The Billboard 1913-03-22: Vol 25 Iss 12 (1913-03-22)

’ 4 f . M 4 ee) “ao ree — © Sg, «= (are ee Acne FSH. TRY ‘have The Billboard MARCH 22, 1913. MOTION PICTURE NEWS OF P.A.POWERS FIGHTS UNIVERSAL COMPANY Is Made General Manager of Independent Exchange Co. —Universal Will Probably Establish New Exchanges To Take Places of Those Now Represented By Powers New York, Mare 15 (Special to The Bill troard) The old war between P. A. Powers and the present directors of the Universal Film Manufacturing Company was brovght to a rather strategic stand this week when Powers joined the ranks of the Independent Exchange Company ind became general manager of that concern. The Independent Exchange Company formed last fall and consisted of 15 or 1€ ex change owners who had formed an organization for mutual protection William Oldknow, of Atlanta, is president; Joseph Hopp. of QOhicago scretary: H. Plough, of Chicago, treasurer. and pow Mr general manager The total numbes of exchanges pow represented in the organizat‘on is 27 Mr. Powers said this morning that the Inile pendent Exchange Com epresented all th: buying exchanges o iversal Company ex cepting tw New York City exchanges, three ule excha and one Swanson exchang+ power of the exchange company i+ evermonus as its weekly film bill is in excess nooo The In Waves set was a nges dependent itself up 1 has al in the solel\ pur Exchange Company as a body uninterested distributing companies and one its own affairs as regards the where and when it pleased contrary which were printed ir were consistently denied by of Exchange Company. The naming the general manager, how strength to t belief that th« company is somewhat antagonistic to the Uni liey and will only purchase such Uni films as it actually needs and cannot do Powers as gives versal without The Universal Company that the exchange men delibe« to harm the Universal to the their imagined power. That Mr. bitter enemy of the Universal Company is preven by another portion of the Universal Com pany’s statement to The Billboard in which they say “They (the exchanges) elected as thei’ general manager P. A. Powers, knowing that the Universal has neither respect for, nor be lief in. Mr. Powers: and knowing also that the best thing that ever happened to the Universal! was the withdrawal of Mr. Powers as a stockholder and vfficer.” The Universal Wednesday conspired extent of Powers is a 4 fullest Company has offered for some thme to sign contracts with the exchanges which would guarantee them (the exchanges) exclusiv territory for a period of two years. In return for this the exchanges were te handle only the Universal program or at least buy the full wuutput of the Universal before purchasing films of other manufacture. These contracts were practically agreed to but were never signed. 2e Universal Company. Mr. Powers stated this morning. called a meet ing of the exchanges interested. to take place yesterday or today. No meeting took place, says Mr. Powers, because the exchange men had vested their buying with him and that he Was authorized to act for them all. The Universal Company is considering two plans, one that of abandoning exclusiv territory and selling in the open market to anybody who will buy, and the other is that of establishing new exchanges to take the place of those whicu are now represented in the Independent Exchange Company and who have refused the offer of exclusiv territury. While the change in the policy of the Un: versal Company and the carrying out of the plans of the Independent Exchange Company come about somewhat because of animosity and with more or less of a fight, the develop ments are little more than the natural working out of natural results The Universal Company is meeting the crisis in the situation by taking the Initiativ and. should it adopt the open-market plan, will have the of instigating the first plan of this kind since the formation of the Patents Com pany and the General Film Company some years ur t ) ago and the abandonment of the open-market plan at that time. honor The Universal Company in part states ‘‘That we have the confidence of the large body of ex hibitors and they are the ones we intend tft protect. They want our pictures We want them to have them and we are going to see that they get what they want.’’ Definite plans of the Exchange Company hav« not been formed but Mr. Powers stated today that he would buy the films of any compan) which would sell them provided they were suit able to him. He also said that Universal would be purchast so far as they tained and the quality met with of the exchanges Mr. Powers further stated that the offices of the Independent Exchange Company would br establisht in the present home of the Film Sup ply Company on Forty-fourth street, New Y-«rk and that the latter concern would use the head quarters In conjunction with his company or seek films could be ob the approval VIRGINIA MANAGERS IN NEW YORK. March 15 New York, (Special to The RBilllboerd).