Show BERNHARDT ACTS fOR PHOTOPLAY B BanKrupt Soda Fountain Owner St Starts First NicKel NicKel- odeon odeo in Memphis HADE MADE FORTUNE THE FIRST YEAR Less ILess Less Immorality in Five- Five Cent Picture Show Than Thanin in Two Dollar Theatre BY FREDERIC J. J HASKIN The development dc of the motion pic pic- ic- ic ture from the crude eye blinding spectacle spec- spec i ta le of 1896 to tile the finished photoplay of tod today y is a wonder equaled on only y by bythe bythe the rapidity with which the oving picture sprang into popular favor faor and employment in Tall all t l' l parts of the worldon world world- On St St. Patricks Patrick's day Bob Fitzsimmons wrested rested the championship of the pu pugilistic world from Jim Corbett Corin Cor Cor- bett in in- Carson City Nev They fought ou ht under h glare lare of scores of of e lights pla placed e in the position for formen men men to take moving pictures of nf the miU The resultant were the first firstS S- S moving I pictures to be widely exhibited n In n the United States State The They were hown shown in the bi big theatres of the coun coon try ry and left a a. a trail of aching eyes and if f rayed fraed nerves from the Atlantic to the Pacific Pa The pictures jumped flickered flashed and di did almost everything i possible to make he spectator close his b beves eves in self But Bat they moved noved That was was the wonder wander and the people risked headache to see them move t Bernhardt Acts Act C Canaille Camille nille for Pictures Now after afler the lapse of less Jess than fifteen fifteen fifteen teen years one may sit sitS before the moving moin picture screen aud andee ree ee there all alI il ibe world world real real and and mimic He may mayx x jj Madame Sarah Be Bernhardt t the e fore- fore f actress of the time playing Ca Ca- l as s a photoplay he be roar maj see the tJ ewI wl crowned George V. V receiving the time homage of his people he may see the cleaving the air ships at sea wild beasts in their jungles children t t t lay ulay men at work plants growing and nd flowers flowers' bl blooming and anda and a thousand a n nd one wonders wonders ali all allin tIl in moVing mo Pice pie pie- i e e And if they they've rc of the best the io not 1 jump 1 nor nori as Fin the he beginning the time success success of a picture exhibition depended al- al wholly upon the quality of mao rao- The simple fact that pictures picture thrown upon apon a a. screen b by a a. stereopticon b- b could move moye was enough to please the thet jr J t spectator Pictures were taken ol ot groups walkin walking on the street of men tJ leaving factories at the end Pond of the time days day's work of trains rushing b by st sta- sta and In n short bort of all an l kinds of e everyday incidents The Theli li pictures which were werf at at first exhibited jc at high h prices in large theatres soon soon f became a a. regular ular the program feature in vaudeville and stock company com corn pany any theatres Photoplay Evolved Early ts The public quickly grew ew tired of time the i. i commonplace street scenes and partly partI In in response to popular demand an and ana because o of th the inc increasing easing easing- com coin petition between the several motion picture concerns the photoplay or ori i dramatic exhibition specially posed for fori i i. i the moving mo picture camera was evolved Still having ing in mind the psychological of violent motion in pictures the tho first lt crude photoplays nearly all r ere s-ere ere II chase pictures The plot night might be anything at all aU if only it introduced a a chase A fleeing thief pursued by two or three policemen and andL collection of It citizens a a L motley was wasa a a. feature of almost every film About the same time the possibilities ties bes of the moving moving- picture as an instrument u ment meat of instruction began beean to l be e realized realized real real- and and ana travel pictures came into Motion still being regarded as asan asan an essential the camera ramera man mounted moving movin trains and as a result the patrons patrons pa- pa of the theatre were vere whirled backard back- back ard Td and forward forwar through miles mile and biles of scenery little attempt being na ade e at selection or diversification Perhaps the first use mice of the moving picture for educational pur- pur noses was political the republican na na- onal oual campaign n committee in 1900 u uin mis- mis in pictures of s scenes senes and ana incidents incidents inci mci- dents in the Philippine islands to support sup sup- port fe-port Tort port their contention that the islands be he retained under American p. p Pictures Hurt the Eyes But still the moving movin picture re had not r me into its own At best it was but the last lart vaudeville stunt on the pro pro- 1 ram in a cheap theatre and a large percentage e of time the people usually out ont before time the pictures picture began beca be be- ca e e II they hurt my eves eyes i Then rhen came the thA II nickelodeon n As Asfor for the honor of Homers Homer's birth many Cities claim to have the five five- eat cent theatre hut but perhaps history will Cord it to Memphis It was iras the inspiration in m- of a soda poda fountain man He Tie Tied had Ad d bought an expensive soda fountain and n F had llad installed it in an old drug tore He soon found that he was los- los Dg 1 money Just when he be seemed tt to be ben fl n U the brink of bankruptcy his landlord landor land land- or lord came ame and offered