The Motion Picture Story Magazine (Aug 1913-Jan 1914)

Reflections of the Man in Front (HARVEY PEAKE) Full many a picture play is born to blush unseen and waste its sweetness on the studio air. Many an accidental exposure on a picture film has been turned into a first-class success. The "Dreamland Garden Theater" by any other name would smell as sweet and attract just as many people. Putting themselves in the place of the film play heroine, to the latter^s disadvantage, is a great pleasure with women critics. If the picture theaters ever begin putting on amateur nights for film makers, they will show to capacity without doubt. Many a poor scenario writer who is starving to death might be living comfortably on what he could make selling calico or fitting shoes. Women are always interested in knowing what becomes of the film picture heroine after she is done acting. Does she ever have to go home and wash dishes? The young girl from the rural districts, who goes to the picture play in the city for the first time, does not get over the thrill until she's been in town a week. The woman who comes to the picture theater with a neighbor to talk about all the other neighbors, for the benefit of the audience, is a thing that the management doesn't seem able to overcome. Doubtless the leading man and the leading woman of the play upon the film are not on speaking terms with each other, but, as it does not mar their acting, it needn't mar our enjoyment. The youth who is turning the handle of the projection machine may be just as handsome and may make just as good an actor as the one on the screen when he gets his chance. Some day they will be showing people's souls on the screen, and then you had better not get in front of the projection machine, for yours might be shown up to your disadvantage. There are people who never did know how to make love properly until they saw some examples upon the screen. Some women change their seats seven or eight times during the run of one film, and declare that they couldn't get head nor tail of the story. There seems to be a pretty general belief that the Motion Picture theater has come to be one of the permanent fixtures of our modern civilization. There are few men or women too busy to drop into a Motion Picture theater occasionally for the purpose of resting their minds and exercising their emotions. There's many a girl who thinks that if she is only pretty enough she can go to any picture producing concern she may select and get an engagement. When a big. rosy-faced man comes up to buy tickets for a lot of eager bootblacks and newsboys, you know there are some people left in the world with hearts. When a thirsty child becomes so interested in a picture story that it forgets to ask for a drink, you may know that the film is a good one. The music of the picture theaters is improving all the time. The pianist no longer plays "Onward, Christian Soldiers." when the comic-opera chorus is parading before the fat and flabby king. When a man sits thru three hours of the same pictures, you may conclude that one of three things has occurred : He has had a quarrel with his wife, and has come to think matters over ; he is hiding from a bore ; or he is in love with one of the ladies. THE GIRL AT THE WINDOW OF THE MOTION PICTURE THEATER SATS : "If you think nobody cares for you. just go inside, take a seat down in front: then stand up at intervals, and you'll be surprised at the number of people who are interested in your ups and downs. "If you want to flatter a man. tell him that he cant be flattered. "They're running a film in there now that illustrates wbat I've always said, tbat there would be fewer cases of love at first sight if more people were gifted with second sight. "There's sume people who would be poorer now if tbey bad had more to start with. "This is no place for babies, but there goes a couple of them in. And speaking of twins : None but the brave deserve the pair. "A man bought a ticket just now with a dime that was the last he had left from the races, which reminds me that there will never be an honest horse-race till there's an honest human race." 123