Motion Picture News (Oct 1913 - Jan 1914)

Mvtsic and the Picture, Suggestions Invited, Questions Cheerfully Answered Address: Music Department, The Motion Picture News WHY is it that an orchestra can cue a vaudeville act, no matter how silly it might be? Why is it that the very same orchestra cannot cue a good motion picture? To solve this sort of problem I visited a number of vaudeville theatres of late. The Lincoln Square Theatre, Sixty-fifth street and Broadway, New York, offered a program which gave me a good chance to make a fair comparison. When I reached the theatre an amusing Essanay film was on the screen; I did not see the title but it was depicting some fun at a summer beach. The orchestra went along without any attention to what was taking place on the curtain. The Essanay film was followed by the Macks in a dancing and song act. The orchestra started its work. When the Macks would sing, the musicians would play the music of the song; no matter how many songs the Macks had, the orchestra was there on time with the goods. It was the same for the different dances; the orchestra followed them as correctly as did the songs. Why, then, was the orchestra able to follow the antics of the Macks in their vaudeville act, and could not play the picture of Essanay? The worst had to come. The act called "The Princess Minnecome," a sort of Indian affair, appeared on the stage and the orchestra did some very clever work. This Indian act is excellent and is worth the whole admission on account of the good singing, and the old Indian chief shows himself a great master of the guitar. His playing called for several encores. I can truly state that never before have I heard such wonderful guitar playing. The orchestra did not go on a wild rampage while the Indian was playing his guitar, but the musicians had the common sense to stop entirely, to listen and enjoy this great guitar playing. During the act "Princess Minnecome" the orchestra followed cor rectly both the songs and the dances. It was clever work on the part of the musicians, and this excellent music, with the beautiful settings and light effects, enhanced the beauty of the act. On top of the "Princess Minnecome" came a Western picture of Pathe Freres, "The Secret Treasure." The orchestra, most likely tired of having paid such constant attention to the vaudeville act, neglected themselves. The musicians started on a selection, and without the least respect to the picture on the screen they kept to the same tune. When the miner, wounded in a fight with the Mexicans, is brought to his cabin and dies in the arms of his daughter. When the faithful Indian servant is captured and tortured by the Mexicans. When the Indian saves the gold of the dead miner and refuses a reward from the daughter, etc., the same music was played all the time. No slow movements, no hurry-up music, no plaintive tones according to the scenes, but the same thing as if the music had been furnished by an automatic musical instrument. No sound effects, no firing of guns, trot of horses, crackling of flames when the cabin is destroyed by the flames started during the attempt of one of the Mexicans to assault the girl. This Pathe production was butchered by the orchestra, while it could have been made a hit like the vaudeville act, "Princess Minnecome," if the musicians had been willing to pay as much attention to the picture as they did to the act. The reason is very simple. If the orchestra had butchered the vaudeville act like they did the picture, the actors taking part in the act would have raised much fuss; as this act, "Princess Minnecome," is their bread and butter and is booked in other theatres, it could not stand for a fiasco at the Lincoln Square Theatre. On the other hand, both the Pathes and the Essanays are very indifferent as to the music given with their productions. As they never make a com plaint the orchestra does not care, and as long as there is no one to knock, why should the musicians tire themselves to try to enhance the beauty of a picture by giving it the proper music? Someone will answer me: "Vaudeville acts are changed twice per week, while the pictures are changed daily, consequently, when the orchestra has to play the same vaudeville act from three to four days in succession, the musicians can give it more care than when they have to cue new pictures daily." While this answer would not be out of place in certain theatres, as I fully realize that it is hard work on the part of the leader to cue new pictures, it is not the case with the Lincoln Square Theatre, where the pictures, like the acts, are changed twice per week. Theatrical booking agents have no standing orders with the vaudeville artists as our film exchanges have with the manufacturers. A booking L. B. CARLETON Director Lubin Stock Co.