Variety (February 1914)

VARIETY 21 ■^M^M^^^Mrf AMERICANS BUYING "BLOOMERS" IN FOREI GN FEA TURE MOVIES Horde of Native Picture Men Abroad Looking for Box Office Attractions in Films. Competition Bringing Out Old Relics That May Shortly Be Shown on This Side. American Exhibitor Gives His Views on Business and Programs. iSpeeUl CmkU f VAminr.) London, Feb. 4. This city is thickly populated with Americans at present, who have come over to secure feature films for exhibi- tion in the United States. As a result the picture exchanges have been rummaging through their shelves, digfl^ng up all sorts of old reels that bear the slightest resemblance to a feature. Competition is so great the local purveyors cannot resist the temptation to dispose of a quantity of "bloomers," with which the American market will soon be flooded. A successful American exhibitor, in discussing the enormous demand for new ideas in reels of all kinds, said: "Why not revive a lot of the old favorites? Whoever starts it will be sure to clean up. Producers of single and multiple reels have exhausted comedy ideas. A revival of many of the old-timers will be offered to what is practically a n:w generation of pic- ture patrons. Take for instance The Runaway Horse (Pathe); Fool's Head in Lion's Den (Itala); Fruits and Flowers (Imp.); Jones Series (Bio- graph); the Edison comedy pictures; All's Fair in Love and War (Essanay); Pathe's Fairy Tales, etc. "The reason for the poor condition in the film busine.^L is due to the fact that the manufacturers do not give the exhibitors sufficient variety in pro- grams. They allow booking clerks to send a program oft-times with four or five dramas and not sufficient comedy. Only recently one of my houses had three western cowboy pictures on one program. A picture show should be blended like a vaudeville bill." FILMING BERTILLON SYSTEM. A six-reel film of the Bertillon sys- tem, produced under the direction of George S. Dougherty, late Deputy Po- lice Commissioner of New York in charge of the Detective Bureau, is a forthcoming release. The engagement of Mr. Dougherty was made by William Counihan, who will control the feature. DIRECTOR WEDS LEADING LADY. Philadelphia, Feb. 4. In a quaint little church at Oaks near Norristown, Pa., where a short time ago they enacted a scene for the photoplay, "Sheridan's Ride," Edgar Jones, one of the directors of the Lubin Manufacturing Co., and Louisa Huff, the leading woman of the Lubin players, were married Jan. 28. Mr. Jones was attended by William H. Kerry and John E. Ince, and the wedding party also included Mrs. HufT, mother of the bride, Justinia HufT, her tister, Mrs. Kerry, Mrs. Ince and Mrs. William Cooper. Following the cere- mony, the bride and groom and their guests enjoyed a wedding supper in an inn nearby and were serenaded by the Lubin Band, composed of musi- cians in the employ of the company. Mr. and Mrs. Jones are on a honey- moon trip. PICTURING GOULD'S GROUNDS. The Famous Players Film Co. has received permission to take a picture on George J. Gould's handsoihe grounds at Lakewood, N. J. It is to be entitled "The Port of Missing Men." No women will appear in it. STELLAR CO. ORGANIZED. The Stellar Photoplay Co., Francis J. Carroll, president; C. A. Willat, vice-president; Wm. A. McManus, sec- retary and treasurer, is a new concern organized to produce feature reels with well known stars. BAD ACCIDENT IN BERMUDA. Tuesday evening Mrs. Herbert Brenon received a cable from Bermuda saying her husband (Herbert Brenon) and Annette Kellermann had been in- jured in an accident, while Mr. Brenon and the diver were having a picture struggle in a tank under water. Wednesday morning papers reported the occurrence, mentioning Mr. Brenon had been seriously injured from cut glass, and removed to a hospital. Miss Kellermann was reported as slightly hurt. An account said the glass side of the tank burst, with an inrush of water. The actual exten* of Mr. Brenon's in- juries was not known up to Wednes- day night. Mrs. Brenon cabled for in- formation as to his condition and ex- pects to sail for Bermuda Saturday morning. She lately returned from there. Her husband has been on the Island for some weeks producing a feature film with Miss Kellermann the principal in it, for the Universal. WOMAN DESIGNS THEATRE. Bridgeport, Conn., Feb. 4. Designed by a woman architect, Miss A. C. Kelly of this city, a new picture theatre, of handsome decorations, a horse-shoe gallery and seating capacity of 750, is to be erected on E?it Main street. It will be owned and operated by M. W. Leighton. This makes the twenty-ninth moving picture theatre here. MAY USE LAFAYETTE. RufTalo. Feb. 4. It is rumored al)out the Progressive Burlesque Wheel may move into the Lafayette theatre, lately vacated by the Eastern Wheel, upoi: the completion of its new Gayety here. GETTING AaiON. Pittsburgh, Feb. 4. Determined in their efforts to pro- tect the motion picture industry in Pennsylvania from city, state and national law makers who are each hav- ing their fling at it, and especially to continue the fight against censorship and drastic regulations which provide for alterations of most houses, opera- tors, owners of theatres and repre- sentatives