Moving Picture World (Apr-Jun 1917)

244 THE MOVING PICTURE WORLD It advertises: "Come when you please, stay as long as you like." Moving pictures of Cairo were shown at the Kimmel in that city. Arthur W. Jaggers, of Edwardsville. will go to Tuscon, Ariz., to take charge of a moving picture and vaudeville theater which is being erected in that city by F. A. Kborns, of Tuscon. Howard H. Hoyt, Jr., and Ludlow J. Washburn, of Evanston, expect to open, sometime in September, a theater at 613-€17 Davis Street in Eranston, to be known as the Hoy burn, the title being coined from their respective names. The theater will be part of an office and store building which they will erect at a cost of $60,000. It will seat SOO persons, despite unusually wide spacing and broad aisles. Three machines will be installed, two for regular work and one for kinemacolor. The musical end will be taken care of by a pipe organ and a bartola instrument, and a piano and musicians will be selected who can "play the pictures." It is planned to use first-run service. The Elite Theater at Waukegan recently had the "North Shire Quartet" as an attraction for its patrons. A band concert was a feature of the auspicious opening of the new Star Theater in East Moline. The board of directors of the new Palace Theater at Rockford has decided, to begin construction about the middle of April upon another house which will cost $125,000. T. S. Harris has opened a moving picture theater in his building at Waverly, which he formerly used as a skating rink. The Hupp Automatic Mail Exchange Device Company is using moving pictures to exploit its invention throughout Illinois. It is claimed that mail pouches can be transferred from one moving train to another with perfect safety. Inasmuch as sacks thrown from fast mail trains are frequently ground to pieces beneath the wheels the pictures showing the new process attracted considerable attention at the Majestic Theater in Rock Island. Manager McFadden. of the Electric Theater at Manteno, is winning a place in the hearts of his fellow-townsmen. He recently showed free to the children of the public school a safety-first reel and a Fathe Weekly. He plans to repeat the show for the benefit of the children of the parochial school, and also to give the latter the "Passion Play." The city council at Waukegan barred the film "Traffic in Souls." i'liris Taylor, owner of Dreamland Theater at Kewanee, is making a number of improvements. viz. : new awning in front of the house, new ventilating system and a change in the lighting system. Joseph Odenthal, the pioneer moving picture man of Batavia, has sold his interest in the Batavia Opera nouse to Mark Trester, of South Chicago. Mrs. Elizabeth Evermann, who will manage the house for Trester, already has assumed charge. The Janet Theater Company, of Chicago, has been incorporated with capital stock of $6,000 to do a theater and amusement business. The incorporators are Michael B. Morris, H. Hymah and Belle Brown. A moving picture theater has been opened at Brim field. The Williams building at Colfax has been leased by Robert Keefe and Frank Peters, who have opened a moving picture theater. Merchants of Oregon are giving free matinee tickets to the Family Theater. This house is rnnning some vaudeville in addition to its length; picture programs. John Bly and Charles Runyan, of Savanna, have purchased a moving picture show outfit and will give shows in a number of the surrounding towns. The Bell Theater at Cuba will be enlarged. The Zenith Motion Picture Company, of Chicago, made some pictures at Lincoln which were shown at the Lyric Theater in that city. The Hyes-Leffingwell Amusement Company, of Evanston, has been incorporated with a capital stock of $6,000 to do a theatrical and amusement business. The incorporators are Michael L. Hayes, Robert L. Leflingwell and Joseph T. Tyrell. The American Moving Picture Directory Company. of Chicago, has been incorporated with capital stock of $5,000 to print and publish directories, newspapers and magazines and to sell same. The incorporators are ,T. R. Haydon, Edward G. Woods and A. M. Standerwick. The Finn & Heiman Amusement Company, which controls a string of Middle-West vaudeville and picture houses, will erect the New Orpheum, a $60,000 structure on North Hickory street in Champaign before September 1 . This company already con t rol a the Walker and Illinois theaters in the twin college i-ities of Urban a and Champaign. MIDWEST SPECIAL SERVICE. IN THE NORTHWEST. EDWARD R. SALTER has arrived at Duluth. Minn., from Detroit, Mich., ready to assume charge of the Grand Theater, which is in course of construction on Superior street, between Second and Third avenues. West. Five acts of vaudeville and late-run moving pictures will be presented when the house opens May 1. A rhildren's playground where the youngsters may be left will be a feature of the new enterprise, which is backed by Moses S. Cook, of Duluth. A. E. Debeau, of Minneapolis, Minn., will be manager of the new theater, which will be erected in Sauk iVntre. Minn., by himself and James Caughren. of Sauk Centre. Fred M. Priest. Martin