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THE EVENING LEDGER PHOTOPLAY SECTION, SATURDAY, JUNE 12, 1915.
13
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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