Motion Picture News (Apr - Jun 1914)

26 THE MOTION PICTURE NEWS issued by the court by June 15, the board will be in a position to begin enforcing the law on that date. Inquiry at the censors' headquarters here to-day brought the information that manufacturers are beginning to submit films for examination ot the censors. The board has passed on several hundred films and is disposing of them at the rate of fifteen or twenty a day at the temporary projecting rooms established in Philadelphia. In about two weeks the board expects to have permanent projecting rooms established. The board has issued a formal statement in which it is said, after repeating its attitude as explained in previous issues of The Motion Picture News, that the fact that some of the manufacturers have united to test the law in the courts "will not prevent the board from passing on other films which may be submitted, and that unless the restraining order is issued by June 15, "any person violating the act will be arrested and fined." V. H. Berghaus, Jr. BRONX OPEN AIR THEATRE RUNNING The "Pictorium Gardens," a new open air motion picture theatre located at 180th street, between Vyse and Daly avenues, the Bronx, New York, opened its doors to the public on June 2. Samuel H. Harris is the manager and his policy is to exhibit feature r)hoto plays of the highest quality, along with a well-selected program. The theatre is equipped with a full orchestra and also a Wurlitzer Unit Orchestra. The house is beautifully decorated and all the latest devices to insure the comfort of the patrons are installed. The admission price is adults, ten cents; children, five cents. The entrance to the theatre is through the Pictorium, and is located two blocks west of the Bronx Park Subway station. SUNDAY QUESTION ARISES IN MISSISSIPPI Special to The Motion Picture News. Natchez, Miss., June 10. Because Sunday baseball has been started here and permission has been asked to operate motion picture theatres, members of the Protestant Ministers' Association have appealed to District Attorney Marion Reilly. A great majority of the people of this city, especially the working class, favor Sunday amusements such as prevail in nearly every other part of this state, and it is understood that if the preachers insist that all the laws be enforced to the letter the district attorney will close all of the cigar, news and confectionery stands and put the "blue laws'" into active operation. 581,000 Feet Condemned by Quebec Censors Annual Report Just Issued — Condemned Pictures Confiscated — Loss of $75,000 to Producers — 11,241,000 Feet of Film Examined. Special to The Motion Picture News. either for the province of Quebec or Montreal, P. Q., June 11. for Canada as a whole. Thus the THE Quebec board of censors have general standard of films submitted issued their report for the year, i.s of a much higher character than and in it they give the following formerly, and is improving all the figures: time. FILMS EXAMINED. "Jt was, perhaps, but to be expect NV^orreels' u.oo'o 'fV. 'each) ^'^^^ ed that censorship work should arouse 11,241, or 11,241,000 ft. a Certain amount of criticism. It is Subfeftf^.°.'^."^.°''.':.''.°°'".*'^"°''8,986 easy to understand this, when the No. of reels 9,399, or 9,399,900 ft. cost of films is taken iiito considera SubjecTs''^.^''°..'^'™."*'.°'"''.''"°'':..506 t.on. Each film condemned means a No. of reel's 1,261 direct loss to the parties submitting '■'° °' PROHIBITEDAS k'wHOLl''''' ^'^ if The films cost an average of 10 Subjects 361 cents a foot or no less than $100 per Reels 581, or 581,000 ft. ^j^^^ q£ jqqq f^g^ During the year The most frequent causes of pro 581 films of 1,000 feet have been re hibition, or of the cutting of films, jected in their entirety, and in addi were immorality, parodies of minis tion 33,528 feet have been eliminated ters and of the mysteries of religion, from authorized subjects, vulgarity, anti-patriotic scenes, repre "These condemned films and scenes sentations of contemporary crime, are not returned, but are kept in the suggestive stories, white slave films, archives of the bureau, thus being and the representation of the passion confiscated. It is calculated that the and of Biblical events for commercial cost of films which have thus been purposes. condemned amounts to no less than "We are glad to be able to an ,$75,000. It will be seen, therefore, nounce," says the report, "that as a that the confiscation of films is a seri result of the firm stand taken by' the ous matter for the companies pre board in regard to suggestive, im scnting them, but the board of cen moral, and other objectionable films, sure has not allowed this considera the film manufacturers and the artists tion to weigh with it for one moment in their employ have come to realize in its task of safeguarding the public that it is useless to spend money morality."' upon the production of such films F. J. Arrowsmith. Photo Drama Supreme in New Orleans It Makes Comic Opera and the "Legitimate" Take Back Seats — Motion Picture Houses Full All the Time Special to The Motion Picture News. New Orleans, June 10. THE final opposition, if such it might be called, to motion pictures has disappeared with the failure of the New Orleans Comic Opera Company. After several weeks of inefifectual efforts to combat the lure of film drama the companj' has disbanded and the members have returned to New York City. With the exception of vaudeville interspersed with films there is no theatre now running in the city. Backed by New Orleans capital a high-grade company was engaged in New York to produce standard comic opera at popular prices during the summer months. The Crescent, one of the two Klaw & Erlanger houses here, was leased and great preparations were made for a big season. The first week the house was practically "papered" and thereafter the management had trouble in getting rid of the passes. After several weeks of expense and high houserent tlie local "angels" decided that they had enough. Backers of the company then hit upon what they believed a solution of the problem. Permission was obtained from the park commissioners to use a building at City Park, the largest of the municipal pleasure grounds, the only return being that the company should give a short concert nightly before the regular performance. This concession was not enough, however, and the company sought the street railways' donation of free transportation and a contribution toward the band. This was refused and the company disbanded. Every motion picture house in the city, however, is in full operation. Though there is a large exodus from the city be.ginning the middle of May and lasting during the summer the film houses declare that they have not felt the difference. On the other hand, more extra-admission performances are being put on each week. R. E. PRrTCHARD.