The Moving Picture World (April 1907)

THE MOVING PICTURE WORLD. 7* The Nelson Theater, Springfieid, Mass., will continue the present policy of moving pictures and ilustrated songs, with the customary changes of bill on Monday and Thursday. The entertainment has been well patronized thus far,the audiences being of large size at both the after- noon and evening performances. It is very evident that there is still an immense following of the moving picture craze, and the Nelson is securing some of the advantages accruing to it. Just now the Vitagraph pictures that are being exhibited are unusually fine, and the variety of subjects pleases the audiences greatly, while the illustrated songs are an especial feature. The performances are continuous from 1.30 to 5.30, and from 7.30 to 10.30. * * * Trojans have added to their means of amusement a place of novelty and instruction which beyond doubt is destined to be a great favorite. It is the "Novelty," opened by the Novelty Amusement Company at 324 River street, Troy, N. Y. The ample building has been re- modeled both as to interior and exterior, and the ground floor has been transformed into one of the handsomest and most convenient little theaters in the country. It is elegantly fitted up, and has plush upholstered opera chairs for the accommodation of 200 persons. There is no stage, but, at the stage reserve of the auditorium is a great canvas screen the full width of what would be the stage, and upon this screen are thrown the latest and choicest moving pictures, operated by machinery, to which is devoted a separate apartment equipped with the latest mechanical devices for the lifelike reproduction of pic- tures of people, places and events. There is to be no lec- ture with the performance, and no vocal music, but the movement of the pictures will have piano accompaniment. The entertainment will be continuous from noon each day to 11 P.M., the admission being five cents. / William B. MeCollum, president of the Novelty Amusement Com- pany, said that the company has now eleven places of amusement in operation, nine of them being of the nature of the one in Troy, and all are successful. PlucKy ARron (OHio) Exhibitor 'Wins Hi» Ci Chapter I. TO PRISON IN WAGON. . VALUABLE MOVING PICTURES. Anthony Fiala, the Arctic explorer, delivered an ad- dress recently in which he showed for the first time his series of moving Arctic pictures and told the story of his difficulties in obtaining them. Many of these pictures were obtained when the temperature was 50 degrees below zero. He first tried the experiment of using cellu- loid films, but the intense cold cracked them and the fragments clogged up the machinery. Mr. Fiala is an expert photographer. . [But what did he use to photograph the scenes with? K the celluloid would not answer, what did? We tried the experiment of putting some film in an artificial ice producing plant, and that did not affect it in any way, nor would the film crack.— Ed.] Over five hundred people gathered Jn front of the Luna Theater Saturday evening, March 26, to see Chas. Decker, proprietor of the theater, hauled to police sta- tion in a patrol wagon. Standing in the rear end of the wagon, Decker yelled out to the crowd that he would be back soon. He kept his promise. Decker is the one man who is fighting the new ordi- nance passed recently by council prohibiting the use of phonographs in advertising his show. The council has pronounced the phonograph a nuisance and said it must go. Decker had been previously arrested, charged with violating the new ordinance. His case was heard Satur- day. Mayor Kempel will render a decision Tuesday morning. Saturday evening the police swooped down on Decker's place and during the show arrested Decker. The streets were crowded and the arrest caused much excitement. Decker was led to the wagon and carried away to prison. Hundreds of people gathered about .the wagon. "I will fight and defeat that ordinance," said Decker. "The ordinance is no good and my attorney has it killed right now. I wanted the other moving picture shows to come in with me on the fight, but they refused. If I win out they will be using the phonographs." Decker will appear before council to-night. He will present a petition signed by several business men asking that he be allowed to use a phonograph. Decker has made a lot of money since starting, his theater here. He quickly furnished bail and was released. The police say they will arrest him again if necessary. Chapter II. ORDINANCE IS ILLEGAL. Judge Pardee held Friday morning, March 22, that the city ordinance under which Charles Decker was arrested for using a phonograph to advertise his moving picture show is invalid. Decker was ordered released under the petition for a writ of habeas corpus asked for by Decker's attorneys. Judge Pardee in deciding the case holds that the pass- ing of the ordinance was an improper exercise of dele- gated power. Pardee decided that the ordinance was not properly drawn under the authority delegated to muni- cipalities by the State Legislature. It was the conten- tion of Decker's attorneys that the ordinance discrim- inated against noise inside buildings as well as on the street.