Belt Valley times. [volume] (Armington, Mont.) 1894-1977, 1926-07-08

Thomas Alva edison, inventor Of the motion
picture Rim, the Gamers and the klnetoscope-the
chronological foundation Of the art Of the motion
picture. Courtesy Simon and sehustsr.)
faces Soon vaudeville actors began to appear A
young dancer named Dennis was among them.
She is now Ruth ST. Denis
The first motlon-picture emporium was opened
April H. 1894, at No. 1f55 broadway. New York
Ten peephole Microscopes attracted the public
II must be remembered that pictures the
screen as we know them had not yet made their
appearance. All movies were shown to one person
at time. through the peephoIe This, Of course,
limited the patronage. The magic lantern, on the
other hand, for several hundreds OF years had
shown stlIl-pictures to entire audiences
On the Screen at Last
Why not combine the magic lantern and the
knetoscopel This question stirred, almost stimuli
taneously the minds Of several men, including
Edison In Chicago Edwin Hill Amet pondered
the idea in Virginia Prof WoodviIl Latham
played with It In England Robert Friese-Greene
started working, and In France two instrument
makers, Louis and Auguste Lumiere set about to
put motion pictures on the screen.
Out Of all this effort grew litigation which In
one form or another going strong until as late
as 1911, and may still have belated appearance
on some court dockets
Mr. Ramsaye says that the LumIere protector
made its debut In March. 1896 under the name OF
the cinematograph Several weeks later Professor
Latham, In America, demonstrated his protector,
and only short time later Amet made his show
Ing. In general all these devices were the same
with minor exceptions In the perfOratioh of the
film and In method Of winding and rewinding
These preciDitated legal battles In which were
spent millions of dollars In costs, only to end as
rule. IN compromise and combination of the COM
Inc nrffo fhssof .44nT
development Of motion pictures, was ready 10
revoludonize the world OF amusement aa early as
1895
The first public screen showing was made April
20. 1896, at the old Roster Bal music hall, In
Twenty-third street, New York. These were simple
subjects, dancers acrobats and the iIke-anything
with action in II.
The idea that any actor would want money for
his efforts never occurred to the early Aim makers
The publicity they got out Of It was held to be
ample remuneration. Carmenclta q Spanish
dancing star, performed; Annabelle Moore put on
a serpentine: sandow and other notables Of the
time all worked this basis OF payment
Censorship Begins
About this time came the frat censorship The
Edison company had produced piece in which
Dolorita put hoochle-koochie, dance made
known to America at the Chicago worlds fair.
Microscopes by this time, IN 1895 were fairly
well distributed and there were several doing
business on the Atlantic City board walk. Some
body took peep at Dol0rita became shocked Mt
her performance. and promptly wrote letter 10
the authorities. The result was that the owner
Of the establishment wrote the New York once,
~send me another film The police say that DoIo-
rita's dance Is too strong"
AS early as 1895 the movies not yet known BIZ
that title Of course began TO attract the attention
Of scores Of men who saw the opportunities for
money -making. Their fmaginations had been fired
BY such exploits the filming. in 1897, Of the
corbett Fitzsimmons fight AT Reno. which ran
1900 feet. and was shown at the old New York
academy Of Music. the first special showing OF a
,icture- The same year one Alexander Victor, q
magician. opened the frst m0tion-plcture theater
With 200 chairs In 1t. This was in Newark NJ J.
md admission was Is cents IT soon failed
The war with Spain helped boost the new art
Tere opportunity TO get real action The
1tagraph company, formed BY Jimmy BIackfon.
New York reporter, Albert r. Smith, q spirit
ablnet exhibitor and one Pop Rock. Harlem
llIlard hall Keeper concOcted a picture called
Tearing Down the Spanish Flag In Chicago
seorge X. spoOr, news dealer By day and ticket
ender By night In cheap vaudeville house. ana
.dwin H. Amet. the inventor OF one kind Of pro-
rotor showed the destruction Of Cervernss aees
9th Of them we're fakes. The flag was torn
own" on a lot in Brooklyn. and the ~heet~ was
laneuyered in a washtub at the Waukegan 0fl)
IudIo Of spoor and Amet
This was the day OF tho Gin pirate. II anyone
lade picture which attracted the public, others
nmedfafeiy would copy H. The industry lad
red the unscrupuloua enfrepreneuF as well an
loss who lived BY higher ethics. ana where
onsy is at stake anything Il likely 20 happen.
ne company produced the story OF The cruciAxion.
ID another promptly copied II and ~bootlegwed~
10 not unwilling exhibitors
This stafus OF general Droducfion az paeturss Cos