Moving Picture World (Sep 1916)

2004 THE MOVING PICTURE WORLD September 23, 1916 A Theater in a Health Resort Town Dawson Springs, Ky., Exhibitor Successfully Faces the Problem of Making a Go in a Small Village with a Floating Population — Changes Daily and Sees to It that Every Patron in Town Knows What the Bill Is. By G. D. Crain, Jr., 1404 Starks Bldg., Louisville, Ky. LOUISVILLE, KT. — An excellent example of common sense management of moving picture theaters in small towns is shown at Dawson Springs, Ky., a town of about 1,500 inhabitants, but with a good floating population, due to excellent springs and a health resort. Due to the mild climate, there is a fairly good proportion of visitors at Dawson the year around, and two theaters are thriving. The Auditorium, a brick house, seating about 750 people, is a square from the big hotel, but in order to overcome this handicap the management circularizes the entire town and the hotels daily with handbills, and the program is changed daily, something unusual for a small place. However, visitors at Dawson are generally looking for amusement, and want good amusement. The theater is showing World, V-L-S-E and other high class feature material, and also a few good comedies. With the daily announcements of change in program the house has been playing to capacity crowds all summer. The Kentucky theater, while smaller, is located directly opposite the entrance to the hotel; in fact, about the best location that could be wished. This theater is playing the Paramount program, and is also packing them in. Dawson is now considered one of the best of the small picture show towns. Buys State Rights for New Features. Louisville, Ky. — Col. Fred Levy, president of the Big Features Rights Corporation, of this city, has returned from the East, and announces that the company has secured state rights for "Maciste," in Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee. This company has had state rights for some time in West Virginia, Virginia, Kentucky and Tennessee on the feature "The Little Girl Next Door," but now announces rights on six additional states, namely: Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Alabama. The company booked this picture last week at Wheeling, W. Va„ where it made such a hit that it has already been ordered for a return engagement. Putting Ban on Carnival Shows. Louisville, Ky. — That the moving picture theaters of Kentucky will have less opposition from traveling carnival shows in the future seems to be assured. Not less than eight towns in the state have passed ordinances during the past few months in which the ban has been placed on such shows. One of the most recent recruits to the band wagon was the city of Newport, Ky. Children's Shows in Jeffersonville. Louisville, Ky. — President M. Switow, of the Switow Amusement Co., of Louisville, has been working1 with the women's clubs of Jeffersonville to show pictures for children at the Dream theater. The club has asked that motion pictures that will appeal to children be shown at the theater, and that they be censored by a committee representing the club. The women take the position that pictures now being shown are designed for grownups, and in many instances are injurious to younger minds. The Cosy Theater Opens. Winchester, Ky. — The Queen theater. formerly operated by the Irvine Amusement Co., but which was recently closed by that concern, has reopened as "The Cosy." under a new organization headed by leading business men, including M. D. Royse, D. S. Haggard, C. II. Bowen. Matt Bean, J. P. Winn. Dr. W A. Bush, J. E. Grubbs, A. G. Lockname and J. N. Renaker. F. A. Ogden, former manager of the house under the old company, has been given the active management. Murray, Ky. — The Dixie Theater Co., of Paris, Ky., has finally completed and opened the Woodruff Opera House, of this city, as a picture theater. Midway, Ky. — A new moving picture theater has been opened here by the Midway Amusement Co. Pleasure Ridge Park, Ky. — H. G. Jones is offering for sale the Pleasure Ridge theater, including electrical and other equipment, and the chairs. The house seats 250 people. But One Show Now in Glasgow. Glasgow, Ky. — Glasgow now enjoys but one moving picture theater, the management of which is greatly pleased with the outlook since the Lion and the Dixie withdrew from the field. The new house will operate as the Trigg Theater Co.. with Bruce Aspley at the helm. New Shows and Changes. Paris, Ky. — It is rumored that Harry Mitchell will shortly open the Columbia theater as a picture show house. Slaughters, Ky. — W. B. Pettus has opened a picture show which has a very promising outlook confronting it. Business Notes. Louisville, Ky. — Percy L. Smith, manager of the local Mutual office, recently returned from a good road trip out through the state, taking in Bardstown, Shelbyville, Lagrange. Campbellsville