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

of Science 223 equally as good as those presented in the two-dollar houses will not attract the multitudes to the big auditoriums if the prices are cut in half? Here we have a phase of the theatrical situation which may ultimately inaugurate that new era of stage prosperity so aptly indicated by Daniel Frohman's expression at the outset of this chapter. On the other hand, there are those who believe that a movement of this character may first be launched by the powerful group of film men who are not affiliated with the theatrical interests and who resent the wholesale advent of the latter into their realm. While the effort of G. M. Anderson to establish a popular-priced playhouse in San Francisco has been less successful than the earlier records indicated, the decline in the public response has been due to a series of complicated internal dissensions among his associates. These have been conducive to interrupt Mr. Anderson's prosperity in the field he sought to accomplish revolutionary results. But to those familiar with the facts, the troublous outcome up to this writing is attributed not to any mistakes of the intrepid Mr. Anderson, but solely to the manner in which his representative involved him in uncontrollable difficulties, until Anderson had a "headache" and flew to the Essanay studio at Niles for that diversion he best can cope with. But the basic idea behind the Gayety Theatre proposition revealed "Broncho Billy" as a showman in the true sense of the term, and it may not be long before such as he will invest their capital made in the film world as a sort of reprisal against the wholesale advent of theatrical producers in the gold-laden field they not so long ago were wont to belittle.