of film concerns met in a second mass meeting Sunday last and organized. The new organization is called The Moving Pictures Protective Association and will have about 200 members to begin with from Western Pennsylvania. Hopeful reports were brought from Harrisburg. Commissioner John Price Jackson, who issued the drastic regula- tions, notified the committee which in- terviewed him last week that he will listen to reason and will be in Pitts- burgh this week. The second matter, censorship, will be fought in a test case which State Senator Joseph H. Thomp- son, attorney for the picture men, will bring. The case will be amicable to test the constitutionality of the law, Attorney Thompson denying that three persons have the right to say what the eight million in the state may or may not see. His plea to the court will be that the censorship board be abolished and that if any salacious picture is shown, the state take action as it would against an immoral book, and suppress it. Attorney General John C. Bell has agreed to the suit. The officers of the new association are a committee, as follows: Clarence Beatty, J. H. White, James Delves, A. S. Davis, H. B. Miller, Walter Kin- son and Attorney Thompson. Three of these are representatives here for large film companies. It was reported that the Universal and General Film exchanges have promised Attorney Thompson 1500 each in the suit and the Mutual will give either a cash sum or donate its legal talent. Announcement was also made that the state is planning a motion picture house in Harrisburg for use of the censors. In the local fire drills Com- missioner Jackson will enter theatres having less than the required three aisles and ask the audience to leave as quickly as possible. The patrons will then be allowed to return. SXENT PICTURE DOOMED. Cincinnati, Feb. 4. At the Ohio convention of the Pic- ture Exhibitors League of America, at the Sinton hotel last week, George H. Wiley, of Kansas City, National Sec- retary, declared that five-cent moving picture shows were doomed. He ex- plained the feature films will eventually result in a rise in the price of all pic- tures. Orene Parker, of Covington, was named National Treasurer by the Ex- ecutive Committee which met at the same time. He succeeds j. J. Rieder, who is ill. The national committee passed a resolution to discourage the showinj? of pictures longer than five reels. If you dna't advertliw In VARIETY. don't ndveitlM a« nil. OHIO CENSORING HELD UP. Columbus, Feb. 4. The Ohio state board of moving pic- ture censors is held up pending the out- come of the suit brought by the Mutual Film people regarding its legality, but members are drawing salaries—$125 monthly. At the meeting of the Ohio branch of the National Picture Exhibitors League of America in Cincinnati last week the delegates took a decided stand, and heartily endorsed the work of H. £. Vestal (of Ada), one of the members of the state board, and also that of J. A. Maddox former member (of Columbus), but were very decided in their attitude toward Mrs. Maude Murray Miller, editor of the Human Progress Department of the Columbus Dispatch, refusing to endorse her work, and the women delegates voted as did the men against the misguided enthusiasm of Mrs. Miller which has brought the board into such bad odor. Mrs. Miller was struck by an auto- mobile while leaving the theatre last Friday evening and her foot was in- jured. She is at the Southern Hotel. ONE BUILDING SHUT OFF. The Leavitt building, on west 46th street, which was fast becoming filled with moving picture concerns, will not b< permitted to house any more people in that business. At present there are the new William Fox film rental com- pany, Warner's Features, Sherry (who handles the Famous Players' output), and Byron. The Eclair people have just signed a lease there and the Anglo- American Film Corporation had prac- tically closed for an entire floor, when the fire department stepped in and pre- vented. The building is within 50 feet of • school house and the law states that no films may be exhibited or stored in such close proximity. FILMING WEDDINGS. San Francisco, Feb. 4. Camera men out here have discov- ered a new way of finding a market for pictures made to order. It is said one enterprising firm watches the papers for society marriage announce- ments. When the date is set for the wedding, the picture firm mails lome convincing literature to the groom showing what a lot of pleasure the couple can have looking at their wed- ding pictures when they grow old. A well known social leader liked the idea and had his wedding filmed. Since that time the fad has grown popular. FOREIGN ACT LAID OFF. Among the new "circus acts" open- ing at tlie Hippodrome Monday (in connection with "America" there) was the Mirano Brothers, a foreign turn. The act appeared for one week with thf* Thaw troupe at the West End theatre. A part of it is pole work, balancing on a pole that was found to be too long for any ordinary theatre. The act was laid off on full pay after the first showing, and has not reap- peared around up Xa the Monday show- ing? at the Hip, Over there, to accommodate the heighth of the pole, the two men arc forced to work on the "apron."