Motion Picture News (Jul-Aug 1916)

1090 MOTION PICTURE NEWS Vol. 14. No. 7 POPULAR PLAYS AND PLAYERS INSTALL THEIR OWN LABORATORY The Popular Plays and Players, a producing company releasing on the Metro program, with such stars as Mme. Petrova and Edmund Breese, have just installed their own laboratory at the studio in Thirty-fifth street. It is one of the most complete laboratories in a New York studio. Amos Stillman has been placed in charge of the new laboratory. He was one of the first laboratory men engaged by the Vitagraph Company in Brooklyn about ten years ago, and has been associated with some of the best known experts in the industry. Harry Revier, supervising director at the studio, is also an expert on laboratory work. Open Booking Policy Is Liked by V-L-S-E Houses Efficiency of the Plan in Meeting Any and to Greater Advantage, According to THE efficiency of the open booking policy of the V-L-S E in meeting any and all conditions, has never been demonstrated to greater advantage, according to the officials of the V-L-S-E, than since the inception of the epidemic of infantile paralysis in New York and Brooklyn. In announcing the policy. General Manager Walter W. Irwin declared that the value of each film play to a theatre must necessarily rest in part upon the market of that house — its location, its environment, the class of its patronage and other influences. Van Loan at Work on Novelization of " Liberty " Head of Universal Publicity Department Journeys to Albuquerque, New Mexico, for Local Color and to Study Types Seen in the Serial HH. VAN LOAN, head of the Univer• sal eastern publicity department, is at present at work on the novelization of the new Universal serial, " Liberty." In order to secure local color for the novelization Mr. Van Loan visited Albuquerque, New Mexico, where he came in close touch with characters and places, the counterparts of which are to be seen in " Liberty." On his arrival in Albuquerque, ]\Ir. Van Loan was received by Phil Le Noir, Secretary of the Commercial club there, who escorted him to the many points of interest about the city. Mr. Van Loan believes that by coming in such close contact with the identical places around which the picture " Liberty " is woven, he will be able to instil into his story of the serial a greater amount of realism and local color than he would have been able to obtain otherwise. He personally interviewed Felipe Obey, an old inhabitant of Albuquerque, who furnished a great deal of material for the first chapter of " Liberty." The church of San Felipe, which is two hundred years old, and which is mentioned in the novelization of " Liberty," was also visited by Mr. Van Loan, who thus gained thorough intimacy with its various details of architecture. Mr. Van Loan also secured a photograph of the old church, the first one ever taken of its interior. Francisco de la Luz, an old Pueblo, furnished Mr. Van Loan with a lot of material for his story. The accompanying picture is the first one ever taken of the oldest inhabitant. Pedro Trujillo, a ferocious looking old peon, was another native visited by the author, and he was such a type that it was decided to use him as a model for the Pedro of the story. Quick, Snappy Work by Gaumont in Getting Explosion Scenes Mitchell Goes Down New York Harbor with Pictures Shown at Stran THE great scramble on the part of cameramen, editors, and laboratories to turn out pictures of the Great New York explosion, July 30, in record time, the record for being the first on this occasion goes to the Mutual Weekly, made by the Gaumont company. Its pictures were shown at the Rialto theatre at four o'clock Sunday afternoon. The filming of the results of the explosion and the subsequent fires was under the direction of Editor Pell Mitchell who had with him three cameramen, Jake Yoder, Hans Bader and Lawrence D'Armour. Mr. Mitchell used two tugs in getting his pictures, and was on the job from half past two in the morning until the pictures were delivered to the Rialto theatre. It was not until nine o'clock that Mr. Mitchell and his aids returned to Manhattan. Then the film was rushed in an automobile to the Gaumont Laboratories at Flushing, N. Y. So pleased was the Mutual Film Corporation with the work of Mr. Mitchell that J. C. Graham, assistant to the president, wrote General Manager F. G. Bradford as follows : " I want to compliment yowr company and Pell Mitchell particu Three Cameramen at 2:30 A. M. and Gets d at 4 in Afternoon larly with reference to the very fine piece of work he was responsible for j-esterday in connection with the explosion in New York harbor." In this connection it is interesting to note that the Mutual Weekly was the only news reel to get the Deutschland as she was leaving her dock at Baltimore for the return trip. MARGARET GALE WEARS FETCHING GOWNS IN "THE YELLOW MENACE " Miss Margaret Gale, who is featured in " The Yellow Menace " serial with Edwin Stevens, has quite an enacting part in the picture. She plays the role of a rich banker's daughter living in a luxurious Long Island home. The banker has incurred the enmity of Ali Singh, the leader of the Mongolian tribes, and Miss Gale in the picture is captured by the yellow man and held as a hostage. Many of the scenes have their setting on fast, flying motor-boats and steam launches, so that Miss Gale is called upon to wear many up-to-date gowns and costumes, the very latest models in afternoon, evening, as well as sporting apparel. All Conditions Has Never Been Demonstrated an Official, Than Since Plague Scare Of course, Mr. Irwin said nothing at that time anent epidemics, but the last month, he believes, has demonstrated the itct that the V-L-S E open booking, box office value policy works just as helpfully in times of emergencies as it does under normal conditions. In discussing the situation in the industry as the result of the epidemic, Joseph W. Partridge, New York exchange manager of the V-L-S-E, said : " We have been in a very happy position to meet these unusual conditions. " The box office value plan, which is based on the individual drawing power of each separate production, plus the drawing possibilities of each individual house, automatically adapts itself to meet such conditions as those with which we are confronted now. For, obviously, if an exhibitor is barred from filling his house by an epidemic, his drawing power is decreased, and therefore, the box office value of any feature to him must of necessity be decreased in ratio to the reduction in attendance. " It has not been necessary for us, therefore, to make any special ruling, nor to disrupt our general plan jjf doing business in order to meet this situation. It was taken care of before it ever arose by the simple operation of a policy which recognizes that all films cannot be of equal merit, and that business conditions cannot always be of equal stabilitj', and that, therefore, in fairness to the exhibitor, it is simply a matter of commercial justice and sound business efficiency to provide a system of rental that would adjust itself automatically to these variances." Hundreds of exhibitors have voiced their gratitude and appreciation for the voluntary action by the V-L-S-E. The following letter from Manager Peyser of the Empire theatre. Port Richmond, S. I., is illustrative of their general expression : " Kindly permit us to extend our thanks for the prompt manner in which you cooperated with us in the present emergenc}'. You certainly have proved your good faith to the exhibitor again. If the other exchanges will do likewise, there is a strong possibility that most of us will be able to pull through this very trying ordeal. " We appreciate your fairness, and hope you will be amplj rewarded for same. We have always boosted j-our features, but from now on, we will do so more than ever, and hope every exhibitor will do the same." SOUTHERN CAPITALISTS WANT INGE TO LOCATE STUDIO IN JACKSONVILLE A group of Southern capitalists with headquarters at Jacksonville, Fla.. have arrived in New York for the purpose of ofTering inducements to Thomas H. Ince to establish a motion picture city in the South. Jacksonville, Fla., has long been regarded as the logical rival of Los Angeles, Cal.. as a film center, and at the present time there are no less than eight important producing organizations located around the Florida city, with others pending.