The phonoscope (Nov 1896-Dec 1899)

! Vol, t. No. "/ ©ur battler A ludicrous incident occurred at Public School No. 25, in Jersey City, one afternoon last month. School Director Devitt owns a graphophone. He carried it to school, intending to give an exhibition later in the week. Several of the pupils imagined that it was some kind of a vaccinating machine, and going home to dinner they told their parents. In one case an anxious mother sent a note to her child's teacher. She said: "I understand they intend to vaccinate the children in the school this afternoon. Will you kindly see that Mary is not vaccinated, as I prefer my own doctor.'' The matter was explained to the children, and the graphophone was set in motion. When the children heard the strains of "I Want Yer, Ma Honey" they clamored for more, and when the exhibition concluded some of them thought it would be a good idea to have the "vaccinating machine" added to the school equipments permanently. The list of 'graphs and 'scopes which I held up in previous issues before the horrified eyes of a long-suffering community was quite awful enough, but there are other berries on the bush. Permit me to chronicle the addition of the amino tiscope, acheograph, chrouophotograph, kinographoscope, lifeoscope and zinematographe. It is instructive to observe that in this beautiful city whenever two prize-fighters dare to fight they are "pulled," while out in the great untrammeled West whenever the fighters in the "fake" scopes fail to fight the scopists are scooped. Thus it is that if one whistles in the street he braves the wrath of the learned policeman; while, again, if he fails to shock the welkin with his cycle bell he takes identical chances. Is it not a land of sublime contrasts and picturesque problems? Here's a tip from Owego, N. Y. — When the animotoscope, vitascope, projectoscope, or by whatever other name it may be known, was exhibited for the first time in Owego, it drew crowded houses on account of its novelty. Now everybody has seen it, and, to use the vernacular of the foyer, it does not "draw flies." The DelaMora projecting machine was advertised to exhibit at the Opera House three nights last month, and at a Saturday matinee. Although it was a good exhibition, there was less than half a house the first night. The second night the attendance was not sufficient to pay for the gas, and subsequent exhibitions were "declared off." One of the most gruesome suggestions that has been made to the biograph proprietors was that which came from a Philadelphia German to photograph a recent execution. The suggestor felt certain that such a motion picture would "make an enormous hit." Just fancy such a scene being displayed in a first-class theatre. The projectoscope exhibition at the Park Opera House, Jacksonville, Fla., last month attracted a small audience. The star feature, the CorbettFitzsimmons' fight, was announced and the first round was exhibited. The "buzzard's roost" went wild and exclamations of "How much do you bet?" "I won $10 on dat fight," etc., could be heard. The second round was announced and the same film was used, as the supposed heavy weights went through the antics they did in the first event. Then came the third round, during which Corbett was pictured as pushing Fitzsimmons over. Fitz, however, arose later in the game to . enew the battle. THE PHONOSCOPE The ' 'buzzard's roost" again became vociferous, and repetitions of the former phrases were heard. But alas, in all cities and towns the occupants of the "buzzard's roost" are the first to applaud meritorious displays and to Jiiss down a fake. So, last night, when the fourth round was announced the same film used in the first and second rounds was used, much to the discontentment of the "gods" in the "buzzard's roost." "Gin me fo'teen rounds or gimme twenty-five cent!" was the exclamation at this juncture. Quickly following this was a snap and a crash and the operator of the projectoscope announced that it would take two weeks to mend his machine. The Fitzsimmons in the projectoscope fight looked mightily like a made-up "Bob." i~ = ; Some time ago there was a veriscope exhibition advertised for Worthington and it came off. Scenes of Biblical interest were, it is said, to have been depicted, and also views of old ocean were to be thrown upon the canvas. The matter was thoroughly advertised by means of notices and by word of mouth, and finally the eventful evening arrived. So did the operator with his veriscope. A comfortable audience gathered, composed of deacons, their wives and families, young men and maidens. The lights were turned low, and then, it is said, there flashed upon the canvas two rounds of a regulation prize fight, with its