Canadian Moving Picture Digest (Apr-Sep 1918)

THE FORUM This department is open for the correspondence of anyone without reserve. Byng Inlet, Ont., July 22nd, 1918. The Moving Picture Digest, Toronto, Ontario. Dear Mr. Peck—Enclosed with this, letter you will find two dollars in eash. One dollar is for a years’ subscription to The Digest paid in advance, and the other dollar should have been sent to The Digest for last year’s subscription. T hope that you will excuse me for delaying to send this amount to you, as us ‘‘country fellers’’ are somewhat slow, but at the last moment we are there with the goods. 1 like your paper because it gives us all the current Canadian releases, as well as the very latest happenings in the Caradian film trade. Your advertising stunts are very helpful to the exhibitors. Personally, T have been able to prifit by them in a financial manner, and through your suggestions I have been able to increase my receipts at the box office. I also admire your independent stand regarding film happenings, and credit is always given to whom credit is due. I would like to have a little space in your valuable publication to say something about the condition of films. Mr. Green of Galt’ took a wallop at the film travelers, and I would like to say something about the film inspectors. My question is: ‘‘Why put the inspection slip on the band of the reels when the film is in as bad a condition as the Germans at the Battle of the Somme?’’ Some time ago I was dealing with a company, and had to discontinue doing business with them on account of the eondition of the films. The company used me fine, the stories and acting were good, but the condition of the films was simply rotten. I would start to run the picture, and soon there was a ‘‘erack, erack, erack,’’ and the film would run off the intermittent sprocket, then it would have to be stopped and threaded again. In a few minutes more the same thing would happen again. Downstairs in the theatre the patrons could be heard saying, ‘‘That’s a poor operator they have there.’’ Othets would opine that the theatre was showing old films, while others wanted to know why the manager didn’t change over his film business to some other company that supplied film in better condition. The poor operator would be in a cold sweat, and say things that would make a preacher fear for the soul of said operator. Well, these conditions went along for a time, and finally I became disgusted, and wanted to see what was wrong. I took a film and examined it. When T came to the joints, good night! You would not think any machine would pass it. They were terrible. I thought the Powers 6B or the Simplex would set fire to it. The whole trouble was in those joints. Tf those film inspeetors would look into this point more closely it would improve the film conditions at least 75 Digitized by Google ‘THE CANADIAN MOVING PICTURE DIGEST. per cent. But T suppose the inspector ‘‘kids’? dance the tango too late at night, and in the morning they don’t pay much attention to the work of proper film inspection. : Occasionally these inspectors write us and give us ‘‘old blazes’’ because of their discovery of a pin in the film. Well, if they would patch the films correctly, we exhibitors would not be. forced to put pins in the film. We sometimes put them in the film to call the attention of the inspectors to a bad spot. They can feel the pin, as it will sometimes prick their fingers, and wake them up. If what IT have said doesn’t happen to about 50 per cent. of the exhibitors in this country, I’ll eat my shirt. Of course we exhibitors are not all saints, we have our troubles as well as the film exchanges, and I am sure that you will find the exhibitors ready and witing to cooperate with the exchanges for the betterment of the films. Per haps we can help theni a great deal if they will help us, Yours very truly, L. PERINO, Manager, Royal Theatre, Byng Inlet, Ontario. EMIIY STFVENS A WELL-KNOWN METRO STAR 334 West Dundas St., Toronto, July 18, 1918. Editor Moving Picture Digest: It appears to me from recent copies of vour interesting periodical that you favor ‘‘criticisms’’ and = ‘‘reforms’’ beneficial to the theatre business, and in this connection I would suggest that, with your assistance, our different exchangemen display a little bit more interest in the operator, by taking the precaution to see that reels, when distributed, leave him in good order. The point 1 am raising is this, there are too many reels being revised now without proper care being taken to clean the film where it overlaps in making a splice, in other words, film is eut (once and a while in frame) then stuek back right over the emulsion, and when one of these patches ‘‘ pulls apart’? it gives no warning, and about 70 per cent. of the time it occurs right above the intermittent, thereby giving the are a clear path into the top magazine. I am sure you will appreciate the reasonableness of the stand taken as experience has brought five cases of Page Fifteen this nature to my attention in the past week. J have seen practically new film that tested and felt O.K., which is our assurance that it will take the prescribed 100 feet (in a pinch) separate on the first run without showing the least trace of tearing, which makes it difficult for a man relieving. I am confident the exchange will be only too pleased to remedy this defect in their film if the matter is brought to their attention. Thanking you in advance, and with best wishes, I am, Yours respectfully MYREIME ELLARD. Assistant operator, Crown theatre, Toronto, Ont. Editor, The Digest: I have read with great interest the letter from Mr. A. J .Mason, which was published in your valuable paper, in which he said something about the fifteen-cent-per-reel tax. I quite agree with him. It is certainly not a fair deal to the small-town exhibitor. They cannot afford to pay it. A house with a seating capacity of over five hundred should pay more than a house that seats only probably two hundred. This tax should be graded, the same as the licenses. If it is really to help the war fund it should be paid by the larger houses that can afford to do so. I hope that this matter will be fully explained and laid before the proper authorities, or at least some action taken that will help the small-town man. Before closing allow me to tell you that the Digest is a very valuable paper to every Canadian exhibitor, ~ Yours for success, J. A. MORRISON, Star Theatre, Meaford, Ontario. ‘‘THE ROAD TO FRANCE.’’ The Title of Carlyle Blackwell and Evelyn Greeley’s Latest Picture. World Pictures will finish this week at their studio at Fort Lee ‘‘The Road) to Franee,’’ in whieh Carlyle Blackwell and Evelyn Greeley are starred. It was written by Henry O. Hoyt and directed by Dell Henderson. The working title of this photo play wwas ‘‘Making Good,’’but after seeing a greater portion of the picture, World. officials were so impressed with the spirit of it that they immediately changed the title to the one by which it will be known when released. It is the story of a no -good_ boy who makes good. It breathes the indomitable will of Ameriea that will bring victory to our banners. A new war song has made its appearance in the music shops of Los Angeles called ‘‘Good-bye Girlie, I] Must Leave You,’’ a very catchy number indeed. Oro Carew, of the Pathe forces, posed for the cover, with one of Uncle Sam’s soldier boys from Camp Kearney. Needless to say, the film friends of Ora’s are sure to like the song, if for no other reason than that their favorite adorns the cover. Vacant seats are a costly nonessential. Original from NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY