Exhibitors' Times (May-Sep 1913)

EXHIBITORS' TIMES 31 SMALLEY HAS REAL MUSIC WITH HIS PICTURES. Phillips Smalley is such a stickler for realism that he has adfcpted genuine music for all cafe scenes that he will take in the future. The Universal director recently tried the real thing, and he says he finds it advantageous in more than one particular. In the first place music gives the right atmosphere and assured dancers an even step. Then, too, it costs no more to employ musicians than to get actors to fake the music. PHOTO-PLAYERS IN TEST OF DARING. Miss Margarita Fischer recently was put to a test of bravery in leading Director Turner's company of photo-players over a narrow path across the peak on Dead Man's Island near San Pedro. To traverse this, it was necessary in some places for the picture folk to crawl on their hands and knees, the path often narrowing to not more than a foot and a half in places. Below on either side are jagged rocks and a wrong move would have meant a fall of one hundred feet to death. Miss Fischer was followed by Miss Helen Taft. Robert Leonard, Joseph Singleton and Director Turner. It was late in the afternoon, and there were two scenes to be taken to complete a fisherman story. It would have taken an hour to get to the next location by boat, so the hazardous journey was determined on. GOAT MOTHERS UNIVERSAL LION CUB. A goat nursing a lion whelp was the unusual sight that greeted residents of Universal City last week. It was the method employed to save the life of Bill, one of the three lions born at Universal City. The climate so affected the baby lion that it was fast nearing the end. Henry Saunders, one of the greatest animal trainers in the United States, prescribed goat's milk. So cowboys captured a motherly nanny grazing on a mountain side and rushed her to the lion cage. The goat took kindly to her new charge and yielded her milk. Trainer Saunders, who is to remain at Universal City to take charge of the scores of animals that are on their way to be featured in Universal pictures, says the baby lion now is in perfect health. "RUBBERNECK" WAGONS TAKE TOURISTS AROUND UNIVERSAL CITY. All Universal City needed to make it a sure "honest-to-goodness" metropolis, was a tourist automobile service. This is now provided through the recent action of the newly elected municipal officers of the world's only motion picture city. In the accompanying illustration, our artist has sought to show the thrills that wait the patrons of the "rubberneck" service, while viewing the beauties of the San Fernando Valley. Nowhere else on earth can the tourist enjoy a corresponding number of thrills, while reclining luxuriously in a rapidly moving auto-bus. Here a weeping heroine is rescued in the nick of time from a desperate Mexican villain; there a tremendous conflict is being waged between boys in blue and a party of red-skins; while at another corner of the town, sportive cowboys are shooting up the frontier settlement. And all these are merely incidents in the daily life of the motion picture artists employed in the new muncipality of Universal City. It is expected that the automobile sight-seeing trip to the picture town will be incorporated in the itinerary of every visitor to Los Angeles. "MAYOR OF CITY ISLAND," IN VICTOR MARINE FILM. City Island, on Long Island Sound, one of the most interesting spots in all of Greater New York, is the locale of the latest Victor motion picture "Marooned." It abounds in century-old relics of sea-faring days, and numbers among its residents the quaint old salt Captain Murphy, who is widely known as "The Mayor of City Island." Director James Kirkwood took his entire Victor Company to this quaint corner of New York last week, and after much persuasion, induced Captain Murphy to pose for one of the characters. The company waited on City Island until 7:15 p. m., to enable Tony Gaudio, the expert camera man, to photograph a wonderful sunset effect. Tony, with thoughts of the fine home-cooked supper that he was missing, got a little nervous, and vigorously expressed the opinion that if Old Sol had the instincts of a gentleman, he would set at 4 o'clock. Director Kirkwood told him that he ought to be glad that the company was not working in Norway, where the sun does not set all summer long. INFORMATION WANTED. Mr. E. G. Ekdal writes to the "N. Y. Times": "It seems appalling what a number of new motion picture places have sprung up within the past year, a large percentage of which do nothing but degrade rather than educate the mind. And this is allowed to continue. Is there any reason why the city cannot build and operate, at a profit, motion picture theatres where the young children especially could be taught subjects which they really ought to know about, or is it too late." The demand of the correspondent of the "New York Times" for public motion picture theatres is, we think, a rational one. No doubt they will come in time. We might suggest that the unused barn on Central Park West called the New Theatre, should be adopted to motion pictures and thrown open to the public. Being unused it is useless. Mr. Ekdal should be more specific in his charges, that a large percentage of motion pictures are degrading rather than educational. TEACH THE BIBLE BY MOTION PICTURE FILMS. A three months' successful experiment of teaching the Bible by motion pictures has just ended at the University Congregational Church. During that time dozens of picture plays of a religious nature, scenes from the Holy Land, and the city slums were thrown on the screen and their lessons explained to the children. "We believe that children learn better through the eye than through the ear," said the Rev. Oscar C. Helming, the pastor, after closing for the summer the theatre which was built in the Sunday school room in strict conformity to city ordinances. "While the films have not been all that we desired, we expect better ones next year. We not only have increased the attendance, but the older children are staying. They are interested." SPOTLIGHT ON EDWIN AUGUST. Edwin August's popularity with the theatre-going public was demonstrated the other night in Los Angeles. Ben Lind had just finished the rendition of the song, "Nobody Loves a Fat Man," at the Orpheum, when the spotlight was turned on the Universal leading man, and Lind sang, "Why I Not Like That Man?" Mr. August was compelled to bow a dozen times in recognition of the applause that followed. Universal Engages Bernstein. The Universal Film Manufacturing Company announces the engagement of Mr. Isidore Bernstein, as manager of their Pacific Coast Studios at Hollywood, Los Angeles, California. Mr. Bernstein ISIDORE BERNSTEIN [Universal] severed his connection with the Monopole Film Company to take up this position. He has previously been connected with the Republic and Yankee Film Companies, and has also been an Exhibitor and an Exchange man. Before entering the motion picture field he servedi fourteen years on the "Christian Herald," and was also superintendent of the Boys' Institute, an educational and charitable organization.