Motion Picture News (Jan-Feb 1922)

1106 M. P. T. O. Public Service Showing in Dover , N. J. The first step in the previously explained plan of the Motion Picture Theatre Owners of America, through its recently created Public Service Department in affiliation with the Bureau of Commercial Economics, a Washington organization devoted to public education through lectures, film and stereopticon shows, to bring the screen and picture theatres into closer and more friendly relations with the educational, social and economic life of the country, was realized Saturday, Feb. 4th, when a program of educational pictures, supplemented by a lecture, was presented before 1,500 children at the Baker theatre, Dover, N. J. This showing, held at 10 A. M., was followed by a second performance at John T. Collins’ Criterion theatre, Rutherford, N. J., and both shows are only initial in the plans of the M. T. O. A. and of Manager R. S. Woodhull, of the Baker, and of Manager Collins, of the Criterion. Both Mr. Woodhull and Mr. Collins had exploited the innovation with painstaking care. In the case of the Dover performance fully 500 children were unable to find room in the theatre. Children from a dozen neighboring towns were attracted to the show. The Mayor of the city was on hand and lent his support to the plan. The local school authorities were also greatly interested and have promised active aid in carrying out the plans for the subsequent performances. Clergymen of all denominations, the women’s clubs, etc., have and will co-operate. The programs given at Dover and Rutherford were varied and nicely balanced. Besides the several reels of instructive films, there were some slides furnished by the Bureau of Commercial Economics and addresses by Dr. Francis Holley, director of the bureau, and others. At Rutherford practically the same plan of procedure was carried out. Both Mr. Woodhull and Mr. Collins are actively interested in the new departure, Mr. Woodhull being president of the New Jersey M. T. O. A. and Mr. Collins being one of the directors of the national organization. It is planned to hold the special shows once each week, although in the future some other day besides Saturday will be selected. East Hampton , Mass., House Destroyed by Fire Th ^ Majestic theatre in East Hampton, Mass., was totally destroyed by fire on Sunday morning, February 5th. F. H. Roberts, the owner of the theatre, estimated the loss at $75,000. The fire is believed to have started shortly after midnight in the bowling alley in the basement of the theatre building: It spread so rapidly that the rear of the house was a mass of flames by the time that the firemen arrived. All the theatre equipment was destroyed, including $1,000 worth of scenery belonging to William G. Friel. Ern William Desmond Taylor, the prominent director, was found murdered in his home in Hollywood on Thursday morning, February 2nd. Several investigations are under way. The funeral was held Tuesday afternoon, February 7th, with services at St. Paul’s Episcopal Pro-Cathedral, Los Angeles. The Pall bearers were selected from the membership of the Motion Picture Directors’ Association, of which Mr. Taylor was president. Immediately after the services the body was placed in a vault in the Hollywood Cemetery, pending the arrival of the late director’s daughter from New York. Jesse L. Fasky, production chief of Famous Players-Lasky, with which organization Mr. Taylor had been associated, paid a tribute to the memory of the late director in the following words : “ I have lost a friend — a man who won that place not only for his personal qualities, but also for the manner in which he discharged his professional duties. “ William D. Taylor’s loyalty to the firm he worked for was proverbial. Never had he been late to an engagement, never had he balked at a task because it was too hard, and when a slump in the industry demanded personal sacrifice he was the first to offer himself. A man of finer ideals I have never known. “ Our corporation proposes to enter actively into plans for the detection of the slayer. All our resources will be drawn upon to hasten the bringing to justice the murderer of our friend.” BELIEVING that exhibitors, having no other source of information than the public press, might be misled by the sensational reports of Mabel Normand’s connection with the Taylor tragedy, the Mack Sennett organization has issued the following statement: “ The facts of the case, in so far as Miss Normand is concerned, are these: Mr. Taylor had promised Miss Normand that he would secure for her a certain book. He phoned her at the studio that the novel had arrived and was awaiting her pleasure. Immediately after her day’s work at the studio and just before dinner she drove to Mr. Taylor’s residence and picked up the book. Mr. Taylor bade her good-bye at the machine and Miss Normand was driven home immediately by her chauffeur. They were the last ones known to have seen him alive. “ That is the way her name became connected with the case. Miss Normand has the sympathy of the entire country through the accidental connection of her name with this regrettable tragedy, for she has been completely exonerated of any connection with it.” Shepard Leaves Kineto Harry K. Shepard, who has been associated with Charles Urban in the Kineto Company of America, has resigned from that organization. He will be succeeded by H. J. Knight. Motion Picture New f Standardization Discusset by Laboratory Experts The Allied Laboratories Associatio held the first of their series of banquets i the Hotel Astor Wednesday evening, Fet ruary 1st. The idea back of these ban quets is an organized campaign on th . part of this association to do its utmos to bring about a better situation in the in dustry in so far as it concerns standardi zation in character both technically an< financially. Dr. William E. Story, scientist on th« [. subject of light, color, etc., of the researcl ' laboratory of the General Electric Com : pany, Schenectady, N. Y., was the speake: !. of the evening. Dr. Story gave a ven interesting lecture on the possibilities oi standardization of the various technica 5 phases in the laboratories, studios and the j atres. A few of the present-day methods ir printing and photographing were construetively criticized and suggestions were j offered to overcome some of these fallacies. For instance, in the various theatres, the house lighting differs to an extreme degree, some houses using almost no illumination while a picture is shown, while another may permit considerable . light to fall on the projection screen. Thus, the same picture with the same intensity c of light on the screen would appear en . tirely different in regard to contrast. It follows that a standardization in house illumination would be very desirable. Again, in the case of the laboratories, in one instance a print is examined under a relatively high intensity of screen illumi ' nation as against the print inspected under a low intensity. It is then likely that when this print is shown in the theatres under the same conditions a variation of the density is apt to become very noticeable. In the studios themselves, much can be T done to insure nearly uniformity of light • variation in the negative, thus helping standardization of the prints, Dr. Story : declared. The discussion by the members that fol lowed this talk indicated that the laboratory experts themselves were very much interested in the subject of standardiza 7 tion, and some definite steps in this direc j tion are expected shortly. Chicago Postpones Action on Censor Ordinance The Judiciary Committee of the Chi . cago City Council has postponed indefinitely consideration of the proposed motion picture censor ordinance, giving as a reason that the majority of members of this committee were also members of the Finance Committee and were busily engaged in preparing the 1922 budget.’ The new ordinance is similar to that which was favored by the Hurley Committee and defeated in the Council some months ago, largely through the efforts of Chief of Police Fitzmorris, in whom the censor ship power is now vested, ex-officio.