Mutual Film
Encyclopedia
Mutual Film Corporation was an early American
motion picture conglomerate best remembered today as the producers of some of Charlie Chaplin
's greatest comedies.
It originated with the Western Film Exchange
founded in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
in July 1906 by Wisconsin
natives John R. Freuler (1872-1958), Harry E. Aitken (1877-1956) and Roy Aitken (1882-1976).
In 1910, Freuler would also form a partnership with Chicago film distributor Samuel S. Hutchinson known as the American Film Manufacturing Company
. In March 1912, the company acquired Thanhouser Studios
, naming Charles J. Hite
, who was Hutchinson's partner in Chicago and acquired some studio stock, helping the studio make the Thanhouser purchase. He served as the company's president. The company was renamed the Mutual Film Corporation. Hite died in 1914.
As 1912 progressed, the company included auxiliary units such as Keystone Studios
Comedies and the Majestic Studios, which would later become the Reliance-Majestic Studios
through Harry Aitken's partnership with D. W. Griffith
, and the New York Motion Picture Company. In 1915, the workers of Keystone Studios, Kay Bee Studios (a subsidiary of the New York Motion Picture Company) and Reliance-Majestic Studio left Mutual, along with the Aitken brothers, to form the Triangle Film Corporation
. Now as complete owners of the former Reliance-Majestic Studio, by 1917 the conglomerate operated as the distributor for four subsidiary studios in California
, three of which were in the Los Angeles
area and the other in Santa Barbara
. They were Signal Film Corporation, Vogue Films, Inc., Lone Star Film Company and American Film Company. Vogue Films, Inc. operated a studio at Santa Monica Boulevard and Gower street in Los Angeles producing two-reel comedy film
s exclusively.
In 1915, the United States Supreme Court
ruled in Mutual Film Corporation v. Industrial Commission of Ohio
that motion pictures were a form of business, not an art form, and therefore not covered by the First Amendment
.
Shortly after this decision, cities began to pass ordinances banning the public exhibition of "immoral" films, concerning the major studios
that state or federal regulations would soon follow. This ruling remained in effect until Joseph Burstyn, Inc v. Wilson
in 1952 which declared that film was a legitimate artistic medium with free speech protections.
In 1916, Charlie Chaplin
became the highest paid entertainer in the world when he signed a contract with Mutual for a salary of $670,000 per year. Mutual built Chaplin his very own studio and allowed him total freedom to make twelve two-reel films during this fruitful twelve-month period. Chaplin subsequently recognised this period of film-making as the most inventive and liberating of his career, although he also had concerns that the films produced were increasingly formulaic during the length of his contract.
During 1916 and 1917, the Lone Star Film Company had Charlie Chaplin working at their studio at 1025 Lillian Way, in Hollywood. Charlie Chaplin moved on to found United Artists
in 1919 with Mary Pickford
, D. W. Griffith
, and Douglas Fairbanks
. In 1919, Mutual Film Corporation ceased production. Like many other companies established at this time, Mutual was eventually absorbed by larger corporations, in this case Film Booking Offices of America
and later RKO Radio Pictures.
After a 53 year absence, MFC distributed one film, Tears of Happiness, in 1972.
There is a newer organisation, Mutual Film Company which has links to the older Mutual Film Corporation. It uses the original corporate film logo.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
motion picture conglomerate best remembered today as the producers of some of Charlie Chaplin
Charlie Chaplin
Sir Charles Spencer "Charlie" Chaplin, KBE was an English comic actor, film director and composer best known for his work during the silent film era. He became the most famous film star in the world before the end of World War I...
's greatest comedies.
It originated with the Western Film Exchange
Western Film Exchange
Western Film Exchange was founded in Milwaukee in July 1906 by John R. Freuler and Harry E. Aitken for the purpose of mass producing and distributing Western films to movie theaters throughout the American midwest. One of over 100 such "exchanges," Western Film proved to be more successful than...
founded in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee is the largest city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, the 28th most populous city in the United States and 39th most populous region in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. According to 2010 census data, the...
in July 1906 by Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
natives John R. Freuler (1872-1958), Harry E. Aitken (1877-1956) and Roy Aitken (1882-1976).
