The Billboard 1911-09-16: Vol 23 Iss 37 (1911-09-16)

58 The Billboard SEPTEMBER 16, ° THE ELECTRICIAN AND THE MOVING PICTURE SHOW. By GEORGE R RICE. rtisement in the papers about a movi show for sale was out of i jo i had had my mind on estahjishing a five ten mv ing me theatre for some time, an 1e ee ‘tisement might re fer. ee , oe anted. I answered | the rd ach. was ‘oul Ping yisit so-and-so at a | certain uptown theatre. | Mr. Bggiud-se gave me the necessary direc| tions fi, ach the moving picture establish ment, Which was for sale in a mill town in | New England I visited the place and the conditions appeared to be fair. The show was | running, was shown over the hall by the | man who owned the picture machine and who | was in sarge of the show. He -bad a helper | to takd. tickets and a woman to-run a phono | graph ‘There was a plano there, much out of | tung, on which a, youpg man played pieces and | Sang, While the boss threw pjctures of a é6ainted person and a sentinel on dut¥Y in colored hues on the sheet. The songs and the views were calculated to make any audience weep, but ho tenrs were shed. The run of moving pic-ture film was good and pleased the people. The audience seemed to be made up of many children, althongh there were adults there, too. ‘In a half-hour the Show finished and the peopie filed ont and another assemblage of people filed in. paying five cents each or presenting ‘a card at the door. The card trick is what fovled me. I was there to estimate the average of the attendance with a view of buying the place... and latersiy discovered that the boss had given out a Yreat many free passes so as to have a good-sized audience when I called. 1 did. net know this ‘at the time, I was shown over the place by the manager, who proclaimed the merits of the place. He said that a rich return in cash awaited whoever purchased this rare bargain. The ture machine was of standard design. long after closing the deal I had to pay an assessment of $60 on the machine, as the machine had been purchased on the instalment plan, and the former boss had forgotten about it, for he told me that the machine was fully paid for. The average moving picture show does pot require mach of an equipment. Ifthe show ‘s to be played in the building right along, «a connection can be made with the eectrical current and the best kind of a light «cured at a nominal cost. But, if the ma chine is te go on the road at intervals, then a gas outfit for making a calcium light is required. The establishment I intended te buy was furnished with a gas-making plant of the portable kind. There were curtains and the necessary packing-box«s for carrying the outfit. There was a sign outside bearing the inscription shown in figure 1. Children were admitted at half price. Lt seemed to me that the opening was a good one. I wondered why the boss wanted to sell, when the chances of a man getting rich from the show were so good. He pleaded id health and a desire to travel. So we clos d the bargain. ‘or $700 I procured quite a good outfit for a moving picture con cern, including supplies of tickets, posters, the good will of the place and the like. The rent was not high for the hall. The community was a fair ene for a picture show and there were ice-cream parlors nearby to supply the audience.with refreshments when wanted... I started off with a cear slate, or what I supposed Was « clear slate. he Gay after the bots “turned the thing over to me. the ticket-taker, got drunk and ran away With the day’s rec@ipts. I got a friend to take tickets for me and he made many errors in the change and delayed the crowd at the door «a number of times. I refer to a crowd because word had been passed in the community of a change in management of the picture show and the usual patrons looked for a free admission day. Many of them got in free anyway. But I was Learsing things right along, was having my troubles. I listened to the advice of the {illustrated song singer ‘and substituted the gas burner for the electrical light, as we were on an alternating current and the humming sound of the arc interfered with the fine notes of his song. Therefore, I got out the tanks for the ouygse and hydrogen gases and endeavored to get a brilliant glow on the lime with the combined gases. Now, an electrician has no business fooling with a calcium light until he has received at least a half-dozen lessons in its proper management. I failed to get any light at all with the calcium light, as I did not know how to make the flame blow on the lime and heat the lime to a white heat. Hence the illustrated song singer was given the laugh, and he got mad at me for queering hie act. He had some deadbeat lady friends in the audience and that made matters worse. I put the gas cylinders outside and proceeded to go ahead with the electrical light, with which I was familiar. One of the cylinders was left where the heat of the sun expanded the gas and the side of the tank split open and let the gas out, as at A, figure 2. Some time afterwards, the calcium gas com pany called for its tank, and I had quite a fuss with them, as I supposed that I owned the tank. True, 1 had paid for it, but had paid the wrong party, and the gas company threatened to sue me for $20, the price of the tank, so I