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

294 C&e C&eatre where films could be rented, but again was unsuccessful. At last he accepted the hopelessness of continuing with "repeaters," and moved to other parts. Again he took to the road, and for several months followed the beaten paths of former years. Happening to be in Memphis, Tenn., he discovered a man who was preparing to open a picture theatre. Inquiry elicited the information that the films for the house were to be supplied by a house in San Francisco, probably one of the first film exchanges in the country. Montgomery lost no time in returning to Texas, but found that, during his short absence, picture theatres had sprung up in every town of importance. He secured a location in a small town, and there conducted a profitable business, until he felt the appeal for bigger things, when he sold out at a profit and went to Memphis. There he bought out the man who had been preparing a theatre but a year before. The public had not learned to like pictures as yet, and many of the vaudeville houses used motion pictures to "drive" the people out after each performance. Montgomery announced that he would show nothing but pictures. The other amusement men laughed loudly, and then with pitying gestures gravely tapped their foreheads and rolled their eyes. They agreed between themselves that Montgom_ery "was crazy." Here was the beginning of "class and quality" which made the name of Montgomery famous through the South. He reasoned that the people had never seen first class films — that they were accustomed to seeing old films which painfully blurred along with frequent breaks of the blood-curdling events considered so popular in those days. Montgomery began by ordering new films. He bought the best in machines. He dis