Moving Picture World (Jul-Sep 1913)

THE MOVING PICTURE WORLD 325 hundred glass announcement and advertising slides. The Edison Kinetoscope, model 1913, was shown by Walter W. Evans, Jr.. of the sales department. Also on exhibition was the home machine. The fact that there is a forthcoming series of Edison films entitled "Who Will Marry Mary" is plainly set forth here. There is a large painting of Thomas A. Edison in this space. Mr. Evans reports business good, that he has had several very good prospects ; in fact, the outlook for sales at the exposition is very satisfactory. The Nicholas Power Machine Company has one of the largest displays in the exposition, its space being 20 by 40 feet in area. It is featuring its 6A motor-driven machine and its double-dissolving lantern. Also on view are the Nos. i, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 machines, these in themselves forming a demonstration of the growth of the projector. The company is distributing to operators a finely printed and bound "Hints to Operators." The book is profusely illustrated and contains blanks for memoranda. In charge of the booth is Will C. Smith, assistant general manager of the company, and he is aided by A. L. Raven, F. W. Swett and Bert Bohannon. One of the completest exhibits of all appliances for the manufacture and exhibition of moving pictures on the floor of the convention, is that of the Whyte-Whitman Co. On display here are to be seen cameras, printers, perforators, cleaning machines, cementing machines and a new drying system. This firm is exclusive importer of and agent for Williamson's machines. S. Baker is in charge of the exhibit. One of the most complete is the device that forms the main exhibit of the National Cash Register booth. It has not yet been named, but the device is fully developed. The machine forms a part of the counter of the booth, a set of keys rising from the table. One row carries the denominations of the tickets sold, while a second row carries the numerals from two to five. Pressing the five cent key will deliver one ticket. Pressing the same key and one of the others in the second row will deliver two tickets, or three or four or five, as may be desired. If the wrong key is depressed through error the machine is turned to blank and may be reset correctly. Strip tickets are not used, the ticket being printed on the blank at the moment of delivery. But one color of paper may be used at a time, though five colors can be threaded through and any color used as desired, though but one color may be used at a time for all denominations. One advantage of the color scheme is found in the rush hour. After the house is filled a change may be made from white to red tickets and after a certain number have been sold another change is made to blue or yellow or green. As the house empties the tickets first sold are given preference over the more recent arrivals and one fruitful source of complaint is avoided. The machine contains a totalizer and the results show under a locked panel. There is a second register that may be set on the last sale of the day before and a simple process of subtraction gives the day's sale. The manager may let the machine run for a week or more without attention and yet have an accurate count that may not be falsified by any employee. Another machine is found in the booth of the Picture Theater Equipment Company, the Ticket Selling and Registering Machine. This delivers but one sort of ticket, but the cost is so low that the two or more required where the admission is not uniform is not as great as a single larger machine. The tickets are delivered one at a time and are counted automatically, the register being provided with a lock and key that conceal the figures. This gives accurate count and yet prevents a competitor from getting the volume of business down through the purchase of tickets with betraying serial numbers. The parts are simple, are not likely to get out of order and is fool and meddle proof. Mr. Edwards' booth is typical of his "department store of motography." He handles everything but films and gives his clients the benefit of a comprehensive display, and yet with several kinds of machines and all sorts of sundries, his booth does not look overcrowded, though a glance shows the wide variety of his assortment and hints at the orderly system that makes for efficiency as well. For those who prefer it there is the automatic coin cashier, which takes coins, makes change and registers the admissions. It is intended as a substitute for a ticket machine, but with one of these and a ticket delivery the operation of selling tickets becomes automatic. If a quarter is dropped in the proper slot and two admissions asked for, the machine passes down a dime and a nickel and registers two admissions, all in one movement, passing the crowd along without delay and leaving the lobby man free to move through the crowd and keep it lined up. The Box Office Ticket Machine Company offers a device that prints and delivers tickets with one movement. A