The talking machine world (Jan-Dec 1906)

THE TALliiNG MACHINE WORLt). With the Makers aad Sellers of Automatic SpeciaLlties TRADE CONDITIONS REVIEWED. Tremendous Growth of the Arcade Business Throughout the Country — Money Being iVIade Rapidly — IVlany Advantageous Locations Yet Uncovered — Sheet Music Proving Quite a Feature — Some Side Features That Are Proving Profitable — Decorative Effects Most Essential to Win Public Notice and Appreciation— Some Valuable Pointers on Equipping Establishments. Wherever one travels throughout the country one cannot help being impressed with the advance made in the arcade business. Someone has said that the way to become a millionaire is to discover a popular demand and then meet it at a popular price. One of the characteristics of the American people is a fondness for music. They eagerly seek it everywhere. It is a feature in theatres, churches, public meetings, fairs, battles, balls, parades, and on all occasions where people come together. Music inspires and thrills. It banishes care and lends new strength and courage to the weary. The so-called "penny vaudevilles" now being so extensively operated, are uniformly successful because they are the poor people's theatres. If they have but a cent to spend for entertainment here they can get the most for their money. If they wish to spend a greater number of pennies they will find ample opportunties for doing so. Because the business is built on the smallest coin of the country is no reason why it should be small. On the contrary, it has most emphatically proved capable of astonishing results. Few people can buy $.5 seats at the opera, but a greater number can buy ?1 seats. Yet where one person can pay $1 for a few hours' entertainment a thousand can afford 10 cents, and few people patronize a "penny vaudeville" without spending at least 10 cents, and it is surprisingly easy to spend 25. All the large cities are now well represented; hut there are thousands of advantageous locations as yet uncovered. Of course, the larger the city the larger the crowds that throng the thoroughfares, but a city of ten to twelve thousand will support at least one arcade and do so well, providing the manager is one who looks after details closely and pays enough attention to publicity. Attractive bill posters of various pictures and songs on the machines are great instigators of trade. A complete show, run on a series of machines side by side, connected by a sign featuring the exhibit, is a good scheme. For example, "The Broadway Quartet" on machine No. 1, we'll have, say a song; No. 2, a clog dance; No. 3. musical specialties, etc., etc. Sheet music is now considered almost necessary in the large arcades, and justly so, for the returns from this department have always proved highly satisfactory. Another idea is a fish pond, which can easily be erected, and by placing floats on the water, each one numbered on the top with a loop or eye, the idea being to fish for one of these floats, which when caught, the number is called and a prize given according to the number attached; where this is impractical, a grab bag can be installed at a penny or nickel a grab. This idea has always proved a great one, especially among children. Some parlors have a regular printing department, where cards of all kinds can be secured at various prices, according to the class of work. Where the room can be used for this it has brought fairly good returns, but especially in small places. We would recommend the regular card printing slot machine, which, though it only prints one style letter, pays better for the amount of the investment, and needs no attendant to do the work. MOTION PICTURE MACHINES Nickelodians or moving theatres are now the rage. These, like the arcades, have grown to full bloom almost in a night. Places are now being opened that occtipy entire buildings, especially constructed for their use, and rival in size and beauty some of our best vaudeville theatres. Increased admission fees from five to ten, fifteen, and even twenty cents are now growing common. The inside layout is similar to regular show houses with orchestra and balcony seats, musicians to play between scenes, etc. Some even carry the vaudeville idea to its extent and stage a number of various acts by well-known performers, for, say, forty minutes, while others are continuous performances. Of course, to carry such a place on a paying basis a great deal of attention must be paid to publicity. The outside decorations must necessarily be showy and attractive; a white marble granite or plaster front, with a profusion of electric lights proves very effective. And during mild weather, providing your outside lobby is large enough, a fountain on which changing colored lights are thrown makes an attraction no crowd can resist. Bill posting must not be neglected, and a judicious amount of printers' ink distributed among the local papers helps to keep things moving. In such of the large places where regular theatrical performances are given, slot machines holding candy or opera glasses ought to be attached to the back of the seats. The giving of souvenirs to ladies once a week is a good plan and