Variety (September 1913)

VARIETY sc ANNA HELD IN MOVIE COLORS IS KINEMACOLOR'S LATEST Picture Makers Also Photograph Richard Harding Davis* Nellie McCoy, William Collier, Raymond Hitchcock, Flora Zabelle in 700 Foot Specials. Other Stage Stars Under Contract. The twin rhinos in the stone wells of the Central Park Zoo came up from under water with a rush yesterday, and the polar bears and Ceylon ele- phants got all excited because Anna Held was among visitors present. Be- sides she was riding on the newly ar- rived South African dromedary, and throwing peanuts and bon bons to the goats, bisons and primates. Miss Held visited the menagerie by assignment from Kinemacolor, which has added the comedienne to its list of Kin stage celebrities to be sent out to patrons of their service at the rate of 700 feet per subject. Richard Harding Davis and Nellie McCoy, Willie Collier, Raymond Hitchcock and Flora Zabelle are other Broadway stars who have been photo- graphed for the "Special Broadway Stars' " service of Kin. which it is proposed to extend until 100 stage stars have been shown. MONOPOL OFFICE SHUT. The Monopol Film Co. offices in the Theatrical Exchange Building are shut, and no one seems to care any- thing about it. From indications the concern has just died away. Its presi- dent, P. P. Craft, has another office in the same building. Mr. Craft does not control the company. Pat Powers /d^oes that, but he isn't coming around there any more. DAY AND NIGHT PICTURES. The Day and Night Screen Co. of London has established American headquarters. Claiming the elimination of the pos- sibility of ignition by friction, a saving of from 50 to 80 per cent, in electricity, and perfectly clear photography in daylight projection, the new screen process promoters announce their readiness to submit their process to any tests. The invention won the highest award at the International Kinemata- graph Exhibition in London last March. NEW TALKING IDEA. Thomas A. Edison has added a nov- elty to his movie talkies. Stifl imper- fect ..in developmei^ the inventor hopes soon ib supplement tPie talking films with certain special releases, so ar- ranged photographically that one or more living figures can step from the screen or pictures and lend the effect of physical pr-sence to the pictured action. NORTH FOR PICTURES. Arthur J. Aylesworth has gone into the far north to get everything from hunt pictures to dramatic stories of that frozen country which he expects to put to use later. He has everything with him from cooking utensils and sleeping bags to 5,000 rounds of ammunition. Aylesworth also carries free camera experts, a director and 30,000 feet of film. NOVEL THEATRE SUIT. Harrison Anstruther, colored, has brought suit against Marcus Loew for injuries he says he sustained by falling from the edge of the back of a seat in the rear of the second gallery at the American theatre Sept. 1. Jared Shipman is the complainant's attorney. MONEY IN t'UM LITHOS. There are more ways than one for making money out of moving pictures. Of the several, the furnishing of litho- graphs with service would seem to be a profitable undertaking. For instance, a company charges its exhibitors ten cents a sheet for pictor- ial work and this has netted it so hand- some a profit, the concern has found it expedient to install a printing plant. This is being done at the present time. BIRD*S-EYE FILM. The Warner's Feature Co. will shortly add to their output 7,000 feet of film taken from a dirigible balloon started from San Francisco and finish- ing a cross-country flight at Governor's Island, N. Y. The films will be leased in 1,000-foot sections, dividing up the pictured states on a pro rata mileage basis. RELIANCE JIM-JAM COMIC. A new trick film just effected by the Reliance shows a tight rope walker a la Blondin tripping the light fantastic on a rope over a 2,000-foot chasm in the Catskills, the rope being suspended from the twin peaks, Big Touch and Little Touch, of the southern range. A burlesque story introduces the effect. MOVING IN OLD QUARTERS. Charles Meyer is negotiating for the abandoned Gaumont studio on Con- gress street, Flushing, L. I., for the establishment of rehearsal and projec- tion headquarters of the Community Film Co., which Mr, Meyer has or- ganized. George Paxton is among the stage directors already engaged. EDISON STORIES FOR BLIND. Thomas A. Edison has commissioned the Blind Fiction Publishing Company to adapt to the embossed language of the sightless the new South Sea scena- rios which the Edi.son company is adapting from Robert Louis Steven- son's archipelago talcs. The stories arc to be expanded to fiction form. After yon hear the MOLLEK PIPE-UKiHKH- TRA at 14th Ht. Theatre pbir for a biff art. ask the man on the bench to demonstrate the varlona kpeclaltlea on picture*. f 1,600 FOR THAW FILM. The promoters of the Thaw film, a special running about 12 minutes, are asking $1,500 a week for the use of the reel. The price, it is said, kept Ham- merstein's Victoria from showing it this week. The reel was exhibited there privately last Friday night. It shows Thaw in the Canadian jail, eating, look- ing out of the window and talking. The picture has nothing to do with the Thaw escape. While Hammerstein's was running off the reel downstairs Friday night, some of the Orpheum Circuit people