him the next door building at a bragain rental The building he already had was not pay- pay inS but as lIe he had everything to gain ain and nothing to lose he concluded he ho would take both buildings s. s I Soda Fountain Man Starts Show He je cast about for some ROme means means of I making makin it pay and just then a. n maker I of If moving pictures came by The picture pic pie I r ture lure maker also was in financial straits i i facin facing ruin i The two men put their heads tO together and decided to open a ak k small theatre in the e empty pty building buDding They installed chairs on a flat floor put up a canvas screen bought a ae e and threw open onea the time doors Continued on page 4 I BERNHARDT ACTS FOR PHOTOPLAY Y Continued from page e 1 of t the he first theatre to be devoted ex ex- to mo in moving pictures They Ther asked 10 cents admission It was n not t forthcoming They cut the price to a Nickelodeon n nickel v. v i and n named naniel their theatre the It was a success from th the beginning At the end of the fa firsts first tho so soda fountain foutain man and the moving picture maker had bad in the bank and were well rH op on the road to fortune Their ties Jea spread cad like wildfire all over the country until tn now thero th arc are no less that than movin moving picture theatres in the he United States Business Becomes Becom s National With tho multiplication of places de de- voted to the exhibition of f mb picures pic pie tures' tures ures the demand on ori t tho manufacturers ers rs increased not o only ly in quantity tv but also became more steady and r reliable The l business of producing films of dis die them and of exhibiting pic pie tures tires all at at once crystallized into a great national nation a enterprise The moving mo picture show bow from tho the beginning had its thousands a and its tens ens of thousands of friends who were willing to lo pay to see the he pictures s but it t very soon d developed many powerful enemies In many cities especially tho the smaller mailer ones one the retail merchants objected ob ob- strenuously largely on the ground that the nickelodeons were tak- tak in ing ng in in the pennies that used to go for although although- sometimes because of the tho ho noise noise an 1 disorder occasioned by the he new new abandoned practice of stationing station station- ing inA ng barkers with meA megaphones hones at the tho entrance to the theatres In some places police olice regulations were m roade de so strict as is practically to amount to prohibition ion but as the nickel deon had the tho public generally on their side sWe these am annoy annoy- oy sogn s d. d way away Opposed on Moral Grounds Then the moving monA pictures had to run the he gauntlet of opposition tion based upon moral Aroun grounds s. s Unscrupulous and Mil Mil- jar gar ar m men n s sought to make Iy y A to the tho lower owEr tastes an and ana passions pas pas- ions of the tho people antl movin moving pie plc tures were exhIbited that were often vulgar sometimes immoral an and occasionally occa- occa tonally positively positive indecent and aud crimi- crimi nat nal al Th The Tho press press and and united to oppose this evil and ana for a time time- the moving loving picture show bow was as subjected to general enera blanket indictments indictments' Good Goodmen Goodmen men could see n nothing thiD in it but evil The film makers getting ettin into closer loser organization rl recognized o that theirs vas was a profitable business that was about bout to be ve ruined an 1 I that it could be e saved laved only l' l a strict observance of f the proprieties Most 1 of them vol vol- submitted d their pictures to a aboard aboard board of censors composed of persons of f tho the highest standing in church and society and cud for for Ithe the past four or five years rears the unmoral moving movinA picture show shown in in n the United States has been the rare rate exception Havin Haying met successfully the enmity of f rival rhul business busies men meu and having mended ed their manners so 10 as to merit the tie moral support of moral men the loving picture had haa to win the approval val of f people of taste As the 5 cent theatres the demand for photoplays increased proportionately Stock tock companies were put to work and andie the ie great film making nakin concerns preceded proceeded proceeded pro pro- ceded to turn out play after play for forie forthe forthe the ie pictures Trick rick Pictures Disappearing At first tint all aU of ot them were crude and many nany of them w were r positively ely offensive to o all ilI persons of good taste Gradually Gradual Gradual- ly chase hase br began an to be droppel 1 out ut tho the trick picture was eliminated and nd the producers be began an to put forth their best efforts to uplift so to speak the ie sta stage e of the bi li theatre And now despite despi e the tho preponderance of f the tho western pictures with their preposterous Indians Indian and impossible cowboys and notwithstanding the sur stir of sentimentality and pathos the tho ho photoplay is 1 b better than thant it t was a II y yar far ar a ago o or even six months a ago go o and it is getting better every lay clay ay Tho The time has already alrE come comae when persons persons of pf good taste may venture into the he first cent 5 theatre at hand without as s much ri risk of ofT offense nM as is taken upon going Foin into a 2 theatre Tomorrow 1 I MOVING PICTURES III Making Making l the is' is |