Running and Orrin O. Lawrence are the incorporators of the St. James Star Theater Company, of St. James, Minn., which has been granted a, charter by the Secretary of State for the purpose of doing an amusement business with capital stock of $10,000. Mangus Merill has sold his moving picture theater, at Osakis, Minn., to Joseph Ostreim. H. M. Wilson, manager of the Orpheum Theater, at Glasgow, Mont., will erect a new moving picture theater on Second avenue, between Fifth and Sixth streets, in that city. Alex Dahl has sold the Doric Theater, at Chisholm, Minn., to Elmer Lindsey. G. F. Hochwender is now proprietor and manager of the Iris Theater, at Wabasha, Minn., succeeding A. T. Fisher. The Washington State Supreme Court has rejected the application for a writ of habeas corpus in re Edward Ferguson, declining at this time to pass upon the question of whether or not, since the criminal code of 1909 repealed the Sunday closing law so far as it relates to theaters, it prevents a municipality from closing the theaters on Sunday. The case is the outgrowth of a clash at Wenatchee, Wash. A petition, signed by seventy citizens, was presented to the city council at Austin, Minn., asking the repeal of an ordinance, recently passed, which prevents the opening of moving picture theaters on Sunday. In the event that the request could not be granted, it was urged by the petitioners that the matter be submitted to a referendum vote of the citizens of Austin at the next regular election. South Dakota moving picture theater owners have been notified by the state fire marshal to see that their houses comply with the law in regard to all seats and balcony stairs. Rows of seats must be not less than thirty-two inches apart and the width of all balcony stairs is prescribed. T. E. Valiancy will call his new house, to be opened in Glendive, Mont., the Isis. Valiancy operated a house in Dickinson, N. D., for five years. The Northern Consolidated Amusement Company has filed its charter with the recorder at Duluth. Minn. The company is incorporated with a capital stock of $100,000 for the purpose of buying, improving and conducting theaters and other places of amusement. The officers are John T. Condon, president; Henry W. Condon, Minneapolis, vice-president, and William S. Rider, secretary and treas Mayor Harry Howard, of Lead, S. D., has directed the city attorney to prepare an ordinance which will prohibit the showing of moving pictures which ordinarily would be classed as "blood and thunder." The Opera House, at Flanderau, S. D., has been sold to P. R. Matson. L. A. Inman has opened a moving picture show in the Masonic Hall at Page. N. D. F. E. Nemeo has sold the Princess Theater, in St. Cloud. Minn., to Mrs. Blanche Wright, of Butte. Mont. Willard Richards will be in charge of the new Aberdeen Theater, in Aberdeen, S. D., which he and Andrew Hedman recently purchased from E. B. McCollom. McCollom retires because of ill health. Borland & Keogan have sold their moving picture theater at Arlington, Minn., to A. Roberts, of Madelia, Minn. The Great Northern Railway Company will visit seven states: Iowa. Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Nebraska. Kansas. Oklahoma, Michigan and Wisconsin, with its traveling moving picture show and resource exhibit. A seven-car train will be used to advertise the advantages of the northwest. The films will be shown wherever possible — in churches, schoolhouses and in theaters. F. Kamrowski sold the Dreamland moving picture theater, at Warren, Minn., to Claude Hanson. Boyd Helgeson and Ray Maher have sold the Unique moving picture theater, at Litchfield, Minn., to Noreen Brothers. L. A. Dutton and M. A. Brown, of Riceville, la., have purchased the Grand Theater, at Northfield, Minn., from J. W. Maher. The Broadview Hotel Building, at Broadview. Mont. . has been leased by Ray Nichols, of Burlington, Wyo., who will open a moving picture A new moving picture theater will be opened at Beach, N. D.. by H. W. Nelson. The Atlas Theater at Cheyenne, Wyo., is being remodeled and a new lobby installed. J. J. Fisher has sold his interest in the moving picture theater at Staples, Minn., to C. C. Murphy. The Princess Theater, Fourth street and Central avenue, Minneapolis. Minn., pictures and vaudeville, has been featuring tango contests, blueberry pie-eating contests and other gastronomical competitions. T. J. Domeyer has purchased the Family Theater at Mandau, N. D. J. A. McKenzie has taken over the management of the Elks Opera House at Leadville, Colo., and will continue its operation as a four-reel show house. B. J. Curcio will have charge of the orchestra and Paul Ellsworth will be operator. T. F. Vessey has purchased the Majestic Theater at Wessington's Springs, S. D. Leo Peterson is now owner of Dreamland Theater at Belle Fourche, S. D. Penny & Wilson, of Havre, Mont., have sold their interests in the Orpheum at Malta, Mont., to Dr. G. W. Clay, A. J. Bishell and Henry Plott. The Princess Theater at Pueblo, Colo., has switched to the General Film Company's service. The admission price has been lowered. MIDWEST SPECIAL SERVICE. IOWA. A NDREW LARSON, of