The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-05-18
MOVIES TO CUT OUT
THOSE LURID FILMS
Theatre Owners Beginning to
Find That Bloody Stuff Is
Hurting Attendance.
TO HOLD CONVENTION HERE
Two Hundred Picture Houses in
Virginia Fear Adverse
Legislation.

Motion picture exhibitors from every
section OF the State Will meet In Rich
mond next Friday for the purpose OF
organizing Virginia State branch OF
the Motion Picture Exhibitors League
OF America. The convention Will be
In session all day al the Jefferson Ho-
tel. and after framing constitution
Tor tho government OF the Virginia
oranch, VIII elect officers who Will
guide In the first year.
President NJ a. Nefr. OF the Motion
ricture Exhibitors League OF Ameri-
ca Will come from Cincinnati to de-
iiVer an address. and there will be
speeches by members OF the league
from other States. The Washington
city local will send a delegation. -e-
SIDES electing officers and transactine
the necessary business incident 70 or
ganization, the convention will elect
delegates and alternates to the national
convention OF motion picture exhibi.
tors. which viii be held at the Grand
Central Palace in New York. July 5-12
The Richmond meeting will end with
dinner at the jefferson Hotel Fri
day night
Many Theatres I'm Virginia.
Behind the simple announcement OF
the founding OF Virginia organIza-
an Alladin-like story OF an Industry
grown up over night, which daily SUP.
plies the dramatic hunger of millions
OF Americans. In the State of Vir-
Einia there are to-day 200 theatres
depending upon the film fot their chief
attraction and entertaining daily an
proHimately quarter OF a million PEG
pie.
1t was inevitable that an Industry
Sh
In the early days OF the moving pic
ture theatre-and the movies are still
Tess than decade old-the producing
companies sent out from their studios
many film STEPPED in coarse bur
iesque. and the French picture. with
everything that the name implies as
an indispensable part of the program
Then there arose In New York a body
OF men and women who formed the
National Board of Censorship and the
coarse film disappeared. Gradually
the standard of motion picture drama
improved until to-day women OF re-
hnement can attend the movies with
out lsushing.
But the problem is not solved. Mo-
ton picture theatres spring up over
night and. under the stress of conpe-
tition, there is a race to attract pat
ronagc. There is tendency toward
luridness and forced sensationaIism
and the indicate aud insidious film
is not unknown. To this is ADDED the
fact that there is a well-dehned ten
dency on the part of states aud NUM-
cipalities TO hedge the moving pic
ture business around with trouble
some and needless legislation
Organize. TO Protect
Motion picture men throughout the
United States are organizing to raise
the STANDARD of the films shown ut
their theatres. and to protect them
selves against harmful legislation
said l. r. Thomas, yesterday. MIR
Thomas is one OF the national orEani-
Zers OF thc Motion picture Exhibitors
League, and will be in the city until
the Virginia branch is organized
Forty states already have branches
Virginia Will be the forty-tirst."
said Mr.. Thomas. while this State
has been comparat lively free from OBJ
HoXious special legislation on the sub
Ject OF motion picture theatres, II is
we'll that there should be a STATE or
sanization to protect the industry,
should such legislation be attempted.
There are already signs indicating
that the motion picture business in
this State will be made the subject OF
special laws"
Cutting the Bloody Stun.
The othsr big object of the motion
circuits the crime film in which there
is overmuch of pistol play and gore,
and those problem play pictures which
rely for their lure upon the sensuous
appeal OF its situations. The moving
picture men take the position that
every time a man goes through his
death agonieS on the screen. the pic
ture house loses ten patrons OF The
better kind, and every time the film
,Ik
theatre loses caste as a place OF de-
cent entertainment
The Improvement of motion picture
comedy and drama Will be discussed
W several speakers at Fridays meet
ing. The session will be open TO the
public. With the motion picture men
will meet representative of the
large manufacturers OF motion pic
ture requisites, who will have on dis
play projecting and moving picture
machines, musical instruments for mo-
ton picture theatres, and other NOV
ing picture accessories.
Expect LILLIAN Walker.
Mr.. Thomas said yesterday that ne
had received a letter from Lillian
v alkcr--probably the last known of
the country's moving picture actresses
stating that she expected to attend
the Richmond convention. If she
comes. she will mako a talk on the
art of acting for the movies. Miss
Walkers dimply, attractive lace is
known to every lover of the nlm. and
her presence at the convention would
swamp the Jefferson Hotel Auditorium.
She is usually seen playing opposite
John Bunny-the Vitagraph Colnpany's
S1.000,000 fat man.
At the Virginia Theatre yesterday
Miss Vera Black, former leading wo
man with the Biograph Company, de-
1ivered ten-minute lectures between
films, in which she herself appeared In
leading roles, relating droll cxpe-
riences In acting for the camera man.
TO reporter for The Times-Dis
patch Miss Black. who Is a vivacious
brindle-b blonde, confessed that acting
before the camera is about as difficult
as acting before the footllghts. on