unqw "w ''"i ' jm i 'afwaw L.l,l.,j..L.J?..y 3BE? lililJJ--llfiMllBill,JW Trsggng THE EVENING LEDGER PHOTOPLAY SECTION, SATURDAY, JUNE 12, 1915. 13 Ww4lPWll Movie Cowboys By TOM MIX William N. Selig was looking for several eowpunchers who could supply an air of realism for his "Western productions and I was looking for some work which would take me away from the range life which 1 had always led. Therefore I became a motion-picture player. Together with a number of other cow boys I was engaged . to ride through scenes at a terrific rate of speed or form a "posse" to run down an "outlaw." VIOLA ALLEN Appearing in the Selig version of "The White Sister." There wasnt much acting to do at first and we never came very close to the camera. Many of those who worked with me went back to the ranges after a short time before the camera, but I thought I saw a future In the new game and began to study its various angles. It was hard work at llrst. both mental and physical, but I had always enjoyed working and didn't mind it a bit. In time I managed to get small parts which allowed me to get close enough to the camera to be recognized and when I saw myself on the screen I was more set than before On making good and be coming a real star. The characters for which I was cast grew in Importance until finally I was given a chance at a leading role. One of these was followed by another until finally I played leads altogether. In the meantime I had been studying the tech nical end of motion-picture productions and felt that if I worked hard enough I would be able to become a director myself. My ambition along this line was grati fied after I had served some time as a leading player and for a long time now I have not only directed but also writ ten the plays in which I take the leads. Interior Movies A Danish engineer. Professor Fricdrick sen, has built an apparatus consisting of a rather stiff rubber tube, 11 milimeters in width, and ending In a small steel pipe which contains a camera. He has equipped the little apparatus with a minute arc lamp, which lights the Interior of the stomach sufficiently to photograph it and. If desired, to make a moving picture of It One can readily understand that this In vention Is destined to disclose vast hori zons to medicine and surgery, and (this mayhap will not be understood quite so readily) to our extra-medical habits. A brief explanation will evidence even this latter assertion. Photography of the stomach may be come a most delightful diversion from the customary and much-abused photog raphy of the physiognomy. Indeed, it will be of much greater value and purport. One will be able to ofTer, in token of affection, the photograph of hi3 own "tummy" with an autographic dedi cation. It would be an easy matter to corroborate a verbal protest. like for ex ample: "Sir, your cynicism upsets my stomach!" by exhibiting the little in stantaneous picture that escapes all con troversy. And concerning the klnematography of the digestive channels, which the Danish Inventor has apparently made also pos sible, any one can see how great an ap plication It can have nowadays that the motion picture has become so popular. As an "entr'acte" between two long reels we shall have the pleasure of see ing titles like these: "Mr. Jlggs Is Sea Sick. (With panoramic and Introspective views In sympathetic colors)." "A Blow in the Stomach. (Taken from Life. Sen sational Film, not Fit for Impressionable People)." "From the Esophagus to the Pylorus. (Pleasure Trip of a potato 'a la maltre d'hotel')." Etc, etc. WHY THE FILMS FLICKER AND OTHER MOVIE SECRETS tSllllP Mm. w "What's the matter with that opera tor?" Have yon ever said that, or heard some one say It. while yon were attending a motion picture theatre and the screen suddenly became blank? The best regu lated theatre In the country occasionally Is left In darkness while the audience be comes restless and nervous and a few get up and leave. The operating room In a motion picture theatre is a mystery to the average person, and the purpose of this article is to tell of things which are in the operating room. It is not always the operator"o fault that a film breaks during the most ex citing part of the picture, nor can it be attributed to very much of anything but Just the film. Films are rented to thea tres at prices according to their ages. For that reason, houses advertising "first run" pictures have new films. The life of the average film Is 90 to 129 darr con tinual service then It becomes commer cial film and is used as "flll-tn" to com plete a program. In this manner films are sometimes used tor & year. FIREPROOF BOOM. All motion-picture theatres ore equipped with a fire and explosion proof booth, or operator's room. Projecting machines are as nearly fireproof as modern science and skill can make them. Automatic fire shutters, which protect the film from the strong light while the machine Is not In motion, are raised when the op erator turns the crank at a certain speed. The film is enclosed In a fireproof box or magazine, called the upper mag azine, and passes through the mechanism to the lower magazine. At only one point, called the aperture plate. li the film exposed while It is being run through the machine. The light te continually "spotted" on this centre, and to show how hot this light Is It may he said that an ordinary sheet of paper will instantly catch Are If placed in front of the light. Film Is extremely inflammable, but by the fact that It passes through the light at the rate of about TO feet a minute, danger of Are Is minimized. mere are on average of 15 pictures to a foot of film. As each reel of n'm averages 1000 feet, it can he am that K.000 separate pictures are projected on a screen during the course of 15 to IS minutes. CAREFUL INSPECTION. The film la carefully Inspected before eacn aays snow, at the film exchange. Here Inspectors go over every foot of film carefully for torn sprocket holes, bad