Motography (Apr-Jun 1916)

1106 MOTOGRAPHY Vol. XV, No. 20. Censors' Fees Profitable Hon. J. W. Bowser, attorney general of British Columbia, reports that during the year approximately 68,000 reels of film were examined by the censor's department and of this number a total of 800 reels were rejected. He also reports that the license fees and charges for censoring are almost twice as great as are necessary to make the department self-sustaining, as the net profit for the last year was $8,638.10. The censor's office has charge of the inspection of motion picture theaters in the province as well as the licensing of theaters, exchanges, operators and all other revenue producing sources of the industry. Film Shown Without "O. K. " Stamp In spite of the fact that the National Board of Review refused to give its sanction to "Where Are My Children?" the Universal Film Manufacturing Company decided to run the picture at the Globe Theater without the official stamp of the Board. As the picture has been endorsed by Father W. E. Cashin, Dr. Charles H. Parkhurst, Rabbi Jacob Kohn and Superior Paulist Father John Hughes, Universal believes that it will not be offensive to public taste. Grants Hearing on Censor Bill Since the Cristman-Wheeler censorship bill passed both houses in the New York state legislature, Governor Whitman has been deluged with protests against signing the measure. This correspondence has become so voluminous that Franklin B. Lord, Counsel to the Governor, has had a printed reply prepared. In a message to J. W. Binder, executive secretary of the Motion Picture Board of Trade of America, Governor Whitman has signified his intention of granting a hearing or a series of hearings on the censorship measure within the next thirty days. Rochester Censorship Lenient The motion picture censorship of the city officials of Rochester, N. Y., is not to be stringent or of a nature to embarrass the exhibitors. The censoring has been done mostly from the descriptions of the plays furnished by the producers and from the titles. There has no attempt been made to require a showing of the films in advance. The commissioner goes on the basis that only ten per cent of the films need censoring and that the exhibitors will work with him in censoring their own programs. Court Sustains Censors' Verdict The decision of the Pennsylvania Board of Censors in respect to thefilm "Virtue," certain parts of which they decreed should be eliminated, was upheld by the Court of Common Pleas. It was pointed out that while that tribunal thought the action of the Board of Censors "minute and far-fetched" and "without merit," yet it did not find that the censors had been guilty of any arbitrary or oppressive abuse of discretion. Griffith Publishes Book on Censor Menace David Wark Griffith, the noted producer, has published a book on the censor menace under the title, "The Rise and Fall of Free Speech in America." This is a powerful argument against the censoring of mo tion pictures and it is illustrated with satiric drawings showing the absurdity and hypocrisy of the censorious attitude of the mind. City Censors Unpaid A new ordinance in Benton Harbor, Mich., provides that the mayor shall appoint three citizens to act as censors of motion pictures, to serve without pay. Paragon Fights Censor Bill The Paragon Film Corporation is circulating petitions with the hopes of influencing Governor Whitman to veto the Cristman-Wheeler Bill. This company expects to send a petition bearing 100,000 names to the Governor within ten days. The Paragon is counting on the moving picture patrons for the bulk of these names and copies of the petition, with blanks for signatures, are being circulated among all the motion picture houses in Greater New York. National Board of Review Fight Bill The National Board of Review of Motion Pictures has arranged for a series of public protests against the signing of the Cristman-Wheeler bill. The first of these protests will be made at the Forty-fourth Street Theater on Monday evening, when Cranston Brenton, chairman of the National Board, will present facts showing the dangers with the motion picture as a great public entertainment would be subjected to in the State of New York should Governor Whitman sign the bill. Neil O Brien Joins Friars' Frolic The triumvate of black-face funmakers was completed when Neil O'Brien joined George Primrose and Lew Dockstader in the cast of George M. Cohan's Friars' All Star Frolic. Rehearsals for the big show will be started on May 8, and every Friar expects a show bigger and better than the Barnum and Bailey Circus. Mary A. Mersch, familiar on both stage and screen, has been engaged by Pallas Pictures to appear in important characterizations on the Paramount Program. The initial production under which Miss Mersch will appear under the Pallas brand is "David Garrick." in which Dustin Farnum plays the title role. George Beban is unexcelled in his convincing characterizations. Witness him humoring his horse in "Pasquale," at the Morosco studios. Director Taylor is on the extreme left.