Show World (April 1909)

April 24, 1909. THE SHOW WORLD 7 A TIMELY TALK ON INSURANCE By J. J. MURDOCK gain, with cule and also a disgrace to the pro¬ fession of Motography. Does it promote the general wel¬ fare of the moving picture industry and attract patrons to the moving picture theaters to have the leading regard whatever for the metropolitan newspapers of the world Last week I had a few words • ----- - . , - . . - • to u > say regarding the rather irksome lm- welfare of the moving picture indus- expose how pictures of Roosevelt position placed upon the licensed try? It not only exacts toll from the trip in Africa were being made <’< V 1K~ film ex- exhibitor on the two dollar change men, license, but now is holding making them insurance bait. What reason have tax gather- to believe that it may not soon e>- . -- ers for the a tithe from the employes of moving dignified statement, which a college Trust in the picture theaters by seeking to compel professor made some months ago, be- collection of door keepers, ticket sellers, singers fore the creation of the Trust, refer- the obnox- and operators, to take out a Trust li- ring c '— ~ £ f —•'— - ious two cense also? dollar a Again is the mailed fist of the i week New Jersey and Chicago? Does it t this coincide with the advertised asser- re we tion “The highest type of film pro- i exact duction of the world?” Or with the That m y remarks were well founded and fell upon fertile soil is amply evidenced by the large number of letters I have received on the sub¬ ject. I venture to again ask, how long will the exchange men bow to the dictates of an octupus in this direc¬ tion? From negotiations now under way with some of the large ex¬ changes licensed by the Trust, it will soon learn that some of them will throw off the galling yoke. Is the Trust organized for the benefit of the moving picture busi¬ ness, or its own aggrandizement? A few days ago exhibitors were noti¬ fied bv a special bulletin that the Trust had arranged to have their houses insured, giving terms, condi¬ tions, etc., and really for the mo¬ ment I began to think it had experi¬ enced a change of heart and was at¬ tempting to aid the exhibitors. Questions “Trust’s Intention. The wise exhibitor will “pass up” this insurance bait, for it only dis¬ closes to what ends the octupus is driven in seeeking to force upon the unwilling exhibitor its license agree¬ ment. Bear in mind, that according to the Trust bulletin, only such ex¬ hibitors as are licensed by it can avail themselves of its insurance proposition. In other words, no Trust license—no insurance. The great majority of moving picture ex¬ hibitors have flatly refused to pay the weekly royalty, and this insur¬ ance feature would appear to be but the siren to lure them into the rave¬ nous maw of the Trust. Exhibitors are still endeavoring to find out what the two dollar a week penalty is for. If they “fall” for the insurance scheme, they will surely play into the hands of the Trust and find them¬ selves saddled with all its impositions. Up to the present time the Trust has been unable to induce the ex¬ hibitor to sign its agreements ac¬ knowledging its so called “patent rights,” and on the face of it this in¬ surance scheme is merely to get the exhibitor’s signature to an agree¬ ment which- in a measure acknowl¬ edges the Trust’s alleged rights. My advice to the exhibitor is to go and attend to his own business, as he has heretofore; order his film service, pay ™ lt » and sign nothing. .Where does the Trust further ben¬ efit by this insurance scheme? The answer is shown in the following clause of the circular; The Commission Clause. This insurance is issued only to icensees and upon the cancellation of license the premium paid will be returned pro rata less 25%.” the Trust therefore shows by its °east 2W la ( lu at ’- in any event ’ at of the insurance premium paid by the exhibitor is held out by someone. Query, who? Any exhib- " or “ n . fnsure individually, but on nr»™- at '°, n wil1 receive the pro rata n-ii,ri Unl u ^ ac k l ess the commission pa d to the agent Again I ask, is the trust a philanthropist? th* T S U 0t - this farther prove that the Trust ts organized solely for films of foreign manufac¬ ture? Contrast the productions of the It has not even the Europeans, represented by the Inter¬ diplomacy to clothe the armor plate national Projecting and Producing in velvet, but boldly states that you Company. Is not the very realism of must be one of its licensees, and that these latter pictures refreshing as if after you have taken out one of its well as entertaining? When the In¬ insurance policies and paid tribute, ternational Projecting and Producing you fail to pay the additional 1 Company releases Roosevelt pictures A CURRENT LAEMMLE CARTOON. dollar a week tax, your license will be cancelled and your policy can¬ celled, but someone holds the 25%. This circular must have been com¬ piled April 1st, as it was sent out a few days later and it is plain to be seen that it was an April-fool pack¬ age upon which the exhibitor was to stub his toe. How