paid the bill and the burst tank was left in my possession. I likewise of the gas when I got light, I failed to revolve the spots and holes were burned into the lime as at B. figure 3. But, as time passed, I got accustomed to the gas light. I believe that every electrician who runs a moving picture machine ought to get. accustomed to running a calcium light burner, for his electrical current may give out at any time and he may have to finish out the show with the gases. I had my trouble with the electrical lamps, too, but overcame these troubles as time passed. Il burned out the fuses on the pole ontside the building at the transformer a few times, and almost created a panic in the audience. I had a film fire and nearly caused disaster. I had to discharge nearly all the old emplogsees of the place for cheating me in some way, by sel ling tickets of their own make on the sly, by grafting at the door, or otherwise getting the best of me. The audience fell off to sad pro portions during one interval and I lost money had trouble with the lime pencil outfit, because on another occasion more familiar with the calcium ‘the lime evenly ard every show. had trouble with the film ex changes, who claimed that money wae due them for rental of, film long before I took charge. The owner of the building raised the rent on me, Indeed, things looked dark and THE CHARLESTON EVENING, POST _ PRICE FIVE cr vr ' JGOvUs! il __-_SEVENTE ENTH YEAR CHARLESTON » HEA OAMAGE THE THAD WORST (OVRER.SQVERE. = WRDUGKT HERE HYRRIGANE HERE’ “STORMSAERE YZ i CHARLESTON, S GC. MUNDAY, SWEPT BY STORM * HiOe 1S PLAYED 2 WOMEN DROWN TWO ARE KiLiD Heo WATER FRONT MAN BEING SAVED AND THREE tl i -* BY HURRICANE a. Esnmeted at <9 Deets ereen Seer ob it tach Damage Has Bren Wrougil Ernest Moder Speeds Might oe 8 os ia o Tone . Renicas Wdberge fone Wiad Beachiag Veionty } the Most Severe Barreeapee A. ~ by whe Barrcane— Boaw are Tep ges kt ove the Pleasas' Be the i Ternbie Expeneaces Bot No Besley Gate Gates. — : ine ‘om ==. a Beet rye = sie. | , Lives are Lost ree, ee puonamy tee HEAVY LOSSES RAVE BEEN om = “an” , ran on she | aiten + paves -h) “inoty "es a “ % ity vrena exp survens _ . CAUSED BY By ~as comet hue ms * : THE “IMP” WAS THERE! Imp Camera™Man Right on the Spot During the Terrible Hurricane and Flood at Charleston Secured Wonderful Moving Pictures of the Frightful event. Thrown on the Market as a Regular Release, Sepiember 18. Make arrangements with your Exchange for Earliest Possible Booking. Get it even if you hav e to pay a Premium! Handle it like a Feature, for that’s what it is! ABOUT 600 FEET AND EVERY FOOT A BIG SCOOP FOR YOU INDEPENDENT EXHIBITORS!! The “Imp” Camera Man snapped exciting street scenes, thrilling harbor scenes, all sorts of wild pandemonium raging about him as he ground away on the crank of his camera. Pictures taken AFTER the storm can't be compared with what the “Imp” man got right in the very heart of it! Instead of making this a special release or selling state rights, we are going to make you a present of it as a regular release! Your part, Mr. Exhibitor, begits this minute and consists of this: WIRE YOUR EXCHANGE AT ONCE FOR EARLIEST DATE! Released September 18. Length, 600 feet. Feature it. Copyright 1911, by the I. M. P. Company ! OTHER IMP RELEASES :— “By Registered Mail.” One of the most perfect bits of work we ever mpeeisss A gem of a story produced and stage 1 and acted in a masterly manner. Ready Thursday, September 21, Copy.ight 1911, by LM. P.Co, Also “The Bieyele Bug's Dream.’ A comedy trick film that is a scream. Sequel to our great roller skating fool film. On the same reel with the * Charleston Hurricane and Flood” —° Monday, September 18. Copyright 1911, wy I. ML. P. Co. tf tors an he om dome Sit2:3 , it gy 2 z th o-F Will Be wear cee jit t Hy sii f: $3 waghii ie abate s versgeyitpyt H peat isdsy +: ai Independent Moving Pictures Co. of America. 102 W, 101st St., New York, Carl Laemmle§Pres. 14.36 had qi. 4 over ste eplen4.d plont to ite afterncen wrighber The management of The Evening Post w gretefel for thie ae sistance ond sinerrely apprecastes the seccer geeee in @ time of as efe + aitt distress 4 ain't urat In « pow ' FILL YOUR THEATRE WITH PERFUME The air in your Theatre is most .im HALLBER “THE ECONOMIZER MAN" Furnishes complete *quipment for movpe picture theatres. makes of moving picture ma portant. This Fan Appliauce will ao perfume your Theatre. Price, $5.00, | sary’ supplies, spotcomplete, with perfume to last about | lights, ete. alltwe months. Write for sample of | e's DAYLIGHT pictures increase your revenue. Your i ty WW old machine taken in exchange J. H. HALLBERG, 36 E. 23rd Street, NEW YOR Write for Free Catalogue, B. 30 AT LIBERT OCTOBER 2 LADY M. P. PIANIST Read and fake. cue pictures; smal! N. 1} tov preferred. Address “Competent,” care Bow Yincinnat,i O. perfume. C.F. ARNOLD & CO. 184 W. Lake St. CHICAGO. a The leading Journal of the Moving The Bioscope Picture business in Europe, Has the largest circulation and is the best Advertising Medium, bar none Subscription, $2.00 a Year. Sample Copy Malied Free. 85 Shaftesbury Avenue, LONDON, W., ENGLAND. THE BILLBOARD'S CLASSIFIED BUSINESS DIRECTORY THE ADDRESSES OF ALL THE LEADERS. _— » If you see it in The Billboard, tell th