Motion Picture News (Jan - Mar 1914)

3° THE MOTION PICTURE NEWS J. Parker Read, Jr., Mrs. Read, James Gordon, and a small company sailed Tuesday night for Bermuda. Jack is killing two birds with one Stone on this trip. It is a wedding tour for himself and Mrs. Read and he and Gordon will take the greater part of a coming multiple reel feature. Much of the work is to be done under water — submarine stuff. On the list of generous Christmas givers, W. T. "Pop" Rock heads them all. "Pop" gave to his partners, Mr. J. Stuart Blackton and A. E. Smith, and to Sigmund Lubin solid gold dinner sets. Each of the three sets has 540 individual pieces. I don't know how much they cost, but as far as I am concerned, there isn't that much money in the world. Phil Gleichman, general manager of the World's Special Films Corporation, was given a Christmas gift by the employees of the Detroit branch in the way of a cut-glass punch bowl and glasses. The only trouble for we folks in Gotham is that you have to go to Detroit to get a drink. Eustace Hale Ball threatens to become quite an, author. He has just finished a novelization of the Universal Film Mfg. Company's "Traffic in Souls." It is being published by the G. W. Dillingham Co. Incidentally, I notice in the magazines advertisements of Hall's books, "The Heart of the Photoplay" and "Bubbles." The Picture Theatre Equipment Co., of 21 East Fourteenth Street, New Ynrk, has installed a complete motion picture equipment in the Twenty-third Street branch of the Y. M. C. A. This consists of a two-machine booth and a Power 6-A Cameragraph. Negotiations are now pending between the World Special Films Corporation and one of the largest American manufacturers, who are starting to manufacture long-reel subjects, for the World Special Films Corporation to handle their five, six and seven-reel features. Sol Lester, the presiding genius of the Golgate Feature Service, left his \ew York purchasing office in the Candler building January 1st and started for the Pacific Coast. Seattle is his first stop. Sol has been here in New York for some time, and now will be kept busy looking over his chain of exchanges. His interests will be looked after in New Y<>rk by his own office. The two most successful films, both financially and artistically, that have ever been released by the Lubin Mfg. Co. are the "District Attorney's Conscience" and "The Parasites." Both of them were written by George Terwilliger, and in both of them Lottie Briscoe and Arthur Johnson were the stars. The William L. Slun\ Feature Film Company has expanded muchly and now occupies about half of the large nintli floor of the Leavitt building at 126 West Forty-sixth Street. Aubrey M. Kennedy, formerly with the Universal, has opened offices at 110 West Fortieth Street under the name of Kennedy Features Company. William P. Helm, Jr., formerly with the Associated Press and before that city editor of the Newark, N. J., Star, has been made editor of Patbe's Weekly. Mr. Helm's many friends in the newspaper business are rooting for his success. The World Special Films Corporation is doing all in its power to educate the exhibitor to the use of art posters, and to this end the United States Lithograph Company has just completed an edition of a paper on "The Heart of a Police Officer," which is soon to be released, that is one of the handsomest things that was ever put in front of a house. Except for the title that goes across the front of the sheet, they resemble paintings more than lithographs. ECHOES OF THE NEW YEAR Hereby is acknowledged receipt of some more messages of Christmas good will, from M. E. Hoffman of The World's Special Films Corp., The Consolidated Film & Supply Co., of Atlanta, Ga., A. J. Lang, of Nicholas Power Co., Lottie Briscoe, Lubin leading woman, Mr. and Mrs. Jack Noble, Mr. and Mrs. C. A. Willat, Lewis M. Noto, Mr. and Mrs. Silent Bill Haddock, Joseph Hopp, W. P. Milligan, Ben P. Schulberg, William St. John and Watterson R. Rothacker, president of the Industrial Moving Picture Co. A Christmas gift arrived for Fred S. Meyer, assistant manager of the Minneapolis office of The Laemmle Film Service, in the shape of a ten-pound boy. Pathe Freres will release on Saturday, January 17, a two-part drama featuring little Margarete Risser and a very intelligent dog. Between the two they keep up interest to the very end and make a really unusual offering. The Blache feature "The Star of India," when shown in England to the press, drew many favorable notices. The Gloria American Company, of 110 West Fortieth street, will shortly release a six reel feature "Love Everlasting," featuring Lyda Bonelli and Mario Bonnard. Jeff Dolan, the famous demi-tasse in charge of the booking department of the North American Films Corporation, has the following features