Variety (February 1914)

VARIETY 25 EXMBITORS ARE ASKING QUESTI ONS OF FILM MAKERS Critsrion (Vitagraph) Theatre Success Has Alarmed Portion of Trade That Must Secure Supplies from Manufacturers. Committee of Exhibitors Reported Calling on Vitagraph Co. to Find Out Where They Stand. The success of the Criterion (Vita- graph) theatre, New York, with mov- ing pictures under the direction of the Vitagraph Company has stirred up a hornet's nest amongst the exhibitors all over the United States. The ex- hibitors look with fear upon the manu- facturer going into the exhibiting end of the game. If the Criterion is a suc- cess, what's to prevent other manufac- turers from going into it and what's to stop them from opening big thea- tres in the leading cities of the coun- try, the exhibitors are asking. In this way the manufacturers will become competitors of their own pa- trons. This week a committee of two was selected by the exhibitors to call upon the heads of the Vitagraph com- pany to place the complaints of the association before them. The com- mittee was scheduled to meet the Vita- graph heads Thursday of this week. PICTURES GET ATTENTION. The New York Herald Tuesday of this week for the first time listed the larger picture theatres in New York, giving the titles of the subjects being shown in them, giving the impression it proposed to make it a regular de- partment in future. In the same issue the Herald stamped "society dancing" as an established lo- cal institution by describing a new dance creation of Mr. and Mrs. Vernon Castle, although whoever wrote the story probably got the description at second-hand. The writer was inclined to kid it, but the yarn got a display head and considerable space. FEATURE BRINGS CHEERS. Chicago, Feb. 18. Sunday afternoon, at the Globe, Col. John De Loris opened with his Kine- macolor Balkan War pictures before a large and excited audience. The house was packed and the pic- tures were greeted with cheers. The reels show the two Balkan wars in d-'tail, and the film is full of interest throughout. No Griffith Rupture. The riin-'or of any rupture between r«. W. Griffith and the Mutual Film Corporation is officially denied. ARRESTS FOR STANDEES. The question of standees has once rtiore arisen between the city authori- ties and the picture houses. .\ commit- tee of exhibitors was last week up bi*fore the Law and Legislation Com- mittee hut the matter was taken out of their hands and is now l^cfore the Board of Aldermen. Laj't week all the proprietors on Rivinj^ton street, about nine in number, were arrested for allowing standees. A petition to Fire Commissioner Adamson requesting t/he (proprietors be summoned instead of arrested when the ordinance was violated re- ceived scant attention. He says that the violation is too obvious for any quibbling. SECOND EXPOSITION. Last July the Exhibitors' Associa- tion of New York held a trade expo- sition which netted the association $19,000. Looking over the figures led to the decision to run another exposi- tion this spring. June will probably be the month selected. FAMOUS PLAYERS' SUBJECTS. The Famous Players' Film Co. has "Clothes" in rehearsal before the cam- era, with Mary Pickford in "A Good Little Devil" already for market distri- bution. Another picture which the Famous Players is going to boost is "The Port of Missing Men." with Ar- nold Daly featured. LOOKING FOR A FORGER. Kinemacolor is after a forger and has engaged the Burns Detective Agen- cy to locate him. The person has been forging checks of the concern on the Corn Exchange Bank, and is said to be the same pe:i expert who trifled with imitations of the ITniversal's offi- cial signature. ORGANS SEEM THE THING. Boston, Feb. 18. V. J. Morris, local manager for Mar- cus Loew, is responsible for an uplift in orchestral music. He has installed a $10,000 organ which will be played by Leader Charles Frank and two other members of the orchestra, but which when the occa- sion warrants can use the classical. According to Morris, Boston audiences appreciate good music and have but little opportunity to hear it. The success of the big Moller organ at the Olympic in Scollay Square played by Richard Henry Warren de- cMed Morris. PICTURES AT AUDITORIUM. South Bend, Ind.. Feb. 18. The Auditorium has turned to the pictures and. with its seating capacity of 2,500, is rakinjs' in the nickels and dimes. This was formerly a legit house, but now all the regular attrac- tions are hooked at the Oliver. CAMERA CLUB BALL The first ball of the Cinema Camera Club, including the camera men of the picture field, will be held Feb. 2.1 at the Pabst Coliseum. Fifth avenue and 110th street. .Admission is one dollar. The intention of the Club is to have this an annual affair. ALL WHITE SLAVERS OUT. Pittsburgh, Feb. 18. City censorship of picture houses has begun here, but not by a commission of uplifters, as had been expected, but by the police and secret service. First in- structions of Director of Public Safety Charles S. Hubbard were to prevent "The Traffic in Souls," "The Traffic in Girls," "The House of Bondage," or any other white slave film. Director Hubbard has called upon the Motion Picture Exhibitors League to co-operate with him. 