The New York Clipper (June 1916)

94 THE HEW YORK CLIPPER MOTION PICTURES June 10 BABKI E.\SJS, MOTION PICTCRK EDITOB. NEW ORGANIZATION UNDER WAY WELL EMBRACE ALL FACTORS OF FILMDOM-BOARD OF TRADE TO BE DISSOLVED, BEEIDie CALLED THIS WEEK 10 PERFECT PLANS OF fflCORPORATION— COHBDIED PICTURE INIERESIS TO FIGHT CEHSOKSBIP. H the plana of J. Stuart Blackton, president of Cm Vitagraph Co. and an executive of the M. P. Board of Trade materialize, a brand new organiza- tion of film men will result as an aftermath of the meeting held Id Delmonlco's restaurant, New York City, Tuesday, Jane 6. The M. P. Board of Trade was organized several months ago with precisely the same purposes in mind as the proposed new trade body hopes to ac- complish. The present Board of Trade, however. Is seemingly in the throes of dissolution owing to Internal bickerings and the Incessant siMMt of hostile Interests. Hence the new est together movement The meeting at Delmonlco's, Tuesday, was pre- ceded by a luncheon, and the plan of the organiza- tion octUned by J. Stuart Blackton and X Bobert Eobln. The latter Is the counsel for the New York State M. P. E, League and the National M. P. E. lapi One of the principal labors of the embryo nlm organization will be a vigorous and persistent sight against the ever growing censorship evil. In Una with this plan a bill is to be Introduced in Congress through seme representative friendly to the film industry calling for the House to appoint a committee, with toll power, to investigate and report on motion picture conditions as they really exist throughout the country. A movement was started also which plans a big combination of exhibitors, exchange men, manufacturers and accessary people. The M. P. & League, if this idea proves practicable, may be absorbed by the new motion picture protective association. Censorship Just now la giving the big men ot the film world serious food for thought. Penn- sylvania censorship 1 Is costing the manufacturers nearly a million dollars a year, with Ohio a elosa second. The Crlstman-Wheeler Bill was passed by the New York State Legislature, recently, and had it not been killed by Governor Whitman at the eleventh hour, would have exceeded the cost of Pennsylvania censorship. Among those Interested In the fight against local and State censorship are the Famous Players Film Co., Paramount Picture Corp., Metro Pictures Corp., Morosco, World iFlkn, Tltagraph, Bellg, Lnbln, Bssanay, Nicholas Power Co., Eastman Kodak Co., Triangle and Fox Film Corporation. All told, these companies represent a combined capital of over five hundred million dollars. WILLIAM A. BRADY IN ASSOCIATION WITH WOULD WILM COHPOHATIOa P1UUBNTS I EMA WALLACE HOPPE R AND FRANK SHERIDAN A STARTLING REVELATION twin •« PERILS OF DIVORCE " Beleased lone u Dlreotad by ED WIN atjqust ' It is about time the big men.of the business woke up and fought the censorship danger in the only way possible—do practical way. PHUA. JUDGE RULES AGAINST PEM. CENSORS. Lubln's "Dollars and the Woman," about the best feature that concern has tamed out since it started to make pictures, somehow or other did not meet the peculiar requirements of the Penn. Stats Censor Board when shown some time ago to that august body. The anions of the screen picked llttlo faults here and there, ordered several eliminations, and generally found the picture below their aesthetic and, of coarse, highly developed dramatic stand- ards. The Lobin Film Mfg. Co. and the V. L. & EL Immediately combined to fight the ruling of the Penney censors, their offensive taking the form ot an appeal to the Phila. Court of Common Pleas, presided over by Judge Audenreld, Recently the Supremo Court of Penn. handed down a decision declaring tbat the lower courts ot .the State had no authority to reverse rulings of the State Censor Board, ""'»fT "such rulings were clearly an abuse. Of discretion." Judge Audenreld must have looked at thing* la this light, because last week he rendered a decision in the "Dollars and the Woman" case denying the right of the Censors to order certain eliminations, and generally reversed ths Censor Board's viewpoint of the Lubln feature. In giving his decision Judge Audenreld gave voice to the 'following opinion: "An inspection of these pictures cannot fall to convince any unbiased mind of the purity of the underlying motive of the story. The tender pathos