Variety (February 1909)

VARIETY 13 INTERNATIONAL FILM CO. HAS NOVEL DISTRIBUTING SCHEME THE WOMAN IN VARIETY. At New York Mass Meeting the Murdock Concern Lays Pull Plans Before Renters. Offers Forty Reels Now. About seventy New York moving pic- ture exhibitors gathered in the Orpheum Music Hall, Third Avenue and 13th Street, Monday morning to listen to addresses from representatives of the International Projecting and Producing Co., as well as representatives of foreign manufacturers affiliated with the new independent. The showmen received the assurances of the speakers that the International was in the independent movement for good, and heard, detailed statements of the re- sources which that firm has or will short- ly have at its command. Will G. Barker, of the Warwick Trading Co. of London, film manufacturers, was the principal speaker. He told the ex- hibitors tliat there were already forty reels of sample pictures in this country, and announced that they would be shown during this week to whomever cared to witness them. 'The International Co.," he said, "does not want you to take whatever it chooses to offer you. We're in business to sell you the goods you desire to buy. There is nothing resembling dictation in our pol- icy. This scheme we will follow through- out. We can promise you from twenty- eight to forty reels of new material weekly. "This mass will be exhibited to you by your exchange man and you may then select a supply for whatever length of time suits you. Bear in mind that these pictures as first presented privately will be samples. When you have indicated your choice a cable will bring the goods to your door in ten days. "When the International enterprise was brought to our attention we were im- mediately attracted to it by the known ability of J. J. Murdock, who is a skillful and determined promoter, and we were promptly convinced that the venture was assured of permanency. "Working on this basis we have secured the exclusive output of a score or so of the best foreign manufacturers, a supply which assures to the exhibitor the essen- tial variety of material in a high degree, while it still keeps alive a healthy rivalry among the several manufacturers which will hold them on the strain to pro- duce their best. Out of the twenty-odd makers who are allied with us, there can be no doubt but that you exhibitors will be amply supplied with feature films. "The point has been brought up that the American showman has need of Amer- ican subjects. We have provided for this. I personally pledge to you that I will not leave this country until there are firmly established properly equipped fac- tories for turning out native film. "If, as seems to be its design, the trust succeeds in its efforts to have the duty on film increased, we will so extend our manufacturing facilities in this country that the output will be 150 reels of posi- tive film a day. European methods are different and more expeditious than Amer- ican in the matter of developing and drying positives. As an example of the speed that can be developed, it is worth noticing that the Warwick Co. last June delivered twenty-nine films of the Derby turf event on the same night. Our camera operator left the race track at 4:30 p. m., rode fourteen miles in an automobile and the picture was exhibited in one London hall before 8 o'clock that evening. "If necessary we can produce film in America as quickly. In the matter of censorship we aro in an enviable position. Under the system of not buying until you know what the goods is (as against the standing-order scheme) every exhibi- tor is his own censor, and beside this the film will be rigorously censored before it is shipped from the other side by men familiar with the needs and limitations of the American market." Mr. Raleigh, of Raleigh & Roberts, French manufacturers, assured the meet- ing that contracts had been signed and were open to inspection binding the as- sociated foreigners to the independents. It is the purpose of the International people to give demonstrations of sample films from New York to San Francisco. Part of the forty reels which arrived late last week were shipped to Chicago in bond. They were shown to exhibitors there, and late this week shipped to New York for another demonstration. The lot shown in New York were sent to Chicago. It was the intention of Mr. Barker, Raleigh and Streyckmans (the last named, secretary of the International) to visit Boston Wednesday to address exhibitors there and repeat the mass meeting ar- rangement in all large cities between New York and Chicago. RESTRAINS PATENTS CO. Argument was heard on Wednesday morning before Supreme Court Judge Fitz- gerald on the temporary injunction ob- tained by Percy G. Williams, as manager of seven theatres in Greater New York using moving pictures, restraining the Vit- agraph Co. from discontinuing its service. Mr. Williams in the moving papers alleged a contract with the Vitagraph Co. for the season of 1908-'09. The terms and the conditions of the contract were set forth. Judge Leventritt, of Leventritt, Cook & Nathan, for the moving picture people denied that any contract was in existence, either orally or in writing. The defense also set up the fact of the applicant bas- ing his case on a contract, thereby remov- ing the "trust" phase gone into by Mr. Williams, he having claimed the Motion Picture Patents Co. was a "trust," formed in violation of the "Anti-Trust" laws. The court ordered that briefs be sub- mitted by the attorneys yesterday. It is said that Mr. Williams is prepared to proceed further in the matter In an- other direction should the decision be ad- verse to him. Mr. Williams has been receiving moving BY THE SKIRT. Ethel Conrad is the "Co." with Willard Simms, who