Moving Picture World (Jun 1919)

June 21. 1919 THE MOVING PICTURE WORLD 1791 BEACH DEFINES DIRECTOR'S STATUS President of Eminent Wielder of Megaphone THAT American made films will dominate the world, just as American short stories far surpass the output of any other country is the opinion of Rex Beach and Samuel Goldwyn in organizing Eminent Authors Pictures. They have brought together leading writers of American fiction to bring to the screen the same great gifts for telling a story that has made their names features of the fiction periodicals of America. Perhaps the question of the position of the director in Eminent Authors Pictures has created the most immediate comment among exhibitors. Where does he stand, when the adaptation of each narrative is under the supervision of the author? Beach Talks About Directors. To this query, Rex Beach answers: "The best directors today recognize that the story is the dominant thing, and that the author who has achieved great popularity by striking a timely note in fiction must be encouraged to sound the same note of interest and personality in pictures. He welcomes co-operation up to the limit of the author's capacity and that has to do with the writing of the continuity and the titles. In his own field the director is recognized as the artist whose abilities will have the full scope of his genius. What we shall have in Eminent Authors' Pictures is the whole-hearted co-operative effort of the author, director and actor. "And let me say that the new organization is not a boastful one. We do not expect to revolutionize the industry. We do not expect to produce only the most wonderful pictures in the world, than which there is non such. What we can be sure of is that none of the pictures will be badly conceived and poorly done. Each picture will be a special picture, and we are prepared to spend all the time and money necessary to insure its quality. "Ours is a get-together proposition for the mutual benefit of the producer and author and for the tremendous audiences these authors have won by their gift for telling the most vivid and vital stories of life as they see it. "Two things will determine the success of the enterprise, and I believe they are both established facts. One is that the motion picture industry can no longer be divorced from its source of supply — the stories. And the second is that the industry and the art of motion pictures together depend upon the brains and intelligence of creative writers." Clifford A. Carroll Moves from Utica to Pittsfield CLIFFORD A. CARROLL, well known throughout central New York in motion picture enterprises, and more recently as acting manager of the Hippodrome", Utica, and director of W. H. Linton's Theatres, will leave this week for Pittsfield, Mass., where he has accepted a position as treasurer of the Colonial Theatre in that city. For the past seven years Mr. Carroll has been connected with Utica picture interests and was at one time manager Authors Pictures Says Will Have Full Scope of the Douth Street and Corn Hill theatres. During the early part of last summer he was motion picture and dramatic editor of the Utica Saturday Globe. Since 1917 Mr. Carroll has been press agent of Mr. Linton's Hippodrome Theatre in Utica but after the opening of the new Lintonian Theatre, Little Falls, last month became publicity man for both the Hippodrome and Lintonian, as well as private secretary to Mr. Linton. Exhibitors Help to Secure Jobs for Returned Soldiers THE Re-employment Bureau of the City of New York has been established for the purpose of finding jobs for soldiers, sailors and marines. It is a joint undertaking of all welfare organizations of New York and of about eighty mercantile and manufacturing associations and it is backed by the War Department, which has assigned as director of the bureau Major Warren Bigelow. It was believed that centralization was the only way to solve the problem of re-employing soldiers, sailors and marines. If all the jobs are sent to one place and all the discharged service men go to that place, there should be no difficulty in having the right man placed in the right job. The problem is more one of adjustment than anything else. There are lots of jobs in New York and lots of men looking for them, and the problem is to put the man in touch with something he is fitted for and something he likes when he gets it. The necessity for bringing a large volume of jobs into the bureau is manifest from the fact that all the camps and discharge points around New York are sending men to 505 Pearl street. In giving publicity to this movement, the screen in the motion picture theatres in Greater New York and vicinity have been of great value. The co-operation in showing slides and trailers is very much appreciated both by the War De partment and the Re-employment Bureau. Henry Cole, of the Motion Picture Exhibitors' League is ably assisting the bureau in placing slides and trailers and the director desires to say that any courtesy shown him and co-operation given him in this work will be appreciated and will do a great deal toward helping the work along and bringing the job to the place where the soldier comes to find it. Motorists Given Summons to Appear at Metropolitan A NOVEL way of putting the show over was adopted this week by Crandall's Metropolitan Theatre, Washington, D. C, in advertising Alice Joyce in "The Third Degree." A number of cards simulating those used by the police in summoning automobilists who violate the regulations restricting parking time were printed. These cards were used in the same manner as the police cards; that is, the number of the automobile was filled in on the blank line and the card was stuck in the steering wheel. Naturally, the first sight of the card was something of a shock, especially to motorists who knew they had not violated the regulations, and led them to read the cards carefully. While the great majority of the motorists saw the point immediately, it is understood that one or two — probably very familiar with the little cards — gave them but a hasty glance and actually appeared at headquarters where, of course, the joker was pointed out to them. The card read as follows : "Headquarters, Washington, D. C, Summons to Operator of Vehicle, D. C. License No. . You are hereby notified to appear at Crandall's Metropolitan Theatre during week of June 8 to witness Charles Klein's Greatest Play, 'The Third Degree.' Captain Alice Joyce." Major Warren Bigelow. Director of New York City's re-employment bureau. Price of Palm Beach Suits Goes Up in Washington EXHIBITORS of Washington, D. C, who are desirous of having their musicians appear in tuxedos or, in the summer, in palm beach suits, will have to pay $2 a week a man for that extra bit of service. The musicians have recently presented a new wage scale to the managers to sign and this provision is included together with increased rates of pay. Hereafter the theatres that are open all day will have to pay their men $40 a week, the leader getting $58 a week. Formerly the salaries were $50 for the leader and $35 for the men. The day is one of six hours and the union requires that one-fifth of the actual play time shall be for rest. The night houses are those requiring but four hours of play, subject, of course, to the same provision, of one-fifth of the time for rest. They are to pay $23 a' man for a sixday week, an increase of $3 over the old scale, while the leader is to get $34 instead of $28. Where the men are to play on Sundays for six hours, the pay is to be $7 a man additional, giving the men $30 a week and the leader $41. Extra matinees of three hours each are to be charged for at the rate of $3 each, instead of $2 in the old schedule.