Views and Film Index (1910)

2 THE FILM INDEX. f Published by THE FILMS PUBLISHING CO. (Incorporated) No. 1 Madison Avenue, New York City Booms 6007-6008 Tel. Gramerey 6538 JAMES L. HOFF, ManaKins Editor CHICAGO OFFICE ; 401 Ashland Block. ’Phone, Central 2061 JAMES S. McQTJAIlE, Representative SUBSCBIPTION BATES— One year, $2.00 ; six months, $1.00 ; three months’ trial, 50c. ; single copies, 5c, Postage prepaid to all countries in Postal Union. FOBEIGN SUBSCBIPTIONS— $2.50 per annum. All subscriptions payable in advance. INFORMATION FOR ADVERTISERS ADVEBTISING BATES Whole Page 111^ x 9 • • Half 5\ X 9 . . One-Third “ 3?Ix9.. Quarter " 2Jix9-. Eighth ■■ lJix9.. One Inch, single column $84.00 . 42.00 . 28.00 . 21-00 10.50 . 2 00 Discounts on Time Contracts— 5* on three months ; 104 on six months ; 204 on one year. SPECIAL NOTICE, The foregoing schedule of advertising rates is suspended indefinitely from this date. Write for new trial rates; they will interest yon. CLASSIFIED ADVEBTISING— “For Sale,” “Help Wanted,” etc.. 3c. per word; minimum. $1.00 onetime. Situ¬ ations Wanted,’’ notto exceed four lines, 25c., one time. Cash must accompany all orders for classified advertising. _ SPECIAL NOTICE Copy and Instructions for advertising must reach the publication office not later than Wednesday, to insure insertion the same week. _ BEMITTANCES should be made by express or postal order, check, or registered letter. Cash sent otherwise is at the risk of the sender. MAY 21, 1910. LITTLE TRUST ORGANIZED Alas for the “independent” movement. ’Tis now a thing of the past. The Film Index is advised by its Chicago correspondent that the Moving Picture Sales Company agreement was endorsed by a ma.iority vote of the alliance in session at the LaSalle Hotel and that it will henceforth govern the conduct of the unlicensed manufacturers and exchanges. By the provisions of this agreement, which is printed in full on another page, all “indepen¬ dence” is signed away when the exchange accepts its terms. Standing orders are required and all subjects up to the number of 21 reels must be purchased from the Sales Company. Only when the Sales Company is unable to provide the 21 reels required by the exchange may film be purchased elsewhere. There is to be no swapping of film between exchanges and film sold the exchange is for rent¬ al purposes only. Neither may the exchange alter the marks on the film purchased from the Sales Company, or affix marks of its own, or “dupe” film. Thus, it will be seen, that by signing the Sales Company agreement the “independent” ex¬ change abrogates all its ancient privileges and prerogatives and becomes, as the Litle Giant of Kenosho would express it, “the cat’s paw of the manufacturers.” But there is still hope for the Simon pure “independent.” Max Lewis and two others have been summarily fired from the alliance. Upon them will fall the duty of holding aloft the sacred gonfalon of the “independents.” Where there’s life there’s hope. President of the United States and other government officials were present in Washington at an exhibition called “The Last Great Indian Council,” and that was planned and carried out to depict the glamour and ceremony of one of the ancient rites of a vanished race. It was not an entertainment in the strictly modern sense of the word, but. was conducted under the auspices of the Commissioner of Indian Affairs, the films having been obtained at a pow-wow of all the Indian chiefs of the country held in Montana last summer. This is but one of the many ways in which moving pictures may serve an educational purpose that will enhance their value a hundredfold. Further testimony along this line is given by the Philadelphia Inquirer which says: A good deal of the complaint against our present curriculum is based on the fact that children have a lot of text books and are made to pore over details which are confusing. Probably physical geography is one of the most hated studies on the list, al¬ though it is essential, considering that It includes the germs of most of the natural sciences. It is easy to see how a set of films could be prepared which would give children an excellent understanding of the fundamentals of astronomy, geology, zoology and his¬ tory, although naturally some still slides would need to be employed. Children would remember these pic¬ tures much better than the rather heavy language of many of the text books. They would have a live in¬ terest, and if a good lecturer talked with the pic¬ tures much good would result. One-half hour a day thus devoted to special studies would leave more time for the fundamentals and would not only please the children, but give them lasting information. Nowadays it is common for people to abuse the moving picture craze. Rather, they should see what opportunities are open for the instruction of their children. “ROOSEVELT” GREAT BOX OFFICE MAGNET Through the courtesy of Turner & Dahnken, of San Francisco, Cal., we are permitted to print a particuiarly gratifying appreciation of the “Roosevelt In Africa” pictures: April 2.6, 1910. Messrs. Turner and Dahnken, Sacramento, Cal. Gentlemen: We wish, through you, to congratulate the Motion Picture Patents Co., who are responsible for the production of the “Roosevelt in Africa,” pic¬ ture. The picture did for us a most phenomenal bus¬ iness being shown to 5,000 school children on Saturday, April 23, up to 12 o’clock. Was seen and indorsed by both press and clergy, and highly commended by the general public. I can safely say that it Is the greatest box office magnet I have ever had the pleasure to run. Sig., C. W. GODARD, Mgr., Grand Theatre. Sacramento, Cal. This testimonial from the Coast is particularly pleasing because one prominent exhibitor in that part of the country has written us that the pic¬ tures were a “great frost” with him. We ven¬ ture the opinion that in no case where the “Roosevelt In Africa” pictures were properly presented did they fail to give complete satisfac¬ tion to the public and produce adequate returns to the theatre manager. EDISON LOBBY DISPLAYS The Edison Manufacturing Company has taken up the matter of lobby displays in the most ef¬ fective form thai has yet been presented. Four different styles of picture frames of artistic con¬ struction have been designed, three containing the photographs of the twelve principal players of the