Moving Picture World (April 1912 - June 1912)

122 THE MOVING PICTURE WORLD CHICAGO LETTER. By Jas. S. McQuade. THE meeting of Independent manufacturers and exhibitors at the Hotel Sherman, Saturday afternoon, March 30, was held behind closed doors. The call for the meeting had been sent out by Joseph Hopp, of the Standard exchanges in Chicago and Louisville, about ten days before, and the representation from all parts of the country fairly astonished those present. The two main objects of the meeting were: First — An arrangement between exchanges and the manufacturers, by which films should be leased and not sold to exchanges. By this means it is sought to enforce the retirement of films monthly, so as to eliminate, eventually, worn out films from the market and, incidentally, to force junk dealing firms out of the business. Second — It was sought to induce the manufacturers to outline a plan whereby each exchange shall have a defined territory, thus preventing conflict of bookings among exhibitors and insuring a better service for each. Joseph Hopp, chairman of the meeting, named a committee of exchange men, who, after an hour in conference, drafted a resolution embodying the foregoing aims and requesting the manufacturers to co-operate with exchange men in bringing about the proposed changes. The exchange committee also requested the manufacturers to appoint a committee to meet its members in joint conference. This was done, the manufacturers on the committee being J. E. Brulatour, Carl Laemmle, Edwin Thanhouser, David Horsley, Herbert Miles and Chas. Bauman. S. S. Hutchinson was appointed advisory member to this committee. The members of the exchange committee are Joseph Hopp, chairman: J. W. Morgan, secretary; J. E. Fitzjarrel, W. E. Greene, A. Davis and E. Olson. J. R. Freuler was appointed advisory member to the committee. On Saturday night the two committees met at dinner, in the Walnut room of the Hotel Sherman, and interchanged opinions until a late hour. It was decided to postpone further discussion until Thursday, April 4th, after the manufacturers' committee meets in New York. It is then expected that Chairman Brulatour, for the manufacturers, will call a meeting of the two committees, in Atlantic City, sometime this month. Should the committees agree on a plan of procedure at Atlantic City, a call will be issued for a meeting of all Independent exchanges and manufacturers, in Chicago, in the near future. The following manufacturers, or their representatives, were present: J. E. Brulatour and Harry R. Raver, of Eclair; Carl Laemmle, of the Imp; Mark Dintenfass, of the Champion; David Horsley, of the Nestor; Herbert Miles, of the Republic; Joe Engel, of the Rex; S. S. Hutchison, of the American; Edwin Thanhouser, of the Thanhouser Co.; A. Kessel and Chas. Bauman, of the Bison; Tom Cochrane, of the Majestic; Tom Evans, of the Powers Co.; D. W. McKinney and Frank Winch, representing the Sales Co. Among the exchange men present were: Joseph Hopp, of the Standard Exchanges, Chicago and Louisville; Maurice Fleckles, of the Laemmle Exchanges in Chicago, Minneapolis, Omaha and Des Moines; C. J. Hite, of the H. & H. and Majestic Exchanges, Chicago; C. C. Plough, of the AntiTrust Film Co., Chicago; Mr. Bailey, of the Pacific Flm Exchange, Butte, Mont., and the Independent Western Film Exchange, Portland. Ore.; Mr. Nolan, of the Swanson Exchange, Denver; A. F. Beck, Central Film Service, Indianapolis; J. R. Freuler, Western Film Exchanges of Milwaukee, Kansas City and New York; E. Olson, Wichita Film & Supply Co., Wichita, Kan.; L. Oldnow, Consolidated Film & Supply Co.'s offices of New Orleans, Birmingham and Dallas; W. E. Greene, Greene Film Exchange, Boston; J. E. Fitzjarrel, Baltimore Film Exchange, Baltimore; William Klatt, Michigan Film & Supply Co., Detroit; J. W. Morgan, Morgan Film Service, Kansas City; Sam Werner, Swanson-Crawford Exchange, St. Louis; Art. Schmidt, Victor Film Service of Buffalo, and Rex Film Exchange of Albany, N. Y.; J. Schnitzer, Toledo Film Exchange, Toledo, and Victor Film Service of Cleveland; E. E. Mandelbaum, Lake Shore Film Service, Cleveland, and Lake Shore and Buckeye, Columbus; A. Davis, Independent Film Exchange and Pittsburgh Photoplay Co., Pittsburgh; A. Kessel, the Empire Film Exchange, Great Eastern, Peerless and Metropolitan, all of New York City, and Herbert Miles, representing Miles Bros., of SanFrancisco and Los Angeles. Chicago Film Brevities. It is said that the Pennsylvania Exhibitors' League intends holding a convention in June, at Pittsburgh. What with the recent meeting at Dayton, the Toledo convention set for July, and the national convention to be held in Chicago, in August, it would certainly seem as if exhibitors are inclined to overdo the convention scheme. It might be wise to go slow and hold conventions after proper intervals, so that each will receive the necessary patronage and result in the right measure of success. * * * The Photoplay Magazine has added Neil G. CaWard to its staff, as associate editor. Mr. Caward is a well-known journalist, who began his career on the Minneapolis Journal. For a long time he has written special articles for a prominent publication syndicate. A. W. Thomas, a resident of Marion, Ohio, who has discharged editorial duties, will assist in the scenario department. * * * T. K. Valloss, of Chicago, has purchased the state rights of "Twenty Years in Sing Sing" for Iowa and Arkansas, and opened his exhibition tour last Monday, April 1st. * * * The plant of the Parisian Manufacturing & Film Renovating Co. was visited last week by a representative of The World. It is a thoroughly up-to-date, progressive business establishment, with a floor space of over 4,000 feet, and well equipped with modern appliances for the development, printing and cleaning of films by the Parisian process. Fred L. Tilley, the president and general manager of the company, states that he has purchased the sole rights for using the Parisian cleansing system of films in America. Mr. Tilley formerly resided in Detroit, and at one time was connected with the Urban Trading Co., of London, for five years. Mr. Tilley is much encouraged by the patronage already given him by Licensed and Independent Film Exchanges in the cleaning of films. * * * C. S. Sullivan, owner of the Royal Theater, Escanaba, Mich., purchased the Cosy Theater, Marinette, Wis., on Monday, March nth. Licensed service is furnished both houses by the G. F. Co.'s branch at 17-19 S. Wabash. Mr. Sullivan stated that the winter business has been very good in Escanaba. * * * J. E. Becknell, manager of the Marion Theater, Iron Mountain, Mich., was a visitor at the office of the World last week. He will be remembered as the manager of the Merritt and Victoria theaters of Chicago. The Marion was opened January 1st. It has a capacity of 395, representing an investment of $5,000. It is owned by Mr. Becknell and Mrs. Marion Higgie. ANDERSON IN ROLE OF INDIAN. Mr. G. M. Anderson, director and producer of the Essanay Western company located at Lakeside, Cal., shows his ability to adapt himself to widely different roles in two splendid Western dramas soon to be released. In "Under Mexican Skies," booked for April 13th, Mr. Anderson plays the role of Pasquale, a Mexican vaquero, and in "The Indian and the Child," released April 27th, he portrays a half-breed Indian with marvelous effect when it is considered how little makeup is employed in the moulding of the character. Mr. Anderson is a great believer in the art of facial expression to carry out conceptions of characters, instead of the use of heavy make up, and his ability in this art is only too well known throughout the entire film-world. KETTLER ON THE JOB. Carl Kettler, Jr., the moving picture man of South Florida, or better known as the photoplay crank of Palm Beach, is certainly one of the leading photoplay exhibitors of this country. Mr. Kettler, who is owner and manager of the Kettler's Photoplay Theater, of Palm Beach, Fla., has been showing nothing but the world's best and latest Licensed photoplays to crowded houses during the entire season. Mr. Kettler says his great success is due to the great assistance and teachings which he has obtained by reading the greatest photoplay magazine ever published or better known the world over as the "Moving Picture World." If every motion picture exhibitor throughout this country was to operate his or their theater as Mr. Kettler does his, the moving picture industry throughout the world to-day would be at least 100 per cent, better.