Motion Picture News (May-Jul 1916)

May 20, 1916. MOTION PICTURE NEWS 3075 Vitagraph Re-organizes with $25,000,000 Capital The Move Does Not Mean a Merger — Blackton Denies That Hampton Is a Stockholder — "We Have Increased Our Capital Stock for the Express Purpose of Making Bigger and Better Pictures," Declares Blackton — Men Prominent in Finance in the New Company THE following announcement was issued last week by J. Stuart Blackton and Albert E. Smith, heads of the Vitagraph Company of America, anent the reorganizaiton of the firm : "We take pleasure in announcing the completion of plans for the formation of a new Vitagraph company, with an authorized capital stock of $10,000,000 preferred and $15,000,000 common. Associated with us in the new company are a number of men of prominence in the financial and business world. "We plan to make the new Vitagraph company larger and more powerful than any other element in the theatrical world. This organization enables us to carry to success productions more artistic and more ambitious than have yet been known to the picture world. We assure exhibitors and patrons an absolutely consistent program of better pictures than have ever been produced." Albert E. Smith. J. Stuart Blackton. The daily press of New York, almost without exception, eagerly seized upon reorganization facts as merger rumors. When the story of the increased capitalization became known, the name of Benjamin Hampton, of the American Tobacco company, was immediately mentioned as one of the prominent stockholders. Commodore Blackton when interviewed by a representative of Motion Picture News following his opening speech at the Board of Trade Exposition, emphatically denied that the reorganization meant merging with other producing companies, and stated that Mr. Hampton held no stock whatsoever in the new Vitagraph. Plans Only to Make Better Pictures "We have increased to a $25,000,000 corporation," said he, "for the express purpose of making better and bigger pictures." "Does this mean the merging of the producing companies of the V-L-S-E?" he was asked. "For the present it concerns only the Vitagraph company," he replied. "Vitagraph needs not the assistance of other companies in the producing end to make pictures. Vitagraph has always been recognized as a reliable company. Our pictures have always been in great demand in the past, in such demand, in fact, that we will increase both our feature and short length output." "Is Mr. Hampton at all interested in the new Vitagraph?" the Commodore was asked. "Mr. Hampton is a tobacso man and not a picture man. He has absolutely no interest in the recapitalized company," was the reply. "Our new stockholders are men backed by sufficient money to insure adequate preparation of each picture we produce. Mr. Smith will still continue to control the business organization of the company while I, as heretofore, will devote my self to the production end." Commodore Blackton would say nothing as to the probable acquisition by Vitagraph of a well known picture actress, on whose services it is believed Mr. Hampton has an option. His only remark in reference to this matter was, "If she comes to us, she will come without Mr. Hampton." The large enrollment of stars under the Vitagraph banner, and the company's remarkably large facilities for picture production insure almost immediate celluloid proof of Commodore Blackton's statements. Aside from its formidable array of picture stars, such as Anita Stewart, Dorothy Kelly, Earle Williams, Edith Storey, Frank Daniels, Charles Richman, Lillian Walker, Joseph Kilgour and Harry Morey; E. H. Sothern and Edna May have only recently joined the Vitagraph THE special convention committee in charge of plans for Sixth National Convention of the Motion Picture Exhibitors' League of America, consisting of W. A. Sweeney, Lewis H. Frank, Fred Schaefer and Fred Hartman, have been attending the two trade shows being held in New York. Their object in making the trip to New York is to get first-hand impressions of the problems being met by the management of these entertainments, and to interest Eastern concerns in the convention to be held in Chicago July 10 to 18. glllllllHIIIIUIIIIIIIIlllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllHIHIIIIIIHIIIIIIIIIIIIUIIIUIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIHIIIUIIIIUII^ I SEATTLE "TIMES" WILL PUBLISH | I DAILY BIOGRAPHIES FROM | I "NEWS" DIRECTORY | I NUMBER I I Permission for the right to republish | I the page, half-page, and quarter page | I biographies of photoplayers, directors | I and writers, appearing in Studio Di | I rectory Number of Motion Picture | I News, dated January 29, has been | I asked by George Bellman, photoplay | I editor of the Seattle "Times." Inas | I much as this number was prepared for 1 I the sole purpose of distributing this | I information, the request was immedi = I ately granted. | I Mr. Bellman will use one of these | I biographies in his department every | I day. "This follows the republishing of | I the smaller biographies which ap | i peared in this number, under an al | I phabetical classification. These for a | I time seemed sufficient, then came re | 1 quests from readers of the department | I for additional information concerning | I this or that player, and the result was | I that Mr. Bellman decided to carry the 1 I most complete biographies that have | I ever been published. | luiiuuiiiiuiiniiiiiiwiiiiwomuumniiuiinuiHitMimigim company. Mr. Sothern and Miss May have been cast in pictures of the special feature class. The plans for the company's future productions are still in preparation but it is a certain fact that the trade may look forward to some unususally large and pretentious features from the Vitagraph plant. Commodore Blackton will continue along the Preparedness line so successfully launched by his company in "The Battle Cry of Peace" by shortly beginning the filming of the "Battle Cry of War," its sequel. The immense production plants of the Vitagraph, including the three in the United States, the one in Paris and the one in London, insure a likely increase in the company's production of corresponding magnitude to the increase in capitalization. This Chicago convention, which promises to eclipse anything ever attempted along these lines, will be held in the Coliseum, where the convention of the Republican National Committee will take place a few weeks before. The Republican committee has promised to leave their decorations, costing over $20,000, for the use of the Exhibitors' convention. This will insure the finest and costliest lot of decorative material ever used in a moving picture trade show. There are 31,000 square feet of space in the Coliseum, not including the balconies. The executive committee has made arrangements for special railroad rates for those attending the convention. A large number of screen stars have already promised to attend. COURSE TICKETS FOR NEW GEORGE KLEINE SERIAL Exhibitors in many of the big cities where "Gloria's Romance," the new twentychapter George Kleine motion picture novel is booked, are arranging to offer their patrons special course tickets for the entire twenty chapters of the big Rupert Hughes story. For instance, houses that customarily charge 15 cents admission and for which the patron would ordinarily have to pay $3 for the full twenty admissions to the theatre during the run of "Gloria's Romance," can secure a "season ticket," good for the entire twenty feature chapters of the tale at $2.50. Ten-cent houses are making a corresponding reduction and offering their patrons "season tickets" at $1.50 apiece, thus cutting the total admission for the full twenty performances from $2. The plan is meeting with great favor, and already thousands of the "season tickets" are being sold. National Committee in New York for Exhibition Men in Charge of Plans for the Sixth Exposition of the League, in the East Studying the Entertainments for Suggestions — Special Railroad Rates to Chicago