of the plot absolutely precludes the impressions and suggestions Imputed by the censors to the features that they Have con- demned. HARYLAND CENSOR LAW SOON EFFECTIVE. The Maryland Censor Law, which is the result of the Bryant Bill passing both houses and subes- qucntly receiving the Governor's signature in record time despite the futile arguments ot the New York M. P. Board of Trade and the Maryland Branch of the M. P. EL L. of A, becomes effective June 26. On and after that date all films must be* submitted to the Censor 'Board for review. BRONCHO BUXY TO PRODUCE AGAIN. Broncho BUly <0. M. Anderson), who retired from active work in the film field several months ago, will shortly toss his W. K. sombrero Into the ring and start ' m a kin g pictures over in Jersey, not a thousand miles from Fort Lee. Anderson, it Is understood received $500,000 from Geo. Spoor In exchange for his stock holdings in Bssanay. The favorite cowboy of the screen Is now as- «w«nl > 1lng his company, and will pot a small wad of the half million Into circulation again via the producing route. He may make a aerial, then again he may ex- ploit a bit; female tor, or he may make features for a program. Just at present be Is not telling. BROOKLYN TO SEND DELEGATES. At a meeting of the Brooklyn Exhibitors' Assn., held in the baby carriage borough last week, it was decided to send five delegates to the Chicago convention of the National M. P. E. L. of A. Whether each representative of the Brooklyn film organtstton will wear a robber plant leaf in his button hole has not been determined, Measra Manheimer, Clark, Title, Levlne and Biandf are the men selected to took after Brook- lyn's interests in the Chicago convention. All are practical exhibitors and men who know and under- stand the needs of picture showmen from long experience la the field. PROTECTION MACHINES MUST PAY 25 PER CENT. DUTY. Motion picture projection. machines, when im- ported Into this country, are to bo taxed an ad valorem duty of twenty-five per cent, according to a recent ruling of the V. S. Supreme Court In rendering this decision the court designated projection machines as "frames and mountings for projection lenses." The U. S. Court of Appeals verdict was the result of a suit started by the American Express Co., acting for Pathe Freres, who objected to Col- lector Malone's edict placing a thirty per cent, ad valorem duty on motion picture machines on the ground that they were "frames for optical Instruments." Judge Smith gave the following opinion sup- porting the Court of Appeals' ruling! "In our opinion the evidence In this case very clearly establishes that the metal support, the reels, the electric lamp, the mirror, the condenser and the motive machinery are all instrumentalities designed to aid snd assist the projection lens In producing on a screen an enlargement of the small pictures on the film, and that without such appli- ances the projection lens would be wholly inef- fective for tbat purpose. Unquestionably the com- pleted article would be a moving picture machine and possibly it might be regarded as as optical Instrument, "Nevertheless, It would be at the same time a projection lens supported by the frame and fitted with the adjuncts which make It available for use. From tbat it follows that, even if the frame here Involved be considered as the frame for an optical Instrument, It is none the less the frame for a projection lens, and ss frames for projection lenses are provided for in Paragraph 84, that provision must be preferred to the less specific and more comprehensive provision in Paragraph 08 covering frames for optical Instruments." "Tesb or TKz Stobm ComiTBT," that perennial favorite of the Famous Players which features Mary Plckford, Is playing at the N. Y. Strand this week Instead of "The Evil Thereof." The latter feature was deemed a trifle radical for that the- atre's clientele by Max Spiegel, and consequently canceled to make way for "Tees." * HAitBrs Gordon, who recently left the Than- houser Co., is back in New York after a trip to Florida, Gordon will shortly announce a new connection. BIGGERnBETTEII Cheap motion pictures no longer satisf y the American people. They demand Bigger and Better ideas, people and plots. Triangle Picture Flaws have earned tint place where good things are appreciated by merit TRIANGLE FILM CORPORATION BROKAW BLDQ., M. Y. CITY