Motion Picture News (Jan-Feb 1919)

1146 ■ • Round-up of Film Thieves On New York, Philadelphia and Cleveland Cleaning House in Effort to Stop Wholesale Thefts STRENUOUS campaigns against film thieves are being waged simultaneously in three cities with results that promise to go far in putting an end to the heavy losses of exchanges through wholesale thefts of prints. New York, Philadelphia and Cleveland are the scenes of the roundup. In New York the F. I. L. M. Club is handling the campaign, with President I. E. Chadwick, the strenuous man behind the gun. Several weeks ago the Universal feature, " The Fires of Youth " was stolen from one of the wagons of the Reel Delivery Company. As a result of the club's efforts in this case William Burns has been held for the Grand Jury by Magistrate Corrigan. Frank Dolan is being held for the Grand Jury in connection with the loss of a ParamountWallace Reid feature. The F. I. L. M. Club's campaign then led to Philadelphia where a raid on the place of business of a select councilman of that city resulted in the latter, G. W. Brandenburg, being brought to trial this week. Great credit is being given President Chadwick for his initiative in the campaign. Efforts of exchange managers in Cleveland resulted in the arrest last week of William B. Clark, an operator, whose trial will take place within the next two weeks. This is in connection with the disappearance last August of "His Wedding Night," a SennettParamount. The film was mysteriously returned to the Cleveland Famous Players office last week but Manager Erdman says that the case will be prosecuted just the same. Louis Reedy, sixteen years old, has been placed under the supervision of the probation officer as a result of the discovery of films belonging to the Standard Film Service, of Cleveland, in the basement of a house on Columbus Road, Cleveland. It is said that investigation showed that Reedy, who had been employed in the shipping department of Standard Film, and another young chap were giving moving picture performances to the youngsters of the neighborhood at a charge of three cents admission plus a cent war tax. Exchanges in Rochester, New York, have instituted a campaign against the practice of " bicycling " which it is alleged some theatres in the outskirts of that city have revived on a flourishing scale. They are being aided by Erwin J. W. Huber, managing editor of the Picture Play News, of that city. Discovery of the practice is said to have resulted from the refusal of certain of the theatres to advertise in the theatre directory of the Picture Play News, an investigation showing that some of the managers had no desire to list their attractions in print. Ohio Movement for Returning Soldiers A state-wide movement has been started in Ohio to create positions with the various film exchanges and theatres in that territory for returned soldiers. The campaign is headed by W. E. Lusk, general manager of the First National Exhibitors' Company of Ohio, with offices in Cleveland and Cincinnati. As an evidence of what exchange managers and exhibitors can do to help eliminate the possibility of protracted periods of idleness by the men who gave up positions to enter the service, Mr. Lusk has employed six former National Army men in his two offices. Paul Tessier, Martin Blum, Jacob Fried, E. J. Bryor and A. Witner have been employed in the Cleveland office and P. A. Smith has been given a position in the First National exchange at Cincinnati. a severe illness during the past two months. During their stay at the Florida health resort they will complete the final details of the original exploitation and selling campaign which will mark the initial presentation of the E. K. Lincoln starring vehicle. Messrs. Sawyer and Lubin will also consummate arrangements for the organization of two new production companies to operate under the new, firmly established S-L banner. While in Miami Mr. Sawyer has been at work for several weeks on the adaptation of the famous stage success which has been recently purchased as the second " Ralph Ince Film Attraction " in which E. K. Lincoln is to star. Lubin, Off for Florida, Has Big Plans Herbert Lubin left New York on Monday of this week for Miami, Fla. He will join Arthur H. Sawyer at the southern beach resort for the double purpose of holding a series of conferences relative to their forthcoming S-L Production, " Virtuous Men," and to recuperate from a recent siege of illness. Both executives of the S-L Production organization have undergone the strain of Plan Frolic and Motion Picture Ball An outstanding social event of the motion picture season is promised in the Movie Frolic of 1919, scheduled for the Hotel Winton in Cleveland on February 20. The ball is being planned and organized by the active motion picture spirits of the city, who promise it will be as elaborate as anything of the kind ever given in the country. It is announced that invitations will go forward to all the prominent stars to be present. An unusual program has been arranged, and this is being looked after by Lloyd W. Young, 1900 Euclid avenue. The attendance is to be limited, it is said, to 1,000 persons. Motion Picture News ; Phil Ryan Writes from Fields of France From " Somewhere in France " we hear from Phil L. Ryan, the well-known middle western film man who, before enlisting for overseas duty last summer was general manager of the Standard Film Corporation, with headquarters at Kansas City. Mr. Ryan, now a sergeant in a signal corps battalion, expresses himself as agreeing completely in the sentiment expressed by Joyce Kilmer — " nice war, nice people, nice everything." " I've been having a wonderful vacation," writes Mr. Ryan, "and also, in common with a few million other doughboys, a wonderful education. I shall be glad, of course, to get back to my work — but while I'm here I'm mighty well satisfied with myself. " One of the odd things that I've come into contact with is the surprising lack of knowledge that the ordinary American citizen and moviegoer— as represented by the American doughboy — has of the machinery that supplies his favorite "back home" theatre with the pictures that beguile his leisure. The average American citizen doesn't know what a film exchange is! He has a dim idea that there is some business force other than the producing companies which has its finger on his amusement pulse — but he's darned if he knows what it is. I've had eager bunches " gang around " when I'd start to explain what I had done in civil life ; we've all gotten into the habit of explaining what we were in civil life on any and all occasions. It's a pleasure to think of the days when the pants we wore were loose at the bottoms. " The Yanks have a bigger movie appetite than ever — I've heard many a fellow express his yearning determination to spend all of his first week at home, ' a-sitting in every picture show I can find ! ' But the millions of Yanks over here in France are going home more than a little changed. One and all the new and vivid impressions that they have received has just given them a keenness, a power of discrimination and judgment, that motion picture producers and exchange executives will do well to consider carefully. For the Yanks are going to set up a big howl when the pictures they see at home aren't carefully produced, with good stories, and above all things, TRUE TO LIFE. For in this man's army millions of movie-fans of the most chronic sort, have been finding out what life is. " The Yankee soldier returning from France is a pretty well-broadened citizen, and I mean this in more than the physical sense. And he's going to have an immediate effect on his folks at home. He has met his fellow-citizen from Idaho, and New Jersey and from Minnesota, and he has had his nature recast — on a bigger scale — in the new melting pot, the Army and the Navy. His life in the army hasn't toughened Mr. Yank — not mentally, at least. It has made him a very much sharpened individual, and a very much sharpened mass when you consider him as the movie-going public, for example. And, I repeat, movie-men (that's what Mr. Yank calls us), will do well to bear the fact in mind, and to act upon it. I offer the tip for what it's worth, and it's worth a good deal to an industry which, in the final analysis, has an economic problem to deal with." f Card on Coast to Coast Trip Lyman S. Card, general sales manager ! of the Independent Sales Corporation, is I speeding west on a coast to coast trip to look over the offices of that corporation. Mr. Card will visit eighteen cities where I units of the Independent Sales Corporation I and Film Clearing House are maintained, j The principal object of Mr. Card's trip is to acquaint the managers with the details of the several important deals recently consummated by Independent, particularly the plans for the new Rothapfel Pictures Corporation productions. Reports received at the Independent of j fice indicate widespread interest in Mr. j Rothapfel's plan to provide a unit pro | gram, including everything necessary' for i a motion picture entertainment. Six of j these programs will be offered in the next i year.