Moving Picture World (Apr-Jun 1917)

THE MOVING PICTURE WORLD 1715 plete remodelling ami when finished it will have a seating Capacity of WOO. Kvavatiug work has started on the erection of a motion picture theater in Moxham, Pa., for G. B. Glonn, the well known real estate broker of that place. The Pastime theater of Sharon, Pa., was closed n ntly on account of the building not meeting with the requirements of the State law. George Watson, proprietor of the theater has purchased the Colonial theater, and everything possible will be done by him to make his theater resirable to his patrons. In the course of a week work will begin on the construction of an opera house and motion picture theater in Ford street, in Ford City, Pa. The building will be one story high and will be of brick construction, 44 feet wide by 106 feet long. The stage will be 22 by 24 feet. The new theater will be owned by Harvey Heilman. The general contract will be awarded soon for the erection of a motion picture theater building In Main street, Butler, Pa., for C. E. Carlton. It has been planed to construct the theater in a novel contrast of brick and stone. MANLET. ILLINOIS. THE Hoeffler-BfcOonnel Company, of Qulncy, which -1 will erect the new orpheuiu moving picture and vaudeville bouse in Quincy, has been incorporated with a capital stock of $2,400 to do a theater and amusement business. The incorporators are John F. Hoeffler. Wiley N. McConnell and John T. Ingrabam. The plans for the structure have been drawn, and it is hoped to commence the excavation some time in June. A new moving picture theater is being erected at Bluffs for Thomas Mehan. The new moving picture theater, erected In Wllmette at a cost of $35,(HH> by 0. II. Kuael. of Chicago, has been opened. C. A. Brown, of Chicago, has leased the house and will give a three-reel show every week night, and also Thursday and Saturday afternoons. Pictures will not be shown which have not been passed by the Chicago Board of Censorship. S. E. Pirtle assumed the management of 'the Opera House at Flora on June 1, presenting as a feature "Ivonhoe." Pictures will be the big thing In Mr. Pirtle's policy, other attractions being asked to show a certificate of merit. The New Apollo Amusement Company, of Chicago, has been incorporated with a capital stock of $10,000 to do an amusement business. The incorporators are Benjamin Derber, Morris A. Milkewitch and Israel B. Perlman. The Rex Theater at Petersburg co-operated with the Woman's Club of that city in showing an antifly film. The Majestic Theater at Waukegan was rented for sixteen nights for the presentation of the "Creation" films. The front of the Grand Theater at Harvey has oeen remodeled. Manager Bert Damon, of the Majestic Theater at Rockford, will manage the Orpheum Theater in that city while Manager Lake takes a six-weeks' vacation. A full page advertisement was used by the Washington Theater and Garden at Granite City to show that co-operation with the other houses operated by the company made it possible to secure good bookings of pictures and vaudeville. The place which has some zoological features has a capacity of 2,000. Children will be admitted, during the airdome season only, for five cents. The City Council at Rockford has granted permission to J. Weber Wilcox to operate a moving picture theater on South Main street in that city. John SoUla, manager of the Gem Theater in Clinton, leased the airdome at Went Washington and North Quincy streets in that city from Clarence Tharp. and opened it for the summer June 1. There will be no vaudeville at the new moving picture theater to be operated at Third and Market streets In Alton, according to George Fielding, who will operate it. It will be an exclusive live-cent photoplay house. The airdome at Lovlngton has been stimulating business by giving away prizes. The Majestic and Willard moving picture theaters at Kewnnee. which are under the management of W. J. West, are emphasizing the "Safety First" Idea by running a series of Instructive slides. A. M. Beaxe, who has been operating the Gem Moving Picture Thenter at Chester since Its construetlon several years ago. has purchased the business and structure from .lames A. DoUglae and Mis Marv Spcckninn. II. baa mad. plan for many interior changes, re-seating, Inclined floor and an add to the rear. The one-day attendance record at the new Eagle Theater in Princeton conducted by w. o. Stevens recently was smashed. The evening program In1 an installment of "Kathlyn." which brought big business, and in the afternoon a special educational matinee for school children was given. The instructive reels were run at the instigation of the Princeton Commercial Club. Four reels of picture! and one act of vaudeville make up the hot weather program of the Grand Central Theater at Cairo which has started its summer season. A delegation from the Twentieth Century Club and Village President Tolsted. of May wood, recently paid a visit to the Board of Censors In Chicago. The results of the visit were reported to the village board, which instructed the president to have drawn an ordinance which will prohibit the exhibition of pictures In May wood unless they have been passed by the Chicago board. Pupils of the west side