The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-04-27
AUSTRALIANS SHOW BUSINESS
NOTING PICTURES THE THING,
SAYS &. SPENCER.

Hse Makes 'Em ana Exhibits T1sn. 30 ne
0agat 90 Knew MIG Houses wtth
klnbsrate Programmes. Net 1--WE Ce1e
GubSy Hsles tine Legitimate suffers.
They run the moving picture business
on a different plan altogether out In
Australia from what they do here.
according to Z. Spencer Of Sydney.
who arrived at the Belmont yesterday
on his way 10 England. No holes in the
wall. with n glass front. with people
TANNED into frstraps. out there. accord
! ing tn Mr. spencer The moving picture
theatre in Australia 10 run just like a
first class vaudeville house.
Mr. Spencer controls a chain Of theatres
in various cities He says he does not use
hrs first name and Is known simply as
= Spencer
This has been q very prosperous
theatrical season in Australia generally
said Mr. Spencer yesterday. The
country was never 30 prosperous a. it
"a now. and the theatres have been getting
their share. You see. there are only
5.1O.OOO people IN the whole country.
ana when you figure that Of wool alone
IS GO 600 pounds were clipped in Australia
las, year you can get some idea Of the
money that IL icing made. Then living
Is not expensive. A. II il here.
-Of course the laws are peculiar. For
instance. the wage in every industry 10
fixed Scene shifters get sis a week
and stage carpenters SO. The musicians
get SIS a week. with extra pay for mat
mes and for more than one rehearsal.
There II no regular scale. however. for
actresses and actors
As for the moving picture business.
instead Of the little five and ten cent
Joints that you have here. with people
running IN and out. tho audience changing
after zach quarter or half an hour. we
give a whole afternoon OF evening per-
formance lasting two hours and a half
Our moving picture theatres hold from
2.NOo TO 3.OOO. some OF them more. and
We charge from a shilling (2S cents
TO n half crown (d2ll cents for a SCAT |
Theatrical managers tell me that the |
moving picture show has hurt vaudeville |
and the legitimate theatre out there. In |
Melbourne. for instance. Ne have three !
moving picture theatres adjoining one I
another one holding $50 and the other |
two 500 each They are generally /
pretty well filed and when you take I
iOSdo osIt Of the amusement going popu- /
latlon Of q town of 0OO.OO each night 10 /
- bound to AFFECT the other theatres
We give an entire programme Of
moving pictures. with no vaudeville in l
between. We have lecture always.
and there are a dozen men on tho stage |
sary noises and illustrations. and then
there Is a nag orchestra. Here there IL
q trust. a renting concern. and you have
shows in all sorts Of little rooms We
pick out the leading subjects in the mar
kets OF tho world. buying many In America.
4 h. /
We are buying now come from Italy. for
the Italians are getting ahead q the
French IN the manufacture Of moving
pictures. We had the Roosevelt Jungle
pictures IN Australia before they we're
being shown In this country. We get
pictures 81 the bsadinR events u the
world by the first steamer after the
event takes place We show the Derby
thirty days after Il IL run. and We were
showing the Paris food within a month
after 10 took place. L.
You cannot persuade me thst YOU
can show moving pictures well in a tiny
room. WhV tho best people IN Australia
come To our shows. Ours was tho first
performance 81 any kind that Lord Dud-
lev. the Governor-C General Of the Com
mon wealth. attended after he reached
Australia. and We have gwen speCia.
for Lady Dudley. ! went
out there seven years ago from England
with the idea that I could make hug
,
in at once upon that plan am now max
ing moving pictures myself. and have
n place near Sydney where ! prepare
nv subjects. No. ! haven't made pny
scenes yet hut ] arm thinking
~ sending an expedition 10 tho
SolOmon Islands for that purpose. though
l do not know whether a cannihsl feast
would appeal 20 the public.
i have he~n trying Co get the moving
picture rights for the JeGfries-Johnson
ataFhN 4 H. ~ -
t75 OOI for SpCh rights exclusi veiy
But they -s--rn to want too much money
American actors IN Autralia? Well. ,
We don't have many There 10 young
woman named little Bruno. who is an ,
American. and who has made a big hit ,
put there. hut ] don't recall any others /.
II late. Oscar Aahe. the English actor.
"a making a tour ~ the country which
~ proving very successful. A fer vaUde-
vile. We have two classes II 10. the better
'howing European talent and the cheaper J
mostly given over to Australian perform
rs n