Motion Picture News (Jan - Mar 1914)

THE MOTION PICTURE NEWS 2.3 Cincinnati News and Notes M Cincinnati, February 18. R. WILSON, state treasurer, of Columbus, Ohio, was a visitor recently at league headquarters. A new machine has just been perfected in Cincinnati which will take a picture and project it on the curtain the evening of the same day it was taken. The patentee of the machine is an experienced photographer and mechanic. It is expected it will be placed on the market in the near future. A company is now being organized. A delegation from Dayton called at headquarters to consult in regard to the coming National Convention next July. Mr. Griffith, formerly with the Standard Machine Company, now with the Powers Machine Company, is doing a splendid business for the Powers Company in Cincinnati and vicinity. Mr. Olsen, general manager of the Universal Film Exchange in Cincinnati, Columbus and Indianapolis, was in the city on special business. Mr. Olsen, accompanied by Mr. Lux, of the Buckeye Film Exchange, called at league headquarters. Mr. Bernstein, representing the Universal Film Manufacturing Company, called upon President Neff on his way to the coast. Mr. Bernstein is one of those hustling, pleasant, energetic men that make friends all along the line. The exhibitors of Louisville, Ky., are carefully considering the advisability of asking the council to pass a license ordinance similar to the one now enforced in Cincinnati. This attorney has been furnished with a copy of the Cincinnati ordinance. A state convention will be held in West Virginia in a few weeks. Mr. G. B. McClelland, of Osgood, Ind., who owns the Amusu Theatre, and who was flooded out in Hamilton, Ohio, has been appointed state treasurer for Indiana. He has already secured a large number of members. A convention will soon be called for Indiana to elect new officers and delegates to attend the Dayton convention. Mr. J. M. Bradlet is now working in North and South Carolina, securing members. A state convention will soon be called in all of these states, as President Neff is now making up his itinerary for a trip through Tennessee, Mississippi, Louisiana, Georgia, Florida, North and South Carolina and Virginia. Cleveland Local No. 1 of the M. P. E. L. of A., has doubled its membership since the state convention held in Cincinnati. The exhibitors of the state of Kentucky will hold their convention in Lexington, on Tuesday, April 21st and Wednesday the 22nd. Mr. J. H. Stamper, Jr., of the Orpheum Theatre, is chairman of the committee on convention. The convention will be held at the Phoenix Hotel. The Commercial Club of Lexington and the railroads are co-operating with Mr. Stamper to make the convention a success. On Thursday Cincinnati Local No. 2 of the M. P. E. L. of A., met at the Sinton Hotel, and raised the dues of the local members from 50c to $1.00 per month, and decided to make the first Wednesday of each month their regular meeting date. They passed resolutions, also, condemning the country store method of giving away premiums of any kind to induce trade. It is the sense of the Cincinnati local that if the proprietor of a show is capable and a show-man, he will not have to secure prize fighters to appear between pictures and raffle goods off, or run a lottery in order to secure the attendance. Cincinnati local believes that the pictures should stand upon their own merits, and the wonderful progress made in the motion picture business and the millions of people who attend daily, is evidence that the motion picture needs no assistance of such a character to secure attendance. Texas Trades Club Banquet THE second banquet of the Motion Picture Trades Club of Texas, which was given in Dallas on January 30, was a red-letter event in the history of the association and one of lively interest to all Texas exhibitors. Every big film company and supply house was represented among the forty who assembled at the board, and not a few ladies were among the guests. Among the banqueters was E. T. Peter, of the Texas Feature Film Company; Albert Russell and Clyde Slater, both of the Southern Feature Film Program Association; Harry T. Peebles, manager of the Warner Features; James B. Kelly and Ned E. Dapinet. of the Consolidated Film and Supply Company; B. F. Whittle, of the Western Automatic Music Company; J. F. Whyte, of the Dallas Seating Company; R. D. Thrash, of the R. D. Thrash Film Company, of Dallas; Charles Touchon, the assistant manager of the Mutual Film Corporation, and Mr. McCormick, their traveling representative. The Motion Picture Trades Club is making rapid progress toward the accomplishment of its ends, and its influence is admittedly being felt throughout the country around Dallas. Another incident of a different nature, but of not less vital moment to Texas exhibitors, and, indeed, exhibitors all over the Southwest, was the opening of the Consolidated Film Supply Company's new exchange. Impartial authorities have pronounced the firm's new home at Nos. 1900-02 Commerce street, Dallas, to be the equal of any film exchange in the United States. " System and Efficiency " is its watchword, and every detail of it was conceived with relation to the con venience and best service of the exhibitor. The transfer from the old habitat to the new took place on February 4. Both the company and its patrons have by now become accustomed to the new surroundings, and compliments are the inevitable sequel to the visit of a customer, new or old, to the Commerce street quarters. FIRST ECLAIR "WESTERN" The first production made by the Western studio of the Eclair Film Company, located at Tucson, Arizona, released Wednesday, Feb. 18, is called "The Cross in the Cacti," and for Western atmosphere and realism is somewhat different from the usual story of this type. The Eclair company at Tucson has been augmented by the addition of several "dyed-in-the-wool" cowboys and girls, and the riding in this picture is of the hair-raising variety. A wonderfully realistic revolver battle scene came very near costing Jack Johnson his life, as real bullets were used and one of them clipped a beautiful little hole through his sombrero. This first release of the Western Eclair series is a worthy effort and ought to meet with the same favor with exhibitors as the two and threereel dramas of this company. J. H. STEINMAN ELECTED J. H. Steinman has been elected president of the European Feature Film Corporation, 220 West Fortysecond street, New York City. They will shortly release Pasquali's phychological drama, "A Soul's Tempest," in three reels, featuring Giovanni Novelli Vidali. The European Feature Film Corporation is renting features for Greater New York, northern New Jersey and New York State. •