Moving Picture World (Jan-Jun 1909)

C'74 THE MOVING PICTURE WORLD THE BOARD OF CENSORSHIP. The Board of Censorship of Moving Pictures and the People's Institute gave a "model show" last Saturday morning in the Nickoland Theater, at i62d street and Third avenue. ir idea was to show what the Board of Censorship had mplished by gaining control, through the consent of the Association of Moving Picture Show Men, of all the moving ires houses in the city, and what they aim to accomplish through this control. I he audience was mada up of public school teachers mainly, with some others who were interested in the work. The theater, instead of being dark as formerly, was light enough for the reading of a newspaper. This change, the Board of Censors believes, does away with one of the criticisms of the old theaters. In place of the cloth screen on which the pictures projected an aluminum sheet was used which allowed the ires to be shown in a lighted room. In place of the old colored "illustrated" songs, which rcpred girls in blue dresses saying farewell to soldiers in khaki beside a moonlighted lake or in a rose garden, there were reproductions of classical statues, paintings, and architecture— the •'Alarblc Fawn," the "Mona Lisa," and "St. Peter's," for example. But these, it was explained, are not intended entirely to take the place of the songs. Many interesting films were shown, including several of a Biblical nature, in order to convince the audience that the moving picture was worthy of public esteem. The audience seemed to enjoy the entertainment. THE MARSHAW SLIDE CO. Letters still come to us complaining of the tardiness of the Marshaw Slide Co., of Kansas City. The following is a sample : "Aurora, 111., April 10, 1909. "The Moving Picture World : •■Gentlemen— On February 1, 1909 I sent in a small order tor slides to the Marshaw Slide Mfg. Co., Kansas City, Mo. I sent a check covering amount of the order. The check was cashed and returned promptly, and 'that was the last heard from them. I have written three letters to them and received no reply to any of them yet. "I therefore appointed myself a committee of one to write you asking for an investigation' of this Marshaw Slide Co., and also that you give your readers and subscribers the benefit of said investigation as to the scheme this concern evidently is working, so that their career either will be ended or just begun, according to the way they will show up under the limelight. "Yours for the right, "A. A. LINDSTROM, \nother reader writes that he only heard from them after he had lodged a complaint with the Post-office authorities. This, we suggest, is the proper action to be taken by all those who have not received their goods or answers to their letters. A GOOD IDEA. If every exhibitor paid the same care and attention to the minor details of his business as he does to the selection of his films a good many picture houses would be earning bigger profits than they are at present. For instance, if a manager insisted upon using only late illustrated songs and, if necessary, went to a few dollars' extra expense each week to secure good slide service his patrons would certainly appreciate this feature of his program and would naturally attend more regularly and bring their friends. The slight cost of first-class slide service would therefore prove a good investment and bring excellent results. The Novelty Slide Company, of 221 East Fifty-third street, New York City, handle song slides and lecturettes of all makers and are in a position to supply exhibitors with slides for all the very latest songs as they are issued. They are buying from twelve to fifteen new sets every week, and can easily keep the largest house supplied regularly without repeating. Their stock is complete and right-up-to-the-minute, consisting of nearly 1,000 different sets. Courteous treatment and careful study of each customers individual requirements have earned their business the title of "The Slide Service that Satisfies. " Hickman, Cal— Bert Dallas has opened a new moving picture show in Hall Herman's pavilion. Hanover, Pa.— The Crouse Amusement Company, which has hem showing moving pictures and giving vaudeville, in the Hanover Opera House, closed for financial reasons. Wm. H. Swanson & Co. have engager! .. their manager in Decatur, where they arc operating at Powers Opera House, that hustling manager. Thompson Kress, who this^ season handled the business end for "The County Chairman." A USEFUL ADJUNCT TO THE OPERATING ROOM. Moving picture machine operators throughout the country will be much interested in learning that the Nicholas Power Company, 115-117 Nassau street, New York City, have just placed on the market a compact kit of tools suitable for their special requirements. The set includes every tool necessary for the proper handling and care of the moving picture machine and film, including the film cement, which for the first time is put up in collapsible tin tubes which will not break. Every tool has been selected with care, due consideration having been given to its usefulness, lasting qualities and price. The result is a neat looking kit, weighing about 35 ounces, gVj inches long by 3% inches in diameter, which can be carried in a pocket or one corner of a grip and which answers every requirement whether the operator is traveling or not. One very valuable feature which should be appreciated is that each tool has its separate place in the roll, so that when through using the operator can tell at a glance whether or not all of his tools are in place and thus reduce to a minimum his chances for loss on account of misplaced tools, which is often a considerable item. The price is within reach of all and the tools cannot be duplicated in quality elsewhere for the same money. In the operator's tool kit the Nicholas Power Company have maintained the same high standard which has brought their Power's Cameragraph into such popular demand. As "first aid" to the successful operation of a moving picture machine, every owner or manager should see that his operator is equipped with the proper tools, and Power's tool kit certainly "fills the bill." It is expected that the film exchanges will benefit by the addition to their regular lines of this tool business, which has heretofore gone to the hardware stores. The Nicholas Power Company will gladly furnish to the film exchanges, upon application, circulars describing the tool kit, with complete prices, which they can distribute among their customers. THE CLAMOR FOR CHANGE A MENACE TO THE BUSINESS. A prominent film renter in this city is quoted as saying: "There is coming a better day in the near future when all films rented will have to be arranged on the circuit plan, and the changes will be only two a week. We have a number of towns on our list where we have contracts with four out of five or six of the theaters they contain, where the owners refuse to take a film that the other subscribers in that town have or have had. And then they want a change of films every day for a slight advance over two changes a week. It's got to be stopped and if it isn't it's going to kill the moving picture business. We cannot get the films to furnish five separate theaters in the same town with different films with one change every day, which means thirty new films per week for that one town. Nix, those fellows have got to come off their horse and be content with the same films in the near future and to take films that have been used. They have got to do it or the hogs will find their business gone and the moving picture show business will go back to the one show in a town, or the traveling show." WARNING. So many complaints have reached us as to the trashy nature of the text books advertised in several papers by the Driben Pub. Co., London, Out.. Can., that we again warn our readers not to purchase these books unless sent on approval.