Variety (August 1913)

14 VARIETY "SERVICE DE LUXE" PLANNED AS FEATU RE BY G EN. FILM CO. $100 and Upwards Weekly for Exclusive Service* Going Into Effect About Sept. IS. Twelve Reels Weekly Fur- nished, With Assurance No Competitor Will Have Same Films. Alfred E. Weiss, Now With Mutual, Digging Oreat Holes Into "Trust," Which is Handling "Split Accounts." The General Film Co., the rental ad- junct of the Motion Picture Patents Co. (the Movie Trust) has evolved a distinct sort of service for those ex- hibitors willing to pay for it. Messrs. Pouchet and Cohen of the General's staff, have planned what they called "The Service De Luxe," entitling the purchaser, who may pay $100 or more weekly, to 12 exclusive reels a week, carefully selected, with a guarantee that no competitor will handle the same films collectively. The new service is to go into effect about Sept. 15. The weekly quantity vill consist of single and multiple reels, also four and tive-reelers. The charges will be based upon ter- ritory. Small towns will have the ter- riory exclusively, while in large cities the restricted district will be probably within a radius of 20 blocks of the "L)e Luxe" exhibitor. li is said the G. F. Co. and the M. P. P. Co. have been driven to this move by the inroads made upon them l-y the independents. One of the lat- est holes in the Trust service has been caused by Albert E. Weiss, formerly general manager of the General Co., who is now in the same capacity for the Mutual service, located on the 20th story of the Masonic Temple, in West 23d street, just one floor above the office of the G. F. Co. That the lat- ter knows Mr. Weiss is active is being poised around by the picture men, who say Weiss is hauling big loads of for- mer Trust patrons over to the Mutual side. When Weiss left the General company and opened ai exchange of his own. the G. F. Co. forcibly ejected him from his own offices, breaking up his business. A damage suit ?gainst the Trust by Weiss was the outcome of this, but the picture people see in Weiss' present position a weapon of revenge he relishes and has fully t?.ken advantage of. Another sign of the times in pic- tures is the General Film Co. carrying "split accounts." something unheard of by "The Trust" until recently. Now the G. F. people are obliged to split their service with an exhibitor, also taking "independent stuff," the G. F. perhaps sending three-reel and charg- ing proportionately. Observers who recall the formation cf the Patents Co. and remember even before that date how the "Association" rnanufacturers had "sewed up the pic- ture game." are amazed to find now that by their very "trust" methods, the picture business has widened until ii sterns the Patents and General Film Co. are becoming a small part of it, 1000-foot daily release in sight, ex- cepting for the country and store show picture shops. A fair average of the number of copies of new subjects is said to be about 30. It is related that one of the Trust manufacturers recently told his business asspciates that he had dis- posed of 36 copies of a particularly successful reel, and plumed himself upon the record. Big features sometimes sell more than the regular run of releases. For example, it is reported that the num- ber of copies of "Quo Vadis" produc- tion reached over 50. American manufacturers usually es- t : mate their European and general foreign business at ahout 25 per cent, less than the domestic trade. FIGHTING FAVORED SYSTEM. Chicago, Aug. 27. The moving picture theatre owners have gotten together to fight the new city ordinance which stipulates a cer- tain ventilation system must he in- stalled in all the movie houses of the city. A $10,000 fund has been sub- scribed and the owners have laid a plan of battle which they think will bring them victory. BELASCO'S plays for f. p. When the Famous Players finish the Henry E. Dixey "Seven Ages" now in rehearsal, they will start on the first cf the series of David Belasco pieces vhich the company is to present in film. Adolph Zukor. president of the company is now in Paris. MORE COLOR PHOTOGRAPHY. Film injuncion suits of the week in- chide an application by Mrs. Christina Cethout of Poughkeepsie to restrain John H. Powrie and others from dis- posing to Thomas A. Edison for $700.- 000 or any other sum the rights to a process for photographing fn natural colors which. Mrs. Oethout avers, Powrie claims he invented and for parts of the rights of which she paid him and others $35,000. BEKCROFT WITH GENERAL FILM. Chester Beecroft will take general charge of the advertising and publicity departments of the General Film Co. Sept. 1, replacing L. C. McChesney, vho has gone over to the Edison Co. Mr. Beecroft's activities during the past two years have been confined to the management of the editorial and business departments of the New York offices of a western paper. He brings a long career as an expert publicity promoter to his new position, having a. various times handled the advertis- ing of many prominent amusement and trade enterprises, notably the Motion Ficture Patents Co. His new appoint- ment follows designs of the General Film Co. to extend their publicity cam- paigns to encompass the entire country and to include bureaus abroad. GENERAL FILM SETTLEMENT? The General Film Co. refused to af- firm or deny a report in circulation yesterday that *he film distributors for the "Trust** had arranged to pay George Rroadhurst and Wm. A. Brady a substantial sum for "Bought and Paid For." which the company is sell- ing in films abroad. Tt wasn't until the owners of the American copyright of the play at- tempted to enjoin the pictures of the piece in Eneland that discovery was made Sy them that the new British ropyricht law passed within the past year expressly refuses to protect any plavs that are not first published in England and placed on sale there. 