Moving Picture World (Jul-Sep 1911)

278 THE MOVING PICTURE WORLD KALEM COMPANY IN IRELAND— Off for a Day Among the Lakes of Killarney. Ind., passed through the city last week on his home journey, after a visit to his fruit farm, near Corvallis, Ore. Wm. Pastar will open his new house, the Princess, at Benton Harbor, Mich., Monday, July 24. The Princess seats 425 people. Mr. Pastar arranged with Manager F. C. Aiken, of the G. F. Co.'s branch, 17-19 S. Wabash Avenue, for service, and also purchased a machine and supplies from him. J. A. Doolittle, manager of the Colonial and Colonnade theaters, Galesburg, 111., was a visitor on July 18. Owing to a street carnival and a free medicine show in the city, he reported poor business at both his houses. Manager F. C. Aiken states that for the week ending July to the branch of the G. F. Co., at 17-19 S. Wabash, showed the largest volume of business for any week since its opening. Manager Van Ronkel, of the G. F. Co.'s branch, 429 S. Wabash Ave., informed me that business was quiet during the hot spell, but that it has shown a big improvement during the past week. Mrs. Charles Plein, owner and manager of the Family Theater, Dixon, 111, has cut out vaudeville and is now showing three reels daily. Mrs. Kruger, of the Idle Hour Theater, Dowagiac, Mich., was in the city last week. She is looking for several theaters in contiguous territory, in Michigan, to form a circuit of picture houses. Maurice Fleckles, manager of the Laemmle Exchange, reports that business was quiet from July 4 until the cool weather set in. Mr. Fleckles is now very well pleased with the volume done. Julius Stern, who is in charge of the Laemmle interests during the absence of Mr. Laemmle in Europe, visited the Chicago office Wednesday, last week. A. Sigfried, who owns the Bijou and the Nickel Bijou, Decatur, 111., and the Plymouth Theater, Minneapolis, was a visitor at the Laemmle Exchange last week. All his theaters are being run during the summer, independent pictures being used. Manager Sigfried is a well-known vaudeville performer throughout this country and Europe, and will be remembered by many as "The Man with 1,000 Faces." Manager Wm. H. Bell, of the N. Clark St. branch of the G. F. Co., has been taking short trips into Wisconsin, Mich— gan and Illinois, for several weeks past. He reports that these excursions have been very valuable in giving him a line on present and prospective exhibition conditions. Mr. Bell states that his branch is enjoying satisfactory business, the season considered. He is buying six more reels this summer than at any time during the existence of the exchange, covering a period of 12 years. George K. Spoor, president of the Essanay Film Mfg. Co., who has been confined to his home for several days past, by temporary indisposition, is able to be out again. FOREIGN NOTES AND COMMENTS. According to a French trade journal, the French moving picture has among its patrons some of the most distingui-hed statesmen of la belle France. Members of the present French cabinet are mentioned. The exhibitors of Austria have heeded the necessity of organization and recently held a meeting in Vienna, to which the leader of a powerful party in the Austrian parliament had been invited. The members aired their grievances in a very plain and resolute manner and protested against the arbitrary license policy of the government. It seems that an officer of the imperial government had obtained a license, and this formed the subject of much hostile comment, as the law in Austria demands that the moving picture exhibitor must conduct the enterprise in person. The exhibitors wanted to know how the official could comply with the law and at the same time retain his official position. The party leader present at the meeting made a lengthy speech, promising amid much applause to lay the just grievances of the exhibitors before the parliament at the earliest possible date.