''Motion Picture'' was an American monthly

fan magazine A fan magazine is a commercially written and published magazine intended for the amusement of fans of the popular culture subject matter which it covers. It is distinguished from a scholarly, literary or trade magazine on the one hand, by the tar ...

about film, published from 1911 to 1977.Fuller, Kathryn H. “Motion Picture Story Magazine and the Gendered Construction of the Movie Fan.” ''At the Picture Show: Small-Town Audiences and the Creation of Movie Fan Culture''. Smithsonian Institution: Washington, 1996. pp. 133–149. It was later published by

Macfadden Publications Macfadden Communications Group is a publisher of business magazines. It has a historical link with a company started in 1898 by Bernarr Macfadden that was one of the largest magazine publishers of the twentieth century. History Macfadden Publ ...

History and profile

The magazine was established by

Vitagraph Studios Vitagraph Studios, also known as the Vitagraph Company of America, was a United States motion picture studio. It was founded by J. Stuart Blackton and Albert E. Smith in 1897 in Brooklyn, New York, as the American Vitagraph Company. By 1907, ...

co-founder

J. Stuart Blackton James Stuart Blackton (January 5, 1875 – August 13, 1941) was a British-American film producer and director of the silent era. One of the pioneers of motion pictures, he founded Vitagraph Studios in 1897. He was one of the first filmmakers to ...

and partner Eugene V. Brewster under the title ''The Motion Picture Story Magazine.'' In contrast to earlier film magazines such as ''

The Moving Picture World The ''Moving Picture World'' was an influential early trade journal for the American film industry, from 1907 to 1927. An industry powerhouse at its height, ''Moving Picture World'' frequently reiterated its independence from the film studios. I ...

'', which were aimed at film exhibitors, ''The Motion Picture Story Magazine'' was aimed at regular film goers. It has been regarded as the first fan magazine. The magazine was very successful from its inception, with an initial run of 50,000 copies and a circulation of 200,000 by 1914. Writers were amazed at the outset to receive their checks for contributions almost immediately on acceptance, a policy on the part of Brewster that was effective in quickly inducing the highest grade fiction authors to become affiliated with the publication. Contributors included

Rex Beach Rex Ellingwood Beach (September 1, 1877 – December 7, 1949) was an American novelist, playwright, and Olympic water polo player. Early life Rex Beach was born in Atwood, Michigan, but moved to Tampa, Florida, with his family where his father ...

, Will Carleton and Horatio C. King.Robert Grau (1914) ''The Theatre of Science: A Volume of Progress and Achievement in the Motion Picture Industry'', Broadway Publishing Company, New York The magazine's most successful column was entitled "The Answer Man" (written by a woman) that answered readers' questions about the film world. This was an innovation, the first of its kind in journalism. In 1914, it was renamed ''Motion Picture Magazine''. Early editions included fiction and information on how to get involved in film production. The magazine shifted to a focus on celebrities and attracted a larger female readership. In 1919, the circulation jumped from 248,845 to 400,000.Bordwell, David (1985). ''The Classic Hollywood Cinema: Film Style and Mode of Production to 1960'', p. 99. Columbia University Press Its sister publication ''Motion Picture Classic'', which was started as its supplement, was published monthly from September 1915 to March 1931. In 1941, ''Motion Picture Magazine'' merged with ''Hollywood'' and ''Screen Life'' and continued to be published for almost four more decades, ending its run in 1977.

The Motion Picture Hall of Fame

''The Motion Picture Hall of Fame'' was a contest held by Motion Picture Magazine. ::"The Motion Picture Hall of Fame." Motion Picture Magazine. Dec, 1918: 10. ''The Hollywood Motion Picture Hall of Fame'' exhibit , at the

California Pacific International Exposition The California Pacific International Exposition was an exposition held in San Diego, California during May 29, 1935–November 11, 1935 and February 12, 1936–September 9, 1936. The exposition was held in Balboa Park, San Diego's large c ...

, in 1935-36, had a stock company of actors that signed with the

Screen Actors Guild The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) was an American labor union which represented over 100,000 film and television principal and background performers worldwide. On March 30, 2012, the union leadership announced that the SAG membership voted to m ...

and The

Dominos Club ''Motion Picture'' was an American monthly fan magazine about film, published from 1911 to 1977.Fuller, Kathryn H. “Motion Picture Story Magazine and the Gendered Construction of the Movie Fan.” ''At the Picture Show: Small-Town Audiences ...

of Hollywood (social organization for actresses, including: Carole Lombard,

Thelma Todd Thelma Alice Todd (July 29, 1906 – December 16, 1935) was an American actress and businesswoman who carried the nicknames "The Ice Cream Blonde" and "Hot Toddy". Appearing in about 120 feature films and shorts between 1926 and 1935, sh ...

, and

ZaSu Pitts Zasu Pitts (; January 3, 1894 – June 7, 1963) was an American actress who starred in many silent dramas, including Erich von Stroheim's epic 1924 silent film ''Greed'', and comedies, transitioning successfully to mostly comedy films with the ...

). "Wax Mannequins of Film Stars" were housed in a "Motion Picture Hall of Fame" in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California

References

External links

{{Commons category, Motion Picture
Motion Picture Story MagazineMotion Picture Magazine
via

University of West Florida The University of West Florida (West Florida or UWF) is a public university in Pensacola, Florida. Established in 1963 as part of the State University System of Florida, the university sits on the third largest campus in the State University Sys ...

Motion Picture Magazine #June 1914 issue,.. $00.15cents
archived) Film magazines published in the United States Monthly magazines published in the United States Defunct magazines published in the United States Magazines established in 1911 Magazines disestablished in 1977