Moving Picture World (April-June 1915)

44 THE MOVING PICTURE WORLD April 3, 1915 New Feature Combination Four Licensed Manufacturers Combine to Create an Outlet for Big Productions. FOR the past several weeks rumors have been circulating that there was to be a combination of some of the socalled licensed manufacturers for the purpose of handling large feature productions independently of the General Film Company, vv'hich has been the medium of distribution for licensed manufacturers since it was organized. The plans of those interested in this new combination have so far matured as to enable them to make the statement that the companies interested are the Vitagraph, Selig, Spoor and Lubin. and that offices will be opened immediately at 1600 Broadway, New York, for, this territory. Eventually other offices will be opened at strategic points throughout the United States. It is explained by those participating in this new featuredistribution plan that the move was not to be construed as a break in their relations with the General Film Company. The companies interested will continue to place their regular subjects with the General Film as heftotore, but with respect to the distribution of large feature productions, they believe that better and consequently more satisfactory service can be secured by the new plan. Hence the departure. When the demand for features first began to assert itself an effort was made to meet it through the machinery of the General Film Company. While the fact has never been tacitly admitted by those interested, it is well known to the trade that the efforts of that company to handle feature productions independently of the regular program have never In-cn satisfactory. The best evidence that that statement is correct is found in the early withdrawal of the Kleine features from the General Film distribution scheme. Other manufacturers in the licensed group discovered that there was great difficulty in placing features and regular program releases through the same exchanges, and that their efforts to produce pretentious subjects did not receive proper remuneration when thus distributed. Consequently it was decided by the companies represented in the new combination that the only thing to do was to separaie their feature service from the regular program, kecenily the Lubin and the \ itagraph Companies announced that they would book their features direct. This determination probably led the Selig and Essanay companies to consider a similar plan and the combination of interests resulted naturally. Further announcements in this connection will be made as the plans of the promoters develop. Manufacturers Talk Censorship Meeting of Leading Picture Makers at Hotel Astor Favors a Federal Motion Picture Commission. A MEETING was held at the Astor Hotel Wednesday afternoon, March 24, at which a large majority of the motion picture interests of the United States were present. The meeting was called to hear the report of the special committee on censorship of motion pictures and upon prospective legislation and plans in this connection. Marc Klaw presided at the meeting. The members of this committee were J. J. Kennedy, H. E. Aitken, P. A. Powers, -\dolph Zukor and J. E. Brulatour. The committee, through its chairman, Mr. Kennedy, after commenting upon the general situation, rendered a report m which it was stated that while there could be no legal reason for any censorship, in deference to public opinion, the motion picture interests should institute a movement for a Federal Motion Picture Commission. This the meeting unanimously voted to do and the report and recommendations of the committee were approved by the meeting. On motion of William Fox, the committee was tendered a vote of thanks for its work. A further general meeting will be called at a later date to consider detailed plans along the lines adopted by the meeting. Those present at the meeting were: J. J. Kennedy, General Film Co. ;H. E. Aitken, Mutual Film Co.; Joseph Brant, Universal Film Mfg. Co.; Adolph Zukor, Famous Players Film Co.; Mark Brock, Paramount Film Co.; J. E. Brulatour, Peerless Film Co. & Raw Stock Supply Co.; William Fox, Fox Film Corp.; C. Livingston, Thanhouser Film Co.; W. W. Irvine, Vitagraph Co.; J. A. McKinney, Universal Film Co.; Richard A. Roland, Metro Film Co.; E. D. McGovern, New York Motion Picture Corp.; Robt. T. Kane, Prohibition Film Co.; Wm. Steiner, Photo Drama Co.; Wm. Schimpf, General Film Producing Co.; -A. Polacoff, Quality Feature Film Co.; P. A. Parsons, Pathe Exchange; P. G. Melies, Melies