Motion Picture News (Jul-Oct 1915)

August 14, 1915. MOTION PICTURE NEWS 81 CUNNINGHAM JOINS BERNSTEIN AT EQUITABLE James B. Cunningham, associated with the motion picture industry for years, and recently connected with Frank Crane at the Peerless studio, has been engaged by the Equitable as first assistant director to Isadore Bernstein, the general director of the company. Mr. Cunningham worked with Mr. Bernstein in the last picture the general director made before he left for California several years ago. He played the lead in "The Vagabond," which Mr. Bernstein directed. It is an interesting coincidence that Mr. Cunningham should be assisting Mr. Bernstein in making the first picture for the Equitable, since his return from the west. "Life's Crucible" is its name. Mr. Cunningham started as a newspaper man in Lexington, Kentucky. He was interested in the stage and left daily work to become a property man. He went through the varying stages to leading man. He was Pathe's leading man for a time, and was with the Republic Company. For the last seven years he has been in and out ■of pictures, and has done a great deal of .scenario writing. AMERICA'S MILLIONAIRE THEATRE IS THE MAJESTIC Featured on the front page of the August 7 issue of the "Big Four , Family," the private house organ published by the V-LS-E for the exclusive use of the Big Four employees, is an article on the Majestic theatre in Detroit, Mich., owned and controlled by about fifty men who represent •over sixty millions of dollars. These men set forth their aims and intentions as regards this theatre, in a four-page pamphlet recently distributed to their patrons. They point out, that the object of the theatre is to present to the people of Detroit the cleanest and best picture plays ; those a whole family can see and enjoy. No expense will be spared they say to make the Majestic theatre the leading feature show house not only of Detroit but of the entire ■country. The fact that V-L-S-E features are the ■only ones showing at the Majestic, and that •every production is exhibited for a solid week, is a monumental testimonial to the keen judgment and producing skill of the Big Four. 7,000 CROWD SAVIN ROCK THEATRE TO SEE EARLE WILLIAMS When hundreds of merry-makers on Independence Day saw Sarle Williams, the lead in the Vitagraph serial, "The ■Goddess," march into the Orpheum theatre, Savin Rock, West Haven, Conn., grip in hand, they made haste to read the banners outside announcing that the star was to appear in person, and then crowded into the mammoth playhouse. They filled all of the thirteen hundred seats and occupying standing room to the very outer door. It js estimated that during the afternoon and evening, at four performances, between 6,500 and 7,000 people saw and heard Mr. Williams. S. A. DeWaltoff, manager of the theatre, made himself popular last week by throwing open the Strand, another Savin Rock house under his control, to a thousand newsboys who were the guests of the local dailies at a monster picnic. HODUPP REPORTS LARGE PATHE BOOKINGS IN CHICAGO V. H. Hodupp, who left Rochester, N. Y., June 1, to assume the management of the Pathe Chicago exchange, reports a remarkable increase in business for Pathe pictures. ; The office on the sixth floor of the Mailer's building is working night and day to keep abreast of the steadily increasing bookings. , "IVORY SNUFF BOX" IS WORLD DETECTIVE FILM The World Film production, "The Ivory Snuff Box," is a thrilling detective story, in contrast to the usual features that are produced under Maurice Tourneur's direction. Holbrook Blinn is the star, and will be seen as a detective who has to do special secret service work for one of the foreign gentlemen. WILLIAM FAENUM, WHO WILL STAR IN "THE BONDMAN," A FOX FEATURE. SAMUEL H. TRIGGER General Chairman, New York Exhibitors' Carnival and Field Day ANOTHER PLAY OF EPIC SWEEP FROM GRIFFITH D. W. Griffith, the master producer, has just decided upon his next multiple reel feature to follow "The Birth of a Nation." Its title is to be "The Mother and the Law." He is now at the Griffith headquarters, the Reliance-Majestic studios in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California. He is in the midst of preparations for the filming of "The Mother and the Law." The plot and the theme other than as indicated in the title have not been announced but will be made known later. Mr. Griffith has, however, selected his cast. Prominent among the Griffith players who are to appear before the camera in "The Mother and the Law" are Mae Marsh, the Griffith actress who will be remembered as Florence Cameron in "The Birth of a Nation;" Robert Harron, who has appeared in the Griffith features, "The Battle of the Sexes," "Judith of Bethula," "The Escape," "The Avenged Conscience" and "Home Sweet Home;" Miriam Cooper, who has a prominent role in "The Birth of a Nation," and Mary Alden, remembered for the performance of the mulatto in "The Birth of a Nation" and as the mother in "The Battle of the Sexes." MURPHY'S EXPERIENCE WITH AUTOS Fred B. Murphy once in a while plays in bad luck. Fortune always smiles on his work for the United Film service exchange in Boston, but when he goes into the automobile field that's something else again, as Mawruss would say, and Fred has just bought an American car; now he's under the weather. He gets around to his office in the morning, but the afternoon sees him resting at home. A MUNICIPALITY MAKES HISTORYIT GIVES BACK MONEY The exhibitors of Attica, Ind., have received a rebate on their city licenses by the city council because the city, which furnishes the electricity from the municipal plant has not given continuous service, and several shows were missed as a result.