The Billboard 1910-04-16: Vol 22 Iss 16 (1910-04-16)

APRIL 16, 1910. The Billboard 15 MOVING PICTURES It has been sald that “everything comes to those who hustle while they wait,” and thus it is that the various manufacturers of mov ing pictures, men who read well the current indications, are busily engaged in a campaign of preparation which will equip them when their opportune moment is at band. so that they will be In a position to exploit the product of their factories in fields of advertising. educational and industrial endeavor which as yet are prac tically In a state of virginity, untouched, It is # lamentable fact that at the present writing, fsetional warfare and incidental lit! gation make the moving picture business most hazardous indeed. Not only from the viewpoint of the cursory informed layman but through the experienced eyes of those men who are in daily touch with the existing situation, with its multitudinons complications and sharp legal angles, may the future of the moving picture, with its inevitable development and unlimited scope. be discerned, hidden though It is by a chaotic tangle of interests, which retard ind deter its progress. It is an encouraging fact, however, that this progress, urged and advanced by poxsibilities far more powerful than the ulterior motives which restrain it, is in evidence, and each day is creeping steadily nearer its eal of attainment. In other words, it is geverally acknowledged that the moment has arrived when the most serions consideration must be given to the film business as a medium for putting on the market. as agents of publicity and as commercial educators, moving pictures adapted for such purposes, The movement is too strong to brook Interference and delay by a class wh» are at varience among themselves; its reach exceeds their grasp: their arrangements must be auited to its requirements; their differences must be adjusted and the elimination from the boxiness of men whose attitude is detrimental to its best interests take place. Or ap agreement be arrived at by equitable arbitration, such as will allow this insistent growth its fullest scope. The scientific problems and the practical perfection of the business is tn the hands of men who daily, yes hourly, add to their already wonderful accomplishments and the consequent Improvement of the film trade at large. At the same time, however, for business ressons, there exists barriers which. unless destroved or surmounted in some man| ner. will continue to deter the calculating man | of affairs from meddling in a mix-up which | seev.ingly is without end. This discourages | capital which otherwise would naturally and | intuitively seek the rapidly broadening field of | opportunity which beckons to the shrewd invest| or. Not ogly te this true, but the very men who are now In the midst of their battle for | supremacy are holding in abeyance, plans which | Otherwixe would be projected and propelled to Immiiate success by the money, time and | attention which is now being diverted into the I give these merely to show that, plece is not hailed universally play of the day. minus all faults, the opinion is unanimons that it is a big success. Mme. Jeanne Granier appears as Francine, Mme. Eva Lavallire as Adrienne. Brasseur is Margerie, Guy ts the Minister of Fine Arts, and Max Dearly, the originator of the Apache dance, is the Russian Count, TYLER EXPECTED. George Tyler is expected soon in Paria. He is nov in London, where he has considerable business to attend to, but as soon as that is over he is expected here. INTERNATIONAL THEATRE. We have had the National Opera, the Naticoal Theatre, and so on. Now we are to have the Interniticnal Theatre, if the plans of Mme. Rejane carry through in the way she wants. The Rejane idea ts to have a theatre devotel while the as the greatest to the best plays of all countries—that is, the majority of the civilized countries—where players belonging to the country originating the Play would be seen In the parts. For instance, the big snecesses of the American season would be bronght bere and produced by English-speak ing artiste: the big hits would be brought over from London and similarly played; Italian pleces, German plays, would be “presented respectively br Italian and German actors and | actresses Translations would be barred, and Freneh plare by French authors would be seen, but only In thelr turn, sharing time alike with other plays in other languages Mme. Rejane believes the scheme will be a! money-making affair, as well as an artistic suc cess, She boses her calenlations upon the fact that there Is In Paria one of the moat hetero geneous population to be found In any one city on the ghbe Thousands and thensands of Amer! cans make their homes in Paria, the heads of the “amilies heing engaged in business there. A‘lditional thensandsa come and go with the sea sone, ‘The English are also and equally largely Tepresented Germans are here by the oodles, an! Italians form a tremendous colony When the actress returns from her London en gagement, which ts echeduled to last for one month, beginning April 4, she will take up the matter more fully. She has promised to tell the profession in Amerlea, through The Billboard, how her plan works out, The engagement In England referred to ts to In a melodramatic way, Nick Carter, at the fill the contract she has with Oswald Stoll, of es . x : the London Tippodrome, Mme, Rejane has not Ambizu, was a bi —— 7 2 ye my ee been in England In three or four years, and