'TRUSr' HEARINGS ON. Kansas City, Feb. 18. The investigation into the charges of a picture trust in Missouri in the form of the Mutual Film Corporation will start this week. Henry P. Lay, appointed by the Supreme Court as ex- aminer to take the testimony quali- fied Friday and plans to get to work in St. Louis at once. After the St. Louis visit Lay will come to Kansas City to hear what the local exhibi- tors have to say, then on to St. Jos- eph and into other sections of the state. The testimony will determine whether there is ground for the filing of a quo warranto proceeding to oust the representatives of the alleged "trust" from the state. FRAZEE CO. FORMED. Wilmington, Del., Feb. 18. Announcement was made here this week of the filing of a charter at Do- ver, for the Frazee Feature Film Co. of New York City, to manufacture and deal in pictures. Capital stock $50,000. CENSORS IN LOUISIANA. New Orleans, Feb. 18. The state legislature will be asked to establish a board of censorship on pictures, with absolute power. The local branch of the Federation c^ Catholic Societies has planned this move. FEATURES AT PLAZA. The Plaza, Madison avenue and 59th street, now controlled by Moss and Brill, has gone in for the feature pic- ture thing after the fashion of the Hamilton and the Jefferson and on the first week raised the receipts $400. VI»S PARK. The Vitagraph company has secured the Park theatre for four weeks and will present there "The Christian" fea- tiire films. GIVING FREE SHOWS. Kansas City, Feb. 18. In Meade County, Kansas, the rival- ry for the trade of the farmers has waxed so warm between three cities that Meade, one of them, has leased a picture theatre and gives a free show every .Saturday for the traders. DANCE PICTURES SUGGESTED. Pittsbur^,'h. Feb. 18. W. Tl Stevenson, president of the rhamher of Commerce, suggested the stiltstitiition of motion pictures in all school houses for dancing. The i)lan will be formally suggested to the Board of Public Education. CITY FIGHTING THEATRES. Kansas City, Feb. 18. The city is going to the Supreme Court of Missouri in its fight to keep picture theatres out of the central re- tail district here. Some time ago the council passed an ordinance prohibit- ing picture theatres in a district em- bracing Main and Walnut streets and Grand avenue between Tenth and Twelfth streets. In the district there are now eleven theatres. The film men were granted an in- junction against enforcing the ordin- ance by Circuit Judge Guthrie several weeks ago, and the city officials have taken an appeal to the Supreme Court of the State. AGAINST ARSON FILMS. Pittsburgh, Feb. 18. Hebrews have asked movie houses not to exhibit certain films derogatory to the race. Rabbi J. Leonard Levy, of the Temple, met many operators last week and was told such films as the one he specified, showing an arson plot, were shipped on from New York and he would have to see the makers. This he will do. BARTSCH-STRECKYMANS FIRM. Hans Bartsch, playbroker, and Hec- tor J. Streckymans, late of the Italia Film Co., have formed a new movie company that will be known as the Met- ropolitan Film Co. Only features will be handled, Bartsch already having gotten hold of some big European film novelties. One of the first big reelers to be re- leased the latter part of the month is entitled "The Money God" (four parts). The publicity, stage rights and gen- eral production end will be looked after by Streckymans, who has been actively identified with some big movie concerns in New York in the past five years. PICTURE BOOKING AGENCY. The demand for picture actors as features in the picture houses has be- come very strong. Up until now the actors have made the arrangements for their appearances in the theatres direct with the theatres. There is a movement to open a book- ing office through which these engage- ments will be made in future. Details will probably be held back for a fortnight yet but the agency is assured. OPENINGS IN WASHINGTON. Washington, Feb. 18. The American Theatre, renovated and improved, opened its doors as a "pop" house Monday. L. G. Grossman is the general niana- Mtr and proprietor, and Billy liowman is business manager. The house is booking independently, playing four acts and pictures. Tom Moore opened the rechristened Aiadcniy of Music as the Orpheum with the "Waterloo" film as the week's attraction. The new Moore house is < xp(( ted to take care of the overflow itoni Moore's (iarden, where feature (iliiis Iiave been tiiniiiip them away for soine weeks. ir \oii (loii'l advrrtiM In VABIBTY, don't RdvertiM at alL