The New York Clipper (March 1917)

March 28, 1917 THE NEW YORK CLIPPER 33 MANY FILM CO'S SEEK CHAPLIN CONTRACT COMEDIAN WANTS $1,000,000 ASS'N ABOLISHES COUNSEL At the meeting of the executive com- mittee of the National Association of the Motion Picture Industry, held last week, the office of general counsel of the asso- ciation *was abolished by mutual consent. . Mr. Seabury, who previously held, the office, was immediately retained as legal adviser in a case which is now on the calendar of the organization. His yearly contract with the association, however, was terminated. With only a few more months of. his Mutual Film Co. contract to run, Charlie Chaplin is being approached .and sought after by almost every big film manufac- turer in the country. As the eccentric film star has placed a valuation of $1,000,- 000 upon'his services for the next year, ■however, there is likely to be a consider- able amount of negotiation before he af- fixes his signature to a new contract. His income-for. the present year, with a bonus given him by the Mutual concern,'amounts to $670,000. . .- -: I .. . Inquiries revealed the fact that the Mutual is still desirous of retaining the services of Chaplin. Recently John R. Freuler, president -of the company, made a trip to the coast, where he conferred with Chaplin regarding the renewal of his contract at an advance which would ag- gregate a revenue of close to a million dollars for the comedian. Several confer- ences took place, but no decided answer was given by Chaplin. Adolph Zukor, head of the Famous Players and other film concerns, recently returned to New York from a. trip to the coast, where, it is said, be also went for the purpose of consulting Chaplin. His idea, it is said, concerned the establish- ment of a special company to release films through the Artcraft. However, it was learned that no final or definite ar- rangements have' been entered into. ' George Spoor, head of the Essanay Co., was also in California during the past month, and is said to have opened nego- tiations with the eccentric comedian. It is rumored that he offered Chaplin a flat salary of $760,000 a. year, with a per- centage of the profits of the films manu- factured. There were several other offers made to Chaplin by other manufacturers all with salaries said to be close to a mil- lion dollars. But it is understood that Chaplin has a tentative agreement with the Mutual concern, whereby he will ac- cept their offer, providing no better or more profitable proposition ia made. . Chaplin, it is said, "has two more releases to make prior to his present contract ex- piring with the Mutual concern. LESSER SELLING FILM RIGHTS Since the withdrawal last week of "The Ne'er-Do-Well" from the V-L-S-E pro- gram, Sol I*. Lesser, who controls the United States rights, has already closed for a number. of important territories, aside from those which his own offices control. While in Chicago, Mr. Lesser closed with Aaron Jones of the Lewis J. Selznick Productions for Indiana, Illinois and lower Wisconsin. The New England States have been purchased by Louis Mayer-of- the Metro Pictures Corporation of, -Now England, Boston; Minnesota, Iowa, North and'South Dakota and Upper Wisconsin "by the Supreme Feature Film Co., Minneapolis; western Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Kentucky by the Mas- terpiece . Film ■ Attractions, Pittsburgh; Greater New York, New York State and northern New Jersey by Louis J. Selznick; Michigan by Harry Garson of Detroit; Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Montana by the De Luxe Feature Film Co., Seat- tle; California, Arizona and Nevada by the All Star Features Distributors, Inc., San Francisco, Gal. THANHOUSER CHANGES POLICY When asked whether the engagement of Directors Van Dyke Brooke and Emile Chautard meant costlier Thanhouser pro- ductions, Edwin Thanhouser stated that such was the case. He said that hereafter there would be no Thanhouser film plays where the production cost does not reach a certain figure. The features hereafter will not hold to a five-reel length. ERBOGRAPH FORMS 2D COMPANY The new Erbograph Co. has organized a second company of players. to produce features .for., the Art Dramas program. The organization will be headed by Marion Swayne and directed by Joseph Levering. Work has been, started on a play written for Miss; Swayne by the Rev. Clarence J. Harris.... FOLEY BACK FROM FLORIDA John J. Foley, financial and business manager of the Virginia Pearson and Valeska Suratt companies, which are making Fox films at Tampa, Fla., has re- turned to New York, after an absence of four weeks. He will resume his post in Sam Kingston's office. FOX RELEASES TWO FEATURES "Her Greatest Love," with Theda Bars, and "Tangled Lives," with Genevieve Hamper, are the Win. Fox releases for this week. - The first named is founded on Ouida's novel "Moths," and "Tangled Lives" is a screen version of the play. TOTO ENGAGED BY ROL1N FILM Toto, the well-known Hippodrome clown, has succumbed to the lure of the film and at the end of the. present Hip- podrome season he will go to Los An- geles to .work in the studios of the Rolin Film Oo. on a new comedy program. FOX SIGNS' TWO DIRECTORS Geo. H. Melford and Richard Stanton were last week engaged by William Fox as directors. Melford, now with Lasky, will join Fox in May, and Stanton win direct the next Dustin Farnum picture. r. MARSTON REJOINS PATHE Theodore Marston, the well-known di- rector, has. returned to Paths, and is at work in the' Astra Studio, in Jersey City, directing a new serial featuring Mollie King and Creighton Hale. NEW McCLURE SERIAL Frederick L. Collins, president of the McClure Pictures Corporation, announces - the production shortly of a new series of pictures, to consist of nine five-reel fea- tures. . EQUIPMENT MEN CALL NEW CO. TRUST WILL DOMINATE FIELD, THEY SAY What is declared by many New York motion picture equipment men to be the formation of a trust that will soon domi- nate the entire motion picture business sprang into life in Dover, Del., last-week when the United Theatre Equipment Cor- poration, with $3/100,000 