then [scle, \"Hemme s > ne ae a oy athe 9° she was there to play before the King. She bas run the entire ey ry mont out a appeared in oa playlet entitled Lolette, by Mell j bobble. It is still the at that theatre. hac ant Holevy, and It is in thelr plece that| Here are some of the other pleces now fn the she will probabty open at the Fippedrome, She playhouses: Le Peche de Marthe, at the Ambigu; @ays she moy appear with Lew Waller. She La Flamme, at the Rejane; Xantho Chez les did once before, when Waller was compelled Courtisanes, at the Rouffes-Partestens; 1812, et to apeak French and was almost frightened to, the Theatre Antoine; Noblesse Oblige, at the death. | Nouveautes: La Samaritaine and La Dame aux Their Scope and Development By WATTERSON channel of bel!igerezt competition. By these | statements I do not mean to say that the moving picture business is at a standstill as gt as progress is concerned. Quite the contrary. It is always on the move, and always deex that move carry it forward. I do claim. however. that men of both factions are so engrossed in organization discord as to not allow them to throw an entire and combined strength in dleveloping their chosen field te the highest degree of efficiency; it is apparently to be the survival of the fittest. In the meanwhile, slowly the wheels are turning, which will, in the nev far distant future, put the moving picture on a plane higher even than that set for it by the most rabid enthusiasts. Men whose imaginations are lavishly indulgent, advance theories which will be realized in their practical entirety. Men who dream now of the greatness that is to come to them, idle, inactive; likely candidates for the I Told You So Club. These men who bask in the sunshine of expectancy must do more than this. They must be up and doing so that their share of the harvest be not restricted by the movements of the early bird crowd who have backed up their opinions with money and action. The moving picture industry has growing pains. It is the big boy in the commercial world to-day. It is broadening out. It wil not be long before its shoulders wil be strong enough to bear the burden of that which is now holding it in check; it will be but little longer before it will have the power to throw this impediment to its growth into the discard, and render futile and ineffectual its restraining influence. In speaking of the present situation of the film business we refer to a condition. In making reference to the scope and possibilities of this business we speak of that to which these existing conditions must be tempered. Everywhere is mant | fested a growing tendency on the part of bust ness men to Investigate the drift of moving pictures Into provinces more stable than mere purposes of amusement. The pursuit of these Investigations carries one above and beyond factional jangles and diverts thought on the subject of propositions which in themselves are of a calibre worthy of an entire consideration. It would be folly for one individual to offer a soluticn of the problem over which the world of moving picture men are now haggling. It is a tangled skein of legal yarn made more complicated by the yarns of those whose ulterior motives further snarl the ball. which will roll “a la Tennvson,s Brook.’’ until a governing master hand assumes control. It must not be Inferred by surface indications that at the present moment there are not men whose life’s work is to regulate and better this situation. There are men in the business to-day whose Isudable intentions are backed up by ability and brains. The efforts of these men will prevail, but during the ‘“‘now’’ of their struggle with the detrimental interests, opportunity is R. ROTHACKER. knocking with a noise which is muffled by the knocks of certain individuals and interests, and the auspicious moment is clouded by that undesirable something which seems to be one of the inheritances of the film business. tut now let us look at the silver lining of the clond. Tuke for instance the catalogue of *“‘Educational Motion Pictures,’’ recently issued by George Kleine, of Chicago. This attractive book from itx significant and appropriate cover to the last of its 336 pages of closely printed matter. is replete with list after list of films at present available and on the market; every ; one of them desirable from standpoints of ed ucativnal value. Is not this an evidence of the direction of the wind? Does not this indicate that the time has arrived when the moving pic ture is to be generally accepted in its true worth? Seeing is believing. and what is more logical than the moving picture as an agent which vividly and truly depicts anywhere those things of thoughtful interest which abound in the farthest quarters of the globe, whereby the | world at large may be broadened and benefitted by knowledge superior by far to the text book. It is another case of Mahommet and the mountain. If you can"™t go to your subject, the subject will come to you, via the film route. Mr. Kleine is not alone as a pioneer in the field, but he is a representative worker and has issued a catalogue which presents in conerete form the most interesting and value-imparting phase of the moving picture business. To Thomas A. Edison this compilation is inscribed by Mr. Kleine, who incidentally pays a flattering tribute to that gifted inventor in a few well-chosen words. In speaking of the plan and scope of the work, and referring to the catalogne, he said: ‘‘The word ‘Educational’ is here used in a wide sense, and does not indicate that these films are intended for school or college use exclusively. They are intended rather for education of adult as well as youth, for exhibition before miscellaneous audiences, as well as for more restricted use.’’ Here are a few excerpts from the catalogue, which have further to do with ‘‘Education by Moving Pictures’’: ‘“‘The United States Government has now recognized the educational value of motion pictures for the purpose of impressing on the mind, geographical, historical, military, naval, and other events in a manner calculated to produce lasting recollection."’ ‘The officers and men of the U. S. Batteship Vermont will now receive periodical and systematic instruction and amusement through the medium of moving pictures. Other branches of the Government service are rapidly taking up the use of moving pictures for special work.’’ The following list of topics as they appear in the George Kleine catalogue convey at least an idea of the vast scope of the work: Agriculture, Aeronautics, Anima] Life, Bacteriology, Bio | graphy, Biology, Botany, Entomology, Fisheries, | Geography Geology, History, Industrial jects, Kindergarten Studies, Mining and lurgy. Microscopy, Military, Naval, Natural History, Ornithology, Pathology, Pisciculture, Railroad, Religion, Scenic, Topical, Travel and Zoology. To quote from another page of the Kleine Educational System of Visualization: ““‘We are far, very far, from offering a motographic library which is complete as to every subject that can profitably be treated in this manner. It wil require years of further effort and great sums of money to even scratch the surface of the rich mine which lies at our feet No single commercial, scientific or educationa! | Organization can hope to accomplish more than a small fraction of the work to be done."’ This sums up the entire situation in its broadest | sense and strikes its truest note. It holds forth | the promise of the future with the recompense }of immediate realization. It sounds the toe| sin to the business at large. It holds up the | possibilities and is a free acknowledgment that the scope exceeds the grasp of any single organization or individual. In short, Mr. Kleine’s catalogue is a big step in the right direction, ; and his sentiments, as expressed therein, are | made in the spirit of a big man, who is advoeating a big cause. Mr. Kleine is known as a man of far-sighted ability; his business acumen is recognized by his assoc‘ates and competitors alike. The inference tnen is that the field of motion picture education not only offers opportunities galore for the philanthropic educator. but that there is a fair margin of profit to be had by those who are daring enough to back up their convictions with the courage of real money investment. It may also be said that the time is not far distant when the moving picture will occupy a prominent place in the advertising world. Its evolution to this end is inevitable. and its possibilities limitess. As an adjunct to the present avenues of publicity it will prove an acquisition of priceless worth. Its uses in this branch of commercial endeavor are innumerable. New lands may be exploited bp photograpic reproduction so that the prospective purchaser may be properly enthused up to the buying pitch. Sales of machinery by the itinerant salesman whose ‘‘goods’ are too cumbersome to demonstrate in actuality. Trick films may be made which could show the Cream of Wheat Chef or The Gold Dust Twins going through a bit of comedy which would do much to keep the name of the advertised article in the mind’s eye of the public. In fact, the sky is the limit where moving pictures are concerned and even that ethereal territory is encroached by the camera, which has ‘‘caught’’ the aeroplanes and balloons in their flights and contests, which are but another movement ahead, in the field of science of which the moving picture industry is a potent factor. SubMetal LENT IN THEATRES. Lent, in the States, hurts the show business considerably in certain sections. In France it bas but very little effect. The reason is that, owing to the attitude taken by the government on the religious question, less attention is paid to the stricter observance of the forty days of fasting and abstinence than heretofore was the ease. At least, this is sald to be one cause. Many of the theatres put on special bills for the seasoa. For instance, Mme. Bernhardt invariably plays La Samaritaine, the piece by Edmond Rostand, which she likes so well. But, in a box-office way, Lent bas but little or no effect on Paris playhouses. It is slightly worse, however, In the provinces. But, as the saying goes, Paris is France, theatrically epeaking. ON THBP BOARDS. Now that the season is drawing to a close, and soon the “‘RELACHE” sign will be posted in front of most of the bigger theatres, one may get an idea of what has been the biggest hits of the winter. Of course, one can never tell, but there is little probability of any worldbeater coming to light from now on. Chantecler, of course, so far as Paris is con| cerned, has been the biggest success of the | season That, of course, was a foregone conclusion. Curiosity would have made that plece a success, no matter what it had been like. Performances are still sold out long before the curtain rises, yet, In the provinces, in Italy and elsewhere, the Rostand bint-animal poem-drama has not had all plain sailing. Some gall has been mixed with the honey. Personally, I would place next