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

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

by William A. Johnston

“Good afternoon. Mr. Laemmle,” we said, poking our head in his office door. “We thought you’d like to know that we’ve just interviewed you.”

Mr. Laemmle arose quickly — he doesn’t have to go far — and stuck his hands in his pockets.

“Where is it?” he asked.

We cite this to show that Mr. Laemmle is a very practical man. He goes straight to the point quicker than any man we have ever met.

When we refused to show him the interview — he having mistaken us for a press agent — he got even by interviewing us. And he pretty nearly pumped us dry.

For acquiring information, Mr. Laemmle is a human sponge. He dissolves into ears.

He assumes an attitude of bland and simple innocence that is almost pathetic. This prompts you to treat him in a fatherly and almost pedagogic manner which in turn gives Mr. Laemmle everything he wants to know.

He has a marvelous memory. So it behooves you to remember all the stuff you teach him. Otherwise he’ll look up suddenly at you with that bland smile and make you feel foolish.

Be careful, too, in using figures.

Once, on the way to California, we told Mr. Laemmle — in a pedagogic way — the costs of publishing a magazine. We were swimming around placidly when he suddenly and sharply hooked us. He told us we were wrong and we were.

There’s a foreign expression somewhat to this effect: He started out with you but was coming back home while you were still going out. That’s the way Mr. Laemmle is with figures.

He not only knows just what each of about seventy-five exchanges is doing each week, but he’ll tell you within a few dollars what any exchange did the same week last year. If you question him he says: “I’ll bet you.”

And then you lose.

He has said “I’ll bet you” oftener than John W. Gates ever did.

You know, of course, that horseshoe which always framed his head in bygone advertisements, and the trademark phrase, “Laemmle Luck.”

He believes in that luck. It’s part of him — an intense superstition— a symbolic horseshoe which aureoles his head wherever he goes, whatever he does.

We got our first impression of Mr. Laemmle from that head within a horseshoe and the blunt, domineering remarks he made in type. We pictured him as a burly individual standing at least six feet in his stockings and weighing many stone.

Our first glimpse of him was got in a Chicago hotel. It was a rainy, misty morning and before a window, peering out into the fog we saw a little man with his hands timidly clasped.

“That’s Carl Laemmle,” some one said.

And we said: “Holy smoke!”

This same little man has been the storm center of the picture business. In the early days he fought patent litigation with one hand, and with the other ran a business that was jumping in forty directions at once.

Most men would have got shell shock and retired. But he kept patiently on in the front trenches, through the thick and thin of it. He’s a very patient man.

It must have been a strain. It’s hard enough to roll a big stone up hill on smooth ground; but imagine meeting bulwarks every few yards and some one pot-shotting you every now and then.

That’s what makes little fellows big; and big ones — who fail — little.

He never quit struggling and for his pluck he has our sincere, abiding American respect.

He shows the strain — any man would. He’s nervous and jumpy at times and again he suddenly looks a little old, though he’s only just turned fifty-one. But at any moment he’s apt to fool you.

He’ll grin quickly and youthfully, dig his hands in his pockets, look up with a curving, optimistic smile and say:

“I’ll bet you.”

—

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They Say

• He’s chicken hearted about firing employees. When it has to be done he goes away and hides his head in the sand till it’s all over.
• He still reads exhibitor letters, and carries them around in his pockets. He even pores over them in directors’ meetings, giving incidental attention to board matters brought up.
• He’s democratic — sees everybody who calls. Too democratic, his business associates say. He wastes time that way.
• He’s strong on home-folks stuff. Any man from Oshkosh can get a job with him.
• He’s a natural born advertiser.
• He’s very sensitive to criticism upon his pictures; he doesn’t mind criticism directed at himself.
• He consults his young son — only nine years old — on every picture. The boy has an uncanny knowledge of box-office values. [Transcriber’s Note: Carl Laemmle Jr. (1908–1979) took over as Universal’s Head of Production from his father in 1928. He produced classics such as Dracula (1931) and Frankenstein (1931). Under his leadership, the studio faced bankruptcy, leading to the Laemmle family being driven out of their own company in 1936.]
• His door is open to all employees. Stenographers don’t greet him with bated breath. He listens to all.

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Parsons Helps Tobacco Fund

Ten per cent, of receipts of “Tarzan of the Apes” will buy smokes for soldiers — letter to Ennis

Through the patriotism displayed by the National Film Corporation, of which P. A. Parsons is the president, it was announced this week that arrangements had been consummated whereby the organization known as Our Boys In France Tobacco Fund will receive ten per cent of the receipts from the showing of Tarzan of the Apes, which opened as a Metropolitan film attraction at the Broadway theatre Sunday, January 27.

