United labor bulletin., 1914-07-25

such as Quo Vadis,'' is put on tour just
like a travelling theatrical company, with
manager, a press agent, trained opera
tor and plenty of paper. 1t plays on
royalty basis.
There is no doubt but that the fea-
ture film OF the kind have just mem
toned has weakened the hold that the
exchange has had upon the exhibitor.
The purveyors of the old-time shorter
photoplay maintain that it is the craze
of the moment and that the motion pic
ture goer wants variety of subject But
/ the fact remains that the stirring,
scenic, so-called star features are gain
ing rather than losing in box office value
and are Turing millions of capital into
this newest phase of the business.
Some Fortunes in Films.
This seems an opportune place to in
4 ject some of the hitherto untold romance
of the reels and to show the pranks that
fortune has played with notable films.
From these annals you will find that
the cherished commercial traditions of
the speaking stage, the money making
records rolled up by such perennials as
The Old Homestead" Way Down
East Uncle Toms Cabin and .'Hazel
Kirke" are likely to have lesser proto-
types in the biographies Of some OF the
picture plays that during the brief
period of a year have come to the atten
tion of at least a fourth of the people
of the United States.
The case furnished by "Quo Vadis'' is
one in point. This film was made in
Italy at a cost of $4,000 in Italian
money. Over here, with the higher cost
of labor, it would have meant an out
lay of nearly 100000.
The success of "Quo Vadis" was sem
sationaL At prices of 25 sAd so cents
it filled the theater twice day and ran
for Is weeks. At McVicker's in Chica-
go it almost duplicated this record. Then
began an amazing career. Theaters all
over the country pleaded to have the
film 1t ran all summer in Boston, two
months in Philadelphia. five weeks in
Baltimore, and SO on from coast to
coast. During some weeks il played TO
$1,000 n week in New York alQne Dur
ing the first eights months of its ap-
pearance i nthe United States it brought
in S250,000, and it is still doing bust
ness. Such are the possibilities OF the
feature film.
There are real adventures in films.
too, as the case of Traffic in Souls
will show. The beginning was pctur-
esque. Up in the scenario department OF
the Universal Film Company was a
young editor named Walter Mcnamara,
who had an ambition to become drec-
tor He had been a newspaper man and
he had good nose for the timely. The
New York papers blazed with white
slavery. the grand jury reeked with in
vestigation of the Underworld Me-
Namara saw his chance, for he said to
himself: "a
''Here is the opportunity for, ~ great
film story and it will make me drec-
tor"
So he wrote the story, which he called
chiefs.
"rraffic in Souls"
The play was put on and the title
strung on the outside in red lights, fit
ting herald of what lurked within
The unexpected happened. The theater
was packed four times day for weeks.
So tremendous was its success that it
was planted in four other New York
theaters at the same time. Thus it en-
joyed the distinction of playing to five
different audiences at the same moment
within a comparatively small radius.
And every house did capacity business.
In one week it played to a gross bust
ness of $4,000.
| Fifty positives were made and the
country was invaded. Every film went
out with all the accessories OF a regu-
lar theatrical organization. The Shuberts
bought third interest in the film and
booked it in their own theaters. 1t was
better paying attraction than many of
the expensive companies they had out.
Such was the record of film that was
at first despised and wellngh rejected.
1t is fitting to add that since Mr. Nc.
Namara had turned out this scenario in
the regular performance of his work he
got no royalty. But at Christmas time
his employers presented him with a
check for $4,000 in appreciation of his
work.
This incident illustrates the swiftness
with which sensational movie success
can be capitalized. All that was neces-
sary to secure so sources of income was
to print so positives and turn them loose
on an expectant public everywhere with
trivial cost. Now if "Traffic in Souls"
had been a regular play it would have
been necessary to hire cast for each
road company and rehcarse at least two
weeks, and the expense would have been
heavy even before dollar came in.
Millions in Nickels.
The admission to the movie theater
has steadily risen. Only few years
ago 10 cents was the standard. Now
some of the finer houses get so cents
AT the vltagraph theater in New York
once the Criterion and the home Of
many famous dramatic productions
you can get 81 seats. This is the first
instance where big producing company
shows its films in its own theater.
Here, as elsewhere in the business, it
is difficult to get at actual financial
facts. The theaters themselves cover
wide range trents vary from $500 a
year and less for the store shop up to
$4,000 year for the converted Broad
way theater), and the price of film