Motography (Jan-Jun 1915)

442 MOTOGRAPHY Vol. XIII, No. 12. governor is to free her husband, and in the closing hours of the election Helen succeeds in retracting enough of her statements to insure Jim's winning. As governor, Jim's first act is to pardon Carter, and, after returning the husband to his sorrowful wife, he goes to his bachelor apartments and burns the last memento of his boyish romance. Is the World Film Mad? By Thomas H. Ince. There are various methods of testing the public pulse in regard to motion pictures but the surest method of finding out exactly what the people want is through the medium of Uncle Sam's mail-bag. Of late the correspondence of the larger motion picture corporations established in the East and in Southern California has reached such huge dimensions that the officials of the various companies concluded it was better to apply to the government for a postoffice at each plant than go to the expense of having all matter carted several times daily from the nearest post-office. In several instances post-office privileges have been granted the more isolated companies and they are now in full enjoyment of all the postal advantages of any large city. Although some of the companies have sought postoffices because of the attending free advertising the larger companies have been absolutely in need of postoffices because of the huge amount of mail matter received daily from all parts of the world; And with the post-office has come the regularly appointed postmaster, together with his corps of assistants— all of which calls for a pretty neat sum in the yearly budgets of the companies but which, to them, are worth tenfold the expense. A glimpse of one day's mail received by any one of the better known companies will impress the most optimistic person with the idea that the world is unquestionably in the grip of motion pictures. Thousands of letters are received daily, in fifty different languages, from places never dreamed of as being on the map. The predominating letters are those applying for work. Everybody on earth seems to be peculiarly adapted as a coming motion picture star, according to these letters. Second in point of numbers are letters from aspiring mothers, inquiring into the moral atmosphere surrounding a picture-producing plant, and wishing to know if it is a fit place for their daughters. Then come hundreds of letters from ambitious would-be scenario writers, the majority of whom have not yet written a script but who desire a few pointers before embarking. Pouches of letters come daily from the general public who offer good, bad and indifferent advice in regard to past, present and future productions. Others send in epistolary eulogiums on plays they have viewed and hope to see more of the same kind produced in the future. One would think that most of these epistles are consigned to the waste basket after a single reading but such is not the case. Each letter is carefully read and its contents noted by some one in authority in the plant. Then they are sent to the various departments with which they particularly deal with a view of perfecting film-production, for after all it is the public who is the real critic of the films and if the wishes of the public are carried out we know that the filmservice is being improved. First Four Metro Releases The directors of the Metro Pictures Corporation, among whom are numbered many of the foremost exchange men and branch owners of the country, decided this week upon the first four releases of that concern. March 29 was set upon as the initial release date and B. A. Rolfe, whose production of "The Three of Us" created so favorable an impression on the trade, was honored as the first releasing company to be represented on the Metro program. Among the first four releases, "Satan Sanderson," from the Rolfe studios, with Orrin Johnson in the titular role, comes first and will first be screened on March 29. "Satan Sanderson," before being absorbed by the camera, enjoyed wide popularity as a spoken drama and as a novel sold into the second million. Today, "Satan Sanderson" is still one of the "best sellers." It will be released throughout American by Metro,' to be followed by the Popular Plays and Players Company's melodramatic version of the former great stage classic, "The Shadows of a Great City," with Adelaide Thurston, perhaps one of the best known touring stars, and Thomas Jefferson, the prominent legitimate actor, in the two foremost roles. In the production of "The Shadows of a Great City" which will be released by Metro, April 5, the Popular Plays and Players Company have utilized many of New York's characteristic natural settings. "Five Points" Tammany Hall, Rector's, Grand Central station, City Hall, Bowling Green, Times Square Subway station, Woolworth building, the Tombs and other famous spots were used as the background for the dramatic action of the piece with the result that the picture is almost as valuable from an historic standpoint as from the entertainment angle. "The Shadows of a Great City" will be followed on the Metro program by Mme. Olg'a. Petrova, in "The Heart of a Painted Woman," a gripping dramatic concoction wherein the famous star has full opportunity to give way to her unlimited emotional powers. "The Heart of a Painted Woman" will be the April 12 unit on the Metro program to be followed by the next B. A. Rolfe production of a former stage success "The Cowboy and the Lady" with S. Miller Kent, famous for his "Raffles," etc. and Helen Case. In "The Cowboy and the Lady" director Noble of the Rolfe organization, more than took advantage of a liberal policy, with the result that a most attractively sumptuous production resulted. It will be release'l by -Metro, April 19. New Studio Defies Weatherman The electric light Reliance and Majestic studio, on which work was started a while ago, has been completed and is the busiest section of the Mutual outfit in Hollywood, due to the fact that Mr. Weatherman has been unkind to the picture folks in Southern California for the past month or so. The dimensions of this new studio are 60x68 and 20 feet in height. The walls are covered with white paint and the big switchboards make picturesque studio equipment. There are a sufficient number of Cooper Hewitts and flaming arcs to enable five producers to operate at the same time. The completion of the electric light studio has caused the Mutual directors to cease worrying when they awake in the morning and heavy clouds and rain are visible. The studio lies adjacent to one of the large open air stages.