Edison Stock Company and one of Mile. Pilar Morin, the celebrated French pantomimist. The gratifying feature about the Edison lobby pictures is that the names of the players are on the frames, thus making the feature effective. A picture of a player without his or her name appended, comes just short of giving the public the information it wants, in fact, the player’s picture in a frame -without the name is no ad¬ vantage over the picture on the screen. The Edi¬ son Company seems to have recognized this and supplied the desired information. SEES GREAT FIELD FOR PICTURES Commenting upon the rapid development of motion pictures in America the American Culti¬ vator of Boston, Mass., sees a great opportunity for the future of that industry. Among other things it says: It is likely, however, that as time goes on moving pictures will come to be something more than a mere casual diversion for the whiling away of time. They may be made records of manners and customs and etents that will possess a vivid accuracy and per¬ manency utterly beyond the possibility of written or printed historical documents. The other evening the COLLIER GOES TO ST. LOUIS John Collier of the National Board of Cen¬ sorship for motion pictures, will attend the Na¬ tional convention of Civic Societies at St. Louis, Mo., for the purpose of presenting to that con¬ vention the aims and objects of the hoard and to direct attention to the possibilities of motion pictures from an educational standpoint. Mr. Collier has made a deep study into the matter of utilizing pictures for educational purposes and is ivell equipped to present the subject. OPERATORS’ BILL PASSES ^ The bill to amend the charter of the City of New York to provide for the licensing operators of motion picture projecting machines has been passed by both houses of the legislature at Albany, and awaits the approval of Mayor Gay-i nor and the signature of Governor Hughes be¬ fore it becomes a law. The text of the bill is as follows: Section 1. The Greater New York charter, as re¬ enacted by chapter four hundred and sixty-six of the laws of 1901, is hereby amended by adding, after sec¬ tion 529, a new section, to be section 529-a thereof, to read as foilows: “Section 529-a. It shall not be lawful for any per-j son or persons to operate any moving picture appa-j ratus and its connections in the city of New York] unless such person or persons so operating such appa-i ratus is duly licensed as hereinaher provided. Any] person desiring to act as such operator shall makel aplication for a license to so act to the commissioner! of water supply, gas and electricity of the city of New York who shall furnish to each applicant blank forms of application which the applicant shall fill out. The commissioner of water suply, gas and electricity shall make rules and regulations governing the ex¬ amination of applicants and the issuance of licenses and certificates. The applicant shall be given a prac-‘ tical examination under the direction of the commis-1 sioner of water supply, gas and electricity and ifi found competent as to his ability to operate moving' picture apparatus and its connections shall receive within six days after such examination a license as herein provided. Such license may be revoked or sus-' pended at any time by the comm ssioner of water sup-' ply, gas and electricity. Every license shall con-' tinue in force for one year from the date of issue' unless sooner revoked or suspended. Every license." unless revoked or suspended as herein provided, may: at the end of one year from the date of issue thereol be renewed by the commissioner of water supply, gas and electricity in his discretion upon application anc with or without further examination as said com¬ missioner may direct. Every application for renewal of license must be made within the thirty days pre¬ vious to the expiration of such license. With every license granted there shall be issued to every persor obtaining such license a certificate, made by the commissioner of water supply, gas and electricity oi such other officer as such comission may designate certifying that the person named therein Is duly au-* thorized to operate moving picture apparatus anc its connections. Such certificate shall be displayecj in a conspicuous place in the room where the per¬ son to whom it is issued operates moving picture' apparatus and its connections. No person shall be eligible to procure a license unless he shall be a citizen of the United States and of full age. Any. person offending against the provisions of this section ^ as well as any person who employs or permits a per¬ son not licensed as herein provided to operate mov-, ing picture apparatus and its connections, shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction; thereof shall be punished by a fine not exceeding the] sum of one hundred dollars or imprisonment for 8; period not exceeding three months, or both, in the discretion of the court. Sec. 2. This act shall take effect immediately. PRESCOTT’S NEW THEATRE Enlarged Electric Theatre Will Be the Finest Pic¬ ture House in Territory Work has been commenced on the extension oi the Electric picture theatre, Prescott, Arizona and the improvements will require about twc months to complete. When finished and opened for business, it is believed that the new Electric will be the finest picture theatre in the Terrh tory. As outlined, the new theatre will be muct more commodious than the present one. i penny arcade will occupy the front of the build! ing, covering a space of 20x40 feet. Back oi this the main hall will be located, with a large increase in the seating capacity over presen'accommodations. Three aisles will course through this place, and in addition there will be placed 150 new opera chairs. The stage will h' moved farther to the rear and will also be enlarged, having a depth of twenty feet, witl thirty-four feet across. The main seating hal by this change will be 30x70 feet, and two boxei of a seating capacity of six people each, will alse ornament the theatre room. The addition to the building by the new worl going on will he seventy more feet in depth running from the street front to the full line o the alley in the rear. Another important matte^ is the system of exits, which will permit of easj access, and no fear need be entertained in caS' of an accident, which latter is improbable.