The Moving Picture World (September 1907)

422 THE MOVING PICTURE WORIJX behind the screen upon which the pictures are projected and time their music and dialogue to the movements of the pictured actors. In several of the interior "circuits," as they are known to the showmen, there are traveling exhibitions made up of semi- automatic machinery—a moving-picture instrument, a phono- graph and a player-piano. To the people of the smaller com- munities these are welcome additions to their circumscribed round of amusements, and often they are actual improvements on the musical and dramatic offerings presented in village halls. It is easy to imagine a really meritorious entertainment made up of such features. Views of foreign scenes, sucn as those given in earlier years—London streets on the occasion of the corona- tion of King Edward VII, the Dunbar at Delhi—or even pictures of the great events and buildings of the United States; notable scenes from the legitimate drama and from the operas; accom- panying music of a grade a little higher than the "coon songs" and mushy sentimentalities of the vaudeville stage—these should be attractive. Unfortunately the popular taste is. for illustrated farces-and rag-time diversions. * * * The great, careless, easily tickled public bestows its favors with increasing liberality on the trifling and merericious "shows," yet still has patronage to give the better attractions.. Its capacity for what it calls amusement seems immeasurable. Everybody goes to vaudeville, now, yet the serious drama was never given more respectful or better-paying consideration.* *■ * As with the habit of reading, so with the habit of play-going. Those who begin with an addition to light reading usually come in time to appreciation of the masters, and those who are drawn to the amusement hall or theater first by comic trifles may advance to the enjoyment of sterling plays. No appetite can be satisfied forever with cream-puffs or lemon drops. The fashions in shows change gradually, and always for the better it may be admitted, but in the end there is progress in the right direction. The time will come when the real value and some of the hidden possibilities of Edison's kinetoscope for amusement, and for culture as well, will be realized.—Extracts from Geo. L. Shoals in Argonault, San Francisco. * * * There will be no more vaudeville at the old Portland Theater and the moving picture shows will continue there until the open- ing of the new Keith Theater on Preble street, when the lovers of variety will be furnished with the best that the Keith circuit can present. This was decided upon by B. F. Keith, the man- ager of the Keith theaters, on a recent trip to this city. It is planned to have the new Keith Theater ready for the opening some time in November. Portland's theatergoers will miss the regular vaudeville and most of them had hoped that September would bring a list of vaudeville attractions at the old Portland Theater until such time as the new theater would open. Mr. Keith's decision, however, destroys that hope and meanwhile the work on the new theater is being rushed. * * * A story is told of, a remarkable dream had by the operator of a moving-picture machine in Middletown, N. Y. In operating the picture machine, the operator continuously turns a crank and the habit has grown upon him so that it is said he often while asleep goes through the motions of turning a crank. The other night the moving-picture man's wife wanted some ice-cream, it is claimed, and decided to make some, but her husband was too tired to turn the crank of the freezer. He laid down on the sofa and went to sleep while the good wife prepared the freezer. On entering the room where her husband lay, after she had been turning the freezer for a time, she saw that his arm was going through the motions of turning a crank and, thinking that he might as well do his share of making the cream, she took the freezer into the room and put his hand on the crank. All went well and the sleeping man made the cream. When his wife awakened him to partake of the cream, he stated that he had dreamed that he was turning the picture machine and that there was something wrong with it which made it turn very hard. He was greatly surprised when told that he had made the cream. * * * The moving pictures are very exciting and highly humorous. There is always a chase. A man does something he ought not to do. Then a mob gets after him and chases him across about twenty-seven miles of very rough country. He falls down mountains, swims rivers, but the mob is relentless and grows bigger all the time. At last the offender is caught and gets his face punched. That is all. * * * F. B. Schultz, of Chattanooga, Tenn., proprietor of three of the leading moving-picture shows of the city, the Crescent and Crystal, on Market street, and the Palace on Montgomery, is very indignant in regard to the statement that all the moving- picture shows were