Reel Life (1915-1916)

News and Gossip from Mutual Men l LAS MARNER, the Mutual’s sevenact production of George Eliot’s famous classic, made a smashing success at the Decatur Theatre, on its first appearance in Brooklyn, N. Y. J Celler, the manager, had sent out special letters and had personally advised the principals and the English teachers in the schools that the feature would be shown in his house, aside from tripling his newspaper advertising. In spite of stormy weather, the patrons were lined up out to the curb, waiting for a chance to get in. There were over 2,000, spectators, several hundred of them being students, accompanied by their teachers. Over sixty of them were personal friends of Frederick Warde, the star of the picture, who had come from Flatbush to see the actor’s introduction into the films. Mr. Celler found the following letter, which he addressed to the schools, very valuable in creating interest of the right sort “School teachers are invited to send their classes in literature to witness the performance of George Eliot’s classic, Silas Marner, as a motion picture, which will be shown at the above theatre on Tuesday, March 7. “Silas Marner has been made into a picture by the Thanhouser Company, and Frederick Warde, a former Brooklynite and famous Shakespearian actor, is in the leading role, supported by an able cast. “If your classes have not yet read George Eliot’s novel, or if they have already passed it in your classes, bring them. It will fix the story in their minds as the book would never do.” The most phenomenal record ever attained by a motion picture production has been established in Los Angeles, Cal., by the five-part Mutual Masterpicture Inspiration, with beautiful Audrey Munson in the leading role This wonderful film, depicting an artist model’s life, played two solid weeks at the New Garrick Theatre, where all former attendance records were shattered. For a film to create a furore in Los Angeles is unprecedented. The most severe critics of motion pictures in the whole world are the theatregoers of that city, which is known as the “Movie Capital” of the United States. So many studios are located there that the citizens have became captious and demand more than they do anywhere else. Familiar with the producing end of the motion picture industry they demand only the very best in pictures. Novel advertising scheme brings crowds to see showing of “ Silas Marner ” at Brooklyn Theatre Nine showings of Inspiration were given every day, or 126 showings for the two weeks. At every performance the house was crowded to its utmost. The seating capacity of the New Garrick is 1,000, making 126,000 persons who saw this wonderful photoplay. The official census for Los Angeles, given in the 1916 “World’s Almanac,” is 319,198. Consequently, 39.8 per cent, of the entire population saw Inspiration, or more than one for each three residents. Life is not always one sweet song for a film road man. The following letter, addressed from Evansville, Ind., to Hunter Bennett, general sales manager of the Mutual Film Corporation, by B. L. Mendelson, Mutual salesman, will demonstrate a few of the things which may happen to a drummer while striving his utmost to do his duty. “I drove from Pembroke, Ky., to Guthrie, Ky., in order to save a day and cover two towns at once,” he wrote in part. “After getting past Trenton, Ky., the horse suddenly stopped, laid down and died right there. I walked about a quarter of a mile through mud up to my shoe tops and was fined five dollars by the constable, but am still in doubt as to what I paid it for. “I went from Guthrie to Elkton and was awakened at 12 :30 and told the town was afire. I then had to hold a hose until six the next morning, when it was necessary for me to catch a train.” The keen interest which is being evidenced by The Girl and the Game exhibitors in this exciting continued story feature, is shown in a letter from E. J. Wagner of the Crystal Theatre, of Hartford, Wis., who is so anxious to have the fifteen chapters of the feature extended that he offers to write the additional ones himself. “I will write you again to tell you,” says Mr. Wagner, in a letter to President S. S. Hutchinson, the Signal Film Corporation, “to extend The Girl and the Game to 40 chapters, because if you don’t I will buy a camera and extend it myself to 80 chapters, then you will be sorry. Your Girl and the Game is the best serial that was ever on the market. It gets the business. “l'f you run short on what to put in, let me know. I will send you 1,000 ideas to prolong the story. I have spoken to many exhibitors about extending it, and they are all in favor of it as much as 1 am.” The Courts have again passed favorably upon the educational merits of the Mutual Film Corporation’s screen version of the Brieux drama, Damaged Goods. This time in Rochester, N. Y., where the Chief of Police, Mayor and Commissioner of Public Safety had revoked the license of the Genesee Theatre because Damaged Goods was booked to be shown in that house. County Judge Stephens held that the lease of the theatre “was revoked upon inadequate and partial information” and granted an injunction restraining the city officials from interfering with the operation of the theatre. Judge Stephens in his decision says in part : “I cannot escape the conviction that the injunction ought to be granted upon the ground that there was no punishable violation of the laws of the state nor of the building code of the city, and that the license was revoked upon inadequate and but partial information. “This conclusion happily obviates any discussion of the motives that were so strenuously alleged upon the oral argument to have influenced the action under scrutiny; it is enough for our present purpose that the plaintiffs were engaged in a legitimate business enterprise, certified to be such by every agency, sustaining any responsible relation to it, and that this business was summarily interrupted upon the claim asserted with inexcusable suddenness that the law was being violated.” The convention of the Kansas Exhibitors was graced by the presence of Nat I. Brown, director of sales of the Minusa Cine Products Co., of St. Louis. Mr. Brown gave a veiy interesting talk before the exhibitors and told them how he had, over seven years before, visited Wichita and sold one of Mr. Anderson’s Gold Fibre Screens. At that time the Gold Fibre was an unknown quantity and had to fight its way for recognition. The representative of the Minusa Cine Products Co. in Wichita is the Wichita Film & Supply Co. While in Wichita, Mr. Brown personally gave his attention to the installation of the special Minusa Screen built for the New Palace Theatre of that City. E. J. Baron, manager of the Star Theatre at Eagle Pass, Tenn., in a letter congratulating the Mutual Film Corporation on the signing of Charlie Chaplin, writes : “We have been running Mutual releases for the past three years, but the service was never so good as it is at present. It is getting better every day. There is no doubt that yours is the best service in the field today. It is hard to beat, and we are not saying too much in stating that we have held our own against our competitor who has been fighting us with five features a week at five and ten cents admission. Any exhibitor can hold his ground with the Mutual service if he handles it right. “We are Mutual boosters, and will put in a good word for it whenever we can.” “I have written but two letters in my life giving the Mutual Film Corporation credit for their productions, and this is one of them,” writes Jacob Rosen, of the Victor Theatre, of Buffalo, N. Y. “I have been exhibiting for the last nine years and never before did I see so wonderful a production as The Miracle of Life. It is one of the nine wonders of the world. The picture itself is a miracle. “I have had many requests to repeat this production, therefore, kindly give as earlybooking date as possible. I believe there will be a great demand for this film, as it is very befitting the Lenten season.” “Allow me to say,” writes Henry Sparks, manager of the Lyric Theatre, of Cooper, Tex., “that I consider your Masterpictures, taken as a whole, ahead of any line of features that I have ever used.” REEL LIFE — Page Eighteen