The Washington herald., 1914-07-14
ALL THE LATEST PHOTOPLAY NEWS lor e st..la a
Fleeing Views.

Recently there was a letter published
in the Queries column OF this depart
ment criticisins Washington photoplay
managers for producing blood and thun-
der features instead OF really worth while
pictures.
Here is an extract fron the Moving
Picture World which seemslto to show that
a similar condition existS S6niyersally.
II Is a notorious fact<that In the midst
Of an unprecedented ovefprsduction Of
multiple reels there Is q painful dearth
Of good features which would help the
exhibitor to make money. The Moving
Picture World has received more than
one letter from exhibitors who wonder
what has become of the supply Of
quality features. One correspondent
writes 10 us enumerating a long list OF
good features with which he has made
money and then deploring the fact that
the supply OF this kind Of films is giving
out He says he IL only looking for the
best and wants to steer clear OF the
cheap stun"
1t is not easy TO understand or explain
the situation. The prevailing opinion
seems to be that there must be an awful
shrinkage In the production OF cheap
1e~~ScoAN-
revival OF long flms of quality. The
season is, OF course. responsible for much
of the poor business, but old film men
say that they have never known a worse
season than this There Is an unsettled
condition which has now continued Tor
some time. but IL looks from the efforts
which are being made in many quarters
as II the coming OF the fall might bring
the hoped-for. Improvement.
NGCl
that ought to be put out OF business i'm
mediately. The pictures they make are
a thousand times more sensational and
bIoodthirsty and exaggerated than any
thing ever produced on the stage-even
the melodramatic stage We ought to
know that here in Washington for this
city has been flooded with them. II a
censorship board could be relied upon TO
wipe out such pictures we would welcome
censorship gratefully. But the answer
lies deeper than censorship-yet Is much
more simple. The public which likes
good photoplays and good features-and
does not like the -Gypsy's Love% or The
Broken Hearted Moonshiner" or trashy
films Of any sort has simply fto stay
away from the houses which show such
pictures-or inform the managers that
they will stay away unless the hlm serv-
ice Is changed. That is the answer-the
public We think 1t does not like to-
see blood and thunder melodramas on
the screen-if that is true then the remedy
lies in their own hands.
In Southern California, the high schools
recognizing an opening for educational
motion pictures. have organized an asso-
citation for promoting that work II Is
their intention. to work out. courses in
the various school subjects, so far as
possible. to correlate with the class work.
giving through the year one period a
week TO moving pictures, which will re-
view the work covered in class during
the week MI. c. II. Carson of the Pasa-
dena High School is the chairman of the
general committee in charge OF the work
At the Twenty-third street CNew York;
Mutual Exchange they are laughing
over this one:
The day before The Fourth Exhibitor
Hick walked up to the reel counter;
u want The Battle of the Sexes for
tomorrow. The Fourth" he said.
Sorry, but we can't give you q print
for tomorrow" condoled the exchange
man. However. We can let you have
IL on Monday"
NO good to me then" declared the
exhibitor What I want is a smashing
film with lots of blood and gunpowder in
II for my Fourth OF July patrons.
When II was carefully explained to Mr..
Hick that THE Battle Of the Sexes.
one of d. w. Griffith's master produc
tions. did not contain even a cap pistol
duel the exhibitor stalked Indignantly
away.
Mildred Bright sang and danced an
entrance into stage-land four years ago
by way of the musical comedy. Hav-
ana" That was just by way Of enter
ing. for her tendencies and ambitions
were for the drama and not for musical
comedy. However. the latter served, and
she consiers her three years experience
in this line most valuable. The oppor-
tunity to play straight drama seemed
long in coming; but. with October last,
II made itself welcome in an offer from
the Universal-Eclair company, and since
then Mildred has occupied one OF the
Eclairs sunny dressing-rooms and lets
her sunny disposition show itself in the
strong Eclair films in which she demon
strates it to herself and others In fact.
the niche she fills was particularly
meant for her. She believes in the early
to bed and early to rise" proverb, and