Motography (Jan-Mar 1916)

January 15, 1916. MOTOGRAPHY 111 tive performances in New York. In addition to this there have been eighty-four performances of the spectacle in theaters in Brooklyn and the Bronx. These, however, are not counted in the consecutive run. In round numbers 616,000 people saw the production at the Liberty theater.; 196.000 witnessed it during the run at the seashore and approximately 60,000 people have attended performances of it in the outlying theaters of Greater New York, making the total attendance to date for that city 872,000. By computing this with the census reports for New York City, it will be seen that appro:»'mately one in every seven residents of the city has attended the presentations. The uniform scale of prices for the run was from 25 cents to $2 at nights. and 25 cents to $1 at the matinees. The average was about 75 cents a head. It will be seen by this that New York paid over $600,000 for this one form of entertainment. This is a record never reached by any other attraction in the same space of time in any city in the world. Anyone conversant with New York theatricals is aware that the local theater depends to an appreciable extent upon transient trade. The record of "The Birth of a Nation" is the more remarkable when it is shown that simultaneous with the New York run engagements were also under way in other important points of the country. It ran for 300 performances in Boston, the record there ; 250 performances in Los Angeles. Cal., the local record; 150 times in San Francisco; 200 times in Philadelphia ; over 100 times in Pittsburgh, a local record ; 160 times in St. Louis, a local record, and has turned 428 consecutive performances in Chicago, which is second to the longest run ever known there, and which it will likely surpass before the end of the Windy City engagement. At the same time other companies have been touring the country. To date it is conservatively estimated that nearly 5,000,000 people have seen the great production in America. It is also passing through a London run which totals nearly twenty weeks. Additional companies are being formed for Australia and South America, while two others are touring Canada at present. As soon as the conditions warrant in Europe, additional companies will be sent on tour in Russia, France, Germany, Spain and Italy. MILWAUKEE FILM MEN UNITE Metro Manager Elected President of New Organization to Eliminate Undesirable Exhibitors and Cultivate Closer Business Associations D. H. Hoyt of the Metro Film Service was elected president of the Milwaukee Film Men's Credit Association at a meeting held Tuesday night, December 28. Joseph Mergener, manager of the Mutual Yilm Corporation, was named vice-president and W. A. Baier of Jacob's film booking office was elected secretarytreasurer of the new organization. The meeting was attended by representatives of the various motion picture film exchanges of Milwaukee. The object of the association is to eliminate undesirable and untrustworthy exhibitors and to cultivate closer and better social and business intercourse between the film exchanges and the desirable exhibitor. The association will be national in scope. Minneapolis has an association, and Mr. Baier will go to Chicago to interest the Chicago film exchanges in the plan of forming an organization there. Following are other local members affiliated : J. F. Van Meter, General Film Company; J. R. Thomson, Universal Film Exchange ; B. C. Smith, Casino Feature Film Company; William Aschmann, Pathe Exchange ; Leo Eckstein, Famous Players Star Feature Film Company ; E. S. Benham, Klondike Feature Film Company; I. P. Rink, Milwaukee Feature Film Exchange. The next meeting of the Milwaukee association will be held on January 10 in the offices of the Universal Film Exchange, 133 Second street. Edison Signs Carrol McComas Edison has captured for the star of the KleineEdison five-part feature, "At the Rainbow's End," released February 23, Carrol McComas, for her first appearance in motion pictures. Miss McComas has long been sought, both by Edison and other leading companies, but her busy life in successes on the stage always prevented. Her vivac i o u s personality, beautiful brown eyes and a certain captivating manner make her an ideal subject for the camera, and should the lens catch but one half of her charming sprightliness, her success will be pronounced. Besides her natural vivacity, her next most marked characteristic is her remarkable versatility, which has enabled her to succeed equally well in dramatic roles as she did in musical corned}'' and in vaudeville as a whistler and singer. Four seasons were spent with Frohman, and her recent work in the lead in the stage play, "Inside the Lines," was a personal triumph. Critics and public agreed that she shared honors with John Drew in "The Single Man," while her delightful Avork in the musical comedy success, "The Dollar Princess" and "The Marriage Market" made some box office records. Miss McComas also appeared with Billie Burke in "Mind the Paint Girl," with Donald Brian in "The Siren," "Miss Dot" and in "The Salamander." Balboa Company Given Watches Heads of departments and employes who have been with the Balboa Amusement Company for two years were presented with thin, octagonal shaped Swiss watches Christmas by H. M. and E. D. Horkheimer, heads of the Long Beach feature producing company. Among those who received the watches were Norman Manning, AVill M. Ritchev, Daniel Gilfether, Philo McCullough, R. R. Rocket't, Richard Johnson, Frank Mayo, George Crane, Wm. A. Gillette, George Rizard, Bruce Smith, Frank Erlanger, E. J. Brady, William Beckway, Sherwood Macdonald, Joe Brotherton, Harry