were waiting in the promoters' offices for a private viewing. They had gone there by invitation. It was about 10 p. m. The chief promoter informed them upon arrival the film was wet and would be shown when dried out, in about half an hour. The crowd suspi- cioned something wrong and departed, not forgetting on the way to the Pal- ace to peep into Hammerstein's wiicrc they saw the Thaw picture on the sheet. Several Thaw pictures are on the market. The Mutual released one Tuesday, and the Savoy showed **Harry Thaw's Lscapc from Mattea- wan" yesterday. Mr. lianinicrstcin is said to have offered the Thaw picture promoters who applied to him $150 u week for the use of the reel. The Keith houses have the films un- derlined for next week. SUBWAY RACE CAUGHT. A number of newspaper men and ex- ecutives of the General Film Company were guests of the beads of the New York subway system Sept. 1. Prompt- ly at two in the morning, when the express service is suspended and gen- eral local subway traffic is virtually at a standstill in the tunnel, two ex- press trains pulled out neck and neck from the 96th street station, one on the express track, the other on the local, both bound south, for a race for the films, to be fitted into a coming G. F. release. The run to Brooklyn Bridge was made without a stop. The two trains were photographed head on by camera men stationed at 81st street, 72d street, Times Square, Grand Central and 14th street stations, respectively. The run was made in 7 minutes and 30 seconds. The whiz shows in the proofs. SCREEN CLUB NOMINEES. The Screen Club will move to 165 West 47th street about Sept. 15. Nominees for coming elections of the club include Kin^ B;iggot for presi- dent; for first vice-president, Jos. W. Farnham; Jas. Kirkwood for second vice-president; Tefft Johnson for third vice-president; Geo. D. Proctor for re- cording secretary; J. H. Gerhar<lt for corrcspondinjj: secretary; (". A. Willat for treasurer; for menibers of hoard of governors: Jule Bernstein, .\rthur Leslie, Paul Scardon and Leo Dilaney. HO.MING MILEAGE KKCOKI). .'\ carrier pi^^con released at Sandy Hook at 3:05 p. iii., .Sept. 10, rtaclud its cote at West Point. X. ^^. M) iiiilc- distant on a straight line at .}.52 p. ni. The \'itaj;rai!li Co. filiiud tin- get- away and finish, and canul't a short section of the flight over l\ik>kiil, N. Y. FILM PRESS AGENTS* LEAGUE. The moving picture press agents of the country are to have a club. The affiliation will be initially framed on the lines of the original Friars' press agents' clul). Chester Bcecroft, general press agent and publicity promoter of the General Film Co., and several oth- er high-salaried film boomers are be- hind the movement for organization, including H. H. Brunner of the Bio- graph, L. C. McChcsney of the Edison, S. M. Spcdon of the Vitagraph, H. A. D'Arcy of the Lubin, Joe Brandt and George Stevenson of the Univer.sal, Bert Iannis, now with the Eclair, and Fred Gunninu of Warner's Features. The main object of the promoters of the new league in getting together are to improve their usefulness to employ- ers by expanding through the force of numbers opportunities for getting pub- licity and to establish a clearing house for the interchange of ideas. \ particular feature is to be made of the social possibilities. The new combination will in no wise affect the aims of the Screen Club, but strive to be a close and harmonious relative of that body. The men promoting the film press agents' combination feel that the business of film publicity has al- ready grown to a state of importance and dignity warranting an individual fraternity, where the subjects of their discussion may be confined strictly to members of their own vocation. Nom- inal dues arc proposed for the outset, and inexpensive quarters. In time, the moving picture press agents gathering for the combination hope to bring the film publicity man's salary to the level of his fellow in the theatrical press agent field. At present $35 is the weekly average moving pic- ture press agent's wage. Some film employers pay $50. Film advertising men receiving $75 weekly are specially favored ones, and a weekly income of $100 for film press service is considered an oasis prize. Theatrical press agents in New York earn as high as $150 per week, and $85, $65' and $50 weekly are common figures. The proposed M. P. P. .\. Club hopes to get conditions rounded out to an equitable baSis, where unusual service v.ill be noticed and couimensurately rewarded, and where men will be en- gaged by the season instead of being subject to discharge, as is now the case in most instances, without considera- tion or even notice. SLO.ANK, REGULAR M. P. ACTOR. Hilly Sloanc is a real film actor now. After spending a ^^'ood part of 20 years with different liroadway companies, Sloane two years ago got a chance as an extra for the movies. After nothing but job lilin work on the interval, yesterday the liiograph si^'ned liim up for steady exclusive work for a year. SII.\KKSI*EAHE GIIILS IIRLF^AHKH. The Avon Film Co., a new cnter- I'rise, propns*'*^ to release, hetritinin^; Oct. 1. the first f)f a series of Shaki-- -spcare's lirroincs to which class of ont- j'lit they will coiidiH' thi- (irst year ot till ir work, 'riicy will limit tlie experi- Miccs of racli of the In ri,iiu's to a sitiL;le n-el.