Motion Picture News (Sept-Oct 1918)

September 2 8 , I 9 i 8 1999 lumwiuuuiiMiwuiiMumiiiuuiiu^^ MmiiiiiiiiiurirOTWiiiiiin»iimt[iiuiiiniiiuiiimiinitruiiituimiiiminuiimuiMiJuiiiiuiiiuiiiiimMiiiiitimnniiiinntniii ltiuiiniiiiiiiiiiiiiuiKinnm Newsy Reports From All Sections ■nmrnmimimiiiminmnminmr^^ 11 uiiniiuiiimiHiiiiiiiimmnimniiiuiM^^ New Wage Scale Wanted by Rochester Operators Rochester, X. V. — The local Motion Picture Operators" Union, following the lead of the musicians, has asked for an increase in salary for its members. The present agreement with the exhibitor does not expire for two years, but the operators, finding it difficult for them to meet the everrising cost ' of living with their present wages, have ii> a quiet way asked the managers to consider their plight, with the result that a conference has been arranged for Tuesday between the exhibitors and operators, where the new scale asked will be thrashed out. According to a leading exhibitor, it is very likely the advance will be granted, inasmuch as the operators' are perfectly willing to stand by their agreement if the managers insist upon it. However, the men have gone at the matter in a fair and square manner, showing that higher wages are available in many lines of war work for men with mechanical talent, but, according to their spokesmen, the men prefer to stand by their first love, as long as it is possible to do so. During the presentation of " To Hell with the Kaiser," at the Elmwood theatre, Manager E. O. YVineberg used an automobile float upon which was carried a graveyard reproduction, with the Kaiser's coffin about to be lowered into the hole. The float created much comment about the city and incidentally Mr. YVineberg did capacity business during the three nights of the showing of this picture. Earl L. Crabb accompanied the local lodge of Elks to Ebenezer with his big camera car last Wednesday, where the antlered hosts enjoyed their annual clambake at Lein's Park. Mr. Crabb got some excellent Views of the B. P. O. E. members for showing in the Xew-Strand Local Events this week. The service flag raising at St. Boniface Church, the horse show at Derby. N. Y., the visit of the Italian editors, and other events of local interest are among this week's features. They are told about on the front page of the Buffalo Evening News, which paper is co-operating with the Strand in putting over these local pictures. Smileage Pledges Campaign by General Film In a recent circular letter from W. F. Rodgers, sales manager, the exchange officials of General Film Company, were urged to participate in the drive for Smileage Pledges which is being conducted by the Commission on Training Camp Activities of the W ar Department. Blanks w.ere distributed among all the branches of the General organization along with the letter. Appreciation of this action has come in a letter to Mr. Rodgers from L. J. Meyberg of the Commission. Replying, Mr. Rodgers assured the Commission that no effort would be spared to aid in the success of the drive. Season Booking The Leading Cleveland Theatres Have All Committed Themselves to a Settled Booking Policy for the New Theatrical Year CLEVELAND, Ohio.— With the approach of October rumors as to the policies to be pursued by the motion picture exhibitors of Cleveland arc shedding their camelion coats of surmise and assuming the more stable hue of fact. One by one the large houses have committed themselves for the year, until now practically every large firstrun down town house has its set policy for the new theatrical season completed. Loew's Stillman Theatre has contracted for thirty weeks of Paramount and Artcraft pictures for the coming year. In addition, first-run features of the First National Exhibitors' circuit will show at the Stillman, as will also the first-run Capitol Comedies. Joe Grossman, manager of the Standard Theatre, signed up for all of the Goldwyn pictures. The Mall and the Alhambra, which are conducted under the same policies, will get sixty-one Paramount and Artcraft pictures, none of them conflicting with those to be released at the Stillman and first-run Metro releases. The first-run Fox Standard pictures, twenty-six in all, will each play a week's engagement at the Metropolitan. Fox pictures put out on the market as a Victory brand will get first release at the Knickerbocker. The Reel continues to be the first-run World house. Second-run Fox pictures, both standard and Victory, will be shown regularly at the Orpheum, while the Knickerbocker will show the Goldwyn pictures' second run. This accounts for all of the leading downtown and East Side houses in the city. In looking over the program of events, it is interesting to note the change of attitude expressed this year by the motion picture exhibitors of Cleveland. Last year the general tendency was to break away from the set program. Open market was the thing, the exhibitors said. This year it is just the opposite. There is no hard and fast reason other than one of convenience. Many exhibitors feel that when they have booked a program they are done. They do not have to be constantly on the lookout for a picture. Programs are stronger and better than ever this year, and • in the natural cycle of events they may come into their own again. Strange as it may seem, however, the outlying theatres do not agree with the downtown houses. One exhibitor in the city, a man who runs one of the largest neighborhood houses, said that he was abandoning his one days program in favor of the open booking for the coming year. He said that he ran his house last year practically on the open booking plan, and that the results were very satisfactory. In the towns around Cleveland the open Policy All Set booking plan is still very much in favor, although there, too, some of the leading theatres have booked a program for the season. Some of these are the Colonial Theatre, Toledo, which will run Fox pictures exclusively; the Liberty, Youngstown, which has booked Fox pictures for five days a week ; the Liberty will also show Goldwyn pictures, as will the Grand, Akron, Alhamhra, Canton. While this list of bookings is far from being complete at this date, it is sufficient to indicate the general trend of policies adopted by the leading motion picture theatres of Cleveland and of the northern part of Ohio. Amalgamation at Cleveland Cleveland, Ohio. — The Oliver Motion Picture Supply Company of Cleveland has not been absorbed by the Argus Enterprises, as was announced recently. Arrangements were practically complete for the Oliver Motion Picture Supply Company to become one of the five industries which have combined their operating facilities while maintaining their independent interests, but at the last minute it was decided not to enter into the amalgamation. The Argus Enterprises is a composite name for conducting several branches of the motion picture industry under one executive head, thus materially reducing the operating expenses of each branch, and greatly facilitating each in its progress, and the branches affected by this combination are the Argus Lamp and Appliance Company, the Argus Company, the Argus Laboratories, and the Argus-DeYry Projection Sales Company. The Argus Enterprises occupies the entire second floor of the Sloan building, as well as the basement, which is being fitted up for laboratory purposes. Select Captured Toledo Toledo. Ohio. — Without setting out to accomplish it, it nevertheless happened that in Toledo, last week, three of the leading down town motion picture theatres and fifteen of the houses located in outlying districts were all running Select Pictures at the same time. The Temple was showing Constance Talmadge in " A Pair of Silk Stockings." The Alhambra ran " The Reason Why," featuring Clara Kimball Young, and Norma Talmadge in " Her Only Way " was the attraction offered at the Valentine. None of these engagements conflicted in the least with each other, .it is reported. Each of these stars has her own following, and as each of the features differed so radically, it rather added than detracted to have the leading picture houses of the town all showing the same family of pictures at the same time. miimi'iiMiiiinimffliiiniiinwiirit uminiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit'BUY LIBERTY BONDSwiiiiiiiiniiiiii iiimiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiminiiiiiiT