Kinemacolor Company of America
| Company type | Film company |
|---|---|
| Founded | April 1910 |
| Founder |
|
| Defunct | 1924 |
| Headquarters | Allentown, Pennsylvania, U.S. (April 1910 - 1911)
145 West 45th Street, New York City, New York, U.S. (1911 - 1912) 1600 Broadway, New York City, New York, U.S. (1912 - c. June 1914) |
Key people |
|
| Products | Kinemacolor films, rights and equipment |
| Subsidiaries | Weber-Fields-Kinemacolor Company |
The Kinemacolor Company of America was established in 1910 by entrepreneurs Gilbert H. Aymar and James K. Bowen as a motion picture firm in the United States. The company focused on producing and distributing films utilizing Kinemacolor, recognized as the first commercially viable color film technology.
History
On December 11, 1909, the United States witnessed its inaugural Kinemacolor screening at Madison Square Garden in New York City, with British filmmakers George Albert Smith and Charles Urban presenting the technology. After unsuccessful negotiations with the dominant Motion Picture Patents Company, Urban pursued licensing rights for Kinemacolor within the American market.
Early history
In April 1910, businessmen Gilbert H. Aymar and James K. Bowen purchased the patent rights for $200,000 and launched the Kinemacolor Company of America, initially headquartered in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Their primary operations involved showcasing films created by Urban's Natural Color Kinematograph Company in variety theaters, alongside selling regional exhibition licenses and manufacturing Kinemacolor projection equipment at their Allentown facility.
To entice investors, they installed five Kinemacolor projectors in key urban centers including Allentown, New York, Boston, Philadelphia, and Chicago. Among early audiences was the renowned French actress Sarah Bernhardt. Despite these initiatives, technical difficulties and managerial challenges hindered company expansion and profitability.
1911 reorganization
In January 1911, Charles Urban engaged George H. Burr & Co., a New York stock brokerage firm, which acquired the Kinemacolor patent and subsequently established a new corporate entity under the same name. By April of that year, control transferred to John J. Murdock with offices relocated to New York City.
The company's initial successes were driven by screenings of British productions such as Coronation of George V (1911) and With Our King and Queen Through India (1912), which enjoyed similar acclaim to their UK reception.
During 1911, the company undertook production of The Clansman in the southern United States under director William F. Haddock, adapting Thomas Dixon's contentious novel. Production ceased after expenditures reached $25,000; the film was never distributed due to legal complications and technical setbacks. Scriptwriter Frank Woods later contributed to D. W. Griffith’s 1915 film The Birth of a Nation.
By October 1912, an extensive advertising campaign was launched as the company had produced over 300 Kinemacolor titles. Key projects included Alfred Gosden’s See America First, filmed across national parks in the U.S., and a collaboration with the United States Department of the Navy documenting battleships. Their two-hour documentary Making of the Panama Canal (1912) received international recognition. Additionally, they filmed President Wilson’s inauguration in 1913. Kinemacolor positioned itself as a significant rival to black-and-white filmmakers such as Burton Holmes and Lyman H. Howe.
Narrative film production intensified by late 1912 under David Miles’s leadership as head of dramatic productions, featuring performers like Linda Arvidson Griffith. Facilities operated in Whitestone, Queens and at 4500 Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood. The Hollywood studio produced How To Live 100 Years (1913), starring Lillian Russell, before D. W. Griffith assumed control in June 1913.
In August 1913, the company obtained exhibition licenses from the Motion Picture Patents Company for authorized theaters to show Kinemacolor films. However, financial strains continued due to high production expenses and limited theater adoption because specialized projection equipment was required.
David Miles resigned in October 1913 and was succeeded by Theodore Marston. Concurrently, a new studio was opened in Lowville, New York. In November 1913, they established the Weber-Fields-Kinemacolor Company subsidiary to produce films starring vaudeville performers Weber and Fields with Roy McCardell serving as scriptwriter.[1]
Decline
The Kinemacolor Company of America worked alongside the Natural Color Kinematograph Company on projects such as The Rivals (1913). Nevertheless, at the beginning of 1914, Charles Urban traveled to the United States and terminated the collaboration due to disagreements in management.
In 1914, after a lengthy legal battle in Britain between Charles Urban and inventor William Friese-Greene, the Kinemacolor patent was invalidated. With public enthusiasm waning, the company halted production in 1915 and was officially dissolved by 1924. The majority of films created by the company are now regarded as lost.
In 1918, William F. Fox, who served as the company's chief researcher, secured a patent for an enhancement to the Kinemacolor technique.
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs named:0