What Kind of a Fellow Is — Sawyer? (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 started out to make this a story about A. H. Sawyer. We didn’t get very far before we found that we would have to let Herbert Lubin in or it would only tell half the story. A little further and we began to fear that it might become “What Sort of Fellows Are Sawyer, Lubin, Ince, Vance, McClure, Mather Building, General Enterprises and Mme. Petrova?”
You just can’t nail this fellow Sawyer down in one spot all alone. Since the days when we used to call on him at the Kinemacolor offices in 1600 Broadway he has branched out until he’s a whole assortment of picture interests and companies in one package.
Spend an hour in his office, and you leave, feeling that you have been in half a dozen offices. So what chance had we to use a whole page telling you what kind of a fellow Sawyer is?
We had to find an easy way out — and we did. We just decided to let you in behind the scenes and see for yourself what a job we had finding out anything about this fellow Sawyer. So here’s a running fire, “Dotty Dialogue” of our half hour attempt to secure an interview with that personage.
Curtain! Let her rip!
Interviewer: “Now, Mr. Sawyer, when you first —”
Office Boy: “Ralph Ince is on the wire, sir. Says he —”
Sawyer: “Put Mr. Ince on the ‘phone.”
After two minutes ‘phone conversation:
Interviewer: “After you had formed the Kinemacolor Company, Mr. Sawyer, what —”
Office Boy: “Pardon me, please, but Louis Joseph Vance has just ‘phoned he will be here in fifteen minutes with a new story for Mr. Ince.
Interviewer: “And you formed your present company of General Enterprises, Inc., with Herbert Lubin?”
At this moment a voice from the adjoining office sends in the injunction:
Lubin: “Oh, Arthur, don’t forget. We have an appointment at 11 A. M. with Mr. Collins, of McClure’s.”
Sawyer: “That’s Mr. Lubin, now. Oh, Herb. Come in and let this gentleman find out ‘what kind of a fellow you are,’ for that page he is running in Motion Picture News.
Interviewer: “Am glad to know you, Mr. Lubin. I remember meeting you when you owned the Metro franchise for Canada.”
Office Boy: “Excuse me, Mr. Lubin, but Madame Petrova called up to remind you of your appointment with her for this afternoon.”
Lubin: “And General Enterprises, Inc., in less than a year, has sold the entire country for “Mother” and “The Warrior,” caused the erection of the Mather Building in Washington for the convenience of film exchanges, promoted several successful film deals and —”
Stenographer: “Here is a notice from Albany, Mr. Lubin, stating that the papers of Associated Pictures, Inc., have been filed.”
Interviewer: “Associated Pictures?”
Lubin: “Oh, yes, Mr. Sawyer and myself have just formed a company for the production of special features to be called ‘Ralph Ince Film Attractions.’ They will be directed by Ralph Ince, the stories written by Louis Joseph Vance, of Saturday Evening Post fame, and the entire details of studio management, distribution and exploitation will be under the personal supervision of Mr. Sawyer and myself.”
Interviewer: “I understand that Ince is going to make one special feature starring Ethel Barrymore for Metro?
Mr. Sawyer: “Through special arrangements made between Mr. Rowland [Richard A. Rowland], the president of Metro, Max Korger, and ourselves, we have loaned Mr. Ince for this production while Mr. Vance is completing our first story.”
Office Boy: “I beg your pardon — Mr. Rowland is on the wire and says not to forget you are to meet him at the gymnasium at one o’clock, for that game of handball.”
As the interviewer left, the voice of Mr. Lubin floated through the door: “Glad you caught us on a day when we weren’t busy. Drop in again.”
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Illustration by: Harry Palmer (Harry Samuel Palmer) (1882–1955)
Collection: Motion Picture News, June 1918
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Arthur H. Sawyer — Manager of the Kinemacolor Company of America
Collection: Moving Picture News, August 1913
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