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

MARCH 22,,1913. The Bi llboard 51 THE WEEK THRUOUT AMERICA KLAW & ERLANGER CONFIRM REPOR1 Statement Made in The Billboard That Theatrical Magnates Would Enter Motion Picture Field Confirmed By Announcement That Plans for the Production and Exhibition of Films Had Been Settled New York, March 15 (Special to The Billard The sillboard’s statement a few weeks ago that Kliaw and Erlanger were to the motion picture business was conthis week by the K. and E. Company | when it issued a notice to the press that its plans for the production and exhibition f ms had been settled upon. iis confirmation comes over and above the statement made in the Morning Telegraph that th Yarn of K. and E. to enter picture feu not worth denial." Kiaw and Erlanger have 1) Ways fusedl statements to the press unt detalis could be given. To this end the Telegraph was fooled into printing the claimed statemet » hiyde, general press rep resentat and E. Company, in which Mr. Hyde (according to the Telegraph) denied the story to the effect that the K. and B. Comy would produce motion pictures. plan is to form a company known as retective Amusement Company which will produce films of the plays controlled by Klaw and Erlanger. Two film productions per week wl be releast and some definite arrangement for the showing of these, siniliar to the booking of legitimate plays, will be entered into between the theater and the producers. Was le so up in a buge rocket, exploded by Sow pounds of powder Phe explosion was planned to send im several thousand feet in the air froin Which altitude he was to descend by means f his i chute." But the rocket did net rise lustead, the lower part burst in a gigauti flare or flame, and Law drept thru the blaze au ay stunned and badly burned. PARSONS’ FEATURE EXPANDS. The Parsons Feature Films, of the Marquette Building, Chicago, are forging ahead in the mest rapid fashion. James Parsons, proprietor of the concern, bas been traveling in the Middle West this week, making his headquarters at Kansas City, where he will open a Feature Film Exchange the latter part of this month. He is next due for a visit to Atianta, be will also establish a branch office. During bis absence, Miss Benjamin is manag where ing the Chicago office. MUNDSTUK IN NEW YORK. | The service is being planned to start in Sep| jtember. ‘I. Hayes Hunter, former director to. | New York, March 15 (Special to The Bil: the Majestic Company, has been engaged for | beard) LD. Mundstuk, representativ of the M. general stage director. Pat Casey, of 1493|& F. Feature Film Company, of Chicago, has roadway, is tou be the generai manager of | been in New York for a little over a week, purcorporation. chasing films and supplies for the M. & F. Ex a change. Mr. ¥ stuk was yisitor at The daily press of New York made consider~~; M fundstus was 2 frequent visitor a able mention of 1 the nuve announct by the Klaw and Erlanger Company, and in one instance printed the company’s statement in full. The pian is & Monstrous undertaking if carried out present iines. One hundred films is the uulnber promist ready for release by September. This incredible number will undoubtedly never be reacht, altho it is possible that some proluctions can be ready by September so that a@ regular release scheme of two films pei week can be carried along for some time. The cempany’s statement says that one of the arsest studios in the country will be built. his means a delay of from six months to a year, unless the new studio is not counted on for use in producing the first pictures. The rumor that the Shuberts would co-operate in the plan and that they would book films in some of their houses was not denied by Mr. shubert this morning. gotten EBERHARD SCHNEIDER HONORED, New York, March 16, 1913 (Special to The Billboard).—Eberhard Schneider, one of the largest dealers in cameras and motion picture manu ufacturers’ and exhibitors’ supplies in the United States, was sigpally honored vesterday and today at the Commemoration of the loss of German and American warships at Apia Harbor, March 16, 18 The commemoration was celebrated at Mr. Schneider's bome, at 219 Second avenue, this city He is the only living survivor of the terrible hurricane disaster which took place at Apla Harbor, Samoan Islands, on the date mentioned. American representativs of the German, English and United States Navy attended the commemoration, as did also the commander of the battle of Vallele, Samoa, in which Mr. Schneider took part as a sbarp-shooter. The affair created quite a stir on Second aveae and Fourteenth street, both yesterday and to-day. JUNIOR CAMERA TOOK HIAWATHA. New, York, March 15 (Special to The Billbeard).—Information bas just leaked out that the splendid camera work, and photography in general, found in the Hiawatha pictures are due to Eberhard Schneider's Junior Professional Camera and bis printing, developing, tinting and toning plant. ‘The camera is designed especlally for exhibitors and persons wishing to take pictures on short notice and semi-occasionally. It is not one of the amateur cameras of which there are 60 many on the market, altho it accomplishes the same pur~ose, being easy to carry and handle, BIG ITALA FEATURES. New York, March 17 (Special to The Bil: board).