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

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

by William A. Johnston

It isn’t every editor who gets the chance to flitter and flutter in the flattering light of publicity.

Most of them never get the chance.

Others take on themselves the joy of writing such frothy things as this series, and then see their name in print each week right on the same page with such names as Richard A. Rowland, William Fox, and so on.

While still others make such gosh-hanged successes of their particular mission in life that they bust right into this series — and get their names in the big type atop the page, while we repose inconspicuously a few lines below.

“They,” in this case, refers solely and completely to James R. Quirk.

We might get even with Brother Quirk for topping us in the electric lights by writing about ourselves all through the rest of this page — just as we gave half of Paul Cromelin’s page to Hackensack, most of Hiram Abrams to baseball, and a little of Watterson Rothacker’s to dancing.

That’s a privilege fellows like Quirk and ourselves have. We can do anything we want with our own white space and black type — and when it is done we know it’s good.

But we’ll fool Quirk by telling you just who he is:

“James R. Quirk is the man who, in Photoplay Magazine, has produced the Motion Picture News of the fan field.”

Could we say any more?

And now we’ll fool all of you by letting some one else write the rest of this page. It happened this way. When it neared the time for James Quirk’s interview, we wrote the following short note to Terry Ramsaye, of the Mutual, and once the Chicago Tribune’s daredevil reporter:

“Dear Terry: We have a suspicion that all those Chicago fellows like Freuler [John R. Freuler], Rothacker, Spoor [George K. Spoor], Kleine [George Kleine], and so on, wear their ‘company manners’ when they come to New York. Perhaps we don’t get the close-up view of them that you Chicago folks do. Send us a few inside facts.”

We expected a few hastily scribbled notes, but we imagine Terry doesn’t run to half-written stories — for back came a manuscript all ready for the printer.

Here — at spaceless rates — it is:

Mr. Quirk knows more artists, directors, producers and writers personally than any man in the world. Two of the largest producers always get his opinion on the fan interest in a star before they sign the contract. Situated midways between New York and Los Angeles the motion picture folks always drop into his office for a chat while waiting for their train East or West. Some one called him “Grand Crossing Jim,” and it has stuck. He has been in every large studio in America.

Mr. Quirk is a lucky man. God and his Irish ancestors gifted him with a sense of humor. He laughs his way through mountains of work. He laughs his way through every difficulty. I saw him laugh an advertiser out of a contract for twelve pages right over the telephone. Golden laughter. I call it.

That is his secret of getting work out of people, too. He was managing editor of the Washington Times at twenty-three. Every man under him was older, yet he laughed that staff into producing the first successful Sunday evening newspaper in America.

Now, at thirty-two, he’s a $ucce$$.

“You seem to have a good time getting out your magazine.” I said to him.

“Good time?” he replied. “Why, I get so much fun out of my work that I’d hate to die because I’d lose my job.”

Here are some of the things he said while I sat in his office. They give the best indication of the character of this laughing genius of the publishing business.

“I have two pet hates in this business of producing motion pictures,” he said; “the producer of smut pictures and the producer of mediocre pictures.”

“I believe they must have built a special addition onto one of the departments in hell for the smutty producers. I put them on the same level as the keepers of white slave establishments.”

“I don’t give a Continental damn for the silly girl type of film fan. If I couldn’t appeal to the real people of America, the mothers and fathers, and grown men and women who go to moving pictures for wholesome, clean enjoyment, I’d quit.”

‘My motto for photoplay is “Clean pictures, first, last, and always.”

“I think most of the pictures made today are real works of art, and I’m proud to be associated with the men making them. The other fellows are dead or dying.”

“The future of the film business? Tremendous. The demand for pictures is as real as the demand for soap. It is a necessity now. There must be an end to overproduction, and the mediocre producers will adjourn to the scrap heap. The war will only make the business better. No real disaster can happen to motion pictures. Disaster may come to individuals or companies, but not to the art. It will go right along.”

“The public is getting wise.”

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Clemmer Theatre Sells the Plot

Seattle Type of Advertising So Impresses Goldwyn Official That Company Adopts It For Exhibitor Aides in the Future

James Q. Clemmer, proprietor of the Clemmer theatre, Seattle, offers other exhibitors the plan of selling the plot of the feature productions to the public. A Goldwyn [Samuel Goldwyn] official just back from the Pacific coast points out his example as evidence of the skill that may be used in exploitation work.

There are two important assets of the Clemmer, one the features that it presents and the other its splendid orchestra. There is a third, and big asset in Bart Burtleson, advertising manager for the house and general assistant to Mr. Clemmer. The work of Mr. Burtleson has made such an impression on the Goldwyn officials that the company has arranged the preparation of “Seattle style” of copy for its future exhibitor advertising electrotypes.

