The Moving Picture World (September 1907)

THE MOVING PICTURE WORLD. 4^3 or have been, any moving-picture shows in the city. City Auditor Bert A. Reed has received several letters from film companies, requesting the names of the moving-picture companies now showing here. About two years ago these shows, of which there are now so many, first^started springing up. They proved a suc- cess financially* and since then they have steadily increased in number, until now there is scarcely a village in this section of the country that has not at least one moving-picture show. While there are but two in this city now, there was at one time four, and many have been run for a short time. The shows have been organized in many places into groups of ten or more rotating the films. In many cities the public officials receive letters such as those mentioned above, and the business does not seem destined to give out for' some time, as the shows prove oonular at the price for a few minutes' entertainment" J~r * * * A fine example of a deep sea appetite, illustrated with moving pictures, was given in a restaurant in Newspaper row the other evening. A hale and hearty looking deep sea sailor moored up to one of the near mahogany tables and without hesitation started to gauge his appetite as follows: "1 would like a nice tenderloin steak, some broiled mackerel and half a dozen scrambled eggs. You may also bring me if you will a mess of lettuce and some sliced cold tomatoes." The waitress with 16-inch waist forgot her usual smile in her anxiety not to forget anything. Before she reached the slide her confidence failed her, and she com- municated her doubts about the sanity of her patron to the manager. The latter decided to investigate With all sails set he tacked up to the deep sea sailor and anchored alongside. "Have you given your order yet?" he inquired, trying to look unconcerned. "I have," was the frank reply. "What is it?" inquired the manager, a little timorously. Then the deep sea order was repeated, and on looking up and seeing the blank look upon the manager's face the sailor asked, "Well, can't I get it?" "You shall have it; you shall have it," said the man- ager, slightly embarrassed. "Didn't the girl think I meant it all?" said the sailor, blushing like a poppy. "That is all right," said the manager, sailing away. It was the girl's turn to blush when she placed before her patron the full order, with half a dozen buns and five potatoes. And as nearby patrons glanced around they saw the deep sea man eating slowly, but surely, until there did not seem to be seven crumbs left of any part of the order. "He should have had six potatoes instead of five," said the waitress, "and I'm sorry that he did not get them all." "Amen 1" said a chorus from the next table.— Boston Post. * * * Shaefer & Boyce, of Belvidere, have leased a room in the European Hotel block, Sterling, 111., for a number of months and will open a moving-picture show and a vaudeville entertain- ment therein. The city council granted them permission to operate by the payment of a fee of $5 a month and paying three months in advance. * * * Sterling, 111.—Boston's moving picture show and electrical theater on First avenue, attracts a large number of people and three splendid performances are given each evening. When Mr. Boston decided to open his show in this city there were those who doubted if it could be made a success. Mr. Boston, however, has proven that a well-conducted electrical theater could be put on here and be a success. So far the attendance has been large, all due to excellent pictures. * * * The Adams Novelty Company has been formed to promote the sales of cheap slides, patented by F. J. Adams, the inventor. They will be lithographed on cardboard and can be sold at a profit to the music publisher or dealer for from £o cents to Si, according to Maurice Shapiro, the publisher, who is largely in- terested m the venture. The slide industry has grown to large proportions in this country. Mr. Shapiro estimates that not less than $250,000 annually is spent in purchase of the glass plates, which have retailed at from $5 per set upward. The coloring, careful packing and shipment have been expensive items, but no improvement in the manner of producing slides has come for- ward in years. Under the Adams plan, says Mr. Shapiro, slides can be placed in an ordinary envelope and sent anywhere with- out danger of breakage. The patent has been tested and found satisfactory. Another inventio of Mr. Adams is dissolving views, a fault of the present slides. Mr. Adams has now perfected what is called "The Natural type," a sort of photographic instrument which will reflect faithfully on a sheet the motions of any per- son seated behind it. This is chiefly depended upon for comedy pictures when desired. 1 Pa>ojectaift{g| MsMslbaE&es as&dl Tlbi©ar Manufacturers. Ho. 1. El»©£ , Es&E , <!2 Set&2&©£dI©s ,B s The "Miror Vitae" is by no means an experiment, or even a new machine; earlier models of this machine have been- in con- stant use for many years, but were re- served for use in exhibitions given by this firm in and around New York City.- Every part of the "Miror Vitae" is strictly guaranteed, the material is the best that can be obtained, all parts carefully fin- ished by hand. Simplicity of construction; adjustments easy and convenient. Im- proved fireproof magazine and two safety cut-off shutters are points the maker claims. The machine head has a rigid steel alu- minum frame on which all gearings are mounted. All bearings are made of bear- I ing bronze, as hard as glass and built es- pecially heavy and long, thus reducing the wear of bearings, shafts and spindles to a minimum, also causing the spindles and gears to run with greatest accuracy. All gearings are cut from hardened bronze and steel of finest quality and required to stand the most rigid tests. The intermittent movement (the star wheel and pin. wheel) are cut from stub steel, made unusually heavy, thus giving a I large wearing surface, causing the part? to ran with utmost precision, and Stand year without cutting or getting out of ad- justment. ' The star wheel and star wheel shaft are also made of stub steel and both are hrazed together with silver, mounted in a phosphor bronze bearing of fully 2%-inch fength, adjustable by eccentrics which oper- ate from one screw. The intermittent is a one pin movement requiring, only 20 per cent, shutter, thus dispensing with the flicker. Centering Top Device. The framing or setting device is a new idea' entirely, with an adjustment of 1% pictures, and without moving the shutter from its fixed position, thus requiring a much smaller shutter and consequently that much less flicker. Operators will readily recognize .this decided advantage This framing device also allows the bear ings and gears to remain in a fixed posi- tion which overcomes the usual grinding noiSe in the gears. Centering Derice Looking from Abrve. Only the extreme edges of the film come in contact with the film shute, sprocket, etc., in passing through the machine, there- fore rendering it impossible to scratch either side of the film. The film is held in proper position on each sprocket by means of two rollers or idlers placed % inch apart; this, holds the film snug against the rim of the sprocket This is of vital im- portance, especially with the intermittent sprocket, where the film is apt to drop away from the sprocket slightly and thus receive a sharp stroke from the points of the sprocket teeth, instead of their basis.