Variety (August 1913)

14 VARIETY LEDERER A MOVIE MAKER; TO PROD UCE FE ATURE FILMS Musical Comedy Promoter Goes With Mutual Co. As Ad- visory Manager at Big Salary and Share of Profits. Will Continue His Stage Enterprises Also. dnii^i W. Lcderer has become as- sociated with the Mutual Film Co. as Hernial producing and advisory man ager. in addition to taking charge of the artistic and general departments oi their manufactories. Mr. Lcderer is already at work and expects to brinn cut some sensational feature films. A number of the prominent producing managers from the legitimate held have taken more or less temporary flyers into the film business, but, with the ex- ception of Daniel .frohman, Lederer is the only one who has gone seriously into it. This does not necessarily mean Lederer has withdrawn from regular theatrical producing. He expects to do two pieces next season in conjunc- tion with Klaw & Erlanger, in addition to "Hotel Eva," and "A Pleasure Trip," already announced. Several other film producers have been in negotiation with Lederer, but the Mutual was the only one to meet his terms, which are said to be an al- luring weekly stipend with a share of the profits. The Mutual's press sheet, heretofore known as the Observer and in charge of H. J. Streyckmans, resigned, now has two editors and will be known as Reel Life. FRED MACE IN NEW YORK. Fred Mace, who has been principal comedian with the Majestic film com- pany in California (a part of the Mutual service), has been transferred to New York and arrived in town Wednesday. He will be made a feature with a new independent company to be called the Royal, which will also be under the di- rection of the Mutual. PICTURES DODGING LOOP. Chicago, Aug. 20. Picture houses are not showing up as rapidly in the "loop" as in the out- lying districts, although a new one will open its doors next week on Clark street, between Monroe and Madison. Seating capacity, 500. The cause for passing over "The Loop" by picture men is given as the high rentals in the downtown section. Another reason seems to be the invasion of the Loop by pop vaudeville. MAX LINDER RETURNS. Max Linder, best known of Europe's picture comedians, who for a long time was out of photoplay and who was the subject of conflicting rumors, is back with the Pathe people. Max will be featured in all his future poses. FILM STATISTICS. Paris, Aug. 13. From statistics published here it is estimated the world's daily output of moving picture films would stretch 186 miles. New York takes the lead of cities having the largest number of cinemato- graph halls, there being 470, many hav- ing a capacity of over a thousand spectators. London has about 400, and Paris a little over 200. There are three large theatres for moving pictures at Shanghai, also at Singapore, and in Rangoon two French companies are exploiting such estab- lishments, so that the far east is well covered. LAURA SAWYER MOVES. Laura Sawyer, who won success with the Edison films via the Kate Kirby series of pictures, has joined the Fa- mous Players under Director Hawley. A new series on the Kate Kirby or- der, with Henry E. Dixey playing op- posite roles, is planned by Director Hawley for Miss Sawyer's introduc- tion. CHILDREN'S MOVIE THEATRE. A moving picture theatre designed for the special diversion of juveniles has been established by the General Film Co. at Amherst, N. S. No films with subjects designed for adult enter- tainment are shown during the day per- formances. At night no children's sub- jects are projected, with the aim the discouragement of juvenile attendance after dark. Similarly, the juvenile films of daylight projection is designed to discourage the attendance of adults. The Daughters of the Empire, and a committee from the Girls' Commun- ity two progressive civic bodies of N. S., select the programs for the chil- dren's hours. LEWIS FOR HISTORIC FILMS. Wa'ter R. Lewis will manage the Historical Film Co., which Eustace Hale Ball recently purchased. DETROIT CENSORS. Detroit, Aug. 20. The Police Commissioners are busy selecting a censorship committee for all films shown in the city, beginning Sept. 1. The officials had about decid- ed to appoint a woman among the se- lections, but were met by determined concerted opposition from the film men who combined in a strong protest. The present plan of the police to ap- point a committee of six, including a single woman appointee. The film men are sticking out for five nominees ap- pointed by themselves. ILL. A IND. CONVENTIONS. M. A. Neff, president of the M. P. E. L. of A., has issued a call for a spe- cial state convention of the M. P. E. L. of Illinois, to be held in Peoria, Sept. 16-17. Clem Kerr, special organizer, will round up the delegates. New state officials will be selected to take the place of those that bolted at the New York convention. A special convention will be held in Indiana at Murrcie Stpt. 35-36. ROBIN HOOD The good old days of merrle England when malmsey was the wine of the lords and ladies and gibbets for outlaws frowned down omin- ously upon the public squares of towns like Nottingham are