to open on Sunday. Mr. Schultz writes: "The report that all the picture shows would open at 2 o'clock! in the afternoon was false. A Chattanooga man who operates! a moving-picture show came to me Saturday afternoon and! asked me to join their agreement and open on Sunday. This jj refused' to do for several reasons. First,- because I was raised I a Christian and do not care to break the Sabbath; second, that if thought if a man could not run his business without doing sol he had better quit, and third, that I did not believe in making my help work on Sunday, as every one should have a day oft rest, and Sunday was given to us for that purpose. My three! places were closed and will remain so every Sunday, and if if find that the people will not patronize me because I don't keepf open on Sunday I will quit the business before having to break! the Sabbath." * * * Lexington is to have two new amusement features in the near I future in the way of continuous performances. L. H. Ramsey I and two other men whose names have not been divulged, havej^l formed themselves into a company to be styled the Hippodrome i ' Company, and will put a vaudeville show, moving pictures and-I 1 illustrated songs. The theater will have a seating capacity ofe^ I 450 and will be equipped with every modern convenience. ThtK I floor will be elevated and inclined, a foyer of 30 feet depth beingl; left in the front part of the house to hold those who wait. Onsfe matinee and two night jperformances will be given daily, lasting^ an hour each, the admission being 10 cents all over the house,|, an extra charge being made for reserved seats.downstairs. Thi balcony price will be 10 cents. On Saturdays two matinee andfe two night performances will be given. The theater will be ready i| for the opening performance about September 16. * * * Three young men of Bridgeport, Conn., are now under arrest charged with a very serious case of assault and attempted rob- bery. The victim of the trio was a Chinese laundryman, Hop Sing, who was attacked in his own store at 243 Railroad avenucfe; and beaten into unconsciousness with a heavy club. The Chins- man's cries frightened the would-be bandits and they did not wait to rob the place. The young men under arrest are William O'Brien, William Lynch and Owen Ward. They attended a moving-picture show at which one of the principal attractions was a highway robbery. This set the minds of the trio working and after the show they planned the attack on the laundryman for the next day. The details were carefully arranged, Ward being assigned to "slug" the Chinaman, while O'Brien ran be- hind the counter and grabbed the money and Lynch kept guard PS outside. They carried out their plans as far as the Chinaman|d was~concerned, and left Hop Sing cut and bleeding on his oot|| floor, but after they had laid him out their lost their nerve|| and did not wait to rob the store. The boys were arrested bj-p Detective Fox and Policeman Hazel and at first put up a stout denial, but afterward admitted their crime. They are held in bonds of $500 each. * # * Hereafter in Butte, Mont, even fake robberies will be illegal if the ordinance now drawn up and filed as a council bill in the city clerics office goes through. No more can Dick Sutton, Manager Nelsonia or the various electric theaters about tow show how the big "stick up" jobs were pulled off. Even pictures of crime are to be legal. Butte's city council will meet and this grave question will come up. The small boy who sees the train robbery and then, goes home and hangs the family cat, is the person whom this new law is assigned to protect. Butter will be the original "closed" town when pictures ot crime are oppressed. Nothing will be tolerated that makes a noise like a crime; the proposed bill is .not without merit in spite of the humor that appears at first sight * * * ; Pittsburg, Aug. 28.—There "will be no more moving pictures for the entertainment or spiritual succor of prisoners in the Western Penitentiary. The farewell performance has "queered this form of Sunday pastime. The last exhibit was billed "Tte Life of Christ" and started out all right But while portraying the early childhood of the Saviour, there suddenly butted in oa the screen a troupe of scantily clad burlesquers going through a "dance" of that variety that is not performed with the i«t- Amid yells of- approval from the prisoners, the clergyman u charge of the services put his hand over the nozzle of the mov- ing-picture machine and the entertainment was over for the day- A correspondent in Piqua, O., reports: "The moving-pict"'* business has gotten to the point where even the city ofnaab are asked to co-operate in giving the public a chance to see hoft much foolishness can be shown in one film. This morning Mayor Hughes receive' a circular letter from'an H. L. ** man in Massilon,'with an enclosed postal .card. Mr. Sean Tfj requested the Mayor to write and tell him whether there are,