Moving Picture News (Jan-Dec 1911)

THE. MOVING PICTURE NEAVS II tloor is opened, disclosing to her view her lover on the rack, being seared and tortured in the \va> -o well known in those da\'S. Screaming with affright, she cunbcnl-, to sacrihce herself and the torture is inimediateh commanded lo cease. In a little while the hunchback carries the Duke's command to tile girl til aiipear m his liedchaiulier. Before doing this, in a lit ol dislraciHMi, she sears lier face with a red-not poker, and' throwing a \eil oxer her head, she appears before the amorous Duke, who, in his dotage, tries to be gallant and, lifting the veil, is horrihed at the face presented to his view, fie repulses her, commands his nephew to appear in the audience-chamber, where all are assembled in state, and he is commanded to marry the girl, who, in spite of her blemished face, is dear to him, and the malice of the Duke loses its sting by the acceptance on the part of the nephew oi the girl who sacrihced so much for him, and the Duke's daughter IS not to marry the nephew, as originally arranged. The stor.y is one that should appeal to a picture-loving public. The next subject, "The Dream," shows a typical husband of to-day, neglecting his wife, frequenting cates in compan}' with his stenographer and drinking, not wisely but too well; he returns home to the neglected wife, who has prepared him a beautiful dinner and awaits in agony his belated appearance. In his drunken ht he upsets the table and almost breaks his wife's heart by his conduct, and'she leaves him to himself. He then throws himself on a couch and sleeps, and in the sleep dreams, and in this dream sees a reversal of his wife's whole nature, she becoming, as his companion was, a heartless coquette, sits on the table, drinks wine, smokes cigarettes, throws her wedding ring at him, goes away with her lover to the same cafe where he took his stenographer, and carries through the exact antics as did his companion. In a fit of desperation at seeing her thus he writes a letter saying all is off and shoots himself, and at the crash of the revolver he wakes up, finds himself on the floor, rubs his eyes and cannot understand his position. His wife coming in at this moment, he tells her of his dream, which she denies, showing the ring still upon her finger. He begs forgiveness and the final scene shows reconciliation and the eating of chunks of love cake together. Both films show the histrionic ability of the new acquisition. « Cbicado letter By the time you read this a new year, and, let us hope, a new era for the moving picture, will have been launched; but if things, during the coming j'ear, progress as rapidly as they have during the one just closed, greater than the greatest will be the future of the Independent product. One year ago had j'ou asked 95 per cen of Chicago's exliibitors what they thought of Independent pictures, or why they did not use them, they would have laughed at you or else thought you were crazy, but to-day in the short space of a year the Independent product has advanced by leaps and bounds in quality and quantity and system, and 70 per cent of Chicago moving picture shows are using it in preference to the Trust pictures. The Boston theater, on IMadison street, the first house dovi'iitown to put on the Independent picure, now has a partner in the cause, as the Bijou Dream, one of Chicago's largest and most beautiful houses, has contracted for firstrun Independent service. Genial Sig. Fowler, the manager of the Bijou Dream, is cutting down one act of his vaudeville and putting the money thus saved into his pictures; so, through the energetic work of Julius Singur, of the Laemmle Film Service, State street, throngs will view good Independent pictures after Tan. 1st. _ Among other city and out-of-to,wn exhibitors who have taken up the cause of the Independent pictures are George Bachman, .5-cent theater, 2841 Archer avenue, Chicago. Mr. Bachman formerly used Laemmle's service, and after an absence of two weeks from their list returned Saturday, which proves the saying true, "They all come back." Alichaelstadter Bros., who own and operate a moving picture show at Fourteenth street and Crenshaw avenue, have joined the happycrew of satisfied showmen who deal with "The Biggest and Best Renter." J. P. Adler, who is lessee and manager of Adler's operahouse, IMarshfield, "Wisconsin, was in town the other day and closed a contract for Independent Film Service, machine, etc., to take the place of road attractions and vaudeville. Lux Graphicus, N. B. Rule & Coad3^ ma:nagers Princess theater, Muskegon, Mich., send us glowin;: reports of business with high-class Independent service; also a photo of their front ad display as shown. Another county heard from, also in Micliigan. I am appending hereto a letter from A. L. Cooley, proprietor People's Theater, Larium, Mich. It speaks for itself and needs no explanation: Larium, Mich., Dec. 39, 1910. Laemmle Film Co., Gentlemen : This will let you know that I was well pleased with your first program. I cannot begin to tell you how much I enjoyed running film through my hands that did not feel like a SAW. And I did not have to stop my show once during either of the performances. The film that I had been receiving from the Gen. Film Co. was the worst that I had ever run, and I used to run some rotten stuff in the old days when there were only a few of us in the business. Instead of the General FILM it should be the General FLIM Co., as they have the world by the ear, as far as Association Film is concerned, and they do not treat their customers all alike. If they did, it would be a good thing for the Independents, as I believe that they would try to FLIM all of them. I re■ceived some beautiful promises from them, but the fellow that wrote Ihem must have been a dreamer, as nothing ever materialized from those beautifully worded letters. I am going to keep a tab on the daily difference that the box office shows, and I will let you know the result. I have the largest and most comfortable house up here, and am doing a splendid business, but it was almost ruined by the Gen. F. Co., because of the junk that they sent me. I usually had to scrub the atmosphere after each show, as it was so blue from certain poetical exclamations that no one could see the pictures. Keep up the good work and I will be one of the best and strongest boosters that you have. And up here it is said. ''Better ask Cooley" when any question concerning the business comes up. So I guess a good boost from the People's Theater will count some. Kindly submit your bill each week, as I do not want to let it run over a week. In the event that it does not get here, I will send certified check, and you can send bill at your leisure. Trusting that you had a merry Christmas and wishing you a Happy and Successful New Year, and Confusion to the Association, I am. Very truly yours, A. L. COOLEY. You are at liberty to publish this letter if you so desire.— A. L. C. Gillespie & Bouillett, two enterprising young men of Ellwood, Ind., opened a new moving picture theater in that town Dec. 22nd with Independent service furnished by Laemmle, in opposition to three houses using Trust films, and are doing top business of the town. It is a 284-seat house, and is handsomely decorated both inside and out, the plastic work being done by a well-known Chicago firm. A .Powers, No. 6 has been installed. The novel mode of ad^'ertising their house ahead was to open a contest as to a name for it, and although I have as yet been unable to find out what name has been selected, I' understand over 2,000 IRex LEARN TO SAY IT—