| Early movies had no stories, no stars and no | | | | the eventual founder of Universal Studios. By |
| sound. A popular movie in the 1890's was two | | | | 1909 he was sick of buying movies from Thomas |
| girls getting undressed by a lake. Right before | | | | Edison and had decided to make his own. |
| their last garments came off, a train came by to | | | | Laemmle would listen each night, as his patrons |
| block your view. In the next scene the two girls | | | | would leave his theater; many would excitedly |
| were swimming in the lake. The film was a hit | | | | discuss the actors on the screen. He decided if he |
| throughout the country. | | | | was going to produce his own pictures he would |
| One old farmer went and saw this same movie | | | | sell them by creating a star. |
| for weeks and weeks. One day the theater | | | | He wasted no time in hiring a twenty-year-old |
| manager came down and said," Say old timer. | | | | actress named Florence Lawrence known to the |
| Every day we show the same film with the girls, | | | | public as the Biograph Girl after the studio she |
| the train and the lake and every day you keep | | | | worked for. One tale had the four-foot Laemmle |
| coming back." "Well sonny, one of these days I'm | | | | conducting a midnight raid of Biograph where he |
| hoping the train will be late!" | | | | carried his new star away over his shoulder. He |
| Many of the early film actors were quite content | | | | then announced her real name and 250-dollar |
| to stay anonymous, reasoning that the new | | | | week salary to the new fan magazines then |
| flickers were a novelty and would damage their | | | | arranged for her to mysteriously disappear. "My |
| reputation on the legitimate stage. They were | | | | competitors will stop at nothing to ruin me. |
| often expected to work all day long. Their duties | | | | They've kidnapped poor Florence, perhaps even |
| included hammering nails, painting the set, picking | | | | killed her!" he told the press. |
| up trash, and lifting heavy equipment. There were | | | | For the next few weeks Americans followed the |
| no trailers or perks or glamour or big houses. A | | | | saga in the newspapers, there were several false |
| casting director might meet a newspaper boy on | | | | reports of foul play. One account had Florence |
| the street and hire him as an lead actor for five | | | | killed by a streetcar. Then, as pre-arranged by |
| dollars a day. Ladies of the evening were often | | | | Carl Laemmle, Florence "miraculously" resurfaced |
| given jobs simply because they provided their | | | | in St. Louis were she was mobbed, her clothes |
| own wardrobes. Not knowing their real names, | | | | ripped off by hired fans. And so Florence |
| the movie going public would give their favorite | | | | Lawrence gained a huge following. Movies with her |
| actor's appropriate nicknames such as "the waif" | | | | name on the marquee started selling like hot |
| or "the cowboy". The growing curiosity | | | | cakes. |
| surrounding the identities lead to the birth of | | | | A few years later she was working on a film |
| movie fan magazines such as Photoplay in 1909. | | | | when a fire broke out on the set. Young Florence |
| But fearing that their players would demand huge | | | | courageously risked her life to save her fellow |
| salaries the producers still refused to release their | | | | actors and the incident left her temporarily |
| names. | | | | paralyzed. By the time she recovered no one |
| One of the most prominent movie theater | | | | would hire her. But though she ended up in |
| owners was a former clothing store manager | | | | obscurity, Florence Lawrence was the first movie |
| from Oshkosh, Wisconsin named Carl Laemmle, | | | | star. |