the Trust mag¬ nates must have chuckled as they sat around their mahogany table, and rolled the pill which they hoped the exhibitor would swallow on account of its attempted sugar coating. It would also be interesting to know which member of the octupus is the solicitor general in its newly created insurance department. Perhaps it is the intention to have a few of its li¬ censees who are turning out such ex¬ ecrable lemons devote their time to soliciting insurance instead of mak¬ ing so called film subjects. “Fake” Pictures. That the Trust has imposed on the film exchange, on the exhibitor, and on the public, is shown by its ludri- crous attempt to create pictures of jungle scenes in some of our densely populated territory. These acts at¬ tracted the attention of the daily papers and made it the butt of ridi- they will be animated photographs of the ex-president, and not of a mere hireling rigged out with false teeth and a faded Khaki suit. The Trust should bow its head in shame and fade into oblivion at the disgrace it has brought upon the moving picture businesss. A few more of these faked up pictures, rep¬ resented as the actual thing, will work sad havoc upon the Trust exhib¬ itor and at the end of the week he will be lucky if he has the two dollars with which to pay his royalty to the Trust and which it is trying so hard to get. This is on a par with the absurd attempt to reproduce a recent wreck of an ocean liner which was also ridiculed by the press. A Question to Ask. By the way, I haven’t been in this business very long, but I should like to ask a question and have the Trust answer it: “What is the difference, morally, between a fakir that would thus deceive the public or the duper, who is considered so loathsome by all decent film men?” When the International Projecting and Producing Company releases its American films they will not be fakes, but will be entertaining and in¬ structive subjects. We intend to .create a new vogue in moving pic¬ tures, and to live up to our reputa¬ tion for honest and fair dealing. Poor Trust! Who is to blame for the many follies committed since it has been organized? What has it done, or is it attempting to do, that has been beneficial to the moving picture industry? We have shown its methods and its mode of taking fake pictures, and its intent to ab¬ sorb not only the film exchanges, but the exhibitors’ business as well. Well may the observing exhibitor ask, what under the sun is the Trust organized for, if not for gain? The octopus is three-fourths ex¬ posed, showing six of its tentacles as follows: 1. .Two dollars a week exaction. 2. Absorption of exchanges. 3. Securing an interest in the theaters. 4. Making exchanges collection agencies. 5. Faked pictures. 6. Insurance. I await with interest the exposi¬ tion of the remaining tentacles to see which branches of the moving picture business they will reach out to em¬ brace. And if the work is as coarse in the future as it has been in the past it will not take long to learn. INDIANA NOTES. Kokomo.—Three new five cent the¬ aters will open within a month. They will be in buildings which were form¬ erly occupied by saloons. The addi¬ tional theaters are due to the county going dry. Gary.—The Lyric has reopened. During the time it was closed exten¬ sive improvements were made. Evansville.—Business was only fair for The Wolf at the Wells-Bijou, April 16.-Louis James did nicely, 18.-A Royal Slave comes 25.- Manager Ed. Raymond has another strong bill at the Majestic, consisting of E. A. Martin & Co., Johnson & Payne, Chester & Grace and Jack Hawkins.-At the Orpheum the bill consists of Noodles Fagan, Armand Melnotte and The Juggling Mat- thieus.-Messrs. Sweeton and Ray¬ mond are working hard to get Oak Summit Park open for the season of 1909. They have booked Creatore and his band for May 2. This will no doubt be a great drawing card as in the past.—OBERDORFER. Peru.—The Lyman Twins will ap pear here Friday night of this week and the advance sale indicates a large crowd. Chicago Firm Buys Red Mill. Martin and Emery closed a deal last Tuesday afternoon by which they become the owners of The Red Mill, and it is announced that they will put out two companies next season, aside from having two Parsifal companies and starring Lee Kohlmar in a new show which is finished but as yet un-named. Sold Out in 40 Minutes. Charles A. Takaes, manager of the theaters at Appleton and Neenah, Wis., was a caller at this office Wed¬ nesday and stated that when The Ser¬ vant in the House played Appleton recently the record was broken for rapid selling of the seats. The entire house wa« sold out in forty minutes. Change of Policy. Columbus, Kan., April 17. W. E. McGhie, manager of the Mc- Ghie theater, will change his Dream¬ land policy from straight pictures to picture and stock. He is now erect¬ ing a large stage and putting in dress¬ ing rooms. The house will have a seating capacity of 1,200 and will be called McGhie’s Airdome. It will be on the Missouri and Kansas airdome Goes to New York. The Great John Ganton goes from here to the Lyric in New York.