The Tatler (New York)/Volume 1/Number 1/A New National Character
A New National Character
For a Sweeping Country-wide Popularity Among Old and Young, Rich and Poor, in City and Country, Nothing in Years has Equalled "Mickey"
HERE is Mickey! Mickey, the human, lovable, droll sometimes pathetic, sometimes ludicrous, but always wholesome figure who has become so famous. No creation in drama, fiction, screen or song has caught the public fancy and been taken to the public heart as Mickey has, and she will go down in popular history with "The Yellow Kid," Palmer Cox's "Brownies," "Peter Pan," "Little Nemo" and other striking and distinctive characters.
The first heard of Mickey was in the moving pictures, and by this time ten million people have seen this wonderful photoplay. The records of box office receipts at Washington prove this. Wherever you have seen, "Mickey Being Shown Here To-day" in front of a theatre, you have seen lines of people, blocks long, waiting to get in. And why? Because no photoplay yet produced is so filled with adventure, thrills and human emotions as Mickey. One minute you feel a tear coming, but before it reaches your cheek you are holding your sides with laughter at some funny incident, or holding your breath with excitement at some hair-raising episode.
Five hundred thousand dollars is a lot of money, but that is just what was spent on this picture—$500.000—before it was even shown to the exhibitor. But there was never the slightest doubt of its supreme success. From the time Mabel Normand read the scenario and started her triumphant creation of the role of Mickey, until the W. H. Productions Company sent the films broadcast, it was a bull's-eye. It has rightly been called "a picture you will never forget."
Then, all unexpectedly. Mickey appeared in song—one of the prettiest, daintiest, hauntingest melodies in years. The picture inspired the song. One day Neil Moret, a composer, happened into the studio where the picture was being shown. He became fascinated by the charming personality of Mickey, and as the picture went on the muse began working, and, when it was over, Moret hurried to his rooms and wrote the theme that had already shaped itself in his mind. In two hours he was back at the studio and played the song for the members of the company. The author had no idea of what a hit it was to be. In fact, he had not written it with any idea of publishing it, but just to get it off his chest. Nevertheless, within a month a million copies were sold in the West alone, and no end in sight to the demand. Waterson, Berlin & Snyder heard of the song and immediately bought it. The price they paid was well up in the five figures, but when the first orders received from the dealers were totalled up they showed over 500,000 copies sold in the first four days.
To show how the song gets you—Eddie Cantor, who is playing in the Follies in Chicago and who is the best judge of songs ever, heard it and put it on at the next show. It was a knockout. Ray Samuels, the clever vaudeville girl, and a great friend of Cantor's, was appearing in Seattle. Eddie called her up and told her about the great song.
"How does it go?" asked Ray.
"Oh, Lord," said Eddie, thinking of the telephone toll, "get a copy of it."
"I can't wait," answered Ray, "you've got me so excited I must hear it now."
Eddie was game. He sang it through a couple of times and Ray said: "Great. I'll put it on to-night," and she did. She took the melody in her head to the orchestra, rehearsed it before the show, and was the hit that evening. Eddie was so excited about it all that he forgot to have the telephone charge reversed.
The Columbia Phonograph Company was quick to see the value of Mickey and immediately secured the rights of the song for their records.
Next to our President there is no better known character in the country today than Mickey.