Variety (April 1915)

MOVING PICTURES 17 CHICAGO CENSORS CLAMP LID AND TWO FILMS FAD. TO PASS Windy City Board Paying Close Attention to Features. Draw- ing the Censorship Line Closely Causes Manufactur- ers Concern. 4 *Alone in New York" Makes Third Try. "Twilight Sleep" Gets the Gate. Chicago, April 7. Film concerns are having a difficult time in Chicago in getting the censors to pass pictures for this city. The ban has been put up for anything over the border, and it is only a few pictures that are passing without cut "Alone in New York" is one in- stance, released through the United Service. It has been reviewed by the board three times, each time something being cut out, but the picture is still refused by the board. Another at- tempt will be made to pass it next week. The Chicago board rejected the film put out by the "Twilight Sleep Associ- ation" to exploit that method because they (the board) found that it was un- scientific and detrimental to the public CENSORSHIP SNAG. Fresno, Cal., April 7. All attempts of the Ministerial Union and the Y. W. C. A. to have a local board of censors for the movies were squashed by the board of city trustees. A petition with 10,000 names opposed to local censorship was presented by Oliver Kehrlein. F. P.'S THIRD YEAR. The third anniversary of the Famous Players Film Co. will be celebrated April 12, on which date three years ago Adolf Zukor, Daniel Frohman and Ed- win S. Porter organized the company, the first to produce features with well- known legitimate stage stars. Soon after the formation of the company it was decided the co-operation of theat- rical managers was necessary in order to give the picture concern opportuni- ties to secure suitable plays to filmize. The F. P. directors looked over the field and induced Charles Frohman and Henry W. Savage to come into the compact The first production turned out by Famous Players was Sarah Bernhardt in "Queen Elizabeth," and the latest to date is Hazel Dawn in "Niobe." Of the numerous legitimate stars who have appeared in F. P. pictures probably the most successful as screen artists are Marguerite Clark, Marie Doro, Hazel Dawn and John Barrymore. Mary Pickford is the Famous Players' best- known star. The Famous Players was the first company making feature pictures to form a regular program, the company starting by releasing 30 pictures during the year. The formation of the Para- mount was practically an enlargement of the idea started by Famous Players, only taking in more than one company. The F. P. releasing through Para- mount will make 42 features during the fiscal year. Recently the Select Film Booking Office was established through which Famous Players' productions of excep- tional size are to be released. The idea of this office is to place the big features in houses where they will re- main for a run and later releasing them through the regular program channels. The first picture to be re- leased through this new organization is "The Eternal City," which will come into the Astor, New York, for a run commencing April 12. TANGUAY'S PICTURE OFFER. $25,000 cash is reported the offer re- fused by Eva Tanguay to appear in a feature film production. Miss Tanguay, who has declined any number of propositions for the film, is said to have countered on the $25,000 offer, with a proposal that in addition she be given 10 per cent of the gross receipts the feature might bring. LASKY MOVES. The Lasky Feature Film Co., which has just passed the 16th month of its existence, moves this week from its present offices in Long Acre theatre to new quarters in the building recently erected at 120 West 41st street Lasky has secured the fifth floor and will di- vide it up into ten offices. The 41st street building, but recent- ly completed, was built wholly for pic- ture concerns. It complies with all the fire laws and has large vaults in the cellar for the storage of films, with a theatre on the ground floor to be used by the tenants for private showings of their productions. The Paramount is to move into this building shortly. WANTS NBSBIT AGAIN. The Lubin company, which made the first and only film production with Evelyn Nesbit ("Threads of Destiny") is reported negotiating with Miss Nes- bit to secure her for a second picture. Miss Nesbit is at present filled up with vaudeville contracts and will not be able to do any picture work for some weeks. The first picture taken with the star was made on a royalty basis, Miss Nes- bit's attorneys, House, Grossman & Vorhous, handling the royalty checks for her. REISSUES NOW IN LINE. Owing to the demand for features some of the exchanges are bringing out old subjects that foreign companies made long before the war, marketing them to a small profit. The Biograph did not fare so well with the Mary Pickford reprints. Some exhibitors say they did not measure up to feature standard as in many cases the picture rei«sue had Mary doing a minor characterization. FIRE AT LUBIN PLANT. Philadelphia, April 7. Fire, caused by the ignition of a film yesterday, burned the inspection de- partment of the Lubin Co. at Betz- wood, about 18 miles above Philadel- phia. The loss is estimated at $20,000. The firemen of Phoenixville and Nor- ristown worked for two hours before they placed it under control. The Betzwood plant is part of the Lubin establishment at 21st and In- diana avenue, Philadelphia. Many of the outdoor pictures are made there. The burned building was two and a half stories in height, 100 feet long and about 25 wide. It was adjacent to the main factory and close to two studios. The firemen saved them by hard work. According to the firemen, Charles Dickson, an operator, was throwing a Wild West film on a screen from a projecting machine, when there was a report. A tiny sheet of flame burst from the machine, and several minutes later the interior of the room was in flames. Dickson tried to put out the fire, but he had to run through the flames to save himself. He climbed to the roof of the building, and then jumped off. He was taken to the Char- ity Hospital in Norristown, where it is said that his condition is serious. Six other actors were injured in fighting the flames. They were Joseph Dawlton, 1324 Rush street; Joseph Keenan, Miles City, Mont; Charles Keenan, his brother; Paul Figel and Joseph Riley, Cheyenne, Wyo. Sev- eral actresses fainted from fright and had to be carried out of danger. The Philadelphia plant of Lubin was badly damaged by an explosion and fire last June. WATCHING FOR INSPECTOR Exhibitors around town are watching for Commissioner of Licenses George H. Bell, or one of his deputy inspect- ors, to drop in at any time < as word has gone forth that there is to be no more "sniping" with uncensored films. Several exhibitors have gotten away with the showing of uncensored pic- tures. It is the intention of the De- partment of Licenses to put a quietus to the theatres playing them. STERLING RETURNS AT L08S. Ford Sterling went away from the Keystone some time ago to join the Universal, but is now back. Sterling has just affixed his John Hancock to a two-year contract with Keystone and has given up all intentions of playing any vaudeville dates. Incidentally, Sterling could have had a nice, fat contract when he proposed jumping from the Keystone, but he jumped. He's back at considerably less than offered him at that time, it is said. PICTURE RUMORS. It's rumored the Alliance is going to make some big changes within the near future. Ben S. Moss admits his picture con- cern is going to reorganize with new capital and start out under a new name. The former Reliable Film Company title is to be dropped. CORNER IN CARTOONISTS. The Rembrant Film Service Com- pany, lately formed and of which Ed- ward E. Pidgeon is the general man- ager, has practically effected a "cor- ner" on the cartoon and comic pic- ture market, as far as the film repro- duction of the work of the majority of the best known comic artists of this country and Europe is concerned. The Rembrant Co. has signed all of the comic weeklies both here and abroad for the exclusive right to re- produce the drawings of the artists who are contributing to these publi- cations. It is also completing arrangements with the dailies that have comic sup- plements. The drawings are to be re- produced for film purposes by means of a special process that is the inven- tion of Robert Johns, who is the vice- president of the company. TAKING FEATURE ACROSS. "Seats of the Mighty" is to be mar- keted in London shortly, according to the plans of the Colonial Motion Pic- ture Corp., which made the picture. James D. Law, president of the Co- lonial, leaves shortly for London to make arrangements for the showings. The picture will be cut from six to four reels for the English and conti- nental houses. Features of over four reels are not easily marketed on the other side. 8ELIG f S BIG ONE. Seng's last big feature was "The Spoilers," but it now plans to spring another big picture in "The Ne'er Do Well," adapted from Rex Beach's novel of that title. The film will be in nine reels. The finishing touches are now being put to it by Director Colin Campbell at the Edendale (Cal.) studios. In the cast are Kathlyn Williams, Lamar Johnstone, Wheeler Oakman. Norma Nichols, Frank Dark, Sidney Smith, Harry Lonsdale, Jack Mc- Donald. KEYSTONE'S FOUR-REELER. The Keystone is hard at work on a four-reeled comedy subject which will have the regular Keystone stock play- ers in it. In addition to continuing the regular releases and making the production of a large comedy film every month, the Keystone will keep up its two-reeled special comedies every month. Roscoe Arbuckle, known as Fatty in the Keystone films, is now directing as well as playing comedy leads. DRUM MADE A38I8TANT. H. C. Drum, until recently Western manager for the World Film, has been appointed assistant to Lewis J. Selz- nick, vice-president and general man- ager of the concern. Drum will make his headquarters in the New York of- fice commencing immediately. The Western manager in the future will be W. W. Drum, brother of H. C. The younger Drum, who has been Los Angeles branch manager, will be suc- ceeded by L. B. McConville.