Western Film Exchange
Encyclopedia
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 most, opening branch offices in several midwestern cities, including Chicago
, St. Louis
, and Joplin, Missouri
. Exchanges would negotiate with film studios for the rights to a completed film production, and would distribute the product to nickelodeon movie theater
s.
This business model, however, came to a halt in 1908 when the Motion Picture Patents Company
(MPPC; commonly known as the Edison Trust) launched a wave of lawsuits against independent film studios on patent infringement grounds. Most studios did not have the means to stand against the Trust's onslaught, and were forced out of business. With fewer films being produced, Freuler and Aitken were soon faced with financial difficulties. In order to keep Western Film afloat, they formed a succession of independent studios expressly for the purpose of keeping Western Film supplied with new pictures. The first of these studios was the American Film Manufacturing Company
, founded in 1910, which was soon joined by Majestic Film. Both Western Film and its various affiliated studios were targeted by the MPPC to little avail: so successful were Freuler and Aitken's ventures that in 1912 they founded a new corporation to unite all of their holdings. By 1914 this new company, Mutual Film Corporation, had superseded all branches of the Western Film Exchange, which effectively ceased to exist.
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, and Joplin, Missouri
Joplin, Missouri
Joplin is a city in southern Jasper County and northern Newton County in the southwestern corner of the US state of Missouri. Joplin is the largest city in Jasper County, though it is not the county seat. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 50,150...
. Exchanges would negotiate with film studios for the rights to a completed film production, and would distribute the product to nickelodeon movie theater
Nickelodeon movie theater
The Nickelodeon was a multi-purpose theater that was popular from about 1900 to 1914. Usually situated in converted storefronts, the Nickelodeon featured motion pictures, illustrated songs, slide shows and lectures...
s.
This business model, however, came to a halt in 1908 when the Motion Picture Patents Company
Motion Picture Patents Company
The Motion Picture Patents Company , founded in December 1908, was a trust of all the major American film companies , the leading film distributor and the biggest supplier of raw film stock, Eastman Kodak...
(MPPC; commonly known as the Edison Trust) launched a wave of lawsuits against independent film studios on patent infringement grounds. Most studios did not have the means to stand against the Trust's onslaught, and were forced out of business. With fewer films being produced, Freuler and Aitken were soon faced with financial difficulties. In order to keep Western Film afloat, they formed a succession of independent studios expressly for the purpose of keeping Western Film supplied with new pictures. The first of these studios was 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....
, founded in 1910, which was soon joined by Majestic Film. Both Western Film and its various affiliated studios were targeted by the MPPC to little avail: so successful were Freuler and Aitken's ventures that in 1912 they founded a new corporation to unite all of their holdings. By 1914 this new company, Mutual Film Corporation, had superseded all branches of the Western Film Exchange, which effectively ceased to exist.