revived in "Robin Hood," a three-reel colored motion picture to be re- leased Sept. 1 by the Kinemacolor company. The familiar story of Will Scarlet and Lady Chrlstabel, their troubled wooing, and the l>erlls braved by Will to win his ladye fayre are admirably adapted to colored motography. so charged are the sections and period in- volved with color tones in costumes, ivied castles, and the royal purple robes of office, to say. naught of the trend of the yeoman and their women folk toward vivacious color ef- fects and the picturesque and dashing bottle green costumes of the vagrant band that warred and stole under the gay rail of bold Robin himself. Kinemacolor did well to visualize in films this bit of medieval Anglo-8axon romance, and by reason of Its chromatic qualities the colored film version of the story must su- persede any rival black and white film cov- ering the same subject. The film adaptation of the story opens briskly, with a moonlight tryst of Will Scar- let and Lady Chrlstabel that offers to the sentimental and poetic observer a good coun- terfeit of the amorous atmosphere of reckless youth, for though Lady Chrlstabel Is the daughter of the haughty Baron Fltz Alvine. Sheriff of Nottingham. Will dares to woo her and proud Lady Chrlstabel dares to be wooed. As runs the spirit of the famous old-time tale, so, In the main, run the Incidents selected for the composite of It In colored fllmdom. When Will calls at the castle to pay his court to his fair ladye and ask her father for her hand In marriage, the old sheriff's rage knows no bounds. He storms and rages, and the whole Fltz Alvine house Is thrown Into an uproar. But Will stands his ground and bravely pleads his cause, until the baron with an oath orders him seised. The fight that follows Is spirited, but with the result antici- pated. Will Is overpowered by the guards, es- corted to the frontier and there told that his return within the precincts of the house of the Fltz Alvines will be tantamount to his denth warrant. And when the guards have gone. and Will pursues his exiled way. and has his encounter with the random cohort of Friar Tuck, to defeat him In the Joust, and because thereof Is espoused by the gay marauders headed by Robin Hood, we see the film play ontlnue further Its adherence to the main tra- ditions of the oft-told tsle of love and strife In brown October woods In the good old davs of England's long ago. As In the original romsnee. Will wins en- trance to the castle bv shooting through the latticed casement of Chrlstabel an arrow car- rying a message craving admission, and Will and Chrlstabel have but adjusted the lone length of rope by which they plan to descend to the helping band below, when the guards break In. and again the luckless lover is dragged from his weeping ladye love. This time, he goes to dungeons deep, to await the mo^n of his execution. The concluding scenes, showing the ar- rangements for the hanging, the march to the scaffold, the pinioning of the prisoner's arms, the adjustment of the black can. the dramatic Interruption by Robin Hood and his fellows, and the capture of Chrlstabel at the altar, as she Is about to become Lady Goldsborouvh. more swlftlv and comprise a spirited close for the playlet. Corh. (Kinemacolor Company). CONSCIENCE ROBINSON CRUSOE I am now nwh over sev?n. and had an average bov's delleht In mv perusal of the printed fWlon In the hazv lon«" ago. hut the 3-reel film transfer of the Defoe romance caught me afresh and held me fascinated throughout Its succession of strange scenes and Incidents, from the Impressive picture of the wreck to Robinson's srHval at and de- psrture from the f»r-off Island which h«»1d him prisoner so long. The spirit of the romance Is preserved admirably In the movie transcript. The salient features of the storv are all there. There Is gruesome chill In Robinson's descent Into the storehouse hold, littered with boxes crates, bales, hemp, foodstuffs, casks, and here and ther* the limp corpses of the dead with faces Menchefl nnd eyes that stare vet do not see. The depsrture from the wreck of Robinson and the dog. cat. parrot and goat on the improvised raft were hailed with de- light bv the youngsters, and their m'rth excited freelv hv the comic terror of Frldav. after that one-time cannibal bad be*n can- tnred hv Crusoe and given his first sight of the breech-'oadlne gun tb*t had dmnped the sav- ages who had sought to capture and devour Crusoe. And the Invenll" contingent hubhiA«i Joyously again when a baby goat was added to the Crusoe fold. And when the adven- turer's retreat Is vlsitefl hv the savages n second t'me an* the Spanish sailor and Frl- dav's father nrMoil to t^e cnl^ov. the crowd iiPPTne* further nlea«efl. The fl«»M aboard Cap- tain Hardv's ship with t>ie mutineer* pr«v«-d a br'Hlsnt nleee of pictorial realism, vibrant with the lust for fory battle half plr^t^si half primeval In the ferocity of Its several stages. Tn an infinite varletv of snlpn«"d things to ennrove |n the staging of tbe film but one flaw struck this observer; the cutlasses of the mutineers and their opoonents in the