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Image provided by: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library, Urbana, IL
Newspaper Page Text
HAVE YOU NOTICED "ALKALI-IKE" OR "BRONCHO BILL" IN THE MOVIES? HERE THEY ARE -By Gertrude M. Price, The Day Book Moving Picture Expert. "Ah, goody! there's 'Alkali Ike' again !' " A fluffy little lady with a high-piled psyche clapped her hands like a child as she slid into a seat near the front at the north side "movies." "Say, mister, ain't y'u goin' t' have no 'Broncho Billy' film to night?" a small kiddy with a good deal of eartli's rouge on his expectant face called out as he deposited his ticket at the 5-cent-theater door and made a dive for a front seat. "Come on, girls, let's go tothe nickle show this afternoon. They are going to have a picture with my dear old sheriff man in it you know the one who always comes in just in time to save 'everybody from being killed by the Indians. "Come on!" Who said personality didn't count in a moving picture show? There probably isnt any com pany which has fastened charac ter names to its players as much as the Essanay manufacturers. Here are three of the players who have made their character names household words and a little "in side information" abpuit each. Broncho Billy! Surprised? Never saw him look like that? Where's his som brero and his cowboy costume? He has em still sure ! But once in a great while Gil-lstpck'company at les4 Cal bert M. Anderson, on6 of the or ganizers of the Essanay Film Manufacturing, Company a man of large means likesio throw off his popular cognomen with his chaps and colored handkerchief just tobe himself. "Broncho Billy," as every one knows him now, -didn't' always have a bank acco'unt, sa'they say, and fortune and fame looked abouVas near, the finding as ai needlelm a'haystack. Now if T stories be true he has moneyjto.buni and there can be no question of his popularity in s the "movies." Amfef son writes man.y of his own'-scenarios arid plays practic ally all the .leads in the western pictures put. on by the .bssanajf