Edison Filmmaking Revives

Edison films gradually recovered from their low point at Porter's departure: by 1910—11 they were often considered the equal of any then being produced.^[20] This meant more natural acting and clearly told stories. Nothing indicates this improvement better than The Passer-by (June 1912). With a flashback structure, an elderly man (played movingly by Marc McDermott) recalls his life and the crucial moments when it intersected with the woman he loved but was never able to marry. The remarkable film frames the flashbacks with camera moves toward and away from the speaker's face. Edison films were exceeded in popularity only by Biograph's, at least among MPPCo-licensed producers. As quality improved at Edison, so did the rate of production. Output increased to three reels per week beginning November 1, 1910, four per week beginning August 1, 1911, and five reels commencing September 23, 1912.^[21]

Consistent with the practices of such production companies as Kalem, and to a lesser extent Biograph, Edison frequently sent small groups of actors and production personnel to distant locations. On January 19, 1910, Horace G. Plimpton dispatched a crew to Cuba, where Dawley directed Laura Sawyer in love stories such as The Princess and the Peasant and A Vacation in Havana , the latter doubling as a travel picture.^[22] Since cold weather and a crowded studio hampered efficient work and novel scenery boosted interest in the Edison pictures, the additional expense seemed justified. Later that year Dawley traveled to the Rocky Mountains in Canada. In 1911 and in 1912 he again headed

to Cuba and the Rocky Mountains on filming expeditions.^[23] Director Ashley Miller took several Edison stars to London in July 1912. These trips were made in lieu of creating a studio on the West Coast (i.e., Hollywood), something that many production companies were doing by 1911-12.

Edison's profits from filmmaking fluctuated between $200,000 and $230,000 between 1908 and 1911. In about April 1911 film activities were shifted from the Edison Manufacturing Company to a new corporate entity, Thomas A. Edison, Inc. That year domestic film sales averaged 40 prints for each of 178 pictures released.^[24] Foreign sales in many instances approached, and occasionally exceeded, domestic sales. The lure of overseas distribution had become significant. Because British exchanges only bought films on an individual basis (rather than placing a standing order for many weeks as in the United States), sales could fluctuate from less than ten for some American-oriented subjects to more than one hundred for a melodrama such as The Switchman's Tower .^[25] The impact was noticeable. Edison stopped making films about American history and focused on European events, instead. The Charge of the Light Brigade (1912) was shot by Dawley in Cheyenne, Colorado, using American soldiers but costumes reputed to have been shipped from England.^[26] Whether or not true, the English praised this spectacle and placed an unprecedented print order. Edison executives considered the British market in hiring English cartoonist Harry Furniss and purchasing rights to stories. Sales in Australia, South Africa, and South America had also become an important area of concern for Edison executives. This sensitivity to the foreign market was in marked contrast to the pre-1909 period, when Edison showed little interest in overseas sales.

In the fall of 1911 Edison made a few multireel subjects (The Three Musketeers and Foul Play ) that were early premonitions of the longer, full-length films that would soon dominate the industry. In 1912 this interest shifted and the company introduced the first "serial," What Happened to Jane (released July 26, 1912). Each 15-minute film was "complete in itself," but the star (Mary Fuller) and a larger narrative bound the episodes together. This was prepared in conjunction with the Ladies' World magazine, which published corresponding accounts of Jane's adventures. This tie-in proved exceedingly popular and was much imitated, both at Edison and throughout the industry. At that very moment, however, Edwin Porter was involved in a somewhat related, but ultimately more far-reaching, development—the rise of the full-length feature film.