Motion Picture Story Magazine (Aug-Dec 1913)

ROMAINE FIELDING WINS THE GREAT POPULAR PLAYER CONTEST THE POLLS CLOSE WITH A GRAND TOTAL OF OVER SEVEN MILLION VOTES AS announced in the August issue of this magazine, the Popular Player Contest officially closed at noon of July 23d. The ballot-files are now in the hands of the staff of clerks and inspectors assigned to count and classify them, and the results will be found on the last page of this department. We know of no other contest that has created the interest, comment and nation-wide enthusiasm of the one just passing into the annals of Moving Picture history. As an instance of its popularity, we might mention a few of the pertinent things that happened at and near The Motion Picture Story Magazine's booth in the International Picture Exposition, held at the Grand Central Palace^ July 7tli to 12th. The average daily attendance was 12,000 people, from all parts of the globe, and this magazine's headquarters was one of the centers of attraction. On the opening night many of our guests talked to the heads of the magazine and expressed disappointment that they coidd not see and meet some of the popular picture players. We kept a record of the stars in demand, and found that the honor-roll of the Popular Player Contest, without a single exception, contained the much-sought for names. The following morning our telephone wires were surcharged Avith conversation, with the result that John Bunny, Muriel Ostriche, Maurice Costello, Arthur Johnson and Jack Clark volunteered to help receive our guests of Tuesday evening. On following evenings such well-known friends as Earle Williams, Lillian Walker, Ethel Grandin, Paul Panzer, Teft't Johnson, E. K. Lincoln, Gene Gauntier, James Young, Clara Kimball Young, Barney Oldfield, , Pearl Sindelar, Rosemary Theby and Flora Finch responded to our calls and graciously made their devoirs to the public. And so on thru a long list of players whose names and histories we' have helped make known. Now that the smoke of battle has cleared, the awarding of the fruits of victory is in order, and the magazine has decided to show recognition to the leading one hundred contestants. To these players a handsome engraving will be sent, which will serve as a certificate as w^ell as a memento. Some of these are engraved on sheepskin, some on parchment, and some on bankers' bond paper ; some will be appropriately framed. Besides these, the ten first prizes will be unique in the way of gifts : nothing more or less than a Moving Picture library, containing all the leading books published on the subject, bound and embellished by Von Heill. The nucleus of the library will consist of bound volumes of The Motion Picture Story Magazine frwn its inception to date, volumes of photographs containing an ensemble of the complete gallery of players; Hulfish's scientific treatise, ''Motion Picture Work"; Talbot's ''Moving Pictures," and such other books as the editor may select. Each selection will be different, and the bindings and makeup of the volumes will be the finest known to the bookmaker's art. One set will be bound in Levant, one in full Turkey morocco, and the others in full French morocco. All will be satin-lined, beautifully hand-tooled and inlaid with gold. These books will be real wonders of the bindery, and some day their value will be priceless to book collectors and seekers after first editions. As a permanent record of the recipients' photoplay creations, we feel that they will be an invaluable record and heirloom. We regret that we cannot publish photographs of these books, as the bindery work is necessarily slow and the names of the winners and other personal features are still to be worked, into the covers. As previously announced, all the verses, letters, encomiums and cleverly gotten up votinglists will be sent to the players to whom they were addressed, and in many 113