Variety (September 1913)

VARIETY FILM FLASHES Kilwnrd K. Kic o of 'Kvangellne" fame is thi> iiL'Wfst tilin r«'< rult. lie heudu k new $5.- U»n),iKKi rorpDrmion. William K. SImy of tbv liii|) in due In ^u^t^^ MoDduy. "Doc" Wlllal Hallfd for the other Bide lant Saturday. Sir Hubert Vnii }ierkoiiier of Ix)ndon hatt Joined itje rani(H nf clnetnatoitraplierB who will try to put the tllin huHinesH on art planeH Fred C. Gunning, puhllrlty man for the Eclair, hiiH gone over to the Warner'H Fea- tures. Kathlyn Wii.i:iinH of the Selig is to be Khown a new wild animal Kerles. The Klclne-Clnea release "The Flower of DcHllny," Id two reels Oct. 7. Anthony Novelll and lA^ah Uulnchi, principal leads in th« firm's "Quo V'adis ' pUture. play the lead- ing rnles. A. Warner, viee-prenldent of Warner's' Fea- tures, leaveH Monday for an Inspection tour of the country. Sept. 10 and Fremont, Ohio, are date and plare for the next meeting of the Sandusky branch of the middle west Moving Picture Rx- hlbltorfi' Association. The "One Round O'Brien" series of films proponed by Fred Mace for the Majestic Ulms H temporarily suspended. Dull Young, the "O'Drlen" of the first comic pug Alms died Aug. 2r> In Ijoh Angeles from a blow In a real ring bout with Jess Wlllard. John F. Prlbyl of the Chicago Sellg ofDce Id recovering from his recent illnesB. 'Meyer and Mike Around the World," Is the title of the KInomacoior's comic colored pre- sentment of Weber and Fields' In movies. The Klelne-Cines new two-reel melodrama, "High Treason," to be released Sept. 16, Is announced in "two acts," a classlflcation hitherto confined to the regular theatre. The Edison Films announce new two feel- ers : "The Awakening of Man." Sept. 5; "Hard fash,' Sept. 'M ; "Saved by the Enemy." Sept. 1!»; '('ante." Sept. U. The St. Louis Moving Picture Co.'s Albu- qerque N. M. stock company has moved to the old Melles studio near Santa Uarbara. Cal. William Shay will be seen In the title role of the UniverHal's ^i-reel "Roblaplerre." to be released Sept. 8. The Cinematograph Electric Theatre Co. of London wll shortly present "The Three Muske- teers," produced by the Le Film D'Art com- pany of Paris at an estimated cost of $4I(MM)0. W. N. Sellg, president of the Sellg Poly- scope, has gone to Europe to round up wild and tame animals for the Sellg studio. Stanley Twist, the Sellg's publicity man. left Chicago Aug. '.Ht for a month's vacation to the Coast. The Rarao will hereafter release through the Exclusive Supply Corporation The Massachusetts branch of the M. P. E. L. of A. has disbanded and started a league of Its own called tue .Motion Picture Exhibit- ors I.«ague of the State of Massachusetta. A. II. Woods has bought the CTermany rights for the All Star Co."a Arizona" Him. California State irranch No. 12 of the I M. P. R. L. of A. announce a convention In San Diego, Cal.. Sept. !> to 12. Frederick Hallett Is building a |.V>,000 mov- ing picture theatre In Seattle, to be ready Oct 1. next. The Reliance release.:^ "The (;iow Worm" Sept. a Mulal Abdul Aziz, ex-sultan of .Morocco, has bought a KIneuiacolor movie outfit and pro- poses to get In the tllm.s some intimate Mo- roccan domestic effei-ts, Including some harem studies. A New York Washington Heights movie house, now building, is to be named the li'unny. after the Vitagraph comedian. The first reel of "The Life of .Moses" which the Vltagrnph will release soon, has Just been recj'lved at the h;)me olflco from the se.tions in Kgypt which history says witnessed the ad-, vent of the prophet The (?eneral Feature Klhn ("o Is the name of the new ('hlcago rei)resentative of the Ex- clusive Supply Corpn. of .\ew York. Herbert IJacho, president of the Exclusive Supply, Is off on a vacatl.in In the Pocon Mountains, Pa. L. J. Dlttmar Is In charge of the new Ixiuis vllle distributing centre for KInemacolor Kssenny have engaged Robert liolden, Enn llfih coniedlnn .hiles Ferrar, the well known native character actor, Is iimthor Esscnay ad- dition. "The Tolls of Dereption" is a Sellg feature promised Sept. Itl; Tobias Wants Out" Is announced for release Sept. 17, and "The Re- demption of Railroad Jack," Sept. 18. "Twick- enham Ferry" is announced ready by the Re- liance. Lawrence D'Orsay Is to appear In a series of short feature tlims in his well known "blooming ass " characterization. Kessell and Hauman have dropped the Em- l»lre trademark for their output, which will hereaiter be released as Peerless Rrand Films. Dan Crlmmlns is the leading comic of a new Reliance release, "Feeney's Social Experiment." Fred Mace is trying to establish a New York branch of the I..0S AngeleK Photoi)laycr8. The Los Angeles I'niversai camp have turned out a new trivk burlesque feature, one of the situations of which shows the hero rescuing the herjine from an onrushing railroad train with one hand, while he holds back the flyer with the other. Courtenay Foote, lately of llelasco's forces, IS now a movie player in Los .