What Kind of a Fellow Is — Garson? (1918) 🇺🇸

Being a glance at the real human side of the big men of the picture game caught in action

by William A. Johnston

We are not quite sure that we are allowed more or less feature page.

But we are going to let news creep into this take the chance — or at least, go half way towards it — and give you a hint of a piece of news right at the very outset of our attempt to show you what kind of a fellow Harry I. Garson is. And when we think of it our hit of news is probably a better indication than any words we could use of what kind of a fellow Garson is — and will be — in this picture game. Well, here’s the news:

Harry I. Garson a year ago was managing the Clara Kimball Young Company. Harry I. Garson to-day is handling the destinies of the Clara Kimball Young and Blanche Sweet productions.

And —

Harry I. Garson within a few months — and maybe weeks — will be managing another big star. In fact, there’s a strong chance that the next few moons may bring two additional stars to the Garson camp.

That’s news — and it’s a tip-off on this Garson man in that it shows that he is becoming more and more a factor to be reckoned with in this screen scramble.

He’s ambitious — this Garson fellow — and successful. And the latter is the important part. As a close friend put it to us: “He makes money for all concerned out of anything he handles — and that’s the answer.”

When you couple this knack of success and his ambition with the fact that Harry Garson is just at the thirty-five year mark you are safe in concluding that it is going to be well worth while keeping an eye on him.

Perhaps it is natural that Harry I. Garson should have become a moving picture personality for he was born in the city where all the moving pictures have their start — Rochester. And we might say right here that Garson hasn’t skipped a rung in the ladder — starting where the film itself is made and stepping from exhibitor to exchange man and finally to producer. His first active connection with the picture business was as an exhibitor — managing the Broadway Strand in Detroit.

When Garson took it over the Broadway Strand was one of those houses “that never will pay.” The knockers didn’t see a chance for young Garson.

But to-day the Broadway Strand of Detroit is one of the best known picture theatres in the country — and Harry I. Garson did it.

Not satisfied with putting the Broadway Strand in the winning class, Garson then looked around for other worlds to conquer. His eyes rested on the exchange field and soon the Harry I. Garson Exchange and the Broadway exchange were listed in the independent field.

“Going up!” seemed to be the word for we next read of Harry I. Garson the producer, exchange man and exhibitor.

That was a year ago — and as the twelfth month is rounded out Clara Kimball Young has completed the eighth production under the management of Harry I. Garson.

Blanche Sweet, after an absence from the screen of a year and a half, is about to return in The Hushed Hour under the Garson management.

The work of the artist will give you a better idea of the man Garson than we can. He was a ball player once — and you can see it in the square, clean-cut jaw of the athlete.

Picture producing doesn’t give much chance for ball playing, but Friend Garson still retains his interest in sport — tennis, fishing and yachting now gathering the attention of his few spare moments.

And, taking it from the friend who told us, those spare moments are few, for he is an “on-the-job” producer — out at the studio with the first touch of sunlight and plugging straight through the day.

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Illustration by: Harry Palmer (Harry Samuel Palmer) (1882–1955)

Collection: Motion Picture News, 17 August 1918