Motion Picture News (Jan-Feb 1923)

February 3 , 1923 579 Regional News From Correspondents Western New York Justice Hinkley has denied a motion of Levin Michaels, owner of the Allendale theatre property, to vacate a temporary injunction restraining him from prosecuting summary proceedings in city court for the purpose of ousting the General Theatre Corporation interests. Justice Hinkley has also denied the application of Golde Brothers' Shop, Inc., to evict the Loew State theatre from its Main street entrance. Around Buffalo's Branch Offices The Western New York Federation of Women's Clubs at its annual midwinter meeting in the Lafayette Hotel, Saturday, January 20, adopted a resolution setting forth that the members earnestly protest the abolishing of the state motion picture censorship. Mrs. George Winters prefaced the resolution, a copy of which was sent to Senator Parton Swift, with a brief criticism of Will H. Hays for permitting the ban to be raised on Arbuckle. Marcus Loew was in town last week to attend a meeting of the stockholders of the local Loew State. He declared that Buffalo was growing and making better progress than any other city in the country. He also said that the cityhas plenty of theatres and did not look for any new ones in the town for some time to come. The early discovery of a fire in the basement of the Fredonia (N. ■0 Opera House permitted the quick arrival of the fire fighters who extinguished the blaze which did but $100 damage. The blaze started during the second show in the evening. There was no panic. Ira M. Mosher, former manager of the Palace, and Robert W. Elms, who has been engaged in work on the Buffalo city directory and who is now business manager of the Northern Light, a Buffalo community newspaper, are associated with Elmer C. Winegar in the formation of E. M. W. Pictures Corporation, which will make industrial films. Mr. Winegar recently resigned as manager of the Elmwood theatre to devote all his t;me to the new concern, which is under contract already for a dozen or so industrial films for local firms. Buffalo has lost one of its most popular exhibitors in the death of Chris Ruderich, manager of the Casino, whose brother died only recently of the same disease which claimed Mr Ruderich. G. McCkary has taken over the Cazenovia theatre in the South Park section for five years from C. Lembke. The house will now run every night. It has been running but two nights a week. ROBERT T. MURPHY has resigned from the firm of Filkins & Murphy, distributors of Merit product in New York State, to assume the Buffalo management of the new Renown Pictures exchange, which will be located in the new film building at Pearl and Tupper streets. There is a report that Educational exchange will move into the old Nu-Art office, which it adjoins, and that Mr. Murphy will take the Educational space. N. I. Filkins has come to Buffalo to take charge of the local Merit office in the Grand & North building, Franklin street. Mr. Filkins never looked more dignified in his life than he does behind his new Van Dyke beard. It takes nerve to introduce a thing like this to Film Row. Everywhere Gene Markens, city salesman for First National, goes he gets money. He went to the Albany sales conference last week-end and returned to town with $50, the first prize in the monthly contest. H. L. Levvy, also a member of the local F. N. sales force, pulled down third prize. The office is going over the top for First National Week, February 4 to 10, every key city having been solid for this event. Every F. N. salesman who attended the Albany conference was presented with a cigarette case by R. H. Clark, general manager of the New York exchange. Charles " Pop " Berliner and Lionel Edel are now members of the local Warner Brothers' exchange sales staff. Lionel Edel is well known in Buffalo. "Pop" Berliner is also well acquainted in the western New York section. General Manager Charles S. Goetz was in town last week for a conference with Branch Manager Joseph Levee. Phil Gentille is placing the Richard Talmadge series in almost every house in this neck of the woods and reports exhibitors enthusiastic over the box office value of these First Graphic releases. " Jimmy " Grainger, sometimes called James R.. vice president and general sales manager of Goldwyn Distributing Corporation, hit Buffalo last week on his swing around the Goldwyn exchange chain. While in town he visited several of the exhibitors in company with Branch Manager Thomas W. Brady. The new Goldwyn exchange in Albany, of which Charles Walder is manager, has taken over the Utica territory from the Buffalo office as well as Chenango, Louis, Madison and St. Lawrence counties. Under a rearrangement of salesmen, Otto Siegel will cover Buffalo and