\ngeles. Lillian Walker will be the queen to John llunny's King at Coney's Mardi Gras, to he- gin Sept. 8. .Marc MacDermott is the shepherd in a new Kdison pastoral etfect. Illinois State Convention of the M. P. E. L. of A. will be held at the Jefferson Hotel, Peoria, Sept. 2:{-24. Irene Warlleld has been added to the Indian Head forces of the Essanay. The Famous Players' ""Tese." with Mrs. Flske, Is being shown this week. The Ulache Feature Film company, plan- ning to release one. three four or five reel feature a month, will operate from a Fort Lee studio. Two new directors have been added to the Vltagrapb studio stafT In Ned Flnley and Tefft Johnson, who will in future be recog- nized both as players and directors. L. Rog- ers Lyttong and William Humphrey. VI di- rectors, have gone vacationing. SIMJT 1\ OAK PAKK. ChicaKo, Sept. 3. The W'arriiiKton theatre, Oak Park, 111., will play vaudeville this season iiiuler the direction of F. & H. The house will not chan^'e hands or man- apenient. Sam Kahl will hook, plac- in^f five-act hills costing around $1,000 weekly. The twice-nij^htly policy will he followed with the week split. The house formerly successfully housed stock. FREDERICK IRELAND presents J'ATHK'K MIL1":S .\NI) CO. - -In •MY Fit I KM) rito.M II{F:I..\ND Upiiu:il this vck on ihf Wcl..',i.r, Fl and I.t vy Time LUNCLE TOM'S CABIN A mixed matlof^e audience* of adulta and Juveolleh cxciitfuly applaud^ the dramatic arrival at Simon Legree's plantation of young George Shelby on the afternoon that I caught "I'ncle Tom's Cabin" In a three-reel movie at an upper First Avenue film bouae. An In- stant earlier Tom bad refused to flog Bmme- line, though Simon had given blm the alter- native of that or BuCTerlng the lasb himself. Young Shelby's chase bad carried blm over much territory In quest of Tom. wboae owner he bad been before the slave was marketed by the buffoon attorney. Marka, from New Orleans, and the audience appeared to follow the mounted Shelby with the expectancy tbat properly belongs to melodrama. Legree It dead from gunshots at the bands of the New Orleans sheriff and Marks, however, before Tom's friend reaches the plantation, and Tom, himself dying of a broken heart, from the brutalities to his body and spirit admin- istered by bis brutish owner. 1 bad never read ""Uncle Tom" or seen It played, and had no traditions to bother my review. The fea- ture caught my Interest at the outset, bow- ever, and held it unflagglngly. despite some flaws in Its composition, one of the most flagrant of which was th# robust physique and frank youth of the player who Impersonated the title character, despite his wooly white wig that fitted none too well, and bis attempts to simulate decrepitude. Hut Mrs. Stowe'a drama is as vital today in the movies as it was in the good old days of Its stage acclaim. And the Aimed version will repay a visit, even for play patrons cberlsblng traditions. The playlet is a veritable scenic and costume panorama of the old ante bellum South. You get vistas of cotton country, stretches of far Southern rivers, kinetic glimpses of old side- wheel steamboats, freighted with passengers of thB period, the women In crinolines, the men In quaint frock coats and sombrero shaped hats, the children In ruffled panta- lettes. An afternoon reception at the St. Claire plantation In Dixie fairly Irradiates this wealth of the old time southern atmos- phere, the scene Introducing perhaps a hun- dred guests, all reflective In their costumes and bearing the social glory of the Southland of long ago. And there Is vivid, stirring, tense actlsn In most of the scene? that present the atmos- phere. The escape of the young colored youth, George Harris, with the flight of his wife ana child. Including the famous passage over the frozen river, are all staged with fine appre- ciation of the niceties of pantomime. Always. the Incidents of the play are swifter than your anticipation. Nothing lags, nothing drags, a weakness that might be expected where the scenario author and the producers were manipulating the material of a revered classic which they might fear to make amor- phous by too free condensation. The pursuit of Eliza, with the aid of bloodhounds, is