North Aurora and Montgomery schools In Aurora were shown patriotic pictures on Memorial Day through the co-operation of Manager Jules Rubin and the local post of the Grand Army of the Republic. The Princess Theater at Canton has gone over to a summer season of pictures at a five-cent admission. Paul Wyatt, the moving picture man of Rantoul, will have charge of the public moving picture shows to be given one night each week under the auspices of the Rantoul Improvement Association. These shows tried last year as a trade-fostering entertainment were BO successful that they will be repeated. The Popular Amusement Company, of Chicago, has been incorporated with a capital stock of $25,000 to do an amusement business. The incorporators are George W. Stewart, Charles E. Cheney and Thomas F. Barrett. A. Frostle, of Monmouth, Is preparing to open a moving picture show In Burgess. The opening of a moving picture theater In the opera house at Braceville has been contemplated, shows to be given two nights each week. The Canton Register, which is running "The Perils of Pauline" in that territory, gave free tickets to women and children, which were used at the initial production of the serial picture at the Princess Theater. Rev. F. J. Milnes, of Evanston, president and secretary of the National Indoor Game Association, is continuing his campaign in Illinois in behalf of the young folk. He tells of a recent visit to one small town : "It was Sunday. I went to church. Heard a sermon on the "Straight and Narrow Path.* The exhortation was to "Forsake all and follow Me." The minister scored the young people of our age as 'play mad' and 'amusement crazy.' He condemned the spirit of the times as self-indulgent, etc. His whole idea wag the suppression rather than the expression of life. The church was less than half full, mostly young women, one solitary young man was noted outside of myself and I was not surprised. Next morning I arose from a dingy hotel and spent the day in conversation with the business men, editor, principal of schools and village trustees. Most of these men congratulated themselves in that they had just been successful in voting their dance halls closed. They had closed the billiard room some time ago :tnd had just saddled a license fee upon the moving picture man and restricted his hours to a degree equivalent to prohibition. . . . Instead of staying at home and saving their money (the reformers' declared object) most of the young men were boarding the interurban tor the larger city where they spent more money in a much more questionable manner in addition to their carfares. Others were leaving the village constantly and permanently for the city as their future home. . . . The play instinct is not so easily suppressed." Oliver Hurley is now permanently located at Carmi, where he purchased the Weigant Moving Picture Theater, having removed from Madisonville, Ky. Claude Lewis and Roff Dale, of Lebanon, Ind., have purchased the White City Theater at Georgetown and, after refitting it, commenced operation. The plans for the new theater to replace the "B" Moving Picture House on North Broadway in Aurora call for a $20,000 structure, seating 1,000 persons. The auditorium will be 110 x 48 feet. The building will be in the rear of the present theater, which will be used as a foyer. John Berscheidt is the owner of the "B" and John Olinger and Olinger & Hankes are interested in the new theater. White Hall is to have two new theaters. Carl Loweustein, of that city, has purchased the Dowdall building and with Louis Lowenstein and F. L. Grant has had plans made for a combined theater and store building 48 x 130 feet. The auditorium will seat 500. An entirely new structure will be erected. It will be equipped' for use by dramatic attractions as well as for photoplays. Ben Kincaid and Carson T. Metculf, of G'reenfield, have purchased a site at the corner of Sherman and Jacksonville streets and. after razing the buildings occupying it, will erect a two-story, possibly three, opera house and hall building 77 x 00 feet. The City Council of Rock Island issued a permit to E. Johnston, of that city, to construct an airdome at Exposition Park. R. T. LaGrille, proprietor of the Grand tforing Picture Theater at Sterling, recently was in Dixon seeking a building for a new photoplay house in that 4jity. It was announced that if a suitable structure could not he found a new theater would be erected. The committee of the Wlnnetka Community II-. use. a social center at Wlnnetka, has decided upon a program of moving pictures for three nights a week this slimmer. Films will take the place of the usual Sunday night meetings In the gymnasium hall. Pictures also will be shown on Tuesday and Friday nights. Albert Wilson, who purchased the Princess Theater at Macomb early in May from Frank Maguire, did not retain It long. He has sold the house to Marlon Stultz, of Monmouth, who is now operating It. Stultz formerly was in the photoplay business at White Hall. Manager R. L. Blake, of the moving picture theater at Chenoa, gave a benefit for the Woman's Civic Improvement League of that city. The Capitol Theater, Friedrlch Brothers, managers, at Pekln. have installed a flve-plece orchestra which gives a program one night each week in connection with the pictures. Manager Schade, of the Majestic Theater at Bloomington, has adopted a summer policy of moving pictures. Industrial pictures of the manufacture of wrougbtIron pipe at the plant of the National Tube Company at Pittsburgh, Pa., were shown at an evening show of the Hippodrome at Peoria. w. II. Claggett, who for the last year has been In the moving picture supply business, has purchased the Nickeldome Theater in Lexington from Charles Schade, who has been appointed postmaster. 