in Hne La! Vierge Folle, the four-act play by Henry Bataille, end which, thongh one of the more recent productions, promises mighty big. It is now | the talk of the city. Sire, by Henri Lavedan, now the principal play tn the repertoire of the Comediec-Francaise, I should say comes in third place. This piece bas run all season and promieee to remain on the boards for some time to | come. LeDanseur Inconnu might be placed fourth. }It has had a run of many months and still holds its own. RBevond that I would not want to venture, Une Femme Passa, by Romain Coolua, bids high for a place along about here, and so | does La Rarricade. the Paul Rourget play at) the Vanderille. ba Petite Chocolatiere, thongh | now off the stage for the present, was mighty | popular for a long run at the Renatssance. }erful nobleman, Camelies, at the Bernhardt; Le Papa du Regiment, at the Dejazet; La Conscrite at the FoliesDramatique; Le Satyre, at the Palais-Royal; Le Colonel Ronchonot, at the Cluny, and Dore Soeurs, at the Theatre des Mathurins. STRANGE STREET FAIR. The annual ‘‘Ham Fair,’’ one of the strangest street fairs to be seen in the world, is now in progress. There are most of the usual accompaniments of the ordinary street fair, but the central attraction is the ham booth. Fakirs have great chances here, as the free ham to be sampled at the hundreds of stands, attracts the mul titudes. CLOWN HURT. The clown, Footit, well known all over Europe, was badly wounded by a hooligan as he left the Nouveau-Cirque this week, the man (a cafe waiter) using as a weapon. a corkscrew. A part of the Instrument remained in the temple wound end Footit’s condition is serious. His companfons at the circus have passed resolutions of sympathy and a fund for daily flowers to be sent to the hospital has been raised. FRANCONI DEAD The last male descendant of family of Italian equestrians, has just died in Paris. Charles Franconi was his name, known the world over for his daring in the sawdust arena. The first Franconi came to Paris in 1760, having fled from Italy after his duel with a powwhom he killed with a swordthrust through the body. In 1793 he bought the Astley Amphitheatre, in the Fauborg de Temple, and made a big hit with his circus, of which his own horsemanship was the star feature. Rich, he retired in favor of his son, Laurent, who built the Olympic on the site now occupied by the Nouveau-Cirque. Jean and Laure:n made good, as had their father, and their wives, likewise, became famous all over Europe for their beauty and fearlessness. In 1816 the brothers returned to the Faubourg du Temple and were ruined by a fire. Leading theatrical stars of the day gave benefits, and so much was the disaster regarded as a_ public catastrophe, subscription were raised by the public for replacing the circus. Adolphe, son of Laurent, succeeded his father and uncle and built the Cirque d’Ete in the Champs-Elysees, now pulled down. The Franconis’ fame at the period was so great that Emperor Napoleon III. asked Adolphe to train the Empress Eugenie’s horses. In 1867 he openal the Cirque du Prince Imperial, later the Theatre Chateau d’Eau, and afterward the Barrasford’s Paris Alhambra. He died twelve yeare ago. Charles, who died this week, was his son, the last of the line. He died childless. PARAGRAPHS. Latel, from New York; Rill Nichem, an American dancer, and the ‘‘Blossome’’ are some the celebrated the Franconis, of the Yankee turns of the Olympia just making their debuts in the revue this week. Mlle. Marahwith is another feature, her dance being @ wonder. * George Grossmith and Miss Compton, the English comedian and comedienne, continue to head the big show at the Folies-Bergere. Beati+ and Babs, and a buily English chorus are close seconds as crowd getters. Tae revue, which is by P. L. de Flers and E. Heros, is easily one of the best the Folies has had. + _The Sora Troupe, the Orontes, and some other English end American vaudeville turns are showing this week at the Etoile-Palace in the Etoile quarter. + Miss Dorothy Toye, an American girl, heads the list of fun-makers at the Scala. The revue there, under the Fursy management, is a dandy and some excellent people are in the cast. + “Tae Eight Beauties’ are at the Bal Tabarin. They are English dancing girls. Acts of this sort always make good at this amusement place. Manager Gaston Akoun, of Luna Park, announces that shortly his amusement park wil!l throw open her gates to the public for season No. 2, which promises to be a hummer. The Saint-Didier Roller Skating Rink. of the Crawford and Wilkins Circuit, is doing a big business and has for clients the best people of Paris, located, as it is, in one of the most aristocratic quarters. * The Hippodrome Roller Rink, Montmartre, is putting the finishing touches on the Nisagara Falls, an imitation of the great waterfall tn America. In the grottoes and nooks are places for people to sit and sip their tea—or other drinks—and watch the skating, which is always the liveliest. ANNOUNCE SUMMER PLANS. Providence, R. I., April 9.—The announcement has been made by Managers Spitz and Nathanson, of the Empire Theatre, that beginning Monday, May 2. they will inaugurate a spring and summer season of vaudeville, motion pictures and fllustrated songs. Vandeville will booked through the United Booking Offices of New York, the acts to remain for an entire week In each case. Songs and moftten pictures will be changed Mondays and Thursdays. PDerfusmance continues from 12 o’clock noon until 10:30 P. M.