George Kleine’s Film Distribution in 1909

Abstract

Abstract:These rare documents reveal intriguing information about how many reels of film George Kleine’s MPPC company was releasing and to which rental exchanges during five weeks in May–June 1909, a turbulent period in the US movie industry. Kleine released on average no more than two reels of half a dozen Gaumont and Eclipse fiction and nonfiction films per week, and those reels went to exchanges largely in the Midwest and Northeast but hardly any in the Southeast and Southwest. A few trade press and newspaper references suggest that Kleine films were shown mostly in small theaters in small towns and often for only a single day’s screening. Their circulation confirms, along with the parallel reduction of imports from Pathé-Frères, that French films no longer could dominate the American movie market. They also indicate that although the company’s business seemed stable, Kleine realized it was in crisis and soon would explore ways of distributing different kinds of films.