Views and Film Index (1910)

$2.00 r^n Ar lIOI iON FiCTURE ■ ■ - sciajCEa Yfal SINGLE COPIES' FIVE CENTS VOL. V. No 7 NEW YORK, FEBRUARY 12, 1910 Whole No PUBLISHED EVERY WEEK BY THE FILMS PUBLISHING CO., 1 MADISON AVENUE, NEW YORK FILM SERVICE CONVENTION Association of Licensed Exchange Men Hold Three Days’ Session In New York — Discuss Many Trade Questions and Enjoy Successful Social Session — Will Hold Midsummer Meeting In Detroit For a social organization the Film Service Association seems to have acquired a sub¬ stantial grasp of the business end of the M. P. game during the past year. It was gen¬ erally predicted, you will remember, that its . functions had been so emasculated by the form:ation of the Motion Picture Patents Company that its usefulness as an organization practical¬ ly ended a year ago. At least that was the assumption of the pessimists. Since then the ! leaders of the organization seem to have found i some reason for its existence besides meeting for a good time, and insist that they have some¬ thing to show tor their efforts besides badges and banquets. I The second annual meeting under the new 1 dispensation of the association occurred at the I Imperial Hotel, New York City, on January 28, 29 and 30, and was well attended, the followI ing members being represented : Western Film Exchange, St. Louis, Joplin and Milwaukee— J. R. Freuler. Vitagraph Company, New York — William T. f Rock. I Lake Shore Film & Supply Company, Cleve! land, O. — E. Mandelbaum. i Actograph Company, New York — Mr. C. F. Harrington. j Imported Film & Supply Company, New Ori leans. La. — J. E. Pearce. Greater New York Film Exchange, New York — Louis Rosenbluh, and William Fox. Pittsburg Calcium Light & Film Co., Pitts¬ burg, Pa. — J. B. Clark. Pittsburg Calcium Light & Film Co., Roches¬ ter, N. Y. — E. M. Saunders, j Pittsburg Calcium Light & Film Co., Wilkes' barre. Pa. — Mr. W. W. Shirley. I Pittsburg Calcium Light & Film Co., Cin} cinnati, Des Moines and Omaha, R. A. Rowland, of Pittsburg, Pa. Ohio Film Exchange, Columbus, Ohio — Mr. J. W. Melchoir. United Film Exchange, Cleveland, O. — Ed! ward Kohl. Kleine Optical Company, New York and Branches — J. E. Willis. Miles Brothers, New York — J. R Miles and H. T. Edwards. Miles Brothers, Boston, Mass. — Joseph Mack. Miles Brothers, Baltimore, Md. — J. C. Weidman. Miles Brothers, San Francisco, Cal. — Herbert E. Miles. Yale Film Exchange, Kansas City, Mo. — A. D. Fllntom. Alfred Weiss Film Exchange, New York — Alfred Weiss. Electric Film Supply Company, Philadelphia, Pa. — Harry Schwalbe. Imperial Film Exchange, New York — William Steiner. Imperial Film Exchange, Troy, N. Y. — Lee Langdon. Imperial Film Exchange, Washington, D. C. — ■ Tom Moore. Pearce & Scheck, Baltimore, Md. — Marion Pearce and Phillip Scheck. Swaab Film Service, Philadelphia, Pa. — Louis Swaab. P. L. Waters, New York. Howard M. P. Exchange, Boston, Mass. — Prank H. Howard. Dliquesne Film P^xchange, Pittsburg, Pa. — Mr. Warner. National-Vaudette Film Exchange, Detroit, Mich. — Phil Gleichman and A. J. Gilligham. Lubin Film Exchange, Philadelphia, Pa.— • Robert Etris. Twin City Calcium Light and Film Co., Min¬ neapolis, Minn. — C. E. VanDuze. Peoples Vaudeville Company, New York^ — D. B. Bernstein. Progressive Film Exchange, Ogden, Utah — W. W. Hodgkins. C. A. Calehuff, Philadelphia, Pa. Buffalo Film Exchange, Buffalo, N. Y. — J. A. Schuchert. Columbia Film Exchange, Pittsburg, Pa. — R. A. Rowland. Montana Film Exchange, Butte, Mont. — Prank T. Bailey. Spokane Film Exchange, Spokane, Wash. — ■ Prank T. Bailey. Theatre Film Exchange, Birmingham, Ala. — A. R. Boone. H. Lieber Exchange, Indianapolis, Ind. — Rob¬ ert Lieber. Opening Session. The first session of the convention was called to order, by President A. J. Gilligham at 3.30 o’clock Friday afternoon. All officers were present. Under the report of committees the executive committee called the attention of the members present to the concession granted to licensed exhibitors in the mat¬ ter of the return of film. This concession amounts to 20 per cent, of the amount leased and is to cover the loss from breakage while the film is in use. The executive committee held that it was granted as a result of the efforts of the officers of the associa¬ tion and that credit should be given to the associa¬ tion. (Continued on page 3.) McQuade Rambunctious, Hammers Independents • Exposes Practice of Stealing “Licensed” Posters — Puts One, Markowitz, Straight — Also Digs Up Some Good News James S. McQuade. HE abuse of posters by some licensed ex¬ hibitors is just now receiving the attention of manufacturers and exchanges in Chi¬ cago. Just recently it was discovered that the managers of several theatres were making a practice of securing posters of films which were not included in their service, but which their nearby competitor had rented at considerable outlay. These dishonest exhibitors obliterate the title of the film and the manufacturer’s trade mark, retaining the picture only and painting the sign, “Here to-day,’’ across the top. And they always contrive to have a film run off that looks somewhat like the real subject, such film being an old release that has been rented at a small figure from their exchange. Twofold Evil of the Practice. The twofold evil of this practice is at once apparent, It is a deliberate fraud on the patrons of the offending theatre and it works a heavy loss on the nearby competing house, which has installed a superior service. An exhibitor who is showing first run subjects and paying a big rental price for them is deprived of the patron¬ age that is justly his by the unscrupulous man¬ ager across the street, or a block away, whose service costs only a fraction of what the other man pays. But the nearsightedness of the guil¬ ty ones shows that they are poor business men, as well as dishonest. It will not take a long time for their patrons to “get wise,” and then their wrong-doing will re-act like a boomerang. Empty houses will follow, and “Theatre for Sale” will be the final sign hung out in front. But it is not the intention to allow these of¬ fending theatres to die a natural death. Ways and means of a drastic nature are being consid¬ ered, whereby these sly gentlemen will be brought to book and taught that honesty is the best policy. It must be said, in justice to exhib¬ itors as a class, that very few, comparatively, have resorted to the practice in question, and these few must shortly become “good,” or be weeded out. Surgical Operations Viewed on Screen. It was my privilege, one evening last week, to view a series of remarkable surgical opera¬ tions performed at a private exhibition, in George Kleine’s studio, at 52 State street; but it was by means of moving pictures, taken by an Urban producer some time ago in one of the great London hospitals. The photography throughout the entire series was perfect — as, in(Continued on page 5.)