tell us about the character you are playing in the serial."

"He's a chap with lots of money who is jilted by his girl for a poet, and vows to prove to her that he's a regular feller even if he is rich. So Archibald Alexander starts on a trip around the world with nothing — not even with clothes."

An Unencumbered Traveler

"As head of the producing company I trust that this unusual saving in the matter of wardrobe did not exert any undue influence on your selection of the scenario."

Leading man Seitz's reply came quickly:

"Oh, I don't get very far without my clothes!"

"I was afraid you wouldn't."

"You see, I'm put into a room minus my garments, but I make a window shade double as a one-piece suit and dig up a "

In what manner Archibald Alexander manages to complete his wardrobe so as to get past the police will remain a profound secret until the first episode of the serial is run off in the Pathé projection room. Just at this interesting moment the voice of the assistant director sent the call, "All set, Mr. Seitz," up to the dressing-room, and at the summons the remarkable metamorphosis described above took place. That Director Seitz now stood in the shoes so lately occupied by leading man Seitz was made clear by the businesslike way the machinery of a rehearsal was set in motion.

Director Seitz in Action

Once upon the floor of the studio, the actors and crew ready to do his bidding, Director George Seitz in action becomes a remarkable example of what a man can make of himself by long practice and the necessary physical and mental equipment. His powers of concentration are extraordinary; also the extent of his memory. He carries every detail of a scene in his head and has it rehearsed and ready for his two cameramen to take while the director of a feature picture would be trying to decide whether to have the hero look bored or pleased when he is told he has been left ten thousand dollars by his uncle.

While conducting a rehearsal it is apparent the director of Bound and Gagged is oblivious to everything and everybody not connected with the work in hand.

"Aren't we going to say good-bye to Mr. Seitz?" asked one of the party that had been watching the rehearsal.

"Good gracious, no!" exclaimed another of the interviewers. "He doesn't know now that any of us are on earth."

The Lily of the Field — The clothes bet which whirls off Bound and Gagged with episode one, The Wager.

"Snared!" — Is the title of the third episode of Bound and Gagged. George Seitz here with his co-star, Marguerite Courtot.

Collection: Moving Picture World, September 1919