Motion Picture News (Jan-Feb 1920)

.New? Notes Service Last Vleek We Met — Wm.RoyMott Nott r Wing, Argus represenia,^o, repons that the Cr>s Screen is ' going some " screens is being places! A ?,ir or Loop theatre, ono c>; 'he Loop district A ad screen has also been con:or the new Biltmore theatn hicago's West Side. ■ wrence Sherman, projectionist ot cuse was with his old friend, r> Cole, of Oswego, for a few > last week. perators' Local 30(3 recently moved quaners to 101 West 45th street lere a greater floor space and better ent was available. An entire r has been given over to their u?e \t the same time we hear tha: ris Rotker, the hard working Sec->• of Local 306. has resigned to r the electrical contracting busiIn company with Edward Wilwho has been a member of the ve Board of 306, Mr. Rotker ed a partnership to be known . ..>on-Rotker & Co.. with head-ters in the Bronx, New York .;y. Immediately after establishing n office Rotker was elected secreaiy of the Bronx Electric Contracors* Association. Frank Rembusch of the Rerabusch ^creen Co., dropped into the office or a itys words. He reports the remt opening of a new 1,500 seat loose, which adds another unit to this Jready long string of theatres. L L Hance of the Brookins Co.. lonounces the following additions to list of .\isle-lite distributors: MOthem Theatre Equipment Co., Dallas. Texas, and the Perkins Elecric Co., for Canada. A goodly persentage of the big houses now opeii are using these small but. mighty mportant de%-ices. Austin Lescarboura. Managing Edior of Scientific American and itithor of the book " Behind the Moion Picture Screen," is also an expert cinematographer. He often akcs his trusty " Universal " and hoots a few hundred feet of new? tuff or scenics. t William Koy Mott VERY often one nms across men who are, to use a colloquial expression, "wrapped up in their work" More often than not such men are apt, ver> apt, to live their work so thoroughly that when they talk about it to others their conversation becomes boresome. But Wm Roy Mott is not of this kind. Although we would say offhand that his work means more than anything else to him ^\-ith the single exception of his charming family, yet his descriptions of experiments and results are so interesting as to nearly reach the plane of fictional writings. Nothing would be more interesting than a casual tale of Dr. Mott's various achievements and. may we say, near achievements. As an example of the former class consider the wonderful white A. C. Special Carbon; in the latter class, we might place his work on the solar motor. Dr. ^^ott has taught in state universities, experimented on \-arious electn>chemical processes in the plants at Niagara Falls, worked with others on plans to harness the rays of Old Sol to do work for mankind, and has now settled down in the research laboraton.of the National Carbon Company to discover and perfect such important items as the carbon referred to above. His is the kind of work that is never finished and never gets into a rut. That which he works out today as a wonder will be replaced tomorrow by an even more valuable de\4ce. Mr. Mott has made a number of invaluable contributions to the various technical societies, including the American Society of Chemical Engineers and the S. M. P. E. His researches in the field of the flaming arc have been widely discussed and quoted as authoritative. He has studied the relative volitability of various metals with a ^•iew to their use as arc lamp terminals. In his laboratory he has arranged a simple apparatus by which he is enabled to obser\e the effect of chemicals alone or in combination when placed in one pole or the other of an electric arc. We can not conceive of a more instructive hour than one spent in this laboratorj observing the beha\-iour of substances when introduced into the temperature of an arc. Nor has his inventions stopped with those related. In fact they comprise a list of considerable length. Electroplating is one of the electro-chemical processes which have been favored ^\■ith attention by Mott. During the recent printers' strike in New York Cit>' the novel method by which the LiterarjDigest was able to publish its issues had been worked out several years pre\"iously by Dr. Mott. Mr. Mott's case is an excellent example of applying unusual inventive genius to practical, commercial processes. Lewis S\v.\.\b, the De Luxe Supply Man of Philly. sax's he has put in the equipment at the new Manheim theatre, Germantown Avenue and Manheim Street, including two Sixplexes, a Superlite screen and a Fort Wa>Tie motor generator set. During the last month we have had the pleasure of receiving many British agents who are in this country buj-ing projection, studio and laborator>' equipment. The English Bull-dog is evidently making a heavy bid for the M. P. business. Released next week — First Episode in new serial having to do with the housing and equipment of photoplays. Watch for it. Earl Ro!<sinan. chief cuiti . grapher with the Prizma txpcdiiio'.i i .\frica, has returned home soniev\ha; ahead of the rest of the pariv. Kdssman reports some woiuleriul pictures in colors and also some unusual blackand-white stuff. Naturally the expedition had some narrow escapes and many tr\ing experiences all of which will be made known at the right time. Ross himself looks fit and fine even though he has but lately recovered from an attack of jungle fever. According to him all the Prizma men are coming back none the worse for the trip although they were quite near the ill-fated Universal expedition when the latter came to grief. Saw L. E. Davidson of Buffalo at the Hotel Woodstock. Wonder if the Woodstock is to become the headquarters of the Safet>-Standard in opposition to the Astor and its flamfilm! Wonder! If you haven't read the descriptive storj of the new " Rotarj' " machine on page 1111 do it now. And afterwards we will agree with your beUef that it doesn't look as if it would work. That's what we thought imtil we saw it project — after which our doubt vanished. It throws as pretty a picture as any man would want. And the proof of any machine is the screen. Then there is the fourth installment of William Barbarin Laub's article on " Camera." No one who ever expects to be interested in M. P. cameras can afford to miss this series. There are so many variable factors in the cameraman's duties that it is a tough task for any cinematographer to put rules on paper. But even so, we think Laub has succeeded remarkablv well. After reading President Campe's New Year greeting to the members of the S. M. P. E. who is there who cannot understand and appreciate the good deeds that this organization has done and those it intends to do during 1920? Many of the rough spots that abound in any new organization have been rubbed off and from now on the Society will grow fast.