1 laggett formerly operated a moving picture show at Chenoa. The Westcott airdome, playing pictures, has been opened at Chillicotbe. A moving picture airdome has been opened in Averyville, a suburb of Peoria. D. G. Alger will remain as manager of the Derthick Opera House at Belvldere, which has been sold by W. F. Conway, of Decatur, to P. J. Persinger, of Decatur. E. A. Atkinson has sold his half Interest in the Yale Theater at Carbondale to the Yale Amusement Company. He will remain in the employ of the company. F. D. Whittlngton, of Benton, filmed the local company of the Illinois National Guard as It went through its maneuvers and also got some good pictures of camp life. The films were shown at the airdome in Benton. Isaac Kuhn, one of the proprietors of the Park Theater in Champaign, recently became an alderman. By way of a Joke, some of bis fellow councilors agitated a movement to increase the license of the moving picture theaters from $75 to $350 a year. After several had made speeches Kuhn surprised them by agreeing that the fee should be raised, but that $200 a year would be high enough. Then they told him. A policy of high-class pictures alternating with other attractions was decided upon for the coming year at the annual meeting of the Opera House Company, of Quincy, which operates the EmpireHippodrome in that city. J. W. Gardner was elected president; W. E. Blake, vice-president; S. V.. Harrington, secretary; W. S. Warfleld, treasurer and W. L. Busby manager. Improvements costing $5,000 have been made to the house. A benefit for the St. Charles Ladies' Cemetery Association was given at the Star Moving Picture Theater in that city. Manager Noben, of the Rockford Theater at Rockford, Is featuring all Essanay pictures in which a part is taken by Mrs. Bertha Scott, a former resident of that city. The Middle States Feature Film Company, of Chicago, has been incorporated with a capital stock of $50,000 to manufacture and deal in feature films and moving pictures. The incorporators are Elias Mayer, Albert W. De Latour and Sydney Stein. Bowlby's Music House in Rock Island will be the home of moving pictures sponsored by the 1,600 Block Business Men's Association which has taken up the problem of keeping the amusement-seekers in the home neighborhood. "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" by the Vitagraph Company retains the prestige gained at the time it was first released. It was the feature picture at the benefit performance given at the Princess Theater in Joliet for the Spanish-American War veterans. Interest in the production was increased by a display in the lobby of relics of three wars. In a recent review of an epochal novel in a literary magazine Nicholas Vachel Lindsay, the Spring-field poet, declared he would like to see the story filmed provided it could be done by the man who directed "The Battle Hymn of the Republic." Souvenirs of small silk flags for all and flowers for the women and girls were given at the reopening on the eve of Memorial Day of the Aurora Theater at Aurora. William C. Flannagan and William Mullen, the owners, have leased the house for a year to W. D. Burford, of Aurora and H. R. Burford and M. Rosentstein, who are in the moving picture business at La Crosse, Wis. D. S. Greig is acting as manager. The seating capacity has been slightly reduced to secure a more satisfactory arrangement: the projection has been changed to get larger pictures, and the interior has been redecorated. Manager H. W. Lewis has closed the Gaiety Theater at Ottawa. It will re-open about the middle of August. Fl>>yd I«ane, formerly an advertising man in Chicago, but now of Galesburg, has announced that he will publish a weekly paper called "The Spotlight" to be devoted to moving pictures. It will 1 the week's programs for the local houses and feature matter. Copies will be mailed free to patrons, through the co-operation of the Galesburg managers, but newsstand and mail copies will sell at five cents each. While the Colonials at Galesburg are closed for remodeling this summer. Manager R. C. Scbroeder will have charge of a moving picture airdome for the BUfl lodge on North Prairie street. The order has fitted up a stucco enclosed place seating COO. F. B, Wbitmer. of the Central Feature Company, of Chicago, which outfitted the new Princess Theater at Fifth and Capitol avenues, was down for the opening of the new house on Memorial Day. The six-reel feature "Samson" was the Initial attraction and did big business. The Princess has two entrances, ten exits and seats five hundred In good range of the pictures. A four-piece orchestra has been provided. The Vaudette Amusement Company has closed the Gaiety Theater for re-modeling, prior to the