—Two Itala features now being offered the state-right buyer far exceed any of the productions this company has heretofore offered for sale. The Shadow of Evil is a splendid and powerfully dramatic story in two reels dealing with a time-old subject, but one of universal and never ceasing Interest. Besides the inter esting and welkenacted plot, the film contains some sensational acenes including a shipwreck following a storm at sea and a big railroad eatastrofe in which a man Is seen to run before a rapidly encroaching locomotiv and apparently be killed. Tigris, a four-reel subject, also called The Master Cracksman, is without doubt the most thrilling spectacular film the company has re lensed. It is a detectiv story of the most sen sational kind and deals with some novelties heretofore not seen In pictures. The scenes in elude some massiv settings which prove worth seeing for themselves alune aside from their connection with the plot. The Itala Company reports the sale of every state In the Union for the feature, The Palace f Flame and the disposal of every print im ported, necessitating an order for more prints from Europe. COBB ILL. New York, March 15 (Special to The Bifll board).—O. Lang Cobb, traveling representatiy for the Ramo Fi Company, returned to New York Tuesday ing suffering from blood polsoning which was caused by a blister on his heel. The details were a pair of new shoes and much hiking. He has been confined to his bed for the past four days and is very much in, up sod ont. REBMAN IN NEW YORK. New York (Spectal to The Billboard).—J_ G. Rebman, manager of the Central Film Exchange of Cincinnati, visited New York this week for the purpose of negotiating with some of the distributing companies here for th: sale of his location tu them for a film ex change. Mr. Rebman is also manager of the (atic Theater, Qovington, Ky. The drastic fire March 15 laws of Cincinnati make it almost an impossi bility te locate an exchange in a central place Mr. Rebman’s location is ideal and he expects to close it out sometime during the present week, FEATURE FILM CONTINENTAL AGENTS. Chicago, March 15 (Special to The Billboard). —The Feature Film Sales Company of Chicago were appointed the agents of the Continental! Film Fur Rittberger, of Berlin. It is said that this enterprising pieee of business was executed by Harry Lewis, who is at the present time in Europe representing the Feature Film Sales Company. Up to the present this concern has been releasing four subjects a week. With the addition of the Continental output their program will be added to materially. WATKINS GOES TO ALLARDT. Chicago, March 15 (Special to The Billboard: —M. G. Watkins, formerly general manager of the DuBrock Feature Film Co., Chicago, has switcht his affiliation to the Allardt Featurs Films, the new feature film concern, of which Daniel W. McKinney is manager. Mr, Watkins will be their special traveling representativ and commenct his duties Munday, March 17. trav eling thru Indiana. HOPP RETURNS. Chicago, March 11 (Special to The Billboard). Joseph Hopp, proprietor of The Standard Feature Film Exchange, returned to his desk on Monday, the 10th, after a two weeks’ absence in the Southern Appalachians, at the advice of his doctors Mr. Hopp has come back in the best of health, and is now well keyed for the coming season's business, NO KINEMACOLOR BOSTON OFFICE. New York, March 17 (Special to The Billboard).—The much talked of Boston branch ex change of the Kinemacolor Company ts not to be establisht. In its stead there is to be an exchange office at Providence, R. I.. It is lo eated in the Steinert Bldg., 509 Westminster street. The company gives the drastic fire laws of Massachusetts as the reason for placing the exehange in Providence instead of Boston. SELLS ILLINOIS RIGHTS. New York, March 16 (Special to The Billhoerd).—The Illinois state right to the New York Film Company's production of The Miracle, now called Sister Beatrice, was closed out last week to the M. & F. Feature ns tata of 157 W. Washington st., Chicago, > D. Munstuk, representativ of the M. & F. Company, was in New York and bought the state for his company. M. P. ACTOR HAS CLOSE CALL. Harry Pollard, one of the actors of the Untversal’a coast companies, had a very narrow escape from death while he was playing in the production of the Rex release, Until Death. His part called for the hero being buried beneath a landslide. To make the scene more realistic Pollard was actually baried, a rubber hose supplying him with air. In some manne: the hose became clogged and when the picture was finisht the actor was dug up. It was then found that he was unconscious. He was rusht to the ranch house, where it took several hvurs work to revive him RODMAN LAW BADLY BURNED. New York, March 14 (Special tu The Billboard).—Rodman Law. the airman recelved painful burns when he fizzled ag a ‘human sky rocket’ on the Hackensack (N. J.) meadows. Law's Iatest achievement for the moving pic t was to enact the hero in a film, entitled From New York to Paris in 160 Minutes. He the Film Supply and Itala Companies, and purchast many features for sale in New York, among which was Sister Beatrice, formerly The Mi: acle AFTER AGENTS OF WHITE SLAVERS. sill Buffalo, N. Y., March 13 (Special to The board).