The Film Daily (1924)

iTHE rAff brAdstreet :s^^re(oghizei Authority E 1 XXX No. 41 Monday, November 17, 1924 Price 5 Cents RECORDS By DANNY ^ew ones. Not only in Wall t. But right here. In own business. Have you idea of the business booked, the First National boys, the closing week. Of the hmann Drive? Well, it was t. Somewhere a bit shy. $1,400,000. Which is claimed e a record. But which may disputed. hat a lot of biisiacss that is? ms stupendous. For six days of k And only shows what can be , e. When someone goes after hething. No wonder Eschmann proud. He has a right to. Incidentally — right in the New York territory — several of the larger companies. Are breaking all records. One big :oncern booked more business. [n and around New York. In the past 10 months. Than many distributors book all over the I Inrorld. In a year. ,nd the way the Famous crowd. itied up locally. Is almost the wer. To how some exhibitors, at t, regard, the booking in big, k?. ■ you don't think there is a world leaning. In the names J. D. Wilis hands out. As his directors. Ritz. Your'e not thinking; that's Walter Hays. Of the Mark ind organization; Frank Newman. Kansas City. Hays belongs to First National family; Newman he Famous family. Can you see thing in the interlocking directors No? Well, wake up. Wc sec t. C. Forbes, financial authority. Jiisible for the statement. Printed he New York American. That 5/y "big mergers now under way lany important industries." Inci Lailv n'entlons "movies" "^Dying: |e motion picture industry has had fcr after merger and probably lore to come." |e8, Mr. Forbes, "probably" is the And one of them may come (Continued on Page 2) F. B. O. In Berlin Plans Own Office There— Lord In verforth, Who Controls Company, to Become More Active Alajor H. C. S. Thomson, managing director of F. B. O. returned late Friday night on the Aquitania from London where be held a number of conferences with Grahams, Ltd., owners of F. B. O. Edna Williams, foreign manager is no^^• in Berh'n arranging to open an ofifice there to handle Central Europ an business, according to Thomson. This, with the present London and Paris branches, will complete the clia'n for Continental transactions. The managing director of Grahams. Ltd . is Lord Invcrforth who was Minister of Supplies during the war, Thomson spent most of his time with him and der'.ared on Saturday that Invcrforth, \ hose position in Eng'and is anaUi'rous to that of Herbert Hoover here, intended interesting himself further in the industry. Outside of his present association with F. R. O., Inverforth is not connected with any film companies. Thomson found conditions on the Cont''nent very satisfactory. Exhibitors have had a golden year in all countries, he said. Regarding pro(Covtiiuicd on Page 2) Quick Sale by Cable Three negatives of the Columbia series of eight, handled in foreign tertorics for C. B. C. bj' Inter-Ocean left Saturday morning on the Olvm"ir for London. A week ago. Take ^Vi'k received a cable resrarding Encr1i=h rights. The entire deal was closed, moncv paid and negatives shinned I'n rx3ctlv sevfn days. Pathe of Englanrl is the purchaser. Deal on for "Last Frontier" ^'eentiations for the distribution of "T'-c Last Frontier" arc under wav at <he Ince offic° and will probably be consunnnatrd in a few davs. For French Accord MoMon Picture to Prcrr'^'^e Goodwill— Joint Committee Formed in Paris "^tecia! Cable In Tflf. FILM DAfrV) I P.Tr's — A remarkalile g.itherinp of ijotables. both French and -Xmeriran attended the nremiere of "T^e Miracle of the Wolves" at the Paris Opera on Thursday evening. It is the onintnn here that never has snrli a bril|i,-int assemblage been g.'tthered to iic'" a motion i)icture. ! .\mong those in the audience were (Continued on Pngc 2) Leave for East Momentarily (S fecial to Ttrn FILM DAILY) Los Angeles— Josepli M. Schenck, Dennis I-". O'Brien, Nathan Burkan, Norma Talmadgc, A. H. T. Banzhaf. .\rtluir Kell_\ and others discussing United .\rtists business here are expected to leave for t!ic East within forty eight hours. This is much sooner than had l)ecn expected and can be construed as an indication of how final conferences have lieen progressing. Spence Out of Fox 'Film Doctor" Now Freelancing — Prepared Fox Releases for Market for Long Period It was learned Saturday that Ralph Spence severed connections with the Fox organization several weeks ago and is now doing freelance editing and cutting. -Spence has generally been considered one of the important "inside" figures in Fox, by virtue of the splendid work he had done in bolstering up "weak sisters." His unusual ability n revamping completed pictures by 1 change in the sequence of scenes -ind the insertion of a humorous title has been put to use on any number of occasions. As a matter of fact, •t is understood that so valualilc had his scrv'Ves become that his salary '•cached into four figures at the time 'he break with Fox. .Spence recently titled "The Speed Spook" for Charles C. Burr and is now at work on the second Hines. "The Early Bird." Ancillary Receiver in Cleveland (Sfecial to Thin FILM DAILY) Cleveland — Federal Judcre D C. Westenhavcr has named AT. G. Vilas of S'innnons DeWitt S: Vilas an ancillary receiver for Selznick in the Cleveland district. Application for a local receiver was made hv the Clevland Film Exchange Buihline Co.. through its attorney L. W. Ulmer. Tudo'c Westenhaver authorized YWrs, ^o take over all the books anri assets in the northern district of Ohio. Famous 3rd Quarter Report Ready The finance committee of Famous T^lavers meets on Thursd.tv at which time it is honed to have the financial report for the third quarter readv. It is expected to show an unustial increase over the figures for the first and second quarters, which were not tip to exjiectations. Flinn Leaves for N. Y. (.'ifcelal tn TIIF FILM DAILY) I.ris .Angeles — John C. Flinn ot Prod Dist. Corp.. left Saturday for the h!asf. Fight Carolina Tax Exhibitors, Undaunted by Adverse Opinion, to Battle. for Admission Levy Repeal (Sfecial to THE FILM DAILY) Greenville, S. C. — Circuit Judge John S. Wilson, has sustained Attorney General Samuel M. Wolfe's demurrer and holds that the state amusement tax is constitutional, in the case of the Bijou of Greenville, against the State of South Carolina. Senator Bonham, attorney for the plaintiff, said that he would appeal the case to the Supreme Court. He also said that the fight of the South Carolina theater owners to have the lav, repealed would continue. The state amusement tax law fixes a tax of one cent on every ten cent ticket and a fraction thereof, to apply to theaters located in incorporated cities of more than 2,000 inhabitants. The Bijou was among the first to protest against the law. The plaintiffs contend that the law is unconstitutional and discriminatory on the grounds that the phraseology is such that the tax is imposed on certain theaters while others were exempt. The state contended that the law is constitutional until proven otherwise. Intern'! Congress Postponed ^■fecial to THE FILM DAILY) London — The International Film Congress has been postponed until an undetermined date in January. Frank Green, of the International Cinematograph Corp., Ltd., is the official representative of the International Film Congress while he rema'ns in America. He is at the Astor. 1st Nat'l Buys "Chickie" , )"irst National, according to report, las purchased "Chickie" by Elenore Mcherin. It will be made in the East, starting in mid-December. Sept. Exports $742,364 Drop from August When High Record Was Established— That Month's Total $1,068,955 (Sreeial to THE FILM DAILY) Washington — Exports of films during September were considcral)ly below those of August, when they reached the highest total in the history of the industry, it is declared in officials of the Department of Commerce in making public figures showing .September foreign trade. Exports in September included 16,(Continucd on Page 2)