Variety (January 1909)

. 10 VARIETY RENTERS HAVE NEW SCHEME TO OPPOSE MANUFACTURERS To Deal With Domestic Makers Located In Canada as Well as Unlicensed Foreigners. A certain coterie of American renters, memben of the Film Service Association are making plans to handle films made dj independent American producers, who will Jocete in Canada as well as foreign manufacturers who remain outside the new combination. There are said to be at least forty renters in this country who have pledged themselves to the movement. The leaders of the coterie declare that they have discovered a projecting machine which does not in any way infringe upon the Edison or Btograph patents (Warwick Camera patent and the loop and shutter patents of the piograph) and is at least eighty-five per cent, as effective. These forty renters, according to their present plan, will form an immense cor- poration with big capitalization. The carrying out of these plans, of course, is dependent upon the attitude taken by the manufacturers when they meet the renters in New York, Jan. 9. None of the New York manufacturers were acquainted with these facts, but they were inclined to regard the claim of the discovery of a new projecting machine lightly. Lawyers for the Edison and Biograph companies made a minute search of the patent office at Washington and reported to their principals that they had the moving picture business tied up and sealed. PICTURE SHOWS STILL RUNNING. Despite the interference of Mayor McClellan with the moving picture show- men of New York, deemed by many to be utterly unwarranted, the places in the large majority are still running under a court order restraining the police from dosing them up, pending a decision by Justices Blackmar and Gaynor in Brook- lyn. Those who listened to an argument be- fore Judge Blackmar on Tuesday came away reasonably satisfied from his atti- tude that he would not permit the whole- sale closing. On Christmas eve Mayor McCellan or- dered all picture places in Greater New York operating under a common show license, about 600, to close their doors. This of course did not affect the Man- hattan, 14th Street, Unique, Dewey, Gotham, Star and half a dozen other houses which held a theatrical license. The general license costs $600 and the common $26 yearly. They ran Christmas day, although the newspaper reports of the closing kept many people away, due to their misunderstanding of the situation. They remained dark Thursday and Friday. On Saturday afternoon lawyers for the Exhibitors' Association secured restrain- ing orders which prevented the police from interfering with the shows of mem- bers, and they have been doing business since. At the hearing Tuesday Justice Black- mar asked Assistant Corporation Counsel Crowell, who appeared for the city: "As a matter of fact there was no cause for the revocation of license in a great number of cases, was there ? Of course the Mayor does not have to wait for an accident to begin,a reform What I am interested, in here is whether the Mayor received enough evidence to make an omnibus revocation. He might have found that many violated the law but it was not just to revoke 600 licenses for the offense of 200." Mr. Bamberger, who appeared for the exhibitors, conceded that the Mayor had a right to revoke the. common show li- censes without a hearing, but contended that he must have good cause. He said that the violation of the law by one show house did not warrant the closing down of all by the Mayor. Mr. Bamberger said that one of the showmen for whom he appeared had ex- pended $100,000 in the building of his place. He declared that it was perfectly safe, and yet the Mayor withdrew the license. Mr. Crowell said that the Mayor "had been very much taken" with the at- titude of the Exhibitors' Association toward those who violated the law. PLAN PREPARATORY MEETING. Chicago, Dec. 30. The film renters of Chicago have started a movement to collect all the association members in New York for a meeting pre- paratory to the convention, scheduled for January 0. They propose to get together and talk things over before they enter the convention room. The plan has met with general favor and will probably be fol- lowed. It is expected that about fifteen new renters will be taken into the association at the convention, mostly independents now made eligible by the merging of in- terests between the Biograph and Edison factions. CHANGE RELEASE DAYS. The American Mutoscope and Biograph Company announced this week that its re- lease days beginning next week will be changed from Tuesdays and Fridays to Mondays and Thursdays. This comes as a result of the new com- bination. A rearrangement of all release days has been made, so that the production of all the licenses shall be evenly distribu- ted through the week. Under the new scheme about the same number of feet of new material will be released each day of the week. AWAITING DECISION. Montreal, Can., Dec. 30. The case of the authorities against the moving picture show managers in the matter of opening Sundays is expected to-morrow. It has been before the courts for ten days or more. No one ventures to forecast the result. This week the regular theatre man- agers went into court in an effort to test their rights as to opening their houses on the seventh day. Evidence was heard on both sides, and it is