—The Motion Picture Exhibitors’ League of Buffalo has private detectivs investigatinz the report that ushers in certain picture houses here have been acting as agents of whit slavers A report will be made shortly. Mem bers of the league declare that their ushers, 4s a rule. are courteous and gentlemanly but that f any are guilty they and the proof will bé¢ turned over to the police EXCHANGE MEN MEET. St. Louis, Mo., March 16 (Special to The Billboard).—About fifty manufacturers and film distributors met March 11 at the Hotel Jeffer son in this city. They voted to increase thr cepital stock of the Independent Exchange Company to $30,000. Joseph Hopp, of the com pany spoke about the censorship to be estab lisht by the company for the control of all films put out by the company. William Old know. of Atlanta, Ga., president of the Ind-pen dent Exchange Company, and C. R, Plough, sec retary, were present at the meeting. TO BAR PIRATED FILMS. Washington, March 12 (Special to The Bill board).—The Treasury Department today barred from entry to the United States ‘‘piratical cop ies’? of copyrighted motion pictures, but declined to bar films claimed to be simply infringements of copyrighted books and the like. A strenuous effort was made by copyrighted proprietors of books to have the department exclude films based on their works, but it was held that such cases must be disposed of by the courts. WISCONSIN M. P. BILL. Madison, Wis., March 15 (Special to The Billboard).—A Bill, providing ‘‘that it shall be unlawful for any person, firm or corporation in the state to exhibit or use any moving picture, film, reel or stereopticon view unless the industrial commission shall have passed such films, reels, ete.."’ was introduced before the Wisconsin state legislature. March 5. The bill further provides that all inspections of these films shall take place in Madison in such places as designated by the commission. A fine of not less than 50 dollars for the first offense and not less than $100 for each subsequent offense is pro vided. If this bill is passed by both the senate and assembly and enforced to the letter it will mean that any act using stereopticon slides or a moving picture film will have to send it on ahead t be approved by the industrial committee, practically eliminating all the acts of this kind from the state. SELIG LEADING LADY MARRIES. Miss Kathlyn Williams, leading woman of the Selig Polyscope Company forces, surprised her friends last week, when she became married tv Robert Allen, a well-known actor, who is at present playing at the Burbank Theater, Los Angeles. The wedding took place in Los An geles. where Miss Williams is at present located in connection with the Pacific Coast Studio of the Selig Company. CELEBRITIES IN FIRST RUBY FEATURE. Leon J. Rubinstein’s first production under the name Ruby Combination Features is The Junmen of New York, for which Mr. Rubinstein is nuw selling state-rights. The produc tion conveys a clear message which has its source down in the Ghetto of New York. In it the gangster is shown in his true element not as the ignorant tuf, whose crimes are thr result of an aimless criminal character, but as one who might well be taken for a well drest clerk or traveling man, and whuse crimes are the result of careful planning. backt up by a well-laid system of organization. “The story deals with the life of two boys, brought up in the densely populated districts of New York, and offers a study as to the results of evironment. One of them, Jack, adopt~ the etreet corner rendezvous. The other, Tom takes advantage of one of the many institutionestablisht on the lower Bast Side which are calculated to cultivate the finer sensibilities of the boys of that lecality. Jack grows to manhood idle, indolent and shiftless. The stree corner @eads to the poolroom and the poolroom to jail. Here enters one of the problems of court procedure, the nearest attempt to deal with which is exemplified by the probation system. The young man who has served a prison term must be saved from himself. It is natural for him to go back to his pals, who soon make him feel that his “‘bit’’ in jail is equivvlent to the notch in the bhendle of a bad man’s sixahooter. In The Gunmen of New York this { } crucial moment in the youn man’s life is ; dWelt upon and emfasised. He is initiated inte | the Various methods of the gar to raise funds. Ot course the stury must carry'a little jomance and this comes in the form of pis dealings with a weman of the underworld. Now comes ap icportant function of the ave@age gang. Prithary election day is the hasten day with them. rhe ward politician takes advantage of the lawlessness of these wen) to perpetrate election frauds, and they are rg in a carefully laid plan to stuff the Millot boxes. In this steury an honest district attorney resolves that the gang must be wiped Hut. and thru a clever ruse they are rounded up and landed ir convict stripes. About