Jewell, has purchased ■**■ the old Moon hotel property in Nashua and will remodel it for use as a moving picture and legitimate theater. The photoplay, however, will be the principal attraction. Wrecking of the buildings in Holstein which must give way for the new moving picture theater to be erected by Lorenzen Brothers, has begTin. The building in Parkersburg now occupied by the Hub Clothing Store will house a new moving picture show, it is reported. B. Balser, of Des Moines, who recently purchased the Lyric Theater at Greenfield from R. W. Williams has in turn sold it to a Mr. Junkin, of Waterloo, who has assumed charge of the house. F. J. Burdette expects to begin construction soon upon a new moving picture and vaudeville theater on West Jefferson street in Vinton. The house which will be 63 x 120 feet, will seat 790 persons. Two high class dramatic attractions will be booked each month, and the rest of the time will be given over to the photoplay and variety. The photoplay is receiving a great deal of attention in Davenport from police, pulpit, social workers and press. Chief of Police Hans Schramm is exercising some sort of an official censorship, and has made the customary statement that he found "with few exceptions the 'movie' houses were above reproach." Schramm is willing to take the word of the Chicago censors that a picture is good or bad and the verdict in the Windy City is all that is necessary in Davenport. One of the first suggestions for a board of censorship came from Fred Vollmer, county attorney, who denied any freak attempt at exercising authority of reforming something which did not need it. He declared that he was willing to give full credit to good, clean pictures, but there were films being shown which exploited crime and immorality. Harry E. Downer, about the same time, gave an address before the Unitarian Men's Club on "The Wholesome Mission of Motion Pictures." He showed how the films could be used in educational and uplift work, but a mediocre or biased reporter emphasized the part that bad pictures have played in juvenile delinquency. Rev. Frank Cole, pastor of St. John's M. E. Church, took occasion to speak on sensational moving pictures from the pulpit. Although he advocated a rigid board of censorship, he suggested that one way to eliminate the lurid film would be to get behind a movement for the exhibition of only those films of a high moral tone. F. L. Smart, city superintendent of schools, was firm in his belief that some trouble among school children was caused by moving picture shows. He believes the motion picture will be satisfactory in the school for educational purposes and attributes the present evils to the spirit of commercialism which prevails among the exhibitors. The popularity of the weeklies is suggested in an editorial in the Marshalltown Times-Republican": "The present practical suggestion of moving pictures and educational entertainment in some one of the schoolhouses every week day is not only good advance, but a prophecy. The moving picture has been devoted too much to the less valuable fields of amusement. Not that its patrons desire silly comedy of the Mutt and Jeff type and silly melodrama to actualities, for they do not. The most interesting feature to a majority of its patrons is the weekly portrayal of news events. Watch the audiences for confirmation of this assertion." The Grand Theater at Manning has been purchased by the owners of the Crystal, who now have a monopoly on the photoplay business in that city. A five and ten-cent store in Clinton gave away 500 free tickets to the Best Moving Picture Theater to the first 100 school children calling at the store on a certain date. C. W. Bateman has leased the Royal Theater at West Union to DeMarion Fennell, who has taken charge. Robert Bernau will be operator. Cloyce Loehr contemplates opening an airdome in Lone Tree this spring. He will play pictures and vaudeville. W. Irving Saul has purchased an interest in the Star Photoplay Theater at Carroll from L. H. Anderson, and the firm is now known as Fisher & Saul. Buildings are being razed in Battle Creek on the site of the new Luna Theater, which will be erected by J. D. Aarnock. Charles Nott expects to have his new opera house at Sutherland completed sometime in June. The Happy Hour Theater, at Cherokee, has added C. W. Salsbery. Max Campbell and Mark Bronson to its musical staff. The building at Pocahantas, which has been occupied by the O'Brien drug store, has been sold to Thad Thornton, and O'Donnell & Sharpe, and will be converted into a moving picture theater. A. E. Cornell, of Postville. la., has purchased the Mission Theater, in Monrovia, Cal. The policy of the new Parkside Theater, at Lvons. will be to operate a five-cent show, except when it has special multiple-reel features. Herman . Lubr. of Chicago, will be in charge of the projection. A plaster composition curtain will be used. The new house, which was erected at a cost of $20,000, is owned by a stock company of which W. H. Parker is president: John Galvin. vice-president; Charles Parker, secretary, and L. P. Tritschler. treasurer. MIDWEST SPECIAL SERVICE.