George Kleine records

1901-1922

George Kleine (1864-1931) began his career by opening a store in Chicago, where he dealt in lantern slides, stereopticons (a double magic lantern arranged to combine two images of the same object or a scene upon a screen, so as to produce the appearance of solidity.) and optical instruments. In 1896 Kleine took over the agency for one of the first projectors ever built. It was the "magniscope," which through legal entanglements, soon got out of his control. Kleine then made a trip to West Orange, N. J., where Thomas A. Edison was already well started in the business. Kleine watched the Edison projecting "kinetoscope" in action, liked its looks, and placed wholesale orders for one at a time.

In a partnership with Samuel Long and Frank Marvin, he began producing pictures on a small scale in competition with the giants of the day: Biograph, Essany, Vitagraph, Lubin, Selig, Melies and Pathe. He was also directing a flourishing film agency when the courts decision against Selig for infringing on Edison's patents was announced. Kleine won the support of all the leaders except the Biograph heads and formed the Motion Pictures Patents Company, all under the control of Edison.

Kleine was the first to import the Italian picture "Quo Vadis" and was responsible for negotiating for the last great prize fight that could be shown legally on an American screen. This was the bout between Jack Johnson and Jim Jeffries. In 1916 Kleine signed a $150,000. Contract with Miss Billie Burke to make "Gloria's Romance," a super-serial. That same year Kleine was able to get Max Linder out of retirement and team him with Charlie Chaplin. Both films were box office failures.

As Kleine's unsuccessfulness as a producer progressed, his interests focused on distribution and formed George Kleine Company and Kleine Optical Company. The Kleine Optical Co. was owned 100% by George Kleine and its operations handled the rental of projection apparatus and other accessories for new films. The film business (rental and distribution of films) was handled entirely under the name George Kleine.