Motography (Apr-Jun 1916)

1434 MOTOGRAPHY Vol. XV, No. 26. in their program in the form of a reel of film from 500 to 1,000 feet in length showing all the interesting local happenings for the week previous. These local pictures are proving great pullers. Messrs. Primm and Doak are also officers of the Box Film Company, which makes this novelty possible. Mary Grey Peck, formerly an English teacher at the University of Minnesota, was one of the most influential speakers before Governor Whitman when the censorship bill was presented. Miss Peck said it was practically impossible for a government or state board to be able to censor films and do justice. She pointed out that one-fifth of the moving picture audiences were made up of children and stated that the motion pictures were as necessary as books, and told of the national board of revue and the results of two years of investigation into the censorship problem. The splendid little magazine issued by the J. H. Kunsky Theatrical Enterprizes of Detroit, carries, in the latest number, an editorial invitation to its readers to send in criticisms of the plays shown at the company's houses. This should result in a valuable spirit of cooperation as there are fans enthusiastic enough and with leisure enough to jot down their opinions. The hole punched in the top of the advance program card of the Metropolitan theater of Iowa Falls, Iowa, is a mighty good idea. The program is about the size of a post card and we can just imagine stenogs, housewives and clerks slipping it on a pin somewhere. It carries a whole month's program, with a line for each day's bill. Ellsworth and Jones, Inc., owns the house. Literally springing out of the ground comes the new military town of Angus Plains, Ontario. The Canadian Government, acting on oi"ders from Sir Sam Hughes, purchased the land about this town, and 35,000 soldiers will go into training there during the summer months, at least. Two motion picture shows will be opened at Angus Plains to amuse the soldier boys, and they are sure to do a rushing business. II. M. Berman, manager of the Buckeye Film Company of Cincinnati, has been arrested, charged by the secretary of the Federated Catholic Societies with failing to obey the elimination orders of the Ohio board of censors. He was fined $300 and costs. Berman stated that on account of his recent arrival in the city he did not have a list of rejected films. "Dad's Doings and Dirtv Dollars" is the film that caused all the trouble. The V-L-S-E branch at Kansas City, Missouri, has for some time been getting out a unique little four-page sheet, "for and by" its exhibitors in Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Indiana, Tennessee and Kentucky. E. R. Pearson is manager and L. J. Scott editor. The distinctive title of the interesting little paper is The Big Four Clansman. The last issue especially congratulates the DesMoines Screen club on its splendid ball during the recent picture convention. M. E. Scott, president of the Safety Projector and Film Company of Minneapolis has announced that some time this coming summer he will open a $100,000 factory at Duluth for the manufacture of motion picture projection machines and motion picture films, Mr. Scott has just perfected his machine after two years of experimenting and has a machine which can be operated by connecting it with an ordinary electric light sprocket and in this way it can be used in schools, churches and homes by merely using the projector. Howard S. Clemmer, of the Clemmer theater, Spokane, Washington, again has lived up to his reputation of being one of the "live wire" showmen by pinning a five dollar check to an application for membership to the Motion Picture Exhibitors League of America, which was printed in Motograpiiy, and sending it to the Chicago headquarters of the league. Mr. Clemmer now is one of the active members and will do everything in his power to boom the League in the northwest. From Springfield, Vermont, comes to us the concise black and white program issued every week by the Ideal theater. This house charges 15 cents admission on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays and 10 cents the rest of the time. Children pay five cents at the matinees and regular prices at the other shows. Mutual, Metro, General and Universal are the programs run, and "The Mysteries of Myra," International, has been put on recently. The Strand Theater of Altoona, Pennsylvania, has set the pace in regard to publicity for a new theater. When the Strand was opened it had a ten-page section called "The Strand Theater Supplement," in the x\ltoona Times. The front page was taken up with a big line cut of the front of the theater. The other pages were filled with large space ads by the different firms connected with the Strand's construction. Silverman Brothers are proprietors of the new house, which will run Paramount and Triangle features. A Wurlitzer HopeJones Unit Orchestra will furnish the musical settings. From The Bioscope comes information of a most ingenious advertising scheme used by J. Alexander. Trafalgar Cinema, Greenwich, London, whereby he induces his patrons to take care of the monthly card he issues by making it a free accident insurance coupon for £100. The card is a single folder — 5 inches by 3 inches. The frontispiece is well displayed and advises the recipient to carry the card with him, as the "holder is entitled to free accident insurance." The two inside leaves are devoted to a list of exclusives for the month, with a few explanatory lines to each title, while the back page carries the insurance coupon. Now, as to the value of the card there cannot possibly be the slightest doubt, and its success is due to the fact that it institutes a mutual arrangement between recipient and advertiser. L. J. Burkitt, manager of the Lyric Theater, Morrison, Illinois, sends us one of the first issues of his program with an apology at its lack of merit, stating that the printer had only seven hours to set it up, run it and put in the staples. There is positively no apology needed for it is a very good program about three by five and made up of eight pages and cover. Besides the regular weekly program it carries a generous supply of advertising. Some of the slogans on the front cover ai«.' worth repeating: "We make this our business — that is why we get the business"; and "It isn't the number of reels you try to see, it is the quality of the reels vim see and the way they arc projected."