Jack L. Warner the brothers purchased a small theater in New Castle, which they called the Cascade Movie Palace. They maintained the theater until moving into film distribution in 1907. That year, the Warner brothers established the Pittsburgh-based Duquesne Amusement Company, a distribution firm that proved lucrative until the advent of Thomas Edison's Motion Picture Patents Company (also known as the Edison Trust), which charged distributors exorbitant fees. In 1909, Harry agreed to bring Jack into the family business; he sent his younger brother to Norfolk, Virginia, where Jack assisted Sam in the operation of a second film exchange company. Later that year,
Bella Donna (1923 film) Bella Donna (1923 film) Bella Donna is a 1923 American silent film produced by Famous Players-Lasky and released by Paramount Pictures. The film is based on a novel, "Bella Donna", by Robert Smythe Hichens which was later adapted for a 1912 Broadway play starring Alla Nazimova. This film is also a remake of the 1915 Paramount film "Bella Donna" starring Pauline Frederick. The 1923 film was directed by George Fitzmaurice and starred Pola Negri in her first American film. "Bella Donna (Beautiful Lady)" by Harry B. Smith and Arthur M. Brilant (words) and Ted Snyder (music). Reportedly the film played