Jim Kershner’s this day in history

From our archives, 100 years ago

Spokane’s fledgling film industry was getting off to a rough start. 

“When Betty Marries,” filmed in Spokane by the Southern Sun Film Co., opened in Spokane and immediately attracted two lawsuits.

Miss Betty Thorpe, the leading lady, filed a claim against the company for $99, which she said was the salary she was promised. This case was under advisement.

Then the Conley Taxi and Cab Co. filed a claim for $94 against the film company. The taxi company owner said he provided transportation for the filming with the understanding that the name of the taxi company would appear in the movie. However, the cab owner went to a showing and discovered that the name of his company had been blotted off the film.

The judge ruled in favor of the cab company.

From the assault beat: The war in Europe was played out in microcosm on the Spokane streets. Tony Mitchell, an Austrian, got in an argument over the war with J. Zarubin and Fred Lecoff, both Russians. 

The argument turned into a fistfight with one Russian holding Mitchell while the other pummeled him. Mitchell was able to pull himself free at which point he “put the Russians to flight.” They ran right into the arms of a Spokane policeman. The two Russians were fined for disorderly conduct.