Frank Bates — A Pioneer Film Man (1914) 🇺🇸
Few men are better known in the film market of the world than Frank Bates, who is at the head of the Éclipse Company. Mr. Bates has recently arrived in New York “to take soundings” as he puts it. The Éclipse has long had an enviable reputation for quality. Mr. Bates has come over from Europe to do what he can for the advancement of his company’s interests.
He will visit Chicago as part of his program while in this country, and expects to have a friendly conference with George Kleine, who represents the Éclipse in this country and has represented it here for years.
Mr. Bates has brought with him a filmed version of Marie Corelli’s famous story, Vendetta. In the opinion of experts, this feature, about six thousand feet in length, is one of the finest screen productions ever brought to this country. Another splendid Éclipse has just been released by Mr. Kleine, entitled, Anne Boleyn. This production was reviewed in last week’s Moving Picture World. Mr. Bates is making his headquarters in Albert Blinkhorn’s office in the World’s Tower Building while in New York.
He is renewing old acquaintances daily and closely studying conditions of the market here.
“In England,” said Mr. Bates to a World representative, “there have been great changes in the film market. The drift seems to be away from the really big, long features. The showman has overplayed himself paying fancy prices for big features and has surfeited his public with just that kind of offerings. To-day the average exhibitor in England looks askance at any feature above two reels in length. The single-reel and variety seem to be getting back into vogue. Just how long this condition will last it is hard to say, but there is no doubt that the rush of big exclusives over there has brought on a reaction which must spend itself before there can be another adjustment of conditions. The overproduction and the over-importation of multiple-reel features in England has been almost beyond belief. Conditions on the Continent resemble conditions in England with slight modifications, due to local causes. I am greatly impressed with your splendid market here, and I hope to be able to something which will secure to the Éclipse its proportionate share of the new growth. I have been received courteously and hospitably everywhere and I am greatly pleased and thankful. I do not know just how long I am going to stay; that, of course, to some extent, depends on circumstances and developments, but I am in no great hurry and will stay for about two weeks or more at any rate.”
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[Transcriber’s Note: IMDB lists Frank Bates as an actor, not as a movie executive, but using the same photo. We believe that there is a high likelihood that these are two different persons]
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Charles Eldridge Returns to Vitagraph.
The veteran actor, Charles Eldridge, has returned to his first love, the Vitagraph Company, after nearly a year’s service with the Universal Company. Mr. Eldridge has many admirers in and out of the profession who are always interested in him wherever he may be.
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Candler Theater Opening.
New Forty-Second street house has auspicious premiere — gay assemblage applauds “Anthony and Cleopatra.”
The opening of the Candler Theater on Forty second Street, near Broadway. New York City, on the evening of Thursday, May 7th, was a most auspicious event. The house itself was a veritable dream of loveliness and was materially beautified by the presence of a “first night” audience that has seldom been equaled for class and distinction in this city. Managers Sam Harris and Sol Bloom were present and were busy receiving congratulations. George Kleine, who is interested with Messrs. Harris and Bloom in this venture, was not present, nor was there a noticeable presence of motion picture men, but it was A highly appreciative audience and thoroughly enjoyed the big Kleine-Cines production, Antony and Cleopatra, with which remarkable motion picture feature the theater was opened. The only picture men seen were Nicholas Power and John F. Skarrett of the Nicholas Power Company, and several other members of the Power Company staff.
Considerable time was given the guests to wander about the house before the performance commenced, and they improved the chance to observe the beauties of decoration, of which there are many, and which were mentioned in last week’s issue of The Moving Picture World. This showing of Antony and Cleopatra was the first time the production had been seen in New York. It was shown with appropriate music and amid a special stage setting of some pretentions. The unfolding of the pictured story was followed with the closest interest, and frequent applause greeted the more beautiful scenes.
Newspaper comment on the new theater and the picture in the morning papers of the following day was most liberal in point of space and high in praise of both theater and picture.
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Candler Projection Room.
by F. H. Richardson.
By invitation of the management, the writer attended the opening of the Candler Theater, George Kleine’s new New York house, Thursday evening, May 7th. It is with pleasure that I am able to say that its projection room shows a distinct advance in several items, though some of the hoary-headed old errors, which have obtained ever since operating rooms came into existence, are perpetrated in the new house. In the first place the room is high enough above the curtain to produce quite a decided keystone effect, which, of course, means some distortion, though not sufficient to be measurably objectionable. In the second place the room is reached by an iron ladder set against the wall, for which, with all due respect to the architect, there is no legitimate excuse. This cannot be called an ideal condition, for a narrow stairway could easily have been arranged.
The operating room walls are thoroughly fireproof, and the floor is of cement. The ceiling is 8-1/2 feet in the clear, and the room is 8 x 16 feet, with 4 feet at one end partitioned off for the rewinding room, making the actual operating room 8 x 12. This is large enough for the two machines, but, of course, a little more space would not have come amiss. The ports are very well arranged indeed. The lens ports are about 15 inches square and are covered on the inside by a fireproof shutter two inches thick, having an opening just large enough to accommodate the light ray. This shutter slides in grooves and can be raised or lowered to suit the position of the machine, which eliminates the necessity of chopping a hole through the brick wall after the wall has been built
The observation ports are similarly equipped and the port shutter can be raised or lowered so that the operator can stand up or sit down, and still have the port right in front of his eyes. But right here a mistake has been made, and one which will tend to injure the projection unless the mistake is remedied. The observation ports are only about five inches wide. Of course, the operator can do good work through such a port, but the main point is he won’t. It is not in the nature of things that an operator will put the highest class work on the screen when he has to view his work through a port of this kind.
Ventilation for the operating room is provided by two vents, one 10 inches square, located immediately over the machines, and one round, 18 inches in diameter, located to one side of the machines, which gives more than ample vent flue area. In tin wall near the floor are two inlet openings, but these open directly into the auditorium, whereas they should be brought in from the outer air.
The rheostats are located on a shelf near the ceiling just under the round vent flue, so that the heat from them will go up and out as it should.
The projection equipment consists of two Power’s Six-A machines, and it must be conceded that these two mechanisms projected practically a rock steady picture on the opening night.
The picture is 16 feet 6 inches in width, and the screen is plain, white muslin. The light, on the opening night, was fairly brilliant, and was well handled by J. R. Gibbs, chief operator, and his assistant, Eddie Fitzgerald, both members of Local Union No. 306.
I was informed, at the end of the show, that the current strength would be increased on the following day, but even as it was no severe criticism could be made on the projection, particularly in view of the fact that it was the “first night.”
In closing, I would sum this whole matter up by saying that, while the Candler operating room lacks considerable of being an ideal room, still it has points of excellence which are deserving of commendation. I sincerely hope that the time is not distant when those erecting buildings to be used for moving picture theaters will oblige their architects to call into consultation either a projection engineer or a thoroughly practical projection man, and thus avoid the mistakes, which, although have been pointed out time, time and time again, we still find perpetrated in practically every operating room built in New York City.
Collection: Moving Picture World, May 1914