On the Goldwyn productions the Clemmer has been using four full columns in the Seattle Sunday Times. One of these specimens was reproduced in the News last week. The cost of one insertion of such an advertisement, including the making of the plate, is about $175, but the theatre is satisfied that the expense is more than justified by the increased patronage drawn.

“I have been an exhibitor for a great many years,” says Mr. Clemmer in explanation of his newspaper advertising copy. “During that time, like other exhibitors, I long ago exhausted superlatives in exploiting pictures opening in my theatre. I began to find that superlatives no longer ‘pulled.’ The public did not believe them — and justly so.

“Nor was it sufficient for us to announce that this or that producer ‘presented’ this or that star in this or that story. Certain producers, Goldwyn close to the top, have established both production and star value. But I wanted something else to sell to the public; some unique angle to challenge attention. And I found it.

“In the Clemmer theatre advertising we now sell the plot of our productions to the public, in addition to producer name and star name. We pull the public in past the box-office and into the orchestra seats by building our advertising so that it reveals what the story is. We do not tease or pique them in with a single phrase or catch-line. We let them know in advance in bold display print the detailed theme — written and illustrated as cleverly as we possibly can. We noted, soon after Goldwyn began releasing, that its advertising announcements in the trade papers made a point of telling exhibitors the actual plot of the various Goldwyn productions — weeks before their dates of release. We tear these pages out of the trade papers and file them till we need them. Then when the time comes to advertise an attraction locally we look over these advertisements and lay-outs. Sometimes we use them flat, just as they stand. Often we add to them.

“On other occasions we feel that we have a brighter and better idea than Goldwyn has about its own productions, and on such occasions we use our own copy. In our advertisements of Mae Marsh in The Face in the Dark you will note that we use the lines, ‘A bit of gray thread, a bit of ash from a cigar, etc.,’ exactly as it was used in Goldwyn’s trade paper advertising announcement. That kind of advertising aids an exhibitor in his showmanship, in putting over an attraction, in getting its spirit to the public.

“Personally, I think that the Seattle type advertising is the most effective amusement copy created in the United States. I have studied the advertising of all other large cities and I have found none that I consider equal to it for challenge — and that is the first element to be considered.”

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Milne Denies Rumor

A report current that Peter Milne is to sever his connection with Motion Picture News to accept a position in the scenario department of a producing organization is denied by Mr. Milne.

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You are not going to war. The men who are need all the comforts you can give them. Help them get cigarettes. That is your patriotic duty. If you aren’t helping in the “smokes” campaign, get busy — now. Don’t be a slacker!

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Sherrill Gives His Side of Frohman Name

William L. Sherrill, president of the Frohman Amusement Corporation, last week sent the following letter to the trade publications, concerning the recent near-argument over the name Frohman:

“Daniel Frohman, in a letter sent to the Press and Trade Journals, has stated that neither he nor Charles Frohman were ever connected with the Frohman Amusement Corporation and that the name of Frohman was and is still being used without authority. We desire the trade and public should know — as we believe they do — that these gentlemen never were connected with this corporation, and therefore are not entitled to credit for any of its success.

“The statement, however, that the name was and is being used without authority has no foundation in fact, and Mr. Daniel Frohman must know this as evidenced by the following excerpt from a contract made by and between Gustave Frohman, the older brother of Charles and Daniel — and who, I am informed, is responsible for their being in the theatrical business — and William L. Sherrill, viz.:

“‘This agreement made this tenth day of June, 1914, by and between Gustave Frohman, party of the first part, and William L. Sherrill, party of the second part witnessed party of the second part agrees that he will organize a corporation under the laws of Delaware, which shall be named the Frohman Amusement Corporation.

“‘The party of the first part hereby authorizes the use of the name of Frohman in the corporate title of the Frohman Amusement Corporation, and agrees to act as president of said corporation for a period of at least ten years, if he is so elected by the directors.

“‘The party of the first part agrees that he will not actively be identified with any other company producing motion picture films during a period of ten years from the date thereof.

“‘Signed in duplicate on this tenth day of June, 1914, City of New York.

“‘(Signed) Gustave Frohman, Party of the First Part.

“‘William L. Sherrill, Party of the Second Part.’

“On January 13, 1916, we purchased the stock holdings of Gustave Frohman. The success we have attained in building up the name of the Frohman Amusement Corporation with the trade, justifies our directors in not changing the corporate title.”

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Vitagraph Announces Its June List

President Albert E. Smith, of Vitagraph, announces that Harry Morey, Alice Joyce, Gladys Leslie and Earle Williams will be seen in Vitagraph Blue Ribbon features on the June schedule.

The list follows: June 3, Harry Morey with Betty Blythe in Playing with Fate; June 10, Alice Joyce in Find the Woman; June 17, Gladys Leslie in The Soap Girl; June 24, Earle Williams in The Girl in His House.

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

Collection: Motion Picture News, May 1918