Mfg. Co.; Wm. J. Lee, Picture Playhouse Film Co.; Harry R. Raver, Itala Film Co.; Samuel Goldfish, Lasky Feature Film Co.; F. E. Kahn, Mutual Film Co.; J. R. Freuler, American Film Mfg. Co.; J. P. Dunning. Reliance Film Co.; A. J. Cobe, Alliance Film Co.; Aubrey Mittenthal, Mittenthal Film Co.; D. W. Griffith, Majestic Film Co.; Chas. S. Jamison, Equitable Film Producing Co.; A. Blinkhorn, Blinkhbrn Photo Play Corp.; E. M. Saunders, Metro Film Co.; D. MacDonald and H. G. Kosch, Alliance Film Co.; E. D. Horkheimer, Balboa Amusement Co.; H. J. Streyckman, Progressive Motion Picture Co.; F. C. Liebow, Liebow & Apple Feature Film Co.; E. J. Doolittle, Blinkhorn Photo Play Co.; M. E. Marsh, E. & W. Laboratory; Philip Lewis, Lewis Pennant Features. Big "Runaway June" Contest New and Cleverly Contrived Method of Conducting Most Popular Woman Voting Contest to Advertise Mutual Serial. FORTY-EIGHT most popular women, one from each state, will visit the Panama-Pacific Exposition, the oaii Uiego Exposition, and will see picturesque California at the expense of "Runaway June." The trip will be thoroughly de luxe; the fortunate winners will travel without expense at all in the best possible manner. Millionaires could travel no better. Those in the big cities will have little better chance of winning the trip than those in small towns, for the votes are lo be cast by theaters and only indirectly by the coupons that me theaters showing "Runaway June" will issue. At each oi these houses one particular. performance will be announced as a 'Runaway June ' contest show and at that sliow the three women whose tnends vote the most coupons will win each one elective vote towards the trip. No matter how big the nouse is it will have three votes for each installment and no more. To enter the contest collect ten coupons issued by any one theater showing "Runaway June" and these will entitle you to have the name and address of your favorite entered at its box office. Then get as many of the coupons as possible. As you enter the house at the "contest" show tell how many votes you have to the person in the box office and the number will be recorded in your favorite's name. But you must still keep your coupons. If your favorite is one of the three winners, her name will be announced and then the coupons must be voted to prove the right. If she is not a winner at that time, you may keep the coupons, for they are still good, and can be used at the next contest show at which time you may have more to add to them. So you see the coupons will be many, but the elective votes will be few. But you may enter at any number of theaters, though the coupons for every theater will be issued by it. The widest efforts are being made to attract attention to the contest. Not only have thousands of newspapers been running the story, but full page advertisements are about to appear in The Saturday Evening Post, The Ladies' Home Journal, The Delineator, The New Idea, The Women's Magazine, The Ladies' World, and many other high-class weeklies and monthlies of enormous circulation. NEW STRAND AT LYNN. A new Strand theater is now under construction in Lynn, Mass. The new theater will have a seating capacity of 2,000 and represents an expenditure of $250,000. It is located on Union street and takes in an entire block measuring 22,500 square feet. Thomas W. Lamb, who drew the plans for the Strand theater in Manhattan, is the architect, and Moe Mark is the president of the company controlling the theater which will open September 1. The building will be similar to the New York Strand and will contain stores and offices. Mr. Mark will also erect a new Strand theater in Worcester, Mass., which will have a seating capacity of 2,000. The operations will commence early in April. FILM MANUFACTURING IN HONGKONG. (Consul General George E. Anderson, Hongkong, China, January 23.) The manufacture of cinematograph films for the Chinese trade is to be undertaken in Hongkong. An American expert in film making has left for the United States to secure equipment for making films, and the making of picture plays by Chinese actors will be undertaken on an extensive scale. Recently two film plays were made in Shanghai from the work of two well-known Chinese theatrical companies. They have been put on in Hongkong and vicinity and are very popular with the Chinese, and the new enterprise is based upon their success. (The address of the American representative of the new company may be had from the Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce at Washington, D. C, and its branches.)