What Kind of a Fellow Is — Raver? (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 were going to open this article by saying that Harry Raver was the man who tried to save Art Dramas from the wreck.

But that wouldn’t be fair. Besides, it’s too long a story for this page. And besides again — it wouldn’t tell you what kind of a fellow Harry Raver is.

For Harry Raver is the smiling kind — and smiles don’t go with wrecks.

Especially the Harry Raver brand of smiles. Harry has a smile that shows all over — a smile that curls around the edges of his mouth, that dances from his eyes, that shows in every carefree move of his body, that shouts in the jaunty tilt of his hat.

Just to meet Harry Raver on the street and to hear his jovial “Hallo” is to feel your own spirits mounting higher. He’s a regular smile tonic — a spring, winter, fall or summer tonic.

We always wondered how any man could acquire so positive a smile — until we one day caught Harry Raver off his guard.

And then, in a moment of confession, we learned his secret.

Harry Raver has actually studied, read and digested big, bulky wordy tomes on psychology, psycho-therapy and other psycho-highbrow subjects of the sort.

Can you imagine it?

Can you picture a film magnate who gets the time to read even his evening newspaper?

We begin to suspect them all. Maybe William Fox gets up at midnight to read ancient history; Adolph Zukor may be absorbing political economy; Richard A. Rowland may be memorizing Rozet’s Thesaurus for more names to call us when we criticize his dancing.

You never can tell.

But we suspect that Harry Raver got his smiling habits before he took up psychology — back in the business where smiles were a necessity and an asset.

For Harry gained his show knowledge in the great outdoor show world. He was a prominent and important figure in tent show land before pictures were even program fillers.

We doubt if many picture magnates can boast of so early and solid a groundwork of experience as a showman.

Even to-day he is president of the Showmen’s National Organization.

Perhaps it was that experience which led to the formation of the All Star Feature Company — that early step to put famous stars and plays on the screen.

Let’s see, that was about five years ago — gosh, but doesn’t it seem a long time?

Then there was Cabiria. Don’t you remember how startled we all were to learn that a motion picture was to be given its initial presentation in the Astor’s Grand Ballroom?

Showmanship again.

Then the opening night at the Knickerbocker — with the brightest luminaries of society in the boxes. To see a motion picture — five years ago.

Showmanship again.

Showmanship is ingrained in Harry Raver — and he is still a young man.

Put those two facts together, remember them, and keep your eye on Harry Raver.

We have a whole-souled admiration, you may gather, for Harry Raver the man and Harry Raver the showman. He’s clean as a whistle and as lively as an electric spark — so we’re watching for the next flash.

What it will be we don’t know. Just now he is making independent productions. Under his wing he has also Maciste, three-time box-office winner in Cabiria, Marvelous Maciste and The Warrior. Up his sleeve he has big big plans — so we are watching.

—

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

Collection: Motion Picture News, May 1918