Motion Picture News (Oct 1914-Jan 1915)

24 MOTION PICTURE NEWS Vol. 10. No. 25. Pennsylvania Building Code Is Killed Proposed Law Will Probably Never Reach Legislature — Standards Committee Convinces Industrial Board That Mandatory Code Is Unnecessary Special to Motion Picture News Harrisburg, Pa., Dec. 15. GOOD news for present owners and prospective builders of motion picture theatres throughout the state of Pennsylvania is contained in a statement obtained today by the representative of the Motion Picture News from the Department of Labor and Industry, at the capitol, that it is now altogether probable that the proposed law providing a mandatory building code for the construction of motion picture theatres in this state will never be introduced in the Legislature. The Industrial Board of the Department, it is learned, has practically decided to drop the plan for the proposed law which has been so much dreaded by all the motion picture interests of the state. This decision, it was learned, has practically been reached since the Industrial Board, which is a commission appointed by the state authorities to frame legislation concerning matters affecting the work of the Labor Department, has conferred with the Committee on Motion Picture Standards, composed of various representatives of the business. This committee has about convinced the Board that the proposed code is not necessary. This committee on standards includes managers of theatres, building inspectors from Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, film men, insurance people, architects, motion picture operators, labor representatives and others identified closely with the business. At the recent meeting of the Board with the committee the matter of preparing a building law and introducing it in the Legislature, the new session of which starts next month, was talked of, but since then the motion picture men have offered suggestions that, blended in a whole, have constructed a standard that is considered to be as nearly perfect as possible. In the observance of this standard all the important picture interests of the state are said to have agreed, so that a law is hardly necessary. The standard has not yet been prepared as a whole, but it will be made up of the different suggestions and recommendations already made and published in the Motion Picture News, and it will be prepared for the public in the course of the next few weeks. Another meeting of the interests involved will be held at an early date, which has not yet been selected, when the entire scope of the proposed safety arrangements will be gone over, following which it is thought to be practically certain the Industrial Board will abandon the idea of advocating any mandatory legislation on the subject. V. H. Berghaus, Jr. Vitagraph's Policy for the New Year Company Will Release Every Alternate Tuesday and Saturday Three-Part Broadway Star Features on Regular Program FABLES GOES INTO EDISON STOCK Being "the goat" has no terrors for William Fables, for it is due partly to the fact that he is so good a goat that he has been selected for the Edison stock WILLIAM FABLES company of stars — not to say, of course, that Mr. Fables is not also a good actor. In the Edison "Buster Brown" series, Mr. Fables as the wise goat companion of Buster, ever bent on trouble, made more of a hit than Buster himself. That so much humor could be extracted out of so serious an animal as the goat — and still be "life like" — was the surprise of Mr. Fables' quaint art. He also added a new character to the film version of "Fantasma," the Edison feature, as the clown's faithful ally and companion, the goat. ALBANY RESIDENTS FIGHT THEATRE INVASION OF PINE HILLS special to Motion Picture News Albany, N. Y., Dec. 15. Residents of Pine Hills, one of the select locations in Albany, through the Pine Hills Association, have commenced a war against moving picture houses in the residential parts of the city. The board of managers of the association met and unanimously adopted a resolution requesting city officials to hold in abeyance all applications for moving picture permits or licenses that may come before them previous to February 1, 1915. DIRECTOR SEAY IN THE SOUTH Director Charles M. Seay, Edison, with Bessie Learn, Marie Le Manna and Mrs. William Bechtel, has been in Washington and North Carolina for some time filming scenes for a new play of the South. They have been having bad luck with the weather. MARKS SELLS HOLDINGS IN PIERROT Charles Marks has severed connection with the Pierrot Film Company, selling to the corporation all his stock and holdings. IN response to the many suggestions and requests of the exhibitors, the Vitagraph Company has decided to release the ThreePart Broadway Star Features in the regular program on every alternate Tuesday and Saturday, thus giving exhibitors in different localities fair opportunity of booking one of these in their programs. The first releases will be "Two Women" on Tuesday, January 5. The second of these releases, "The Sage Brush Gal," will be on Saturday, January 16, and so on through each month. The second week of January, "The Evil Men Do" will be released on Tuesday, January 19, and "Underneath the Paint" will be released on Saturday, January 30; and so on through each month. All the pictures will be first shown at the Vitagraph theatre, New York City, as for THROUGH its various producing companies, the Alco Film Corporation is mal<ing a series of star releases. Among the many new engagements for the forthcoming season are those of Orrin Johnson and Irene Warfield for B. A. Rolfe Photoplays, Inc. Catherine Countiss, William H. Tooker and Minnie Dupree are recent engagements by the Life Photo Film Corporation. Jane Cowl and Ethel Barrymore have merly, and considerable publicity will continue to appear simultaneously in the daily papers. The operation of both modes of publicity will have the effect of stimulating an interest in patrons of neighborhood houses as well as acquainting the general public with the merits of Vitagraph pictures, which have long maintained a high standard of excellence. The policy of long runs at the theatre of the company has been discontinued, and from now on the pictures will be put on only long enough to serve as an advertising aid to exhibitors. The Monday releases will be changed from a drama to a comedy, making three Vitagraph comedies a week — Monday, Wednesday and Friday. On Saturdays a twopart comedy or drama will be released for booking. been engaged for further productions by the All Star Feature Corporation, while Thomas Jefferson and Adelaide Thurston and Madame Olga Petrova have signed contracts with Popular Plays and Players, Inc. B. A. Rolfe announces the securing of Mrs. Fiske's famous dramatic vehicle "The High Road." Whether Mrs. Fiske herself will appear in her original role cannot be said at present, but Mr. Rolfe expects to make a definite announcement soon. Alco Will Make Series of Star Releases Companies Engage Orrin Johnson, Irene Warfield, Catherine Countiss, William T. Tooker, Minnie Dupree, Jane Cowl and Ethel Barrymore