Reelcraft Pictures Corporation Stock Certificate Signed by R. C. Cropper

Reelcraft Pictures Corporation (Signed by R. C. Cropper)

SKU: 4452bl

Color Blue Brown

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Product Details

Certificate Type	Common/Preferred Stock
Company	Reelcraft Pictures Corporation
Date Issued	October 28, 1920
Canceled	No
Printer	W. N. Perrin & Co.
Signatures	Hand signed
Notable	R. C. Cropper
Approximate Measurements	11 3/4" (w) by 8" (h)
Product Images	Show the exact certificate you will receive
Guaranteed Authentic	Yes

Historical Context

The Reelcraft Pictures Corporation was incorporated in Delaware in 1924, and had offices located on 7th Avenue in Manhattan, New York City. The company filmed and distributed comedies, scenics, serials, westerns and novelties.

The Bulls Eye Film Company was founded in December, 1918 by Milton L. Cohen with Nat Spitzer as studio manager. The company immediately engaged some of the era's top "second-rung" comics, headed by Chaplin imitator Billy West, fresh from a successful series at King Bee. Other talent during the firm's brief lifetime included Gale Henry, Leo White, Texas Guinan, Alice Howell, Milburn Moranti and the prolific Billy Franey. The first director general of the company was Charles Parrott, who as Charley Chase, would later find fame with his own series at Hal Roach Studios.The company would also pick up unreleased shorts to beef up the schedule, such as Selig's "Napoleon and Sally" series of monkey comedies and Stan Laurel's unsold pilot film, "Lucky Dog".

Bulls Eye soon ran into litigation when in July 1919, Billy West (born Roy B. Weissberg) was sued and counter-sued over breach of contract. West had fulfilled just three months of his four-year Bulls Eye contract when he bolted to Chicago to make shorts for the Emerald Motion Picture Company. Bulls Eye's solution was to sue West and hire Harry Mann to play Billy West playing Charlie Chaplin. The temporary loss of West did not slow Bulls Eye and by August the company had five companies and was considering opening a second studio in San Francisco.

The studio's Gale Henry comedies were so popular that a comic strip series was created and syndicated to one hundred newspapers west of Denver. Around September, 1919, the company pioneered a satiric newsreel, "The Weakly Indigestion". Each reel kidded current events of the day, a concept that survives today as the "Weekend Update" segment of television's "Saturday Night Live."

Bulls Eye's glory days were soon to end when, in March, 1920, the company was merged with Bee Hive Film Exchanges, the Interstate Film Company, and Emerald (rendering the West suit moot) to form Reelcraft Pictures. Cohen was given the position of General Sales Manager and the new president was R. C. Cropper, formerly of Cropper Distributing and Bee Hive. The acquisition of Bee Hive and Interstate gave the company exchanges in New York and the major midwestern cities, but the release product would still be primarily that of Bulls Eye's with the addition of the Emerald comedies. The company survived for two years as Reelcraft when it went into receivership and sold its negatives to the Export and Import Film Company.

According to Kalton C. Lahue and Sam Gill in "Clown Princes and Court Jesters", Reelcraft met it's demise when the profitable series (those of Alice Howell and Billy Franey) were outnumbered by the money-losing series. After one final mention of the dissolution of Reelcraft in the November 18, 1922 issue of "Moving Picture World", the company passed into oblivion.

Movies	Autographs
Manhattan	New York

R. C. Cropper

The following is an excerpt from the December 6, 1919 edition of Motion Pictures News...

"R. C. Cropper, pioneer film man, who entered the business when motion pictures consisted of parades, 20th century limited taking water along its track while in motion, or a few Indians on their reservation, has just completed an organization which will bear his name. The Cropper Distributing Corporation, and will enter the field as distributors of world rights pictures of the first class.

Mr. Cropper's associates are confident that his practical experience, which embraces every phase of the industry, particularly fits him to guide an organization of national scope. An important acquisition by the company is the world rights for distribution of the 26 new two-reel comedies featuring Billy West, the releasing of which has started, and the forthcoming 26 two-reel comedies featuring Alice Howell, making a total of 52 two reel comedies for the year, productions of the Emerald Motion Picture Company, made under the personal supervision of President F. J. Ireland, presenting a battery of mirth of proven drawing power."

Additional Information

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Reelcraft Pictures Corporation (Signed by R. C. Cropper)

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Historical Context

R. C. Cropper

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