Moving Picture World (Jul 1916)

412 THE MOVING PICTURE WORLD July 15, 1916 about the same time the Crystal was built. It, too, was a sight for the moving picture fan, then just beginning to become really inoculated in Indianapolis. The Crystal presented the first big illuminated front. Dickson & Talbott, who succeeded largely to the management of the Sutherland theatrical interests after the death of Mr. Sutherland, five years, ago, invaded the high rent provinces of Washington street to put forth motion picture enterprises. They built the Orpheum in Washington street and made it a ten-cent house, adding to the attractiveness of their picture by employing first-class musical talent. This house proved such a succes that the same firm was brave enough to supplant a prosperous saloon with a second ten-cent house, the Alhambra, in Washington street, just east of Illinois street, or the very heart of the city. This theater had the first pipe organ of the city. A step in moving picture exhibiting marking the progress was taken by Bowlby & Cook, when they obtained control of the Bijou, the first Sutherland theater. They had some remarkable experiences in keeping the house prosperous, as it was a little out of the path of amusement hunters, but it succeeded, only recently disposing of their interests for a good sum to Edward Sourbier, who embarked in the business later and made it pay. One of their plans for keeping up attendance was novel and was a success. It should be tried by other theater owners who are now kicking about attendance. Bowlby & Cook discovered there were hundreds of clerks, bookkeepers, sales people and others in the an hour for luncheon, hour in saw the F. J. Rembush. downtown district who having eat quickly and spent the remainder of the seeing a movie. The old theatrical men value of having the -pictures reeled off promptly. Therefore they arranged a running schedule the same as would be used by a railroad. The operators were timed on the films. The running schedule was placed in the machine room and two operators were employed so that no delay would be experienced in the change of films. The film time table also was posted in the lobby of the theater for thei benefit of the patrons. In addition to the posting of the schedule the managers obtained a regulation Western Union clock and hung it near the screen. The clock and the film time table made it possible for each quicklunch patron to know just how much time could be given to seeing the picture. For instance: Jimmy Jones works a block away from the theater. He liked the movies. He has an hour for lunch. When the clock in the office struck twelve the alert Jimmy has on his coat and hat and is away to tha neighboring b e a n e r y for lunch. He finishes at 12:10. He hustles over to the Bijou, shoots his nickel through the window and is soon face to face with the film. Arriving at 12:12 he finds that he waits only two minutes for a new picture. The next film starts at 12:14. Then forty minutes of pleasure, the film having been selected for the noon-day purpose. It closed just in time for Jimmy to get back to the office in time for the 1 o'clock whistle. A. C. Zaring. Irvington was slow to get the moving picture theater. Although there were hundreds of children in this classic suburb, there was no show place. The reason was the children and the belief that the films would corrupt youthful morals. The parents objected until they saw the wealth of good. Indianapolis has no less than twelve big downtown houses, four having come in the last year. The motion picture has converted three legitimate houses into houses for the film only and has otherwise worked wonders. , Perhaps the most imposing theater of the city is the Strand, under Chicago management. It was formerly the Park theater and catered only to the legitimate trade. The advent of the motion picture and its resultant popularity, especially the big feature productions, brought into existence the Strand. Another of the big theaters is the Regent, in the heart of the downtown district. It is less than one year old, but has enjoyed a liberal patronage. Bingham, Crose and Cohen, successful managers of a string of houses, built the Regent for the "movies." Another big house is the Colonial, under the same management. It was formerly a vaudeville house, but has been a money-maker with feature productions in the motion picture field. 'Barton & Olson, owners of another string, have recently made the Lyric, a vaudeville house, into a motion picture house exclusively. It is a beautiful little playhouse with dandy furnishings and it draws as well or better, at the box office, as any other theater in the city. Barton & Olson also control the Crystal, recently remodeled into what is the most beautiful interior finish of any of them. The Indianapolis roll of honor, men who have made Indianapolis a leader in the moving picture field, contains the names of Frank J. Rembusch, patentee of the mirror screen, one of the vice-presidents of the Motion Picture Board of Trade and exhibitor; A. C. Zaring, secretary of the Indianapolis Exhibitors' League; Dr. J. M. Rhodes, always with Zaring, one of the leaders in the fight to stave off evils which meant the death of the exhibition game in Indianapolis. R. L. JENNE. J. M. Rhodes. WILLIAMS ON SCREEN SACRIFICES NO HUMOR. Although tradition has it that most comedians on the stage have been a failure in pictures owing to the fact that they are handicapped through the loss of the spoken word, Bert Bert Williams, Comedian. Williams has proved that he is one of the few that "gets over" as well on the screen as he does on the stage. In "A Natural Born Gambler," a two-reel comedy produced by the Biograph Company and released July 24 through the General Film exchanges. Bert Williams has lost none of his rich humor. He is funny without leaning toward slapstick.