capital, secured a charter in that State. Plans for the formation of the company have been .in the air,since last July, it is said. According to the incorporation announce- ment, the men behind the new company are Herbert E. Latter, Norman P. Coffin, and Clement M. Egner, all of the State of Delaware.. None, of them are known in .New York, so far as could .be learned. Rumor, 'spreading like wildfire, has linked the names of the biggest equip- ment companies with the combine, al- though officials of these concerns pre- served discreet silence when questioned. B. F. Porter, of the B. F. Porter Picture Supply Co., who has been mentioned in ?ossip as a member of the combining orces, gave a statement typical of the utterances from the offices of all big dealers. "I can't tell you a word about the or- ganization," he said, "and nobody else will. The people back of it are not going to give out information until they're ready." Mr. Porter declined to say whether or not his company was in the corporation. BL T. Edwards, of the Picture Theater Equipment Co., who, also, is mentioned as one of the combine figures, was out of the city Monday. , Officials of the J. H. Hallberg company permitted themselves only to deepen the mystery of the combine. They declared the whole world would know all about the organization in a few days, but not until those in command of it chose to let the news loose. The smaller dealers were considerably freer of tongue. They declare that the combine already has put into effect a gen- eral increase ia equipment prices, and contemplates increasing the price of pro- jecting machines about $60. One small dealer suffered such alarm over the news of the incorporation that be grabbed a telephone and offered to sell out bis business at once to another in- dependent competitor. He was persuaded to hold out for a while and await an offer from the combine. The organization lists among its pur- poses that of conducting motion picture theatres. If this plan is- carried to its extreme possibilities, the organization' could in time swallow a tremendous chain of theatres. Among the institutions that are thus far believed to be holding aloof from tbe combination are the C. R. Baird Co., the American Standard Machine Co., the Gen- eral Electric and the Westinghouse Elec- tric Co. "V NEWS SERVICE FOR GOVT. The Universal Animated Weekly has been placed at the disposal of the gov- ernment for the dissemination of any propaganda that may be of aid in event of SETTLE CASE AGAINST LUBJN The litigation instituted some time ago by Evelyn Nesbit and Fred Mace against the Lubin Manufacturing Company with reference to the picture, "The Threads of Destiny," has been amicably adjusted. The action was for money due. lite at- torneys were William Grossman, Harry Saks Heehheimer and Nicholas G. Roose- velt, representing Miss Nesbit, Mace and Lubin, respectively. TO CHANGE ADVERTISING METHOD The Frohman Amusement Corp.. an- nounces that beginning with the release o'f its next special production, "God's Man," with H. B. Warner as the star, a new style of general advertising will be adopted which will benefit buyers. Each picture will be given a number of weeks' consistent advertising after it has been sold in a territory. MOVIE COMPANY CHARTERED ' Tbintow, N. J., March 25.—The Rialto Theatre Company, of Camden, has been chartered to conduct motion picture and other theatrical enterprises, as well as athletics. The concern is capitalised at $116,000. Tbe incorporators are Frank G. Hall, of Newark; George A Enright, of Bayonne, and John B. McNally, of Newark. NEW DIRECTOR FOR SURATT After finishing her picture work under the direction of Keenan Buell at Tampa, Yaleska Suratt immediately returned to New York and commenced work at the Fox Fort Lee Studios under the direction of William Nigh. INCE TO DIRECT TODAY" Ralph Ince will direct "Today," the motion picture rights for which have been acquired by Harry Rapf from the authors, George Broadhurst and Abraham Schomer. It will be a special feature to be released on State's right basis. Robert Warwick is interested with Rapf in the venture. NEW TITLES FOR ART DRAMAS The coming Erbograph feature, the working title of which was "The Dragon- fly," will be released April 6 on Art Dramas program under the title "The In- evitable," and the Apollo picture, formerly "Whose Hand!" will be released as "The Great Bradley Mystery," April 12. MORE REISSUES FOR VTTACRAPH The Greater Vitagraph intends to re- issue many of its older masterpieces in order that the motion picture fans of re- cent development may have an oppor- tunity of seeing pictures considered the best in their line when first released. NATIONAL DUTY WEEK PLANNED At a regular weekly meeting held last Thursday the Associated Motion Picture Advertisers entertained four officers of the Army and Navy at luncheon, and for- mulated plans for a National Duty Week, designating week of April 8 to 16. KILL LAW TO BAR FILM Cntcranaxx, Ohio, March 25.—The ef- fort to make tbe Ohio State Legislature enact a law prohibiting tbe exhibition of "The Birth of a Nation" in OMo has failed. THE WHIP" FILM AT PARK The film version of The Whip" put on at the Park Theatre Sunday night for an indefinite run. ... ESSANAY STILL WITH GENERAL The report that the Essanay Co. has withdrawn from the General Film Co. is untrue, according to an announcement made by the two companies. NEW MAXTNE ELLIOTT FILM Marine Elliott is about to begin her second picture in a mystical role written by an author with several stage successes to his credit. The director has not yet been announced. MADGE KENNEDY A CARTOONIST Madge Kennedy, who has signed with the Goidwyn Co., is to publish a series of comic strips which will appear in the daily papers. SINGER BACK FROM TRIP Julius Singer, representative of the L-Ko Co., has returned to New York after an extended trip throughout the country. MATT MOORE GETS RIGHTS Matt Moore has obtained the moving picture rights of "The Turn of the Bal- ance," by Brand Whrtlock. GOLDWYN SIGNS HARRON The Goidwyn Pictures Corp. has en- gaged Bobbie Harron as Mae Marsh's leading man.