to offer: "His Reclamation," three reels; "Risk of His Life." three reels; "Moth in the Flame," three reels; "Vagabond," three reel ; "Bohemian Girl," three reels; "Buried Mm," three reels; "Kid McCoy," two reels; "Western Frontier Days," three reels, and "Black Sheep's Wool," three reels. B. E. Clements, of the World's Leader's Features, 220 West Forty-second street, New York, will have some new features soon. Douglas I. ei. ud. who did such finished work with I. ois Weber anil Phillips Smalley about a year ago, is filling a special engagement with the Universal, He will play the role of Bas.mi.i in Smalley's production of "The Merchant of Venice." Phillips Smalley takes the title role. Lois Weber plays the part of Portia, and Rupert Julian the part of Antonio. Robert W. Priest, manager of the "Capt. scott'a Last \nt;uiie Expedition" film reports good business in advance booking. Eleanor Woodruff, Pathe leading woman, spell I Christmas at her home in Pennsylvania. I lei return for the holiday having been announced, a local playhouse gave her a compli ment by announcing a "Miss Woodruff Program" so that her friends might see her on the screen. One of the features of the current Universal Animated Weekly release is the posing of Mrs. Frederick W. Vanderbilt when in behalf of the New York Women's League for Animals she gave a handsome reward to the best mounted policeman after a competition held on Harlem River Speedway. J. K. Burger, besides being auditor of the World Special Films Corporation, enjoys quite a reputation amongst the natives of South Norwalk, Conn., as a trapper. He managed recently to capture five mink whose skins he is now having cured and intends to present to his wife in the form of a collar. A. Warner, returned from Toronto for a brief visit during the holidays, when asked to give his opinion on the feature film market in Canada, said: "We should have been up there long ago. Why, these Canadian exhibitors are fairly crying for good feature productions. Our two exchanges — Montreal and Toronto — have started off with a rush and we are now looking forward to the opening of a third exchange in Winnipeg." So satisfied is the new Miles Theatre, Cleveland, with their three-a-week service of Warner's features, that they have contracted for the same service for their Detroit house managed by C. W. Porter. Mr. Porter has put himself on record as well pleased with the quality of Warner's features and also with the prompt service he receives from Warner's Cleveland office. H. M. Goetz, who left New York several weeks ago for a whirl around the circuit, is stopping for the present in Los Angeles where he is looking after the interests of Warner's Features. He will probably visit all of the offices of the Alleghanies before his return to New York. Pearl Sindelar distributed many attractive gifts among her friends in the Pathe studio, each one of which was inscribed "purchased a month before Christmas." Miss Sindelar, as has been noted before, is an ardent advocate of early Christmas shopping and she thus practiced what she has been preaching. In an article extolling the gorgeous beauties of nature found prevalent in Santa Barbara, California, to appear in Harper's Bazar article, Miss Vivian Rich was asked to pose. The personal charm and beauty of Miss Rich will add considerably to the interest and attractiveness of the picturesque illustrations. Kathryn Kidder, the actress and a noted exponent of classic drama, and her husband, Dr. L. K. Anspacher, visited the Hollywood studios of the Universal recently and saw a few scenes of "The Merchant of Venice" which is being done by Lois Weber and Phillips Smalley. George Fitzmaurice, head of the Pathe scenario department, had a narrow escape from serious injury on Christmas night. A taxi in which he was riding skidded on the slippery asphalt on Fifth Avenue, New York, and collided with the curb. Mr. Fitzmaurice had his head driven through the window and was badly cut up by the broken glass. He heard many comments about the "morning after" when he showed his scarred face at the Path? studio on Friday morning. John Barrymore has the leading part in the coming Famous Players production of "An American Citizen" by Madeleine Lucette Ryley. THE FILM EXCHANGE MOVES The Film Exchange, formerly located at 61 West Fourteenth Street, has now expanded and moved uptown to new and larger quarters on the ninth floor of the new building at 35 and 37 West Thirty-ninth Street. E. S. Manheimer, president of the company, delayed moving as long as possible, but increased business made the new quarters a necessity. The business policy of that company will be the same as before the removal. but for the fact that business will be carried on on a larger scale, owing to the increased space and other facilities.