The Moving Picture World (October 1907)

486 THE MOVING PICTURE WORLD. September 2, of this year, has been used for vaudeville attrac- tions. The Shuberts were the most recent lessees. Lubin gains immediate possession of the house and he will have it extensively altered before he opens it on October 21 with his new style of entertainment. * * * "The Hippodrome," a moving picture theater recently built for Morris J. Beck at 942 State street, New Haven, Conn., was broken into last week and $71 in cash, together with some lenses used for the lantern, stolen. The police have been working on the case, but as yet, have made no arrests. * * * Beatrice, Neb.—The "Costal" and "Unome" electric theaters were opened up here last week. With the "Lyric" and the aforesaid theaters Beatrice now has three moying picture shows, and all seem to be doing a good business. * * * M. N. Goodrich and A. Sergeant of Oneonta, have rented Fire- men's Hall, Cooperstown, N. Y., for an indefinite period for a moving picture entertainment every night. * * * St. Louis, Mo.—The Fire Department was summoned twice last week on account of burning moving picture machines. At 501 Elm street, in the picture show conducted by John Golden, the electric wires set fire to the films, the blaze causing a stampede of the audience to the doors. The loss amounted to $150. Shortly before this the machine in the show of George Mills, at 1413 Market street, caught fire and caused the hurried exit of the audience. The damage there was $100. Electric wires also caused this fire. [Did these machines have fire proof take-ups and shutters? If not, why not?— Ed.] The Brooklyn, N. Y., Court of Special Sessions decided Sept. 23 that no more moving picture shows will be allowed in Brownsville on Sunday. On the complaint of Capt. Reynolds, Louis Cohen, of the Garden Moving Picture Arcade, on Pitkin avenue, near Watkins street, was convicted and fined $10 for running a Sunday show. After the fine was imposed the court instructed the captain to rearrest Cohen any Sunday that he "dared to open his amusement place." * * * The Bangor, Me., Amusement and Bowling Company organized with a coterie of conservative business men behind it. and having as an active head Manager Harmon of the Bahgor Bowling aca- demy. They have looked over the field carefully and they have drawn certain conclusions after much figuring. And they are satisfied that Bangor is hungering for entertainment of the best sort With that end in view they have formed their corporation, have sold their stock in their own limited circle, and will prepare im- mediately to do a little magic with old Union hall. In this room, which will be a hundred feet long and forty feet wide, they will have a vaudeville and moving picture theater. The entertainment will be continuous. They hope to have the new theater open in a couple of months, although much work must be done in the meantime—the altering of the roof, arranging for entrances and exits and retiring rooms, installing a new lighting system and building a stage and its ac- cessories. The entire front of the hall as it is at present will be torn away, and with the alterations necessary on the roof there will be little left of the original but the frame. Some idea of the extent of the changes may be given in the fact, that it is planned to expend between $8,000 and $10,000 in altera- tions to the building alone. Trenton, N. J.—Judge George W. Macpherson, in the City District Court September 23, heard the case of Peter E. Wurf- flein against C. Fred Ruhlman, involving the ownership of several films for moving pictures and also the business relations between the two principals to the suit in the moving picture business. After the evidence was all in Judge Macpherson held that it had been shown that the films had a value above $300, the limit in this court, and he, therefore, ruled that he had no jurisdiction. This threw the case out of court. Mr. Wurfflein stated that he would carry the case to another court. Mr. Wurfflein replevined the films, which were in possession of Ruhlman, claiming they were his property. According to the testimony of the claimant Ruhlman was merely employed to look after the business and had no right to retain possession of the films. Ruhlmans defense was that he was a partner of Wurfflein and therefore had a right to hold the films. It was shown that Wurfflein had paid Ruhlman certain sums since April, which the latter claimed were on account of the al- leged partnership agreement The complainant held these were payments on account of wages. Moving picture manufacturers and nickelodeon managers and operators in this