Motion Picture News (Oct 1913 - Jan 1914)

THE MOTION PICTURE NEWS 17 OH, ITS AN INTERESTING LIFE! Punctuated by GEORGE D. PROCTOR JUST as Nature hates a vacuum, so does the motion picture business hate quietude. With an unseen hand the kaleidoscope was given an awful smack during the week, and now the map looks much different in spots. Looking from the outside in, these few changes of a week's making maybe discerned: J. A. Berst leaves Pathe; Oscar Apfel, director, and Irving Cummings, leading man, follow suit; Stanly Twist (with no "E" in Stanly) goes to Australia as head of the producing end of a big new firm; Phil Klein, of All Star, returns from Europe, smiling; the Exclusive Service of the General Film is to be discontinued and Exclusive Feature Photoplay masterpieces may be discerned on the horizon; Louis A. Selznick resigns as general manager of Warners Features, Inc.; the bomb announcing the new producing company to work along lines parallel to the Famous Players and All Star threatens to burst any time; Marcus Loew's Broadway Theatre is going back to the "legit," and the New York exhibitors' ball draws near. J. A. Berst, vice-president of the Pathe Freres, and head of that company in America since it opened offices here in 1904, resigned last Saturday. Paul Bonvillian arrived here post haste from Paris. Meanwhile, I understand, the resignation has not been definitely accepted and H. C. Hoagland has picked up the reins. Mr. Berst's resignation is considerable of a surprise. The commanding position which Pathe Freres occupy in this country is commonly laid to his business ability. He has always been a prominent figure among the throne men of the Patents Company and the General Film. Now he picks up his hat and coat and walks out. That interests of his own will occupy his time in future is the official explanation. A few weeks ago Dame Rumor had it that Mr. Berst was to go into the exhibiting end of the business in a large way with plenty of capital. Maybe there was something to that yarn. Quien sabc, hombre? Philip Klein, treasurer of the All Star Feature Corporation and son of Charles Klein, the playwright, lias returned from Europe. 'We have started negotiations," said Phil, "whereby we line up with some of the biggest Eng lish authors such as Henry Arthur Jones, Pinero, Sims and George Bernard Shaw. We are primarily producing pictures for America, and I think that American stars for America is a good axiom, so I did not go after any English players." Phil smiled cannily as he said his trip was successful, but he couldn't tell all he had accomplished. Then he changed the subject to film conditions abroad. Western subjects, cowboys and Indians are now down and out, he said. Europe has cried "enough." These be troublous times for censors. The Woman's National Council met in Chicago recently and declared "Chicago is a prudish old maid" after getting a first-hand impression of the doings of the Chicago police censors. The goats of Sergeants Funkhouser and O'Connor are reported to be tearing madly up and down State street. When the censors are responsible for Chicago being called prudish, it is high time to change the subject. Another film man is to invade the legitimate field as a producer. Marcus Loew is going to turn his Broadway theatre over to theatrical productions, starting December 22d with Mimi Aguglia, the Italian actress, playing "Salome," "Zaza" and "Electra" in Italian. "Broncho Billy" Anderson's company, producing musical comedies at a dollar a throw, will open up in the new Strand Theatre as soon as it is finished. Meanwhile, down at Joe Weber's Theatre, the Universal sevenpart "Traffic in Souls" is doing an enormous business. The theatre has been enlarged and several times the police have been called to keep the crowd around the box-office in order, according to the New York dailies. Mabel Normand, leading woman with Keystone, will hereafter direct every picture in which she appears. Madame Blache has been the only woman director for some time, but she now has a rival in Mabel who will both act and direct. Hopp Hadlcv. who, like Homer, is a student of human nature, says every woman must shed so many tears a week. So he sends the missus to a sob show Monday nights to insure a clear atmosphere. They haven't had a quarrel yet. Oh, try it yourself. L. Marcus, president of the Notable Feature Film Company, of Salt Lake, Utah, "just dropped in" from beyond the "Rockies," and has some interesting things about pictures in the West. His people, he says, are 'way ahead of the East in their demand for an appreciation of high-class films. They want features — the very best features. They pack the houses that exhibit such pictures, and, by the way, Salt Lake boasts of the finest picture theatre in the world — the American, H. A. Sims, manager. Paderewski gives a concert there on January 6 — the first occasion on which the theatre has been devoted to anything other than pictures. "The exhibitors of the far West," said Mr. Markus, "are opposed to sensational pictures, titles and posters. Their audiences do not want them. Many of our best present-day features, while not sensational, convey that impression to the exhibitor through their titles and advertising. That, in my opinion, or rather, from the standpoint of my customers, "is a mistake." William T. Oldknow, of Atlanta, Ga., president of the Consolidated Film and Supply Company, which covers the nine Southern states with the Universal program, made a three-day visit to New York. George Kleine cables from Rome the announcement that he will add a cash prize of one thousand dollars for the best scenario written by an American. This is in addition to the prizes offered by the Cines Company, which range from the capital prize of five thousand dollars down to one hundred francs. Irving Cummings, an established star in the photoplay firmament, signed with the Universal Wednesday. Irving started some time ago with Pathe Then he was starred in Reliance. Recently he returned to Pathe to play in features under the direction of Oscar C. Apfel. Now he goes with the Universal. Under what brand he will appear has not yet been decided. Elmer J. McGovern, press representative of the New York Motion Picture Corporation, is doing a "John L." every afternoon at Maclevy's gym in Fourth avenue. Elmer is quite a boxer and some day hopes to meet Chester