—Mrs. A. E. Thorpe, of the Rex Thea ter, and W. J. Coulter, manager of the Dixie Theater. of Richmond, Va., were in New York this week, where they have been arranging for new vandevil bookings for their theaters. | a new lecation aml ene men suitable to its needs. A number of the leading pbewspapers of the country, in their issues of Sunday. March 16, carried advertisements of the Universal Film Mfg. Co., offering a film proposit‘on, the details of which were not given, but which would seem to substantiate the report that the company in tends establishing new exchanges. NICHOLAS POWER be made on Apri! 7. These will be two interesting subjects, one comedy and one drama. The first is entitled Ida, Queen of the Air. It wih be in four reels and will present Miss Ida Neilson as a circus queen. The scenes of the play are nove! and contain many thrills as well as good comedy. The second release will be The Queen of Spades, releast on the same day, and will consist of a fascinating artist's model story. The next two releases will be made on April 14. The first of these will be entitled The Gamekeeper’s Wife. It is a drama in three reels and consists of a German love story wound around some interesting exhibition of marks mansbip. The Executioner's Secret will be releast on the same day. It is in two reels and consists of a story wound around the executioner’s room in one of the well-known prisons of Eurepe. The advertising matter the features has been given special! attention and will consist of six-sheets, three-sheets and one-sheets for every film. In addition to this line of paper there will be heralds, circulars and press notices for local publication, furnisht to every buyer. for all ANOTHER ZIGOMAR COMING. New York, March 15 (Special to the Bill board).—The announcement at the offices of the Union Features that another Zigomar picture. the third of the series had been im ported from Europe and was soon on sale by the s Pow BIG NEW FEATURE CONCERN New York, March 15 (Special to The Bi board).—What is perhaps one of the most for midable entries in the feature field of all those tmaade within the last six months is to be found in the establishment of the Fidelity Film Company of 145 W. Forty-fifth street, this city This company plans to handle the line of films releast by the Motion Picture Sales Agency of Londen. The latter is one of the largest distributors of films in England, and is well equipt to furnish a goodly supply for American distribu tion. The Fidelity Company will place on the market four features each month and wil! endeavor, as far as possible, to establish regular buyers thruout the country who wil] take the entire output of the company from month to month. The distribution to be made from the New York office will take care of the entire United States and Canada. The four films each month will be releast approximately at the rate of two every two weeks. Al! films wil) be copyrighted, both by American and foreign copyright. The subjects will vary in length from two to four-reel films, according to the demand by state-rigbt purchasers. ihe first releases will ——— er Co (For biografical sketch see page 82.) mipany created quite ai stir in the ranks of the state-right buyer and seller in New York today. Every picture theater man in the United States will remember the wonderful Zigomar which started the series some months ago, and which was said by many film men to be the best motion picture on the American market The third of the series is to be another of | those sensational mystery subjects iike the first and second. Every precaution against duping and mate booking thruout the taken by John D. Tippett, manager of the Union Features Company, and state-right buy ers are assured absolute protection. Unilke the method followed in other filma, this sub ject has been copyrighted in America before it illegiti country has been each —Everybody knows him better by Don. the Bssapay that One morning, not 60 long ago when we opened all over it. another bi comic section, saw fit te bave its characters showing warfare in Mexico during name in Europe being Zigomar, the T the Hel Skin. — * @ same precaution against duping and s . ous booking will be taken with Saether An ao feature of the company, by name, Balaoo, and others of the Union Features. TWO-REEL PILOT. New .York, March 15 (Special to The Bi): board).—The first two-reel subject made ti the Pilot Company is to be releast on March 20 The film is entitled Till Death Do Us Past The Pilot Company has been confining its endeavors to the production of Single-ree| subjects heretofore, but will probably release the multiple-ree! films at frequent fntervals in the future along with the single reels. The tworeeler forms the regular release for March 20 ITALA TO RELEASE FEATURES ONLY, New York, March 15 (Special to The Bil)board).