Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1912-08-09
Loss OF MOTION PIC7URESA
SERIOUS BLOW To FIGHT GAME
New Laws Practically Put Stop to Taking Pictures of Fqhts
and Golden Harvest of the Past win Not Be Reaped
Again-Proffts Have Fallen Off Lately

An act Of Congress by which tn,
transportation OF moving pictures o
nights from one State TO another, OF
from any one of the States to a for
eign country, has knocked one of the
props from the fight game, which
seems to be taking all sorts of pun
ishment in this age. Just how far this
new Federal lawmaking will go to
ward hurting the game financially il
more or less Of problem. To a GER
tain extent IL will cut into the re
eeipts OF the top-notch boxers-the
men who hold the championship
but at the same time there is no
question that the moving picture
game, SO far as fights are concerned,
is not what II used to be. III
James 'Coffroth, the San Francisco
promoter, says, for example, that the
question of taking pictures makes very
little difference with him when 1t
comes to signing men for bout. The
promoter, however. is speaking COM
paratiyely when he makes this state
ment; but where there were thou
sands in profits at one time there
are hundreds today, and even a cham
pion y not overlooking the hundreds
that will swell the total he makes in q
fistic encounter.
While the provisions. of the pro-
posed legislation have not been fully
announced, men chiefly concerned are
inclined to admit that when the gov
ern6ent puts down its foot there will
be q halt. Moving picture films might
be Struggled out Of the country, but,
even so, there would be q risk. So
far as taking them from one State to
i-nother, ii would be out OF the ques-
ton, for their exhibition in any but
the State In which the fight took
place would be prima facie evidence
that the law had been violated.
Original Cost Heavy.
There IL q preliminary expense In
securing the negative of the fight,
usually amounting to $500, and as
State rights today do not sell for more
than $500 at the most, It Is quite
plain 70 understand that the taking
or such pictures win 3be practically
stopped. With ouch pictures more or
less gamble. always depending upon
the outcome Of the match, there will
be few promoters sand fewer fighters
inclined TO take that chance.
II is a most effectual way Of shut
ting off such reproductions of bouts,
for while II does not interfere In any
way with the taking of such pictures,
1t does hit the pocketbook, and that
is where 1t commences to count.
So, IL can be said that the day OF
the picture game is over for the box.
ers, and people must take their inIoF-
nation first handed or be satisfied
with what they can read.
Speaking from the fight standpoint,
the moying-picture game can be d.
yided into two stages. IA
One of them, for the sake Of con-
venience, can be called the ancient
age. The other. naturally. the mol
ern era.
In way, such a division is mis-
leading, since IL was only fifteen
years ago that the first reproductions
were made. Pictures were taken Of
the Corbett- Fitzsimmons mill at Car
seG in 1897. and. for those days, cutie
q sum was realized. Two years later
PICTURES were taken of the Sharkey-
Jefsr.es combat at Coney island. but
for some reason the venture was not
q success and the idea was dropped
by promoters.
The Modern Era.
Six years later the modern age of
the picture game as related to pugi-
lism came into existence Pictures