Independent film New York. During the Edison era of the early 1900s, many Jewish immigrants had found jobs in the U.S. film industry. Under the Edison Trust, they were able to make their mark in a brand-new business: the exhibition of films in storefront theaters called nickelodeons. Within a few years, ambitious men like Samuel Goldwyn, Carl Laemmle, Adolph Zukor, Louis B. Mayer, and the Warner Brothers (Harry, Albert, Samuel, and Jack) had switched to the production side of the business. After hearing about Biograph's success in Hollywood, in 1913 many such would-be movie-makers headed west to avoid the fees imposed by
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