re- produced, also the defense of the refugees by the leader of the Society of Friends. The audience laughed uproariously here, when Marks, the lawyer, shot open bis umbrella to stem the tide of bullets aimed by Harris' de- fenders. The market place sale of Uncle Tom and Emmellne, and Tom's rescue of little Eva from the turbid waters of the Red River after the St. Clnire child has fallen overboard are realistic bits of staging, included as is the slave branding of George Harris with the siz- zling initial of the slave's owner. Topsy rather misses what the audience will prob- ably expect of her. Random references to this character had led me to anticipate some suc- cessful low comedy. The effect didn't stir the rislbles of the observers save In the single In- stance where Topsy's theft of the Iwlt of rib- bon from Aunt Ophelia Is discovered, and the wench skedaddles with the ribtwn trailing be- hind like a flying rein. Rut the piece Is worth while without Topsy, and. for that matter, without little Eva, save for her bit of acting In the Red River waters, where she sinks and sputters Just like the real thing. Corh. (Universal ; Imp.) OONDENSED TAB FOR FLASH. Chicago, Sept. 3. The feature attraction is giving the middle west manager much concern. James Matthews of the Pantages Cir- cuit thinks he has hit upon the solu- tion. Matthews started the Marx Bros, over the Pantages circuit in a condensed tabloid (a condensation of a condensation), as a headliner with three or four acts around it. The Bros, have done so well Matthews will turn others loose over the time. The next to go the route is Boyle Wool- folk's "Winning Miss." It will be sur- rounded by the usual show. Matthews declares "the flash" is the thing and these tabloids with their five and six principals and eight choristers have all the requirements. V li .- some small stock company trie.-, to }>r'<'l"ce one f)f the classics on short notice that's when all altitude r(Ci)rd>< ;irc l»roken GRAFT SUFFERANCE POUCY. (Continued from Page 3.) weekly salary list, and the small time cutting into his business at the box cffict, the observers remark it is but a matter of a short time now that big Time vaudeville must pass away, un- less there is a reorganization for the protection of the manager against the fcrafters who are bleeding him by suf- ferance . A two-minute speech to all the big time vaudeville agents could stop graft- ing immediately, but the speech has not been made nor is it likely to be heard under the present commandery. While all agents and booking men art- not grafters, those apparently with most authority and business are, which precludes one from throwing stones at another. The talk of "A Man Higher Up" in big time vaudeville is gaining ground; some allege the biggest men in the booking offices have a "ward man" who collects from several sources, and that this man high up has become so obsessed for easy money he will take any kind of a chance to get it. Meanwhile the big time managers are obliged to throw money away on their shows which the actors never re- ceive, at the same time seeing their business going back, and no one of them excepting Keith dare openly say a word. NEW FILM CORPORATIONS. Ranous Moving Picture Co., Man- hattan. Robt. Greaccn, Wm. Fitzger- ald, Wm. V. Ranous, $10,000, 60 Wall St., N. Y.; Chealsea Films, Manhattan; $10,000; Morris Amado, Jacob Emanu- el and Charles Penser, 1844 Crotona Ave., N. Y.; Feature Picture Theatre Co.; $50,000; Saml W. Tannenbaum. Sarah Cassell, Mary F. McCormick, 165 Broadway, N. Y.; De Luxe Films; Manhattan; $10,000; Herman and Hat- tie Hoffman and Isadore Schneider, 261 Broadway, N. Y. San Francisco. Sept. 3. Papers were filed here this week for the incorporation of the United Kea- neograph Film Manufacturing Co. with a capitalization of $50,000. The chief promoter of the project is James Keane, a recent arrival here from the east. NEW AVENUE OPENS. Chicago, Sept. 3. The Avenue theatre, at 31st street and Indiana avenue, opened big last Thursday night and gave every indi- cation of being a sure enough win- ner. The house is booked by Eddie Shayne, of the Association. It had a very good opening bill. The Indiana at 43rd and Indiana avenue is also booked by Shayne. The theatre gives a cheaper grade of show and is but a poor house alongside of the new structure. The predictions that the Indiana will be playing pic- tures before the season is very far ad- vanced were freely aired. One or two other theatres in the vicinity play pop vaudeville. If jAQ don't advertise In VARIETT, don't •dvortlae mt nil.