The arrangements involving this donation to Our Boys In France Tobacco Fund were handled respectively by Harry Reichenbach, publicity director of the National Film Corporation, and Bert Ennis, who, acting in a similar capacity for the Petrova Picture Company and McClure Films, is also directing the exploitation matter for the fund. It has been arranged that the organization which is supplying our boys in France with tobacco from its headquarters at 25 West Forty-fourth Street will receive ten per cent of the proceeds from the showing of Tarzan of the Apes, commencing with Sunday, January 27. The following letter is an individual and sincere indication of the patriotic effort which is being made by many of the leading film manufacturers to do their share in helping to supply the American boys in khaki now in France with smoke comforts:

“Dear Mr. Ennis:

“Pursuant to our recent conversation, this is an acknowledgement of the fact that we are giving you ten per cent of the proceeds at the Broadway theatre for the week of January 27th of the engagement of Tarzan of the Apes for Our Boys In France Tobacco Fund.

“I hope we will be able to turn a big check over to you. We are not going to make any capital of this fact, except on the banner across Broadway.

“We will render a statement each night as to the receipts, minus war tax, and we will submit check at the end of the week.

“Sincerely yours,
“Harry Reichenbach,
“National Film Corporation of America.”

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Memphis Claims Loyal Public

Out of twenty-eight theatres none is finding the sledding too steep — new house is being planned

Memphis exhibitors, congratulating themselves upon having weathered the trials of 1917, collided head on with ten days of snow, sleet, rain, blizzard and slush — never equalled before in the annals of Dixie — and came up smiling.

The Majestic Amusement Company (owning five film houses) and the Marcus Loew Enterprises (owning two) told a representative of Motion Picture News that Memphis was the home of the most loyal screen fans in the country. There are twenty-eight houses there — and nearly every one of them is making money.

Furthermore, just as soon as B. M. Stainback, manager of Loew’s Lyceum theatre and representative in Memphis for Marcus Loew, can obtain enough steel and construction material and close contracts for labor, a new, mammoth motion picture theatre, seating 2,800 persons — to be one of the largest theatres of its kind in the South, will be erected in the heart of Memphis.

C. F. Bridges, secretary and treasurer of the Majestic Amusement Company, operating the Majestic No. 1, the New Majestic No. 1, the Majestic No. 2 and Empire No. 1 and Empire No. 2, said that each of the five houses was doing good business. Taking the five houses as a whole, nearly every film manufacturer in America is represented. Three of the houses show first-run features. The two Empires, five-cent admission, play comedies and serials mostly.

Seven colored motion picture houses, under white management, are doing S. R. O. business daily. These houses are fully equipped and have seating capacities from 250 to 1,200.

The majority of the Memphis motion picture houses have made arrangements to comply with the Garfield fuel order and operate every day.

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Hal Roach, of Rolin, Visits New York

Managing Director Hal Roach, of Rolin, is in town from Los Angeles and is making his headquarters at the Pathé offices.

Mr. Roach reports that now that Pathé is releasing a one-reel Lloyd [Harold Lloyd] comedy every week there is a speeding up at the Rolin studios and that whatever curtailment there is in other quarters has not affected his company. He expresses himself as being much pleased at the success which has been attained by these comedies and prophesies that the new Toto comedies, which are personally directed by him, will score a pronounced hit.

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Shows Only Two Days Each Week

Manager William F. Seitz, of the Star theatre, Sandusky, Ohio, in order to save fuel, announces that shows will be given in that theatre only on Saturday and Sunday. Mr. Seitz says that this schedule will be followed throughout the cold season, or until such time as the fuel situation shows improvement.

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New Sections Submitted in Shipping

The Bureau of Explosives has submitted to the Transportation Committee of the National Association of the Motion Picture Industry several new sections to be included in the proposed amended paragraph No. 43 of the regulations governing the transportation of explosives and other dangerous articles by express.

The new sections, c, d, e and f refer to shipments of unexposed motion picture film, non-inflammable film and shipments of film with advertising matter. It is expected that the recommendations will be filed with the Interstate Commerce Commission at Washington for final approval at an early date.

The amended paragraph No. 43 as revised to date by the Bureau of Explosives follows.

• 43 (a) Motion Picture films must be packed in spark-proof metal boxes of cans complying with Specification No. 32. Not more than eight reels (approximately 1,000 feet each) may be packed in one such outside container.
• (b) Motion picture films may also be packed m outside wooden boxes complying with Specification No. 19, provided each reel is placed in a tightlv closed inside metal container. The gross weight of such a package must not exceed 400 pounds.
• (c) Unexposed motion picture film in tight rolls must be packed in interior metal cans not to exceed five rolls (approximately 2,000 feet) in one inside can; the cover of each inside can must fit tightly and be held in place by a strip of adhesive tape or paper, The interior cans must be securely packed in outside wooden boxes complying with Specification No. 19. The gross weight of one outside container must not exceed 400 pounds.
• (d) Non-inflammable motion picture (cellulose acetate) films may be accepted without other restrictions when securely packed in strong packages of sufficient strength to carry to destination without rupture or leakage of contents: each outside container must be plainly marked “Motion Picture Film” and in addition must be marked, “Not Dangerous” as prescribed by paragraph 34 (c).

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

Collection: Motion Picture News, February 1918