vicinity are Watching with great interest the suit for seven reels of moving pictures including the Pathe "Ljfe of Christ" instituted by P. E. Wutffleinp an old time amusement manager and proprietor of the International Moving Picture Company, against C. Fred Ruhlman, formerly operator for S. Lubin and Riley-Woods Burlesque show. According to. the testimony in the City District Court Mr. Wurfflein secured Mr. Ruhlman to work on a percentage and guarantee and when the owner of the show decided to end up the affairs of the company, Mr. Ruhlman took all of the films to a Philadelphia rental house and deposited them; he now refuses to give them up and claims that they are his property, because the films were purchased by him, Mr. Ruhlman, and that the bill of sale was made out to Mr. Ruhlman.. Ruhlman admitted that the money was given to him by Wurfflein but claimed that it was only advanced and that the films belong to the operator, instead of the owner. - Wurfflein, in an interview, stated that if an operator could claim property because he purchased it yrith money given him by the owner of any show, then the owners of picture shows had better order direct and get their own films. Mr. Ruhlman was sent from Trenton to Philadelphia for all films weekly and in that manner secured a bill of sale on the films from S. Lubin. Mr. Lubin is in a peculiar position, as Wurfflein says he will sue him for moneys received, as all checks were made payable to S. Lubin by Mr. Wurfflein. The film renting firm is also threatened with a criminal warrant for receiving stolen goods. The case was non- suited in the City District Court Monday, owing to the amount involved being greater than the jurisdiction of the court Mr. Ruhlman has left the city and his whereabouts is unknown to the complainant. * * * Houston, Sept. 25.—Texas, its wonders, pleasures and indus- trial life, will be revealed to the people of the trans-Mississippi States this Winter by a series of lectures, illustrated with moving pictures, to be given by Gilbert McClurg, one of the best known men on the lecture platform. The moving pictures are now being taken. Mr. McClurg has been engaged to deliver these lectures by the Rock Island-Frisco system of railroads in Texas, but the lectures will be broad in their scope and will cover every section of the State, not being confined to the location through which these lines' pass. As a means of bringing Texas to the attention of a large number of intelligent citizens of the country, the lectures will prove effective. The series of moving pictures are being taken by W. N. Selig; the head of the S'elig Polyscope Company, one of the largest concerns of its kind in the country. Mr. S'elig is being assisted in this work by J. C. Bonnell, of Houston, one of the industrial agents under J. Sebastian, passenger traffic manager of the Rock Island system. The first pictures in Texas were taken at the mills of the Kirby Lumber Company at Bessm'ay. Some fine moving pictures were secured of the methods of handling logs and the work in the saw mills, Mr. Selig declaring the sight to be one of the most interest- ing he has ever witnessed. . The Polyscope man spent Friday at Galveston. At the pier of the North German Lloyd, moving pictures were taken of a ship entering the port, the landing of the immigrant and other features. Then views were also had of the loading and sailing of vessels for other ports. Mr. Selig spent Saturday in Houston, departing for Browns- ville. Under the guidance of H. W. Taylor of Brownsville, the moving picture artist will take some motion photographs of catching tarpons at the Tarpon club. Life saving crew and the lighthouse at. Point Isabel, the station farthest south in the United States, will also be the subject of moving pictures. While Mr. Selig and his machine are at Brownsville Mr. Bon- nell will be on the cotton plantation of Dr. H. S. Dew at Dawalt, five miles south of Sugarland. on the Sugarland Railway, where a typical cotton plantation scene will come under the keen observa- tion of the photographic lens. Mr. Bonnell said that Dr. Dew has some land which will produce a bale to the acre and that 60 per cent, of the staple will be ready for picking when the pictures are taken Wednesday. Every phase of the industry, from the picking to the ginning of cotton will be shown and to add to the entertainment ■ features, a salient point in making lectures in- teresting, the amusement of negroes on the plantation will be re- produced in life pictures. ... * „* * Washington, N. J., has finally fallen a. victim to the moving picture craze, just as have all the cities and larger towns. There