patches, etc., after which it Ja turned over to the operator for the theatre, who In turn Inspects it and makes necessary repairs or patches up had spots. The newer the nun, the less Inspecting- has to be done. "Rain" and scratches are not preventable, because oil motion pic ture operators are not as careful as they should be. Much of the "rain." how ever, is eliminated when a film la "reno vated." that Is. carefully cleaned with a preparation by hand or by a machine. wnen a mm "Jiggles" on the screen, the cause has probably been that it has lost a 'loop." This Is too technical a point to discuss without going into great detail. However, automatic "loop-setters" are placed on all of the latest projecting machines are so marked that a great annoyance, especially to the smaller theatre owners, who hod diffi culty In persuading their patrons that It was no fault of the operator that this occurred. When a. screen suddenly "goes dark" the trouble probably is that the film broke In two and It takes a few seconds for the operator to "thread" the mechanism. Hazel Dawn Deserts Stage The camera has made another success ful invasion of the legitimate stage. Moreover, this latest conquest of the screen Is of a permanent nature, and pro vides the silent drama with a lasting ac quisition of rare artistic and general Im portance. This roost recent ooup at the screen In general and the Famous Play ers Film Company in particular is Hasel Dawn. Closely following- the announcement that the Famous Flayers had secured the exclusive motion picture services of WrJm 1 IBs 4 JsBB HAZEL DAWN Who has forsaken the stage for the films. Managerial Trials Told by a Manager I've given up trying- to explain to peo ple why I can't have "pictures like that" every night- They don't know that the exhibitor has to take what is sent him from the producers. They suppose we go down town or somewhere else, look 'em over and pick out Just what we want If they knew that there are many scores of new pic tures every day, and that no exhibitor can possibly see them all or even very many of them, they might not be so critical. Also they don't realize that in the case of the leading features we have to bind ourselves In advance to take the features that are turned out by a cer tain company, for a certain period of time, and that we have to take what is offered to us. regardless of whether they prove satisfactory or not. The only cnance we have to display our own Judgment in the matter Is In selecting the company which we will patronize. Then if we make a bad guess we have to suffer for It. Not long ago I made a contract with a big company one that has done a whole lot of advertising and shouting about its big features but before I had tried It long I found myself losing money. The pictures did not prove popular, but I could not change until after I had given 30 days' notice. Now, after I have gone over to another company, the one which I abandoned comes along with a good feature and people ask me why I don't get it They are the same ones who didn't like the first ones. If motion pictures were where we could get them and pick out Just what we wan', and get them Just when we wanted them, this game would be easy. Rut it isn't that way. We have to make the best we can out of conditions Just as they are. And at that I think youll find that people on the average are better satisfied with what they see at a motion picture show than they are with what they see at the theatre. When you go to count up the number of different shows we run here through out the year you'll find, I think, that the proportion of good pictures Is remark ably good compared with the good shows one sees on the regular Btage. Some of these days, probably, we will be able always to get Just the pictures we would like to have every day, and then I'll be willing to stand by my own Judgment In picking out the shows that I put on. FILM IS STANDARDIZED. An flbn is standardized and all ma chines are. and the Improvements in projecting machines are so marked that It pays a motion-picture theatre owner to have the very latest and most im proved In his operating room. Until re cently machines were only built to ac commodate KJ00 feet of film, but they are now being made to handle from 1000 to 3000 feet without stopping. An Interesting note in connection with the projection of motion pictures Is that a screen 9 feet by 12 feet shows a picture 133 times larger than the picture on the film Itself. Pauline Frederick for a number of years, comes a statement from that company that It has induced Miss Sawn, who made her screen debut under Its man agement, to abandon the stage perma nently and devote all her time to the production of an elaborate series of fea tures under Its direction. A number of important dramatic and literary successes are being secured by the Famous Flayers as sereen vehicles for Miss Dawn, notable among which are "The Fatal Card." in whteh she "Will ee star with John Mason; "Clarissa," based on Ronald MooDonaW's strange story; "Gambler's Advocate" and "The BaJety Boss." 3 Philadelphia Office 1314 VINE ST. r ( iv r) Telephones Bell, Waliwl3043 KejMone, Race) 3239 STARS PRICE The Exhibitors' League There Is much activity going on at the Exhibitors' League. Committees are busily engaged In making preparations for what? On being asked, "What's up?" the answer Is, "Go see Charles Segall. the president" or "ask Jay Emanuel." For a moment there Is a ray of light Can It be that Jay Emanuel Is making prepara tions to become a June benedict since his engagement has been duly chronicled In these columns? But why special trains, talent, fancy dress? No, no wed dings tells as yet for Jay. Here's the news: The Exhibitors' League will have a "reel" blowout at At lantic City on or about July- 18 to be celebrated In novel manner. QUALITY PUBLICITY COURTESY RELIABILITY POPU LARITY PROMPTNESS "WORLD" FILM CORPORATION A
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