Motography (Apr-Jun 1916)

1468 MOTOGRAPHY Vol. XV, No. 26. TEXAS FLICKERS By S. G. Parker, Special Representative of Motography. WH. WOOD has opened his Dome • Theater, a summer house, at Lawton, Oklahoma. He is running pictures and vaudeville. The Queen Theater at Bonham, Texas, has been sold by Don Ryburn to Ben Halsell. Mr. Halsell formerly was at Bonham in charge of the Mystic Theater. Ray Peeler has opened his airdome at Bonham. A new house will be erected at Houston, Texas, which will run pictures and vaudeville for colored patrons. It will seat 800 and wilt be opened June 19, by J. R. Hamilton. One of the most disastrous fires in theaters recently was the destruction of Robt. H. Nickerson's house at Butler, Oklahoma. The house, with all contents, including 15 reels of film, was totally destroyed, as well as an adjoining building. Edward A. Thomas, the lecturer, who has been touring Oklahoma with "Satan," reported the fire to Dallas exchangemen, and said that not onty was there no insurance carried, but the booth was nothing more than a frame-box-like affair, and with no fire-proofing whatever. The conflagration started when the kid operator put two reels of film on a rectifier. S. A. Arnold, for a long time manager of the Palace Theater, Little Rock, Arkansas, known as the man who put over so many live stunts in the show business there, is now manager of the Exclusive Feature Film Service's branch office at Little Rock. C. E. Tandy, general manager of the Paramount exchanges in the South, and director general of the Southern World Film offices, recently visited Dallas for a few days. Ned E. Depinet, manager of the Consolidated's office in Dallas, has returned from a trip to Atlanta, where he conferred with General Manager William Oldknow regarding the two big features their company has recently acquired from the Universal, "The Dumb Girl of Portici" and "Where Are My Children?" The Alliance Film Company of Texas, J. W. Hill, Jr., manager, has secured the "Charlie Fatty Maybelle" comedy cartoon subjects for Texas and Oklahoma; and will have one new release each week. Mr. Hill is adding a scenic subject to the comedy cartoons, making the film a full thousand feet. Bookings are rapidly coming in on the contract basis, Mr. Ilill has informed us. H. Thomas, operating the Airdome Theater at Orange, Texas, made a flying trip to Dallas June 8, to arrange some bookings, among which was the Essanay-Chaplin "Police." It seems that a Dallas friend of Mr. Thomas wrote him that "Police" was a great picture, and that he had better get it. He did. SOME NEW THEATERS Alabama The Strand theater in Montgomery has let the contract for the installation of a new ventilating system. Arizona The Phoenix Amusement Company, owners of a chain of motion picture theaters, has opened the Rex, in Prescott. Arkansas The moving picture show, Capital ave-. nue and Main street, Little Rock, was destroyed by fire. California The Portola and Market Street theaters in San Francisco have been purchased by the Market Street Realty Company. The Portola is located in the down town district and has a seating capacity of 1,100, and is managed by Eugene Roth, who will continue in that capacity. The Market Street theater is centrally located and has about the same number of seats. It was managed by Hallahan & Getz, and the new management will continue the showing of feature pictures. The Palmer and Vicksburg theaters in San Francisco have been purchased by Ford & Myer, managers of the Acme theaters. Contract has been let for a new motion picture building to cost $16,000 for Lydia Dugan at Redwood City. Santa Monica will have a new picture theater. Canada Mr. Savor, manager and proprietor of the motion picture house in Cardinal, Ont., has arranged to operate the Princess theater, in Prescott. It is rumored that Mr. Savor will operate a small threetown circuit, in Cardinal, Prescott, and Morrisburg. The Corona theater with a seating capacity of over one thousand has been opened in St. Hyacinthe, managed by Mr. Bauchard. The Empire theater in Granby, Quebec, is now managed by P. E. Page. Georgia The contract for the erection of the new Modjeska theater was awarded to Palmer-Spivey Construction Company. The building, which will be erected on R. O. Lombard's property, 815-17 Broad street, Augusta, will be one of the most beautiful structures in the city. The building, alone, will cost approximately $35,000, and the Modjeska Theater Company will expend between $10,000 and $15,000 equipping it with the necessary motion picture paraphernalia. The construction work will be begun immediately by the contractors, and the building will be ready for occupancy by October 1. Illinois Incendiaries at Chenoa started fire which destroyed the opera house there with a loss of $20,000. The Majestic theater in Rushville has changed ownership, Mr. Wilson of Astoria selling it to three gentlemen from Vermont and Astoria. The new owners are Arthur McCormick and Doane Edie of Vermont and James C. Van Antwerp of Astoria. Mr. McCormick will be the resident manager. The Dreamland theater in Roodhouse is having a new ceiling and side walls of metal installed. The Wilson Avenue theater. Chicago, showing vaudeville, has been leased for the summer months by H. A. Gundling, who will show feature pictures. The "K" and Grand theaters in Mattoon are being improved. The Plumb theater in Streator will show pictures. Indiana The Palace liver y stable in Mt. Vernon has been purchased by Mr. Crebs. who will erect a new picture theater on the site. William Parent, manager of the Crystal theater in Decatur, has installed a combination pipe organ, piano and complete orchestra instrument. Charles Porter, who formerly operated a picture theater in Cambridge City, has purchased the Old Trails theater in Cen terville. Articles of incorporation for the Autoslide Company, which is capitalized at $10,000, were filed in the office of County Recorder Grace, Terre Haute. The stock of the company is divided into 100 shares with a par value of $100 each. The purpose of the new concern is to buy, sell and manufacture lantern slides, screens and moving picture film. The incorporators are: George Graham Holloway, Frank J. Martin and Stewart Rose. These three men also are the directors of the affairs of the concern for the first year. Northern Amusement Company. Indianapolis; capital, $1,500: motion picture show; directors, MichaelJ. Barrett. Robert Wands, James A. New. Dr. Herman G. Morgan, Charles E. Binkley. Eugene D. Foley, Clarence E. Clark. Vernon U. Young has begun the construction of a $10,000 theater building at the corner of Seventeenth avenue and Broadway, Gary, which will seat about 1.200 people. Iowa The Amuse-U theater in Savanna, which was purchased recently by Al Yeager and remodeled, was recently taken possession of by Streicher & Kraft under a chattel mortgage. The Allerton motion picture theater in Independence has been sold by Mr. Knee to Mr. Clatt of Wisconsin. The Casino theater in Federal avenue. South, Mason City, will open under new management as announctd 1 y A. Kohn. There was a slight blaze in the King theater, Albia. To build a new opera house that will accommodate a moving picture show, a popular subscription is being circulated in Riverton. Pictures will be shown at the Crystal theater in Waterloo. This house was recently taken over by Nicholas Webber, A two-story moving picture theater and apartment building will be erected in Webster City for E. H. Martin. Announcement was made that Frank Schlueter, of La Porte City, lias purchased the Grand theater in Cedar Falls tVi 'in Mr. Dodge. The transfer take-; place immediately and Mr. Schlueter will take charge at once.