has that sketch called "Flin- ders' Furnished Flats." I really am in ignorance how these matters of "billing" (I think they are called) reach their com- mencement or ending, but I do think Miss Conrad is too important to be hidden in that way. She is what anyone would call a "good looking girl," and wears two stun- ning gowns besides doing her portion of the successful playing. One of Miss Con- rad's dresses is a pale rose satin, semi- Empire, and I got palpitation of the heart for fear she would get mixed up with the paste Mr. Simms throws about. Mrs. Leslie Carter jumped into the newspaper breach this week, and aired her ideas about what Margaret Illington had said on a non-chidren-darning-stockings- existence. Mrs. Carter is liable to have herself terribly disliked among the women —and the men, too. No woman can make a statement that "children are a nuisance" and win any sympathy, whether she or her press agent or her show ("Kassa") is in need of it, and between us, I think they all are. I also heard the other day that the vaudeville managers have thonght no little of "Kassa's" chances of running very long that they have sent offers to Mrs. Carter for a Jong vaudeville tour at $2,600 a week. "Kassa" must have cost a great amount of money, and I understand Mrs. Carter supplied the most of it. I received such a lovely letter this week from Millicent Easter, and Miss Blaster is as flowery with the typewriter as her name. She isn't on a Cleveland paper at all; it's the Columbus Press-Pott, and Miss Easter isn't backward in saying she is proud it is not otherwise. Miss Easter calls Colum- picture service from the Vitagraph Co., under a Supreme Court order restraining that concern and the Motion Picture Pat- ents Co., from refusing to deliver films to his theatres. Mr. Williams declined to sign a Motion Patents Co.'s application for li- cense to operate projecting machines in his theatres. The Patents people thereupon warned him that his service would be cut off Feb. 13 (Sunday). On Saturday Maurice Good- man, general attorney for the United Booking Offices, secured a temporary in- junction. Meanwhile Mr. Williams is ex- hibiting Association films on unlicensed machines. In his application Mr. Goodman makes the point that the refusal of the Patents people to deliver pictures to owners of unlicensed machines (although those ma- chines have been bought unconditionally and paid for) is coercion and in restraint. The papers contain the statement that the $2 weekly license represents to the Pat- ents Co. an annual income of $2,000,000. F. F. Proctor and B. F. Keith, as well as the Keith-Proctor linn have filed ap- plication for Patents Co. license, but from the fact that Mr. Goodman is handling the Williams case, it is susrscted that they are interested in the outcome. Mr. Williams' individual legal business is or- dinarily handled by the law firm of House, Grossman & Vorhaus. bus her "beautiful Arch Light City," and says her hair resembles hammered copper, so I have just added to my first mental vision of Millicent Easter, and I am going to tell her two things; that she has a very dear friend on an "opposition paper" in Columbus also, and who, womanly or man- fully, rated me for even thinking Miss Easter would leave Columbus to waste her valuable moments on a Cleveland sheet; and the other thing is that if I ever get within hailing distance of the Arch Light City, I am going to call upon the Prett- Post. Miss Easter is the dramatic editor of the paper, and I am dying to see her. I'm certain sure she will be surprised if we ever meet, and the surprise will arise from her own hammered-copper-colored hair. What a lot of scandal lawyers must have or hear. Talking to one of the legal fra- ternity the other day, I jokingly mentioned that, and, to my surprise, Mr. Attorney rather agreed. So I persisted in knowing, my instinct for "news" getting the upper hand. He persisted in his mysteriouenes*, and then I flirted with him (I don't like him), but I just wanted to know. He told me, but such awful pledges as I had to make not to mention names. Three suits for divorce he told me about. One is a legitimate who came into vaudeville some time since, and is accused by his wife of devoting too much attention to his "sup- port" in the sketch. The other is a mlxed- up affair, with the husband and wife both accusing each other of misdoing, and each has evidence unknown to the other, while the third isn't so important, because there are no startling details. I like startling details, but I might just as well read a French novel for spiciness as to expect a lawyer to tell me startling details. Just because I am a woman I suppose, and he thinks to hint at something awful is the best way, but I don't like hints. I want startling details. Have you seen the latest, "the cuspidor hat"? It's the very latest in the spring bonnet line for women. When you turn the hat over it looks for all the world exactly like a cuspidor. That's a peculiar get-up Edna Aug wears for her opening song, and I can't say I care for it. Her dress is a princess of a neutral shade, trimmed in brown lace and brown velvet ribbon. The hat, most becoming, is nothing short of a flower gar- den. Miss Aug*s change from the German girl to the white dress is almost startling. For the instant, when Miss Aug reappears in it, she looks as though she might be standing there in a chemise. Every day is bringing Grace Tyson closer to Louise Dresser in looks. Miss Tyson is just stunning in an all black gown worn by her at the American. It is a dotted net over satin and trimmed with jet. I don't care what anybody say*, I'm simply going to admit that I'm awfully strong for her partner, Mr. McWnttors. He's such a clean cut, and mildly appearing young man.