In 1910, Freuler would also form a partnership with Chicago film distributor Samuel S. Hutchinson known as the American Film Manufacturing Company
American Film Manufacturing Company
The American Film Manufacturing Company, also known as Flying "A" Studios, was founded in Chicago in fall 1910. In 1915, the formal name was changed to the American Film Company....
. In March 1912, the company acquired Thanhouser Studios
Thanhouser Company
The Thanhouser Company was one of the first motion picture studios, founded in 1909 by Edwin Thanhouser.-See also:...
, naming Charles J. Hite
Charles J. Hite
Charles Jackson Hite was an American businessman and film producer of the early 20th century, most importantly the president and chief executive officer of the Thanhouser Film Corporation from 1912 to 1914....
, who was Hutchinson's partner in Chicago and acquired some studio stock, helping the studio make the Thanhouser purchase. He served as the company's president. The company was renamed the Mutual Film Corporation. Hite died in 1914.
As 1912 progressed, the company included auxiliary units such as Keystone Studios
Keystone Studios
Keystone Studios was an early movie studio founded in Edendale, California in 1912 as the Keystone Pictures Studio by Mack Sennett with backing from Adam Kessel and Charles O. Bauman, owners of the New York Motion Picture Company...
Comedies and the Majestic Studios, which would later become the Reliance-Majestic Studios
Reliance-Majestic Studios
Reliance-Majestic Studios was an early American movie studio in Hollywood, California, originally built around 1914 at 4516 Sunset Boulevard.Within a few years, it became the home of D. W. Griffith and Mutual Film Corporation. Later the studio's name was changed to Fine Arts Studios, and was...
through Harry Aitken's partnership with D. W. Griffith
D. W. Griffith
David Llewelyn Wark Griffith was a premier pioneering American film director. He is best known as the director of the controversial and groundbreaking 1915 film The Birth of a Nation and the subsequent film Intolerance .Griffith's film The Birth of a Nation made pioneering use of advanced camera...
, and the New York Motion Picture Company. In 1915, the workers of Keystone Studios, Kay Bee Studios (a subsidiary of the New York Motion Picture Company) and Reliance-Majestic Studio left Mutual, along with the Aitken brothers, to form the Triangle Film Corporation
Triangle Film Corporation
Triangle Film Corporation was a major American motion-picture studio, founded in the summer of 1915 in Culver City, California, and envisioned as a prestige studio based on the producing abilities of filmmakers D. W. Griffith, Thomas Ince and Mack Sennett...
. Now as complete owners of the former Reliance-Majestic Studio, by 1917 the conglomerate operated as the distributor for four subsidiary studios in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, three of which were in the Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
area and the other in Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean...
. They were Signal Film Corporation, Vogue Films, Inc., Lone Star Film Company and American Film Company. Vogue Films, Inc. operated a studio at Santa Monica Boulevard and Gower street in Los Angeles producing two-reel comedy film
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
s exclusively.
In 1915, the United States Supreme Court
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
ruled in Mutual Film Corporation v. Industrial Commission of Ohio
Mutual Film Corporation v. Industrial Commission of Ohio
Mutual Film Corporation v. Industrial Commission of Ohio, 236 U.S. 230 , was a court case decided by the United States Supreme Court in 1915, in which, in a 9-0 vote, the Court ruled that the free speech protection of the Ohio Constitution — which was substantially similar to the First...
that motion pictures were a form of business, not an art form, and therefore not covered by the First Amendment
First Amendment to the United States Constitution
The First Amendment to the United States Constitution is part of the Bill of Rights. The amendment prohibits the making of any law respecting an establishment of religion, impeding the free exercise of religion, abridging the freedom of speech, infringing on the freedom of the press, interfering...
.
Shortly after this decision, cities began to pass ordinances banning the public exhibition of "immoral" films, concerning the major studios
Movie studio
A movie studio is a term used to describe a major entertainment company or production company that has its own privately owned studio facility or facilities that are used to film movies...
that state or federal regulations would soon follow. This ruling remained in effect until Joseph Burstyn, Inc v. Wilson
Joseph Burstyn, Inc v. Wilson
Joseph Burstyn, Inc. v. Wilson, 343 U.S. 495 , was a landmark decision by the United States Supreme Court which largely marked the decline of motion picture censorship in the United States...
in 1952 which declared that film was a legitimate artistic medium with free speech protections.