ship fight as well as those used hv the two bue- canneers who would slay the ship captain and his daughter, were obviously wooden prop- erties, with edges about as fine as an average building lath. Delightful light and shade In the photography, excellent throughout Oorb. (OnJves—J; 101 Maon.) You don't need to go slumming If you see the three-reel feature called "Conscience." which Is now seeking to Interest exhibitors, for a great many of the haunts of New Tork'a un- derworld are embodied In the story, which In essence la a film answer to the question, If Christ 8hould Come to New York? "Conscience" takes the observer through Chinatown. Into a poolroom hidden in the twisted streets of the east side, past the rook- erled haunts of followers of the opium pipe, the cocaine snuffle and the morphine needle, and into the shabby gaiety of a cabaret of the ghetto honky tonk species. There's scarcely a unit of the Integrals of crime you don't get in the swiftly changing kaleldorcope of Incidents which makes up the subject. Almost at the outset, you get a mov- ing picture of an assault that you're left to be- lieve ends rn murder, and you see a painted .Tezabel of Pell street ensnare a pleasure-seek- ing ruffian in a dance hall bagnio. You even get the complex life of Times Square at the Junction of. Broadway and Forty-second street. You get all this in a sugar coated pill, or. rather, one enwrapped with a tract. For through each of the phases of sin In the guise of reckless pleasure that Is the spur to the momentum of the story, we are made conscious of the spirit of the Redeemer ob- serving the weaknesses of his children, and checking their tendencies to evil by making his presence felt through their consciences. The story opens on the heights of the Palis- ades across the river from Manhattan at dawn, with the arrival of Christ, in the robes of the Messiah, with New York city looming shadowy In the background across the Hud- son, Its spires, angled roofs and general out- lines gradually assuming landscape form, and the craft on the river awaking for the hurried hauls of commuters to their places in the Man- hattan hive. The human interest Is Introduced in the next picture In the thrall that a woman of the night holds over a youth, whose father Is a money lender. The youth's desire for money to supply the wanton calls of his temptreas results In his combination with a band of gun men. and an attack upon his father's of- fice, and an assault upon the father, to have the boy's actual participation in the crime halted at the threshhold by the sting of his better self, his conscience, an effect achieved bv visualizing the conscience In the films in the person of an apparition of the Saviour. The next principal scene is a low. east side back room saloon frequented by coarse people of both sexes, where a victim for robbery is selected. The opium, cocaine and morphine precincts and their characteristic temptations follow, all from photographs obviously taken on the grounds. A schoolroom of the lower cast side Is also Introduced, showing that In the most Innocent places, temptation to do wrong Is encountered. It Is a Juvenile girl scholar In the schoolroom who sins, bv sur- reptitiously copying the answers of another at her examination. In each of the temptations the vision of Christ appears to the tempted. Tn a vague way. the Idea of the film sug- gests the aim of the Forbes Robertson stage plav. "The Passing of the Third Floor Back." The stage management Is not as good as the Idea. The piece lacks unity. Tt Is even ragged in some of its relations. The conception of a plot, whether an echo of "The Passing of the Third Floor Back." or an original conceit, fashioned on the Sheldon Idea put Into actual practice In Chicago some vears ago. under the cnptlon. "If Christ Should Come to Chicago." It has been staged by a technician without the Imagination of Its projector or the adequate means to realize the conception. The picture throughout suggests a condition of cramped facilities, vet despite these drawbacks the sub- stance and the Incidents gathered are of them- selves so Interesting that they make the fea- ture well worth while. Corh. (Conscience Film Co.) FORBID RISK TN MOVIES. Niagara Falls, Aug. 20. The manager of a moving picture troupe was forbidden to permit a child in his company to perform a swimming act in the water near the gate-house of the Ontario Power Co. by the authori- ties. Six-year-old Florence Foley was in- structed to jump into the water near the water gate. She looked at the rough water and began to cry. Then her mother cried and Policeman Kelly of the Ontario police, ruled against the attempt. The actors returned to the American side to pose. The child was turned adrift in a motor boat some distance above the falls and then res- cued from the dangerous position. She wore a life line for this performance. STOCK IN NEW HOUSE. Wilmington, Del., Aug. 20. Luke Conness, who operated stock at the Avenue last winter is to have stock here again as soon as the new theatre being constructed by Du Pont, of powtjar fame, is ready for occupancy.