—No more regular releases of short films will be made by the itala Film Company in America. Harry RK. Raver, genera! waDdager of the company bas been advised by the Torino headquarters that big features will be the ex. clusiv output in the future. This decision will be welcomed by the trade as the Itala company is noted for the quality of its features Few there are who do not recall the tremepdous success of The Fall of Troy, which this firm brought out some four years ago and which was considered the first long film of its character ever issued. Since that time the Italia Company has produced Grenadier Rolan: Mysteries of Souls; Love's Sacrifice; A Living Tomb; Souls in Torture; The Palace of Flames; The Great Aerial Disaster; The Best Revenge; The Shadow of Evil; Tigris; The Missing Man, and others of note. Tigris is a modern detectiv film in four reels It proves by its massive settings and big ensem. bles that the Itala company is capable of stag ing large and important productions. The Shadow of Evil depicts an ocean disaster and a railroad catastrofe with a delightfu story interwoven. The Missing Man introduces Ermete Zaccon the eminent Italian tragedian whose work ip The Palace of Flames will long be remembered Comm. Zacconi appears in pictures the second and last time, his contract stipulating that be must not be obliged to appear in more than two features. Zaccon| supported Elenore Duse for many years and is immensely wealthy. He The policy of the Itala company in disposing of territory for these features will afford representativ buyers the opportunity of securing an uninterrupted supply, or approximately one month, regularly. No contracts will be made for a single feature. All posters for Itala features are specially designed by the company’s own artists with a view to increasing their drawing power in front of the theater owns a large estate at Bologne. MEANY PUTS ONE OVER. Chicago, March 15 (Special to The Billboard) From been going in planti press stuff, someone wil! seon cut o last letter of his first name and call him Meaney. He certainly is doing things rapid pace he has our Chicago Daily Tribune, Chicage'’s largest morning paper, a cartoon Sasht before our vision with the name ‘“‘Brocho Billy’’ smeared Then again, a few days after that morning paper, In its illustrated taking motion pictures at the Essanay plant. This is the kind of press stuff that show the work of a live, six-cylinder, sixty-horse-power press agent, With all of this we understand that be has only started. INDUSTRIAL TAKES SKI TOURNEY. Chicago, March 15 (Special to The Billboard) —The Industrial Motion Picture Company took the ski tournament which was held at Gary, lll., recently. Regardless of the fact that it was one of the coldest days we have had in this part of the country this winter, the pictures turned out splendidly and do not show a bit of static. In fact, it was so cold that day that one of the extra camera's carried by the operator that day was frozen eo that the crank couldn't be turned. MEXICO WAR IN PICTURES. Chicago, March 15 (Special to The Billboard) —America’s Feature Film Company, one of the most enterprising of the feature film companies, is now offering states’ rights on a picture the revolu tion which they call Barbarous Mexico. This motion picture is five thousand feet long and contains many other bits of interesting Mexican life besides the various fierce battic scenes in which the rebels and federals fought for supremacy. Everything that could be said in print about these battles bas been given us thru the daily press. We are now given & more intimate view of this warfare thru the medium of these pictures. The pastimes and habits of the Mexicans are depicted, as well as bull fights, All bro tality, however, bas been eliminated from the scenes showing the bull fighting. The daring cavalry men, the pride of old Mexico, are pre sented. A steeple chase, in which about sever horses fall and twe men are killed, form a = of this picture. The dynamiting of bridges 80 building, the artillery in actual action, close up views of real battles, and also a goed view of Madero ts offered. Besides these interest 1 i180 views, picturesque old cathedrals are shown. was releast in Burope so that spurious copies «Shen ol caliente seen; beautiful foating could not be emuggied into the U. 8. The regardens of Astecs’ aradise, and also {njease in America wil) be made at practically' teresting etady of wild birde are among the the same time that it is in Burope so that {interesting scenes. The orfans’ drill, one of tuls danger will be furthermore overcome. Tippett has engaged the services of a surety company which looks after the and sectio. of the country. The fim is to be known as The Black Scourge. This name wii] be used in America only, the large rights Mr. | the most interests of the territory owner in every | yanal elaborate manner, have talkt-of cadet maneuvers in the world, ts given to us tn mom pictures. te their America’s Feature Film *prevared ers from half to elght-sheets, and in all hage nip different styles of paper to offer besides heralds, fotos and other original matter.