cross-counters, straight arm jabs, uppercuts and clinches. Of course everyone was horrified; but this wasn't a circumstance, for the next instant a skirt dancer was pirouetting before the eyes of the elect, displaying numberless yards of silk and plump feet and ankles. A shiver of horror permeated the atmosphere when with dazzling distinctness one of those naughty couchee-couchee dancers from Cairo wriggled across the canvas. This was followed by a horse race upside down, and the deacons made a rush for the operator, while it is said a blush that almost lit up the edifice ran around the room. It was then that the operator remarked that he was giving that show and he proposed to proceed with it. It is also alleged that he had stopped several times while en route to the town. The spectators were loth to let any of the exhibition matter out, but gradually the facts are coming to the surface. A small man, wearing a superannuated suit of clothes and a smile of apologetic earnestness, blew into one of the Broadway phonograph rooms the other day and glanced eagerly along the line of instruments at the side of the room. The expert in charge presumed that the visitor had taken advantage of the cheerful sign in the window which says that it costs nothing to walk in and look around. But he was several miles from the truth. The small man at length dashed toward a phonograph in a far corner, dropped in his nickel, and listened with violent manifestations of delight as the machine purred and scratched away at some heartbreaking musical concoction. The expert was deeply interested. Approaching the visitor as the last wail of the phonograph died away, he remarked in kindly tones : "My dear sir, you will pardon me if I comment upon the very evident emotion in which you have listened to the outpourings of that cylinder. Your excitement has been unique. We had that affair out in front for a few days, but several patrons were taken ill while listening to it; I got an earache out of it myself, and the thing went to protest because no one would have it at any price. You like the tune, do you?" "Well, I did," replied the small man, shearing off; "I am its composer." And he went out again into the great world. And now the kinetoscope must do the rest. Judges of the Chicago bicycle road race met at Referee Harry M. Gardner's office after the race last month and compared notes, but nobody, would gree with all the other fellows. "Let's turn it, over to the kinetoscope," was suggested. The machine was used at the finish of the race in Garfield Park. "It'll show us what we don't know or have forgotten." So the following night the riders who wanted more than they received ran down to the little room at 43 Peck Court, where the little moving pictures revealed a few concealed truths. The men wore their racing suits and tried to look just as they did after the wheeling ride. Exposures were taken of the first 141 who drove across the tape, and their looks of triumph and despair added realism to the flash lights. The Boys who were most urgent in pushing their claims — and there were fifteen of them — brought along their parents and some relatives. The parents and relatives were all sure that "Willie wore long hair," "Johnnie had just shaved," or "Charlie's arms were slender," but when they gazed on the pictures as reproduced by the kinetoscope they were not sure that Charlie or Johnnie wasn't just a little bit behind the fellow just in front of him. Wbeve Zbev Mere Erbibtteb last flDontb Cinematoscope Mozart Garden, Chicago, 111. Cineograph Opera House, Lorain, O.; Mozart Park, Wheeling W. Va. Bioscope Austin & Stone's Museum, Boston, Mass.; Sea Beach Palace, Coney Island, N. Y. Veriscope Boston Theatre, Boston, Mass.; Valentine, Toledo, O.; Grand Opera House, Chicago, 111.; Opera House, Hartford, Conn. ; Park Theatre, Brooklyn, N. Y. ; Academy of Music, New York; Heck & Averys, Cincinnati, O.; Fairview Pavillion, Dayton, O.; Chestnut Street Theatre, Philadelphia, Pa ; Great Southern Theatre, Columbus, O. ; Columbia Exposition Building, Atlantic City, N. J.; Alvin Theatre, Pittsburg, Pa.; Grand, Bloomington, 111.; Chatterton Opera House, Springfield, 111.; Lyceum, Cleveland, 0. Projectoscope Forman Block, Erie Pa.; Madison Park, Seattle, Washington; Coliseum, Chattanooga, Tenn. Biograph Washington Park, Camden, N. J.; Keith's, Boston, Mass.; Keith's, New York. Gnematographe Hopkins, Chicago, 111.; Grand Opera House, Washington, D. C; River View, Washington, D. C. Animatoscope Tabor, Denver, Colo. Magniscope Olympic, Chicago, 111.; Haymarket, Chicago, 111. Vitascope Appolo Hall, Paterson, N. J.; Lake View Theatre, Birmingham, Ala.; Orange Street Opera House, Lancaster, Pa. Kinetoscope Grand, Canton, 0.