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WHEREAS WILLIAM SELIG’S ENGAGEMENT WITH DEVELOPING THE essential properties of the cinematic Western seems to have been deliberate, his development of another motion picture genre, the jungle-adventure film, seems to have been almost accidental. The company frequently referred to these films as “Jungle-Zoo Wild Animal Pictures,” and they would for years vie with the Western as his most popular product.1 The jungle-adventure was spawned from an unlikely source. Shortly before the end of 1908, the public learned that President Theodore Roosevelt planned to go on a yearlong African safari upon leaving the White House. The safari was front-page fodder for newspapers from the New York TimestotheLosAngelesTimes,reflectingthepublic’sseeminglyinsatiableinterest in the president and curiosity about what famed explorer Sir Henry Morton Stanley dubbed “the Dark Continent.”2 Realizing that exclusive motion pictures documenting Roosevelt’s African expedition could be a financial boon to his company, William Selig resolved to make a personal pitch to the president.3 Selig belonged to the prestigious New York Republican Club, an indication of his growing stature as a movie mogul.4 Granted an audience with the Republican president, Selig outlined his plans, which included teaching Roosevelt ’s son Kermit how to operate a movie camera for the safari. T.R. was interested and told Selig to return to the White House on Christmas Eve, when they would have more time to work out the details. Selig returned at the appointed time bringing presents for the First Family: a Polyscope projector and several of his productions. Thus on Christmas Day, 1908, Mrs. Roosevelt hosted the first screening of motion pictures ever shown at the White House.5 Regrettably, Roosevelt revealed that Selig would not be able to film the safari after all because of objections by the Smithsonian, one of C H A P T E R 5 Selig’s Cinematic Jungles and Zoo COL . WILLIAM N. SELIG ∙ 102 ∙ the sponsors. The president assured him, however, that no one else would film the expedition, either.6 On March 23, 1909, less than three weeks after the inauguration of William Howard Taft, former president Roosevelt and his son Kermit departed for Africa. Although the primary purpose of the trip was to collect animal and bird specimens for the Smithsonian, it became public knowledge that T.R. was anxious to “bag” a lion for himself.7 As Roosevelt’s steamer departed, a voice in the crowd of well-wishers reflected the sentiment of most: “Kill a lion for me, Teddy!”8 As Roosevelt headed to British East Africa, newspapers revealed that Cherry Kearton, “a pioneer in the field of natural-history cinematography,” had been engaged to film the safari.9 William Selig was outraged, feeling he’d been betrayed, especially given T.R.’s assurances that no one else would be making motion pictures of the trip.10 But the colonel was not to be denied; he resolved to make his own film of T.R. hunting lions in Africa, one way or the other. For Selig, filming the safari stateside, without the real T.R., probably didn’t seemunethical.Afterall,wasn’tdeceptionattheveryheartofmotionpictures? If Méliès could take audiences on A Trip to the Moon, and the first great Western narrative could be shot in New Jersey, why not stage Roosevelt’s African adventure at a Chicago studio? This would be just another kind of cinematic illusion.11 And it wouldn’t be the first fictional cinematic safari. That distinction appears to belong to a 1907 Nordisk film, Lion Hunting, which the Danish production company presumably exported to the United States the following year under the Great Northern brand name.12 It’s possible that William Selig was inspired by that earlier production. As Selig was formulating his plan, his friend John Ringling referred him to a small circus to which he’d sold some animals in Baraboo, Wisconsin. Selig immediately traveled to Wisconsin and made arrangements with the 350pound “Big” Otto Breitkreutz for his circus to supply the animals and wranglers needed for the Roosevelt film.13 One venerable lion was purchased outright for the production for several hundred dollars.14 When Selig returned to Chicago in early April, he learned of a Teddy Roosevelt impersonator appearing at one of the local vaudeville theaters.15 At the time, Roosevelt impressions were an epidemic; all featured the familiar toothy smile, full mustache, pince-nez, and the exclamation “Dee-lighted!”16 Fortunately for Selig, the actor was at liberty for the next...

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