likely that a rul- ing will be handed down week after next. The theatrical managers take the position that if the moving picture men can run as they have been doing, they should be granted the same privilege. WAR CLOUDS IN CHICAGO. Chicago, Dec. 30. Two local newspapers, taking their cue from recent New York happenings, have gone a-cruscding against the local moving picture shows. From those on the inside it is said that the attack is inspired by one A. S. Trude, attorney for one of the newspapers in question in the interests of local vaudeville theatres. E. C. Kohl, of Kohl & Castle, is likewise said to be interested in one of the crusading news- papers, and has added the weight of his influence to the attack. The Chicago American will take side with the oppressed picture men and n lively editorial war is in prospect. So far the attack has had no effect on business in the moving pictuic houses. NO TROUBLE IN PHILADELPHIA. Philadelphia, Dec. 30. There has been no uneasiness among the picture show proprietors on account of the trouble in New York, and Director of Public Safety Clay has declared there will be no other action than usual against any of the places. The shows are watched here, and if objectionable .pictures are shown they will be reported and the li- cense taken away.' No such complaint has been made yet. State Factory Inspector Delaney has declared he will submit before the next Legislature two bills, one giving the de- partment increased power over theatres and another placing all moving picture houses under his and his deputies' con- trol. Director Clay objects to this, accept- ing it as a reflection upon the methods employed by the city in directing the small theatres, and he intends to tight the bills. Rigid inspection is made here by the Fire Marshal, who personally inspects every place of amusement regularly. Coun- cils passed a bill last February giving the Police Department full control of the the- atres. A total of 184 picture theatres were recently inspected and the depart- ment will recommend that the 1009 li- censes be issued. Only minor defects were found. Irving B. Lee has written a new sketch called 'The Match That Went Out" for Francis Mauer. The cast includes three characters. BIG ONE FOR NEWARK. Newark, N. J., Dec. 30. Newark is to have a big modern moving picture theatre. William Scheerer, presi- dent of the National Union Bank, has just announced that he will finance the building of a $25,000 house on Market Street. It will have a seating capacity of 1,000. A FRENCH SAMPLE. Paris, Dec. 21. The Path6 people have recently release I a long film (and are now showing it them- selves at the family resort run by them in the building of the Cirque d'Hiver, or Winter Circus), which is the acme of disgusting realism. A well-known Bel- gian actor, Henry Krauss, was engaged for the posing in the principal role of the following drama: A man is warned by his doctor that his heart is weak, but the invalid pays little heed. One evening, as the story runs, he has a suspicion that his wife is deceiving him, and on returning home from a bail he collapses from heart failure. The wife, aghast, places the supposed corpse in an arm chair, covering the face with a hand- kerchief. During the terrible ordeal her lover enters, and they kiss before the dead body of the husband. But he is not dead, and so witnesses the whole scene. The wife begs the lover to remain with the corpse while she attends to some do- mestic duties occasioned by the death of her husband. The husband, still suffering from the stroke, musters up all his force, with a superhuman effort ably portrayed by the actor, and while the lover is reading a journal he steals behind him, grasps him by the throat and strangles him. He then places the body in the arm chair and takes the lover's place. The wife enters and, going up to the spot where she had left her lover sitting, kisses the man. When she finds it is her husband the shock is terrific. The husband then seizes her and, dragging her to the side of the dead body, strangles her and crushes the two faces one against the other in his rage. How about this for a family cinfi- hallT We are having a series of blood- curdlers here. MORE GRIM FILMS. Paris, Dec. 21. The Steinheil murder case forms the subject of a film recently released by Ra- leigh & Robert, of the Continental War- wick Trading Co. "The bank robbers" and adventures of Nick Carter are repro- duced by the Eclair firm. The Itala are selling sensational fake stories through- out Europe. Truly, the moving picture industry is losing its good reputation as a popular educator. MOVING PICTURES PREACHED SERMON. While all this aimless talk anent the immorality of moving picture exhibitions is going on, it is perhaps not amiss to re- cite the circumstances of a Biograph pro- duction being the main attraction of a Christmas entertainment given in the Grand Central Palace under the auspices of the Salvation Army. The subject dealt with poverty in New York and the Army officials made special request to the biograph company for the use of the reel, saying that it was a revelation in picture production and point- ed a wholesome moral. The film was specially printed for the occasion. Nellie Florede replaced Adcle Oswold in the prima donna part at the Olympic Music Hall, Chicago, this week, Miss Oswold retiring.