and Carrollton. He made heavy bookings on "The Secret of the Submarine," and stated that he found most of the rural exhibitors optimistic. Owensboro, Ky. — The Kentucky Electric Co., of this city, has received nearly all of the specially designed machinery for manufacturing its new auto arc machines, which will be used in connection with moving picture machines. Some of the local exhibitors are interested in the manufacture of this new machine, which gives promise of being a big thing. Consider School Film Programs as Failures Hamilton County, Ohio, Teachers' Institute Hears That Their Educational Programs Have Failed to Hold the Children. By Kenneth C. Crain, 610 First National Bank, Cincinnati, Ohio. CINCINNATI O. — A lament which is not without its humorous side, which is by no means a real "knock" at the educational value of pictures, and which should be of some comfort to exhibitors who have worried about the influence on their business of free pictures in schools and elsewhere, has been voiced by teachers in attendance upon the Hamilton County Teachers' Institute. It was declared by the teachers that the experiment of showing so-called "educational" and "instructive" pictures in the schools was a failure, because it proved impossible to hold the children in competition ■with the regular moving picture houses. Lack of interest in the programs shown was admitted, and the fact that the children prefer pictures with a flavoring of story and adventure pointed out. The teachers thus in effect confessed their inability to prepare interesting programs which are at the same time educational, and as many exhibitors have shown themselves able to do this satisfactorily in preparing children's programs, it seems that the exhibitor who knows his business has little to fear from the average free school program. company's obligations, and all of the creditors except one filed their consent to the dismissal of the proceedings, a bond being made to take care of the exception. The company intends to continue the preparations which were under way for the production of feature films, and no reorganization will be necessary, as the people interested are amply able to take care of the work and the financial arrangements involved. MEETS UNION DEMAND. Youngstown Theaters Give 15 Per Cent Salary Raise. Youngstown, O. — Most of the "Class A" theaters of the city, after mature consideration, have met the demands of moving picture operators for an increase in wages equivalent to about 15 per cent, as compared with last year's scale, and have signed an agreement accordingly. Other exhibitors will probably take similar action, and the threatened strike, which was never seriously anticipated, will not occur, as all parties concerned have at all times evinced a desire to settle amicably the wage question. Notes of Interest Hereabout. Cincinnati, O.— On the urgent application of many exhibitors, who made fruitful suggestions regarding ways and means of handling business in the event of a railroad strike, Cincinnati film exchanges supplying a wide territory, made arrangements to get films to exhibitors throughout Ohio, southern Indiana and eastern Kentucky by means of interurban cars, special messengers and automobiles, so that the theaters would be able to operate as usual. However, the measures contemplated were fortunately unnecessary when the strike was called off, and the film men and exhibitors were deprived of the dubious pleasure of seeing how well their plans would have worked. Veritas Film Not Bankrupt Cincinnati. O. — On the application of President Andreas E. Burkhardt, of the Veritas Film Co., and other officers of the company, to the United States District Court, the bankruptcy proceedings which lias been filed on behalf of the company have been dismissed. President Burkhardt showed to the court that arrangements had been made to take care of the Cincinnati, O. — The big eight-reel Vitagraph film production of James Oliver Curwood's novel of the North, "God's Country and the Woman," filled a week's engagement at the Grand Opera House beginning September 3, with considerable success, giving the theater one of the best pictures of its season in the moving picture end of the drama, now about to give way to the usual winter season of the spoken drama. The management continued the high prices which it found people would pay for a big production .luring the several engagements of "Where Are My Children?" and therefore charged 25 cents for the lower floor and 15 cents for the balcony. Cincinnati, O. — Following a very hot, very trying and withal very successful summer. Manager Charles Weigel, of the Alhambra theater, took a vacation during the latter part of August, spending several weeks on the Great Lakes and at various resorts in that section of the country. He has returned to Cincinnati nuich refreshed by his rest.