surrounding territory, Sherman Webster will look after Rochester and part of the Southern Tier and E. M. Hopcraft has been assigned to Syracuse and Northern New York. Basil Brady, Pathe plugger par excellence, has broken all precedent. He has had a second haircut this winter. Pathe Manager Bill Mack announces that his company is about to revive six of the early Harold Lloyd comedies. Speaking of Lloyd, Mr. Mack arranged to have " Dr. Jack" screened privately for forty leading Buffalo physicians in the Buffalo club last Saturday evening so that they could express their views on Dr. Jack's methods. Mr. Mack is soon expecting a round robin setting forth these views. Mr. Mack, in seeking to regain his youth, went skating at Delaware Park one evening last week. In a non-youthful moment he found his feet going in opposite directions. Result — a sprained wrist. Moral — When you get over seventy-five do your skating at home, where the rugs are soft. Hub Taylor, also working under the Pathe banner, ventured into the Southern Tier last week in the middle of a blizzard. Hub's automobile is now stalled in twelve feet of snow somewhere downstate and he expects to drive it back to Buffalo about Eastertime. Along Kansas City's Film Row The Variety theatre on Fillmore {Continued in last column) THE PARAMOUNT FILM CORPORATION is to make Kansas City a present of its new film, "The Covered Wagon," which is nearing completion, and which features some of the citv's early history. S. R. Kent, general manager of Paramount, wired Frank L. Newman, owner of the Newman theatres in Kansas City, of his purpose to present Kansas City the First film, and Mayor Frank Cromwell, Mr. N'ewman and others will see that it has a fitting reception. In Lew Nathanson the Kansas City F. B. O. exchange has a combination of salesman-exhibitor. Although Mr. Nathanson will continue to operate his Gem theatre in To peka, Kan., he has been assigned as city representative for F. B. O. Two new Universal salesmen have joined the ranks of the Kansas City branch. R. E. Recob, former Universal booker, has been given his first road assignment while Herbert Sulz, who has been selling Select product, now is in the territory for Lrniversal. As a reward for good work, William Branch, who holds the distinction as being president of the Kansas City branch of " Brothers Under the Skin." not only will have charge of exploitation in the Kansas territory, but also will have charge of the territory surrounding Omaha and St. Louis. {Continued from first column) avenue, of which M. Wallack is manager, has been closed. E. J. Pantera has taken over the Walden, an east side house. The Victoria theatre will get Herbert Alvin House, the Strand organist, when the latter house closes for all time, Thursday, February 1. C. Sharpe Minor, the Lafayette Square organist who disappeared a few weeks ago and whose contract was terminated by the board of directors, came back to town last Saturday. There is a possibility that he may be re-engaged. M. Slotkin, general manager of the company operating the Lafayette, is about to leave for a month's vacation at Atlantic City. He will exhibit some high diving stunts while at the seashore. He is an expert deep sea diver. John R. Stevens has succeeded James Savage as manager of the Central Park theatre, controlled by General Theatres Corporation. Members of the Universalist Church organization in Middleport, N. Y., have started a Children's theatre movement in the town, showing motion pictures especially for the kiddies every Saturday aft Jay Berman is suing Joseph A. Schuchert and Rufus J. Wood for $15,000 alleging breach of contract in connection with the leasing of the Ellen Terry theatre on Grant street to Berman for a year. Berman alleged the \\ oodburn Real Estate Company had agreed to rent the house to him for a year and then broke their word. Kansas City Slants The Highland theatre, Kansas City suburban house, has been purchased by C. W. Price from James Poland. Harold Lloyd's film, " Dr. Jack," was given a pre-view showing at the Davidson building before thirtyrepresentatives of Kansas City clubs last Saturday night. Mrs. Eleanore Walton and Mrs. A. H. Connolly of the motion picture committee of the Women's City Club, praised the film, which resulted in some free publicity and enlivened attendance at Samuel Harding's Liberty theatre this week. A new precedent has been established by the Apollo theatre, one of Kansas City's larger suburban houses, owned by O. D. Rose. Heretofore the policy of the Apollo has been a change of program each night, but last week " Oliver Twist " showed the entire week did a greater business the last night than it did the first. In the future there will be only two changes of program, Mr. Rose announced.