quick drying ink is used on the roller that prevents the fingers or even white gloves from becoming "smudged." Just across the aisle from the big Wurlitzer instrument, that makes more noise than the band, the Dramagraph effects machine has to get in when the Wurlitzer man has a heart, but the novelty of the machine holds the crowds. It is a compact collection of drummers' traps and effects self-contained and supplemented by the usual bass and snare drum. The bass pedal has an arrangement whereby the cymbal or drum may be operated independently of the other or in unison. The other has a lever device for throwing off the snares and converting it into a tom-tom. Cranks, pulls and handles work all sorts of bells and a series of tubes work the whistles, and other pneumatic effects. There is a phonograph for use where the piano is absent, and an organ run by a crank for church scenes, A typewriter key effect has its accompanying bell, and the demonstrator claims that not a single sound asked for yet has not been replied to. The jokester who asks for "a noise like a nut" is given the laugh by the operator tapping his assistant's head, Scott and Van Altena have their display in running order and show a collection of slides that it would be hard to beat anywhere. They are all straight photographic effects in combination instead of crude drawing, and some of the colorings are unusually effective. You are missing an eye treat if you go past this booth too quickly. The interior is darkened and a glass screen shows the effect of some of the numbers in the lantern, Phonoliszt Violina is a pretty large mouthful of name. It belongs to one of the most unique musical instraments on the floor, a combination of two violins and piano. While there are four instruments for each violin, each violin using but a single string, all are completely strung and the combination of the eight give the full effect of two good instruments, the bowing being done by a circle bow and the stopping by mechanical fingers. Apart from the novelty the tonal effects are really good and the piano accompaniment leaves nothing to be desired, being neither obtrusive nor lacking in volume. Perforated paper rolls are used, these being made in Germany. There is another instrument giving a combination of piano and organ, a pleasing effect, and there is a pipe organ with effects for those who desire something of greater volume, all of them being handled by Ernst Bocker. There is more than plenty of music in the air, but it is good music. The United Electric Light and Power Company has a finely equipped booth jo by 30 feet in area. The company is showing a motor generator, mercury rectifier and rotary converter, demonstrating the transfer of alternating current to direct. Also there are on exhibition cooking utensils, sign flashes, ozonator for the purification of air in theaters, electric radiator, window whirlers, and time clock. There is a finely equipped operating booth, which contains a Power's 6A projector. At the opposite end of the space is a screen shielded from view when not in use by ver^^ artistic glass doors. Twelve electric fans keep the air in the booth moving. Other objects on e-xhibition are a vacuum cleaner and an electric cigar lighter. There is a full equipment of Deagan's bells. A. F. Berry is in charge of the exhibit, and he is aided by J. R. Hunter and J. R. Sweeney. The Typhoon Fan Company, of New York, which has an exhibit at the left of the main entrance, is the company responsible for making more comfortable the temperature of the exposition hall these days. Besides many smaller fans there are four sixfooters. The fans are silent in operation. There is a unique exhibition in the booth. This is an electrically driven sixteeninch fan blowing on a four-foot apparatus, and working the larger fan as a windmill. For the twenty-six hours ending at 2 o'clock Wednesday afternoon the Mortimer Film Qeaner Company had sold 134 outfits, a pretty good record. The apparatus cleans a film as it is rewound. These cleaners have been sent as far as Manila. The demonstrator has his indorsements right on file in the booth — some half a thousand of them. The Spray Ozone Company is demonstrating a disinfectant. Spray Ozone, a germicide which kills germs and leaves in the air the odor of pine. The ozone has been introduced into many theaters, into commercial establishments and into homes. The company holds a patent, which was issued July 8, for an attachment to an electric fan, enabling the theater man automatically to purify the air in his house. A. H. Avery is the manager of the company. The Enterprise Optical Manufacturing Company occupies spaces 327 and 328. The exhibit is in charge of Bernard M. Corbett and Fred A. Clark of the sales department. They are showing the latest model Motiograph, both hand and motor driven ; stereopticons, and accessories. Mr. Corbett was a close friend of the founder of The Moving Picture World, and in a chat with the writer expressed his admiration for the sterling qualities of J. P. Chalmers.