Motography (Oct-Dec 1916)

1116 MOTOGRAPHY Vol. XVI, No. 21. Willimantic, Conn, reports that Frank Kattelinia, of Fall River, Mass., has leased the entire building on Main street containing the Bijou Motion Picture Theater and will open it soon under the name of the "Star" with the name theater dropped out. The Bijou has been closed for several months. Extensive alterations have been made in the exterior and interior of the house. Senor Carlos Castro Ruiz, the Chilean consul general, presented to S. L. Rothapfel, manager of the Rialto Theater, New York, six reels of motion pictures, which give an illuminating and entertaining idea of Chilean • scenery, industries, cities and people. Manager Rothapfel is selecting and rearranging the pictures and will exhibit them at the first opportunity. The Strand Theater, New York, -is showing Mary Pickford in "Less Than the Dust," and Ditmar's "Living Book of Nature." On the musical program are Grace Hoffman, soprano, and Jan Rubini, violinist. The concert orchestra, under the direction of Carl Edouarde, will play an operatic overture and also incidental music appropriate to the subjects shown on the screen. William Koenig, president of the Motion Picture Exhibitors' Association of the Northwest, requested the city council license committee to grant no more licenses for motion picture theaters in Minneapolis as the theaters now cover the city well and more of them in certain districts will work a hardship on those already there. The council refused to grant any of the applications for licenses or for transfers in compliance with his request. Owing to the increased cost in running the picture houses in San Francisco it is very probable that admission prices will be raised generally throughout the downtown sections. The present prices in the better houses are ten and twenty cents. There are but very few nickel houses in the city. The St. Francis Theater has already increased its prices to fifteen and twenty-five cents, the prices in vogue in the best houses in Los Angeles and many other cities. With Greece figuring so much in the headlines of the newspapers, Burton Holmes' travel picture for the Paramount is timely. This is the fortieth of the weekly trips around the world. Some of the features of the trip are a visit to the ancient Eleusis, a glimpse of Grecian peasants dancing, a ride through the Corinthian Canal, views of Athens with the king's palace, the public square, the Acropolis with the ruins of the Parthenon, and pictures of the late King Edward of England and King George of Greece leaving the English church in Athens. There are various opinions amongst exhibitors in England as to the value of certain forms of advertisements, but the majority pin their faith to a big display of window-bills. There are some who look upon the expenditure of an advertisement in the local press as a doubtful investment. The result of this form of advertising is not always easy to trace, but it is being forcibly driven home to most exhibitors that those houses freely using the newspapers in conjunction with a good poster display are the people kept busiest at the pay-box. All the Mazamas living in New York are expected to attend The Rialto this week. A Mazama (Mexican for mountain goat) is a person who belongs to the club of that name and in order to be eligible for membership he has to have climbed to the summit of a mountain boasting at least one living glacier. At the club's annual encampment in August this year the club members were photographed by Robert C. Bruce, as part of the series of motion pictures he took in the Three Sisters country of the Cascades, 6,200 feet up. The picture is a marvel of scenic beauty and is presented as one of the features on the bill at The Rialto, under the title of "The Mazamas and the Three Sisters." Smith Lord, the English exhibitor who is noted over there for his advertising catch lines, is now using the following : The only two articles necessary to show good pictures are "willingness" and "capability" — and we at Cross Lane keep a big stock of both. You are forbidden to read this bill — unless you are prepared to pay the penalty, viz., the price of a seat for yourself and friend. We shall blot out this week's bill with the next, but we cannot blot out the memory of the good things we are showing — nor do we want to. The quantity of leading men and women living in Horton is wonderful ; you can see them leading their friends to Cross Lane Picture Palace for an evening's enjoyment, such as they themselves are used to. The chief attraction on the Rialto program for the week is Douglas Fairbanks in "American Aristocracy." The Rialto Orchsetra. under the direction of Hugo Riesenfeld, will render the overture to "William Tell." with elaborate light effects specially devised by Mr. Rothapfel. As a separate orchestral number, enhanced by scenic embellishment and a color harmonies, the Intermezzo and the Barcarole from "The Tales of Hoffman" will be offered. Hans Kronold, the cellist, will be the individual star of the musical programme. Hilda Goodwin will sing an aria from "Romeo and Juliet." The educational feature will be a selected scenic and Mr. Rothapfel will provide his usual distinctive accompaniment to the topical digest, edited from a variety of sources. A Key-tone comedy will complete the program. Central Film Enlarges Force Although he recently enlarged his offices Harry Weiss. general manager of the Central Film Corporation, finds that he will need still larger quarters to handle Illinois. Indiana. Wisconsin and Kentucky on the Clara Kimball Young Productions, released under the Selzniek banner. Out of four hundred fifty-five theaters in Chicago one hundred sixty-seven are showing Mr. Weiss' productions. Mr. Weiss has made the following changes and additions to his force. Sidney J. Goldman, roadman, has been made special representative. William Weiss takes Mr. Goldman's place on the sales force handling Indiana and Kentucky territory. Phil Dunas is handling Wisconsin and Illinois. Mae Holzman and Lillian Simon have been added to the inspection department and William Hackett as night shipper. Earl Tuch and A. Larson have been added to auditing department. A twenty-four hour service has been inaugurated, giving the exhi: day and night service. A five-reel feature photoplay starring Ruth Stonehouse has been commenced at Universal City by Director Raymond Wells. Captain Leslie T. Peacocke has under production at Universal City "The Vegetarian" in one reel, with Eileen Sedgwick. Eugene Walsh. Al McKinnon . Viola Lind in the cast.