Animated cartoons started filling movie screens during World War One, and one of the men behind them was J.R. Bray.
Historians tell us Mr. Bray was involved in a little subterfuge. The story goes in 1913, he paid a visit to cartoonist Winsor McCay, who explained the techniques he used in making and filming “moving” cartoons. On January 9, 1914, he filed for a patent (granted Aug. 11) for a process to create animated films, and started pushing others to pay him royalties—including McCay.
This is either a syndicated or (more likely) wire service story about one of Bray's several court cases to uphold the Bray-Hurd patent on the process of making animated cartoons.
I like the way Bray paints himself as a champion of the individual animator, and how Bray is actually helping the poor innocent cartoonist to make money, money, money. Bray glosses over the fact he wants his cut.
This version of the story appeared in the June 6, 1915 edition of the Brooklyn Eagle though I've seen the same story in other papers on later dates.
J. R. BRAY EXPLAINS LAW SUIT
Considerable comment has been created lately by reason of a suit by J. R. Bray, maker of the Pathe-Bray Cartoon Comedies, against certain other cartoonists for infringement of his patents on his process for producing animated cartoons.
In the answer filed in the suit the claim is made that Mr. Bray's patents should not have been granted on the grounds that the process is the same as that previously used by Mr. McCay. An article appeared recently in a New York paper criticising Mr. Bray for bringing suit for infringement of his patent, and expressing the belief on the part of the writer of the article that Mr. Bray is endeavoring to corner the market on animated cartoons. When Mr. Bray's attention was directed to this article by our correspondent, he stated that the party responsible for the article was laboring under an entirely wrong impression.
"I am not endeavoring to corner the market for animated cartoons," said Mr. Bray, "nor am I desirous of keeping any artist or cartoonist of ability out of the field. The idea of making drawings that move was not original with Mr. McCay. Animated cartoons had been produced in Paris by Pathe Freres several years before Mr. McCay made his first film, and moving drawings of a very simple and crude type had been produced long before that in the form of toys called "The Wheel of Life," and other novelties. However, either these cartoons were so crude or the methods of producing them were so tedious, complicated and expensive as to render them impractical commercially.
"I have invented methods of simplifying the work so as to make the animated cartoon economically practical. I have just had a second patent granted which embodies improvements, and new features which greatly improve the quality and the effect of the animated cartoon. I have spent thousands of dollars and years of time developing the animated cartoon on a practical basis, and have just perfected a new improvement which we will have patented, which will simplify matters still more and bring the product to a still higher slate of perfection. Instead of spending six months on one film, we are now producing at the rate of several a week. None of these methods were over used by Mr. McCay or anybody else prior to ourselves. We have a large and well organized staff, and have laid our plans for the development of this business on a tremendous scale. We do not want to limit the field to a few artists, but want the work of all the best men obtainable. We plan to protect the quality and hold up the price to a level that will give the artist what his work is really worth. Our plan is co-operative. The average artist, humorist or otherwise, is not a business man, and has in most cases, received a very small proportion of the returns his talent has produced. It is our plan that under our co-operative system, all cartoonists of ability who are able to do high-class animated cartoons, shall be able to take advantage of our patented process, thereby caving a vast amount of work for themselves and get a higher rate than if they attempt to produce the cartoons independently. Furthermore, all of the artists co-operating with us are advertised extensively, and given full credit for their work."
Bray had a number of animators under contract and was able to put them to work. In late 1915, he signed a contract with Paramount.
The Motion Picture News of Dec. 18, 1915 tells the story.
Col. Heezaliar Will Tell the Truth for Paramount
His Creator, J. R. Bray, Who Was a Steady Contributor to Life, Puck and Judge Before Going to Pathe, Will Furnish One Reel of Animated Cartoons a Week
SMALLER even than "Little Mary" Pickford is the newest star who has been signed up to appear exclusively on the Paramount Program. He is Colonel Heezaliar, who for many months has materialized from the pen of J. R. Bray, the noted cartoonist, and appeared with his travel notes and records of doughty exploits, on the screen.
Colonel Heezaliar, it will be remembered, is the man who calmly stood at the plate, with the bases full, and allowed the second strike to flick the ashes off his cigar, and then clouted the next one a rap which would make the swats of Home-Run Baker sound like the drop of a ripe grape into a coal bunker.
J. R. Bray, the creator of Colonel Heezaliar, and inventor of several patented processes by which these funny cartoons are produced, has added five noted artists to his staff. Each one will specialize in one form of cartoon work, and their productions will supplement the bi-weekly appearances of Heezaliar.
In addition to this feature, Mr. Bray is preparing something which he is confident will be the most startling and original feature of this kind ever shown, and will open up Ma new field in motion pictures.
He is not yet ready to announce it, but C. Allan Gilbert, long famous as artist and illustrator, is working with him on the first releases, which will be ready some time in January. The new feature will be known as the "Bray-Gilbert Releases," and will appear once a month.
"I am surprised myself at the immense popularity of Colonel Heezaliar," said Mr. Bray to Motiox Picture News. "It is without doubt the strongest cartoon character in existence, and is second only to Chaplin as a comedy character. Consequently we are going to feature this subject in the new releases, but in addition we will release a quantity of cartoon material, which will include a topical cartoon to accompany the Paramount Newspictures.
"Besides Mr. Gilbert I have added such artists as L. M. Glackens, Earl Hurd, C. T. Anderson and Paul Terry to the staff at the Bray Studios, and each will contribute something strong and striking to the new cartoon releases. Mr. Gilbert's new series is to be a phantasy novelty almost startling in its originality and conception.
"It has long been my ambition to produce the highest class of cartoon comedy possible, and place it before the highest class audiences in this country. For this purpose I have concluded that Paramount best suits my needs, and hence I have joined the Paramount program.
"In addition to these releases, we have arranged extensive distribution abroad. I believe my work is even better known in England than it is at home, and we plan to take advantage of the European market for such subjects. I have studied this cartoon question as related to motion pictures for more than eight years, and my original object in going into it was to open and develop a new field for the activities of artists. I believe I have done this."
Mr. Bray was born in Detroit, Mich., and has lived in New York since 1901. He was for seven years a newspaper artist, being also a steady contributor to the humorous weeklies, such as Life, Puck and Judge. He took his ideas to Pathe Freres over three years ago, since he felt that such a house with its many foreign branches could give him a larger international circulation than any other.
The Pathe officials at once saw the value of his work, and from that day to this he has dealt only with Pathe. Millions of persons have laughed and are laughing at the "Heezaliar" and "Police Dog" series, and his political cartoons in the Pathe News, the motion picture weekly, have attracted widespread newspaper comment.
Mr. Bray has truly originated a new school of art.
In 1919, Bray severed ties with Paramount and formed the Bray Pictures Corporation, then hooked up with Sam Goldwyn. But Bray lost interest in cartoons having made money with government and educational films during World War One. Bray closed his entertainment studio in spring of 1927 and carried on making other kinds of films.
His name appeared in the early sound cartoon period, but only to mention the cel process used in a film had been licensed under the Bray-Hurd patents. Theatrical animation would move forward, thanks to other people.
Note: part of this post appeared on the old GAC forums.
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