The Vampire: A History of American Movies

American movies of the early teens varied widely in quality, and in some cases were almost literally disposable. When Frank Powell met Theta Barra, William Fox had just bought the rights to a play called A Fool There Was about an upstanding American family man who was lured into ruin by a witchy woman. In 1914, France, Germany, and Russia, all cinematic pioneers began to join World War I. As these nations put movie-making on the back burner, America, which didn't enter the war for another three years, was able to catch up.