Motion Picture News (Oct 1914-Jan 1915)

112 ACCESSORY NEWS SECTION Vol. 10. No. 26. tres $100,000 Terre Haute House In Operation ■"PHE new American theatre at Terre Haute, Ind., which was A built by the American Theatre Company, of Terre Haute, of which Maurice Less is the manager, at an approximate cost of $100,000, and which opened Christmas eve, is one of the finest motion picture theatres in the State of Indiana. The policy of the house will be five, ten and fifteen cents. Parquet boxes will be reserved one hour for each performance in advance. Special feature productions will be run. The theatre was designed by Mr. Less, who made every effort to build it as near fireproof as possible, and it contains a large number of exits. The theatre is in Wabash avenue and has a frontage of fifty feet in Wabash avenue and is 162 feet deep. It is two stories high and seats 1,050. The balcony has a drop of twenty-five boxes on each side fiom the stage to the rear of the auditorium, which are convenient to the parquet floor. The seats in the boxes will be individual cane chairs, while the rest of the seats will be upholstered in leather. The boxes will seat eight and ten persons. The two stairways leading from the foyer to the balcony are marble and all partitions in lobby and foyer are marble from the ceiling to the floor. A very novel idea is carried out in the lobby. Between the pilasters are flower boxes bedded in front of mirrors which are encased in panel frame with festoon hangings. A ten thousand-dollar pipe organ with an echo has been installed and a ten-piece orchestra will be used in connection. The screen is 14,i^ feet by 18j4. A woman's retiring room and a children's room are on the second floor while the men's smoking room is in the basement. The lobby is twenty-two feet deep and leads into a foyer ten feet deep by forty-five feet long. Suspended over the main entrance and studded with five hundred incandescent globes is a beautiful marquee. The theatre will be lighted by its own electric light plant and the interior will be profusely lighted and fittingly arranged with fancy and decorated chandeliers containing clusters of globes. The sidewalk, which is marble, extends the full length of the front of the theatre. West Coast Theatre Concern Plans Expansion THE recent success of the plans of the Turner & Dahnken Circuit for securing additional working capital for contemplated extensions to its circuit of moving picture houses has resulted in the incorporation of the Turner & Dahnken Controlling Co., with a capital stock of $2,500,000. The incorporators are J. T. Turner, F. Dahnken, C. L. Langley, E. B. Johnson and J. A. Buck. This concern now conducts seven large houses located at San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley, Alameda, Richmond, San Jose and Sacramento, and at an early date will open another at Watsonville. It is planned to have a new house at Oakland within a year and preliminary arrangements are being made for entering new fields, with Los Angeles and Portland the first to receive attention. It is possible that this concern may also enter the producing business, but this step has not been decided upon. Large Photo Play House Planned for Lexington TENTATIVE plans for opening in Lexington another big motion picture theatre here have been practically completed. Louisville and Indianapolis motion picture theatre men and John D. Maguire, of that city, are promoting the enterprise which will be located in the Maguire Building at the northwest corner of Main street and Broadway. A long lease has been taken on the building which is just now being remodeled with the intention of making it the most attractive movie house in the State, outside of Louisville. Plans for the complete remodeling of the building will be prepared by B. X. Murphy & Bro., Louisville architects. One of the novel ideas to be incorporated in the new motion pictiire theatre is the doing away with stationary seats and installing round tables on the main floor around which four chairs will be arranged so that patrons of the house may enjoy a lunch or fountain drinks while witnessing the performance. It is stated that houses with this feature are popular in New York and Paris and it is the intention to copy the idea as carried out in these cities. Theatres Here and There EDWARD J. BUTTERMORE, of Scottdale, Penn., has assumed the management of both the Olympic and the New Empire motion picture theatres in Connellsville, Pa. Mr. Buttermore was particularly successful with the theatrical and moving picture ventures in Scottdale and brings to his new position the fruits of 10 years' experience. The fronts of both the Pittsburgh street houses are being remodeled and when this work is completed they will compare with any in town. Mr. Buttermore is negotiating for exclusive rights to some of the best films produced. A new motion picture theatre, embodying in architectural design, features entirely original in the South, is to be opened at 1501 Elm street, Dallas, Tex., about the latter part of January. P. G. Cameron has secured a long lease on the property which is owned by the Drake estate, and will expend between $20,000 and $25,000 in improvements. The location is just east of Akard street, on the south side of Elm, and Architect I. A. Walker has already completed the plans. The entire dimensions of the theatre will be about 25 x 100 feet, and it will have a seating capacity of 400 or more. Nicholas Carries has leased a moving picture theatre in Ossining, N. Y. Mr. Carries has taken possession of the picture house. The theatre is one of the largest in Ossining and seats nearly 1,000 people. The lease is to run for five years. Mr. Carries owns a chain of shoe shining parlors in Beacon, Newburgh and Poughkeepsie. Hagel Bros, are making progress on the new McClintick Theatre they are erecting in the 3100 block South Adams street, Peoria, 111. It will be strictly modern and up-to-date in every way. Films Arrive Before Theatre Is Finished In order to have the building completed by the opening of the Exposition, a night shift of eighteen men is working on the construction of the new Cabrillo Theatre, San Diego, Cal. Manager R. E. Hicks, of the Plaza Company, which will control the Cabrillo, had intended having the theatre in operation November 1, but the delay in construction prevented him doing so. The equipment for the Cabrillo and even the films to be shown have been arnving daily, Hicks having made complete arrangements for the opening. The films have been returned, but the electrical apparatus, photoplayer, seatSj and ventilation system are now stored ready for use as soon as the building is completed. Day and night shifts will be employed and work rushed until the theatre is ready for occupancy. The name of the Star theatre, Bangor, Me., is to be changed to the Park Theatre, under its new management, The Bangor Amusement Co., Stephen Bogrett, local director. Alterations and improvements are now in progress and the house will be opened about January 1 with high class photoplays. Milford, Mass., is to have another moving picture place in the upper story of the new $10,000 block which G. ladale is erecting on East Main street, and for which Architect Frank Hughes drew the plans.