In 1916, Charlie Chaplin
Charlie Chaplin
Sir Charles Spencer "Charlie" Chaplin, KBE was an English comic actor, film director and composer best known for his work during the silent film era. He became the most famous film star in the world before the end of World War I...
became the highest paid entertainer in the world when he signed a contract with Mutual for a salary of $670,000 per year. Mutual built Chaplin his very own studio and allowed him total freedom to make twelve two-reel films during this fruitful twelve-month period. Chaplin subsequently recognised this period of film-making as the most inventive and liberating of his career, although he also had concerns that the films produced were increasingly formulaic during the length of his contract.
During 1916 and 1917, the Lone Star Film Company had Charlie Chaplin working at their studio at 1025 Lillian Way, in Hollywood. Charlie Chaplin moved on to found United Artists
United Artists
United Artists Corporation is an American film studio. The original studio of that name was founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charles Chaplin, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks....
in 1919 with Mary Pickford
Mary Pickford
Mary Pickford was a Canadian-born motion picture actress, co-founder of the film studio United Artists and one of the original 36 founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences...
, D. W. Griffith
D. W. Griffith
David Llewelyn Wark Griffith was a premier pioneering American film director. He is best known as the director of the controversial and groundbreaking 1915 film The Birth of a Nation and the subsequent film Intolerance .Griffith's film The Birth of a Nation made pioneering use of advanced camera...
, and Douglas Fairbanks
Douglas Fairbanks
Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. was an American actor, screenwriter, director and producer. He was best known for his swashbuckling roles in silent films such as The Thief of Bagdad, Robin Hood, and The Mark of Zorro....
. In 1919, Mutual Film Corporation ceased production. Like many other companies established at this time, Mutual was eventually absorbed by larger corporations, in this case Film Booking Offices of America
Film Booking Offices of America
Film Booking Offices of America was an American film studio of the silent era, a producer and distributor of mostly low-budget films. The business began as Robertson-Cole , the American division of a British import–export company...
and later RKO Radio Pictures.
After a 53 year absence, MFC distributed one film, Tears of Happiness, in 1972.
There is a newer organisation, Mutual Film Company which has links to the older Mutual Film Corporation. It uses the original corporate film logo.
Selected filmography
- Treason (1918)
- Her Husband's Honor (1918)
- Who Loved Him Best? (1918)
- Her Second Husband (1917)
- American Maid (1917)
- Daughter of Maryland (1917)
- The Railroad Raiders (1917)
- The Girl from Rector's (1917)
- The Girl Who Can Cook (1917)
- Queen X (1917)
- Rehabilitated (1917)
- Uncle Sam's Defenders (1916)
- Admirers Three (1916)
- His Uncle's Ward (1916)
- Grouchy (1916)
- When the Tide Turned (1916)
- His Guardian Angel (1916)
- Within the Lines (1916)
- The False Clue (1916)
- The Turn of the Wheel (1916)
- At Twelve O'Clock (1916)
- The Folly of Fear (1916)
- Father and Son (1916)
- Johnny's Romeo (1916)
- The Other Side of the Door (1916)
- Fighting the War (1916)
- The Deathlock (1915)
- Father and Son (1915)
- Sweet and LowSweet and Low (1914 film)Sweet and Low is a 1914 American silent short drama film starring William Garwood, Harry von Meter, and Vivian Rich, directed by Sydney Ayres, and released by Mutual Film Corporation.-Cast:* William Garwood as Bryan Kyam* Vivian Rich as His wife...
(1914) - The Life of General VillaThe Life of General VillaThe Life of General Villa was a 1914 silent biographical action–drama film starring Pancho Villa as himself, shot on location during a civil war. The movie incorporated both staged scenes and authentic live footage from real battles during the Mexican Revolution, around which the plot of the...
(1914) - An Accidental Clue (1913)
- The Grand Military Parade (1913)