Exhibitor's Trade Review (May-Aug 1924)

June 14, 1924 Page 17 j^'ED HOLMES has returned to New York from Washington, where with Allen Glenn and Nelson R. Bell of the Crandall staff he started on its course "Abraham Lincoln," which was shown at Harry Crandall's Metropolitan Theatre. The formal opening was preceded by a showing at the New Willard Hotel. Prior to the screening of the picture there was a dinner given at the Washington Hotel to a number of well known residents and to representatives of the New York motion picture business publications. The picture opened well and Mr. Holmes reports that the houses have been steadily increasing in size from the initial showing. A/TR. CRANDALL said that the Metropolitan Theatre, where the Lincoln picture is now being shown, abuts the party wall of the old Ford Theatre, the house in which Lincoln was shot. (]HARLES CHRISTIE, the business end of the Christie Brothers, comedy makers, is in New York for a fortnight for conferences with the officials of the Hodkinson Corporation which is releasing "Hold Your Breath." Mr. Christie while here will secure the rights to one or more Stage comedies and also participate in the spring golf tournament, which may be something else again. JOHN J. IRIS, operating the Iris Film Exchange and one of the well known New York exchangemen, died suddenly May 27 following an attack of pneumonia. He was fifty years old. gAM BULLOCK, head of the Theatre Owners Public Service Departmentof Ohio, stopped over in New York the production chief of Famous Players, has sailed for P^ngland, where he will submit the script of "Peter Pan" to Mr. Barrie. With him he will take tests of all the players who have been considered for the role. Mr. Lasky while abroad also will confer with novelists and dramatists regarding the purchase of screen material. TRENE RICH, who is in England, where she will play the leading feminine role in "What the Butler Saw," writes home that she is the recipient of many pleasant attentions in that country. gNOWDEN H. SUMMERS, known to New York newspaper men generally as "Sum" and who for three years has been assistant to Charles E. Moyer, advertising manager of United Artists, will become editor of the New York Evening Bulletin. This journal will begin publication about the middle of the present month. Mr. Summers is a southerner, a graduate of Nebraska State University and did his first newspaper work in Chicago. He was on the Evening Telegram in New York for fourteen years. "yHE Motion Picture Theatre Owners of Michigan opened their new headquarters on June 4. They are situated on the mezzanine floor of the Hotel Wolverine in Detroit. B ARBARA LA MARR was a guest of honor at the opening of First National's "Sea Hawk" at the Astor Theatre, June 2. Miss La Marr occupied a box with Arthur H. Sawyer and George Melford. Miss La Marr is in New York to appear in "Sandra," which will be directed b}' Mr. Melford under the management of Mr. Sawyer and will be released bv First National. (]APTAIN LESLIE PEACOCKE, director of productions of the New Orleans Feature Film Corporation, is in New York. The Captain has finished "Prohibition?" which recently has completed a successful two weeks run in New Orleans. He reports his organization is rapidly assurning definite shape and that he expects during his stay "m New York to gather about him the elements now lacking in his organization. Among these will be two directors. The company has offices at 347 Carbondale street, in New Orleans, and intends erecting a studio later in the summer. The concern is backed by half a dozen prominent residents of the southern city who have every belief in the availability of their community for a motion picture production center. T GUIS B. MAYER, vice-president in charge of production for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, announces that Lon Chaney will portray the title role of Leonid Andreyev's play, "He Who Gets Slapped," which will go into production shortly under the direction of Victor Seastrom. The play scored a hit on Broadway last season. Richard Bennett played the title role. g\M BULLOCK, head of the Theatre Owners PubHc Service Department of Ohio, stopped over in New York on his way home from the Boston Convention. He made a trip to New Jersey to his old home. Mr. Bullock in other days was a member of the New Jersey legislature. It may have been in that body he acquired his large information as to ways that axe dark and tricks that are vain in the legislative body generally, all of which are employed in his home state for the advantage of the theatre owners. Mr. Bullock is a tough antagonist for those who would reform the men who operate theatres. As a result Ohio is comparatively free from the pinpricks of the long-haired gentry^ JOHN G. ADOLFI, who directed "What Shall I Do," for Frank Woods, has been engaged to make a second picture under the same auspices and to be released by Hodkinson. It will be made in San Francisco. The subject will be "Beauty and the Bad Man." M -ONAGER LOTHIAN, of the Colonial, Boston, which is the home of Douglas Fairbanks in "The Thief of Bagdad," reports capacity audiences. He says the house is sold out every night, and that the orchestra seats, at $1.50, are the first to go, forcing the later comers into the balcony. The matinees also are heavy, by reason of the strong attraction of the show for the children. Mr. Lothian says the house is drawing on its regular clientele as well as cn motion picture followers, and that he looks for a continuance of the run right through the summer. And that is an achievement in Boston, for any kind of a show, especially in a house containing 1604 seats. It was just prior to the closing when we looked in on the manager, and after a short chat he suggested we take a look at the house. Every last seat in the great orchestra was filled. And it was a ^Monday night. gRUCE JOHNSON, manager of First National's foreign department, sails June 7 for a tour of the foreign oflices of that company. Among his objectives will be ten exchanges in the British Isles. Also he will visit France, Italy, Belgium, Portugal. Germany, as well as the Scandinavian countries. Mr. Johnson's trip, as have been those of preceding years, is mainly for the purpose of cementing relations between the home and foreign offices.