The theatre of science; a volume of progress and achievement in the motion picture industry (1914)

of^cience 115 little theatres throughout the country where the exchange system of bookings is as potent as ever — but the film industry has assumed such tremendous proportions in the past year that the belief is quite general that for the first time in twenty years the local managers of opera houses and halls in cities of 50,000 population or under are due to secure a plethora of attractions. What this means of itself will be apparent to any one familiar with the truly ghastly box office records in the one-night stands in recent years. The Messrs. Shubert plan to divide quite equally their stage and film productions, and hope as a result to solve the most serious problem, that of providing attractions for their theatres outside of New York. So tremendous is the film output likely to be within the year that one must not marvel if the aspect of the great industry undergoes material changes over night. At the moment there are several factions operating under a complex, ill-disciplined mode of business procedure. At any moment can come an upheaval such as has always followed the unorganized hap-hazard way of operating in the amusement field. From all this confusion resulting from ninety per cent, of the nation's showmen entering the film field, some arrayed against the established interests, others with them, there must arise a commanding figure of the Edward F. Albee type, who will so amalgamate the warring faction, eliminating the fakirs, as only a clearing house can, and so systematize the overwhelming screen productivity — probably by some gigantic booking institution, such as obtains in vaudeville; then business rectitude and economic laws will combine to regulate a line of endeavor expanding so rapidly and