Moving Picture World (Jan-Jun 1910)

Moving' Picture World THE WORLD PHOTOGRAPHIC PUBLISHING COMPANY 125 E. 23d Street, NEW YORK (Beach Building) Telephone cull, 1344 Ovum»Tt } Editors: J. P. CHALMERS, THOMAS BEDDING, F. R. P. S. SUBSCRIPTIONS : $2.00 per year. Post free in the United States, Mexico, Hawaii, Porto Rica and the Philippine Islands. ADVERTISING RATES: Whole page, $60.00 ; half page, $30.00 ; quarter page, $1 5.00 ; eighth page, $7.50 ; one inch (3^ in. wide), $3.00 ; one inch (2^ in. wide), $2.00 ; classified (no display), 3 cents per word. Time Discounts : 5% two or more insertions, 10% three months order, 15% six montns, 20% twelve months. JOHN M. BRABLET, Western Representative, 913-915 Schiller Building. Chicago. III. • Telephone. Central 3763 Entered at the General Post Office in New York City as Second-Class Matter. Vol. 6 APRIL 23, X9X0 No. 16 Summary of the Week. Why Vaudeville Is Featured in M. P. Theaters 633 "Elektra" on the Screen 634 traction and Conducl of the Theater 635 Picture Plays and Their Production— A Visit to the Powers Factor) al Wakefield .636 Music and the Picture — A Suggestion 037 Moving Pictures and Music 638 The Villain of the Piece 638 Good Operators. By F. II. Richardson 639 "Man-About-Town" gives the licensed operator a friendly tip. 640 Comments on the Films 641 Operators' Column — Regarding Lens Action — About Carbons and Shutters — Bad Lens or Film Buckles — Answers to hard question^ 045 Operator Gets into Trouble for Tampering with Fire Shield.. 645 Boom in Oklahoma Shows 647 "Lux Graphicus" traces the General Film Company mammoth corporation to its lair 649 Chicago Notes "5° A Question and an Answer 651 Correspondence — M.isic to Suit the Picture — Selecting a Show — Quantity vs. Quality — Giving the Anther His Due — Educational Films Appreciated in the West 653 Why Vaudeville is Featured in Moving Picture Theatres. A Remarkable Situation. It is unnecessary to say that the policy of the Moyixg Picture World is essentially and entirely the promotion of the best interests of the moving picture. We want to see it a predominant anil unhampered factor in the entertainment held ; we want to see it stand or fall on or by its own merits; we want to see it occupy a distinct and well-defined place in the scheme of things. We do not want to see it attached to, or hung onto, any other kind of entertainment. We do not want to see it forming an act or a number in a vaudevile entertainment; we want to see it occupying its own separate position in its own separate sphere. It is surely good enough, meritorious enough, and important enough to deserve all these. In pursuance of this policy the reader will notice that we demur, we have demurred, and we shall demur to the mixture of vaudeville with the moving picture exhibition. Song slides, music, illustrated lectures are legitimate appendages of the moving picture. That is to say, they have some photographic interest and then-fore arc closely related to the other branch of photography which they nicely supplement. But vaudeville has not any dis erable relationship whatsoever with the moving picture or with the stationary photograph. It i an interloper, it is an invader from its own field. More often than not it is a vulgar interloper, a degrading one, a debasing otic, and rarely by any chance an uplifting one. The very last time we went into a moving picture theater we -aw a trick vaudeville act which seriously discounted our pleasure, and we believe the pleasure of the other people in the house, in a very beautiful moving picture that was our business to see. Now, why has vaudeville recently so strongly invaded the moving picture houses of New York City and presumably other cities' It has puzzled us; it ha puzzled ether-. We have asked managers of these theater why this thing ha been done. We have been told with a shrug of the shoulders that the moving picture, per se, is not strong enough to fill their houses. We wondered at this, and, frankly, we were doubtful of it. Time after time we have observed that public interest in the : ing picture not only remains unabated but i on the increase. And we have wondered a great deal why it is that with this increase of public interest in the moving picture it has been found necessary to supplement the entertainment in moving picture h< uses with vaudeville, At last we think we have hit upon a plausible explanation of this disagreeable state 1 f things. Disagreeable. in our opinion, because the inferior vaudeville 1 and vaudeville is inferior) is swamping the picture. A of things which frankly we do nol like and which we think is undeserved. Well, here is the explanation, furnished us l)v the manager of one 1 f the largest busii enterprises in the United States which ha been running pictures for the la-t two or three years and recently has found it necessary to adopt vaudeville in hi houses. It is -imply this: that this great enterprise cannot enough good pictures. When we say enough g tures we mean pictures made by the associated manufacturers. They get a sufficient quantity of picture-, hut they do not get them of sufficiently high standard of quality all through. In other word-, in order to till their houses and dispense with vaudeville they want feature films all the time. Not one feature film a day, sandwiched between comedy acts and the like, but the highest quality dramatic and photographic pictures which can be -upplied. It is curious to reflect that with the present activity amongst the manufacturer-, with dailv changes.