Moving Picture World (Jan-Jun 1910)

644 THE MOVING PICTURE WORLD of their customs and history known to science. The story of "The Sacred Turquoise of the Zuni" was worked up by Mr. Frank J. Marion from details furnished by Cushman's books and the Kalem scenic artists and property men made special studies of the Indian exhibits at the American Museum of Natural History, where the finest Indian display in the country is to be found. The picture will no doubt cause considerable comment, owing to its unique conception and execution. Mr. Sidney Olcott, producer in charge of Kalem's Southern Stuck Company, was brought North especially to produce "The Sacred Turquoise of the Zuni." Exhibitors and exchange men will remember his previous Indian productions, such as "Hannah Dnsten," "The Priest of the Wilderness," and others." all Indian pictures of great merit. VITAGRAPH GIRL FETED. A very novel treat was afforded the attendances at Saratoga Park, Brooklyn, moving picture parlor last Saturday evening. A reception was tendered Miss Florence Turner, known as ''The Vitagraph Girl," by Manager Robertson and a special exhibition of Vitagraph pictures was given. The theater was crowded to its fullest capacity. When the title page of "The Vitagraph Girl" song was thrown on the screen, the applause was deafening, but just as soon as Eddy Warden began to sing her charms as the song slides displayed them, the audience was admiringly and patiently waiting for the chorus in which they all joined with a right good will and they demanded an encore so they could sing it again. Miss Turner was introduced by a Vitagraph representative. After the applause subsided, she responded in a very naive and fetching little speech. The approval was instantaneous. Her admirers were not satisfied until she acknowledged their appreciation by accepting a magnificent bouquet of flowers. LUBIN NOTES. There are little laughs in picture making that do not get into the him. One came to a section of the Lubin players last week when a comedy picture was being taken with the exceedingly plump comedienne of the Lubin Company as the star. One trick scene required her to run up and down hill several times. Twice she ran to the top of the hill and down again, but the third time she stopped halfway. "I can't get up," she cried to the director. "Then come down," was the sane suggestion. "I can't go either way," came the despairing cry; "I'm all out of breath." "Then hold," advised the director of strenuosity, and the picture makingstopped while the plump comedienne recovered her long lost breath. "Rastus in Zululand," to form one of the early Lubin releases, is one of the few pictures to be made under two flags. A part of the film was made in Philadelphia, where the start of the picture is supposed to occur, while the scenes in Zululand were done under the British flag in the West Indies. It is a comedy subject and about as good as they make them for real laughs. THANHOUSER NOTES. Tiny Marie Elinc, who made a hit as the juvenile Sherlock Holmes in "A 29-cent Robbery," is slated for early use in the production of a classic by the Thanhouser Company. The classic is of the "St. Elmo" order, rare and rich in heart interest, and of a certain age, but of a strength that has held popular favor decade after decade. Tiny Marie's part will not be a leading one, for the play calls for no tots in important roles, but readers can be assured that the part, such as it is, will be shown at its best by the tiny star of "A 29-cent Robbery." "A 29-cent Robbery" was the leading picture on the first reel with two subjects put out by Thanhouser Company, which event bears date of April 15, 1910. The reel was an experiment: the Thanhouser people were anxious to know if the much talked of "split reel" was in demand. They are now convinced it is, if not overdone, and the releases of this company will be marked by a variety of "split reel" issues. The next will appear Friday, April 29, and be of a strong comedy flavor, as the titles will indicate. They are "She Wanted to Marry a Hero" and "The Cigars His Wife Bought Him." They are welcome "laugh" additions to any program, and the Thanhouser people expect to hear favorably from them. "She Wanted to Marry a Hero," the opening subject, is a lesson and a warning to young women who delve too deeply into Laura Jean Libby. It's nice enough to read "love stories" occasionally, but don't devour them until they influence and bewilder you. The heroine in the picture wishes she hadn't. The Libby yarns made her throw over her commonplace sweetheart and seek a heroic one, like those Miss Libby writes about. Her search proved to her that no hero is perfect and book heroes are fakes, so she concludes that her original sweetheart, in spite of being unheroic and unromantic, is