this juncture the ro mantic thread of the praductpn is taken up once more and Jack, the wayWard boy, of the fist portion of the picture, recognizes in the district attorney his pal Tom The personal relation makes for an unusual? interest in the criminal and eventually the ingerent good that is in the man manifests itself and he embraces the opportunity for regeneratiqn. The woman stands by him id this, and the district attorney has the satisfaction of sentencing him to a term of domestie tranquillity instead of the prison cell. ‘ While this picture carries with it the generous portion of sensationalism presses to recommend it as a feature, the Whderlying theme is of such powerful educationg! moment that the co-operation of a number of the most prom inent men activ in this fase gpof New York’s has been secured. Mayor tt and Dis Attorney Whitman appes personally in picture. as do a number of focial settlement workers, including Frank Mosg, head of the society of the Prevention of Crime, and Canon Chase. The line of paper for &he Gunmen of New York will include six-sheets, threes and ones, executed along the same Ines of cumbined interest as the picture itself PROCTOR AND PATENTS C6. SEPARATE. New York, March 15 (Specig@l to The Bill board).—The relations that have,existed between . F. Proctor, promoter of vdudevil, and the Motion Picture Patents Company, been severed, and the license to sh films distributed by the company has been revokt for three have of the theaters controlled by Proctor, viz.: Proctor’s 23d St., 58th St., and 125th St. theaters. It was stated tonight by G. McCune, general representativ for Mr. Proct®, that notice of the revocation of the licenses gad been served last Tuesday. The cause of the breach, he said, was that before he left New York recently for Florida, Mr. Proctor made arrangements to show in his theaters the motion pictures made by the Kinemacolor Company of Amef@ca, a firm not allied with the Patents Compafy. MOVING PICTURE NOTES. America’s Feature ‘Film Com whose recent successful releas ty years in Sing Sing, Convict ny of Chicago, included TwenjAfe in the Ohio Penitentiary, and now Barbarous Mexico, have developt a method of campagn that rewarding them with some very plendid returns on their features. The recent Convict Life in the Ohio Penite Theater, Cincinnati, in three Pdays played to $477. Ohio is controlled by th@ America’s Feature Film Company, and is pi@ying this terrttory on a percentage basis. At #he Avenue Theater in this same city this shof earned a total of $739.05 in four days, the I@rzest day totaling $303.05. This concern has wine shows working with this piceure, and eact\one is showing as good an average as those vghich played the Queen City. This is consider a remarkable record in view of the fact that@the price of admission is ten cents. The theater now in the cours® of construction at the southwest carner of Fuiton and Jerome streets, Brooklyn, N. Y., has Wen purchast by L. & A. Pincus for $400,000 frog: Josef Frankel. It will be devoted to motion ae and vaude presentation of lary at Heuck’s vil and will be opened April 1 L. & A. Pin cus are erecting a theater at 163d street and Southern Boulevard. The Brogx, New York, which will cost $500,000, and fthe Long Acre in Forty-eighth street, west of §Broadway, cost$600,000. Moving pictures are to be igtroduced in the Michigan City (Ind.) prison, adrording to plans of Warden Fogarty, with a view of making them an educational feature of, the institution. Many of the prisoners are without reading matter, and know nothing of thegworld’s happenings. It is planned to have pictures which will be purely educational and’ which will tel! the story of the world’s news to the Inmates, many of whom will be in prigon for life. The Moving Picture Association of Ontario. Canada, met recently in Toronty Rumors of adverse legislation against their profession were discust. Among the officers elected were: Pres ident, W. K. Hill, Toronto, andgSecretary, Noe! Mandell, Toronto. Traveling shows intending to tions in Cincinnati during the’ summer cannot exhibit moving pictures if the precedent laid down by Mayor Hunt on March 11 is followed. Hunt refused to grant permits to moving picture tent shows. Frederick Schmidstetter, a oving picture operator of Philadelphia, wag killed in his booth on March 12, when he came into contact with the electric wire whgch furnisht the light for projecting the picture. Moving pictures were used eure McCheham. ive tent exhibi district health officer at BridgeHurg, Ont., In a lecture on the prevention and re of consump tion. Farmers City, I)., has a new picture house which opened to good business Feb. 27. The theater is under the management of David Mitchel. A motion picture house fs to be built on Benson street, at Reading, O., (pear Cincinnati, by Dr. F. C. Robinson. It will¥have 400 seats. Cc. G. Bindernp, of Minden, Yeb., fs building a new motion picture house tn at city, with a seating capacity of 500. Billy Boyd, the singer, open a new honse, the Pastime. at Tuskogee, Ala.,”on March 10 to eapacity bnsiness. ADDITIONAL M.F. NEWS ON PAGE 30 yj | i q ay } i ¥ 3 H j | ‘ ' * ' j ’ i ‘ (