will make a hit. Programs printed on the back of some attractive picture in the form of a post card — something the people will retain — is a good idea, and in that way your name is unconsciously kept before them. ENTIRE PLAYER REPRODUCED Through the Medium of the Talking Machine and Moving Picture Machine — Will be Taken Throughout the Country. Entire plays given through the medium of a talking machine and moving pictures is the latest development in the march of the "talker," and affords an interesting addition to the list of wonderful things continually occurring in trade connection with these machines. It will be remembered that Charles ' Frohman had records made of the songs in "The Little Cherub" as they were sung in England, which style he considered correct, and had them reproduced for the benefit of the American company, but in the case of "Nurse Marjorie" the talker has played an even more important part. A special performance of the third act of "Nurse Marjorie" was given at the Liberty Theatre, New York, recently and after it was photographed by a moving picture machine, the actors repeated their lines into a talking machine. The pictures will be taken on tours, and as they are displayed the voices of the actors will be heard issuing from the talker, the lines fitting perfectly into their proper places in the pictures and thereby affording a finished performance. The idea on a smaller scale was successfully carried out during the recent campaign for governor of New York State, when speeches were reproduced from talking machines and made to correspond with the movements depicted in moving pictures of the candidate shown at the same time. Are Now Utilized in Every Feasible Domain of Effort — The Perfection of the Machine Is Such That Scientific Men and Savants Are Spending Much of Their Time Following Up This Wonderful Phase of Photography. According to Dwight L. Elmendorf. the wellknown lecturer, the American public does not take the cinematograph, biograph, or motion pictures seriously, partly because of the trash which ordinarily is presented, and again because of the numerous "fakes" made to represent some real event. In Europe the attitude toward this wonderful phase of photography is entirely different, and in many instances genuine and scientific advance has been made, and this is to such an extent that scientific men and savants are spending much of their time in this fascinating pursuit. Frequently royalty has turned to the taking of motion pictures as a pastime. The Emperor of Germany is an enthusiast; also the Sultan, who has films taken under his supervision, and has attached to his traveling court an English man as "bioscope attache." He is employed continually by the Sultan to entertain the women of the harem by showing them motion pictures of various parts of the world. The Shah of Persia is also devoted to this fascinating branch of photography. The fact that the queen mother of the reigning King of Italy owns a bioscope will no doubt appear strange to Americans, yet it is true that in Europe many wealthy people devote a great deal of time to taking "animated" pictures. Now that the ordinary camera has become almost universal, why should not those who can afford expensive pastimes indulge in this exceedingly attractive form of camera work and catch bits of motion here and there while on their travels to be reproduced at home for the benefit of their friends who cannot travel? There are indeed few who have not come in contact with motion pictures as a form of amusement in one way or another. And yet this is the least important side of the subject. Enormous strides have been made in the last three years by business, manufacturing, and educational interests toward putting the bioscope to many practical uses. One illustration must suflSce to show its uses to the manufacture and to schools. There is one company in the United States manufacturing mining machinery which has made a complete bioscope record of its work. The series begins with moving pictures of mining the ore; then the transportation of the ore to the furnace, where the process t>f converting the ore into steel is shown; then to the works, where the steel is made into different parts. The next series shows the manner of assembling these parts, and ends with a completed piece of machinery. The third series is devoted to the transportation of the machinery to the mine where it is to be used, and ends with the product in actual operation. The value of these films to the manufacturer is in demonstrating their machinery to prospective buyers. Many manufacturers are employing the biograph for similar purposes, as it gives a clearer idea of their products than would be possible by ordinary photographs and catalogues. In colleges and engineering schools it is also employed to good advantage. The value to the student is apparent. He may have a good technical idea of this or any other piece of machinery: perhaps he could, with ease, demonstrate how and why the engine works, but the chances are he would be in a sorry plight were he told to assemble some huge piece of machinery. Once having seen it in actual operation by means of a