good enough for her. Anna Rosemond portrays the hero-seeking girl. OPERATORS' COLUMN. QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS. Conducted by F. H. Richardson. Regarding Lens Action. — Toledo, Ohio, asks the following: "How many times does the light cross itself after leaving the arc until it reaches the screen? Where does the picture right itself? At what point does the light cross itself?" The light rays cross themselves once between the arc and screen, namely at a point halfway between the two lenses which go to make up the projection lens. At that point the rays all meet in a point theoretically no larger than the point of a needle and it is at that point also that the picture "rights itself," that is to say, becomes right side up. If you will write the Bausch & Lomb people I make no doubt they will mail you catalogues containing cuts showing the action of the light rays in lenses, so that you may study same at your leisure. Toledo also says: "I wish to thank Mr. Byron Carrier for his reply to Mr. H. F. Hoffman's article concerning operators and degenerates. There are just as many gentlemen among the operators as there are in other fields of motion picture endeavor. In fact where the operator has to work ten to twelve hours in an iron lined cracker box, besides getting the film, which takes from one to three hours addition at the average exchange, he has little time to be much of a degenerate or do anything else but work and sleep." ♦ ♦ ♦ About Carbons and Shutters. — Kansas ("name of town suppressed by request) asks the following: "(1) What is the use of the perforated shutter on the Edison machine? (2) Should the two carbons be in a perfectly straight line or should the lower be slightly to one side (alternating current)? (3) What causes the carbons to sputter and give a violet light? Is it on account of poor carbons? (4) My carbons seem to always burn off at one side. Should they not burn evenly? (1) I do not quite catch your meaning. If you ask why the wing of the shutter is perforated, it is for the reason that they decrease the flicker, or make it less noticeable by perforating the wing so that some light will pass through it, thus producing a sort of gray instead of black curtain as this wing passes in front of the light. If you mean why is the wing present at all, it is by reason of the fact that the more rapid the flicker the less flicker you see. Without this wing you would find that, while your picture would be much more brilliant, there would be such a noticeable flicker that the picture would be ruined. Take all the spokes out of a wagon wheel but one and revolve the wheel rapidly and you see that spoke all the time. Put all the spokes in and at the same speed you see no spokes at all. That is the principle. (2) The lower carbon tip should be slightly in advance of the upper one, just enough to force the upper crater to face the lens as squarely as possible. (3) I think that the trouble you are having is caused by using carbons with bad cores. If the core of a carbon is bad, or if it has none (the hole is empty, I mean), it will not give good light. Possibly you are using poor quality of carbon. (4) Evidently your carbons are not exactly in line sideways — as you look through the condenser opening. I mean. If your carbons are not exactly in line sideways the crater will burn to one side, thus destroying much of your illumination. # * * Bad Lens or Film Buckles. — Wilmington, Ohio, writes: "My film is out of focus in center. Sides are clear. Have put in new aperture plate and tension springs. What is wrong?" The trouble may be in your projection lens. See if there is any oil on its inner end. Get another lens and try it. It may be your tension springs set too far in or out, not bearing squarely on the aperture plate tracks, thus causing the film to buckle or belly in or out as it passes the aperture. Lens Too Small. — Belfast, Me., says: "Am projecting a 12 x 14 stereo picture at 75 feet. The corners do not come out clear but have a red shade. Have a i4!4-inch back focus lens. Am using 4^2-inch condensers. Are condensing lenses made of different focal length?" T think you are using what is known as a "quarter size" stereo lens. You should have a "half size" instead. With that long a focus quarter size lens you will most likely not be able to get the shadows entirely out of the corners. You are also using condensers of remarkably short focal length. Very few of them are used in this country. You do not say what size your motion picture is, but it is safe to say that you should have at least two 6]/2 condensing lenses. Yes, condensing lenses are made of different focal lengths, as follows: 4l/2, 6l/2, 7l/2, %y2 and \oV2. There are other lengths also, but those are about the only ones used in projection in