8PETGFT/S PICTURES HOUSE. Mt. Vernon. N. Y.. Aug. 27. Next Mondav Max Sneieel's picture home, the Strand, will open here w'th a straight movie nolicv. chareine 10-20. Tt is th* remodeled Mt. Vernon Trust Co. building, and has a seating capacity of .150. The Snvov i* aNo an e«tahl ; *hcd pic- ture hon«* here, giving a first run ser- vice at 5-10. EXCLUSIVE SERVICE SUIT. The Exclusive Service Corporation of 145 W. 45th street, New York City, is the subject of receivership proceedings instituted by Elizabeth A. Ullman and Rachel Ablowich, stockholders, naming Robert J. Horner, president; Wm. H. Lowenstein. secretary, and Jacques Cohen, treasurer, as defendants. NEFF EXPLAINS. In a formal communication Aug. 24, M. A. Neff, President of the M. P. E. L. ol A. declares his total disburse- ments for all purposes in behalf of the organization for the past year were $L.794.17; that the League's books are open to inspection; that he, personal- ly, has had no returns for his time and labor; that these facts and that his mo- tion to elect officers at the convention before reviewing the records was sim- ply adherence to a program approved by a vote two days earlier. MILES EXPLAINS. Joseph R. Miles declares the Exclu- sive Supply Corporation which he represents, with offices in the Candler Building, Nev York, is not connected in any way with the Exclusive Service Company, 145 W. 45th street. A re- ceiver has been asked for the Forty- fifth street concern. TRIED SUICIDE. Chicago, Aug. 27. J. J. Paulspoe, a picture actor, who had been unable to get work, attempt- ed to commit suicide by shooting, Aug. 20. He was removed to the Chicago Union Hospital, where it was found that the bullet had struck a rib. He was locked up on a charge of disor- derly conduct. If roa rfon*t advertise In VAKUETY. don't ndvertlee nt nIL JLH SLEVIN COMES BACK. The Special Emissary of the Kinemacolor Co. to the Vatican, other- wise known as James Slevin, returned to New York Wednesday by boat from Naples. James was away from his favorite pasture for seven months, in- terviewing His Holiness, Archbishops and a few other notables. According to reports from the other side, Mr. Slevin "put it over," and the Kinema- color concern will have the honor of reproducing important scenes and per- sonages in The Holy See on the sheet. Jim hit New York in a rain storm but at that said it looked better than Paris. He compared London to Pitts- burgh, and thought Rome should rank with Jersey City. EXCLUSIVE FEATURES EXTENDS. New features are announced for re- lease by the Exclusive Supply to in- clude "Decreed to Die." "Mr. Nichol- son and the Blue Diamond." "The Voice of the Wild." "The Faithful Ser- vitor." "The Steel King's Last Wish," "The Wheel of Destruction," "The Thrust of Hate." and "The Leap of Despair." Joseph R. Miles, represent- ing the company, announces plans for the establishment of a Greater N. Y. exchange within several weeks, also the appointment of circulating offices for Exclusive films in New England, the middle South and Western Pennsyl- vania. A California company will sup- ply the Exclusive beginning Oct. 1 with one or two three-reel western features monthly. "THE RIVALS" IN 6 REELS. "The Rivals" in six reels is a pro- posed near-future Kinemaco!or pro- duction, that has not as yet been cast- ed. ADDED MORMON FEATURE. The 7-reel feature. "One Hundred Years of Mormonism." to he released in a few weeks by a compinv repre- sented by H. M. Russell will include the 66th anniversary pageant of the Mormon's entrance into Salt Lake Val- ley, introducing 8.000 Mormon children. This feature has been added within the past fortnight. MME. ORLOFF IN "ATLANTIS." The Gerhart Hauptman fiction "At- lantis," is to be photoplayed in nine reels, with Mme. OrloflF of Vienna in the leading feminine role. Herr Un- than. familiar to observers of the Great Northern Feature films, will be seen as Stoss, "The Wonder" of the weird tale. "RICHARD WAGNER" FILM. "The life of Richard Wagner," a fea- ture film of 7.000 feet has been secured by A. H. Woods, who will sell state rights to it on this side. The picture is a production by the Meister Film Co. of Berlin. About Sept. 14 and on succeding Sun- days the picture detailing the life of the composer will be shown in New York at the Amsterdam theatre. Woods is said to have paid $20,000 for the film, which he saw abroad. The RathskelUr Trio have returned ftom abroad.