Moving Picture World (Apr-Jun 1917)

May 19, 1917 THE MOVING PICTURE WORLD 1101 Pathe Exchange Officers Re-Elected At Annual Meeting Administration Policies of J. A. Berst Are Enthusiastically Endorsed — Record Business Reported. THE annual meeting of the board of directors of Pathe Exchange, Inc., was held at 25 VV. 45th street, New York, on April 24. The officers were all re-elected as follows: Lharles Pathe, president; J. A. Berst, vice-president; J. L. Madieu, treasurer; Paul Brunet, assistant treasurer, and A. E. Rousseau, secretary. Mr. Berst was heartily praised for his successful managership during the past twelve months, and it was felt that to his untiring efforts and the wisdom of his policies is due the credit for the great strides made by the Pathe organization and the notable increase in business. In this connection it may be said that never in the Pathe history has the amount of business done come anywhere near equaling that being done today. The Pathe program has been doubled in size, but the increased quantity of footage has been accompanied by an even greater increase in quality. Mr. Berst has been endeavoring and with marked success to give exhibitors confidence in the Pathe product by releasing only pictures of box office value. Coincident with this has also come a betterment in service until today complaints from exhibitors have reached a minimum. A business built upon the basis of value and service may be truthfully said to be built upon the solid rock. By adopting the policy of box office value stars only, Mr. Berst has immeasurably strengthened the Pathe program. "Here today and there tomorrow" is true of Pathe stars in the past only. By engaging Mrs. Vernon Castle at a very high figure, Mr. Berst showed his recognition of the value to exhibitors of great names and his willingness to pay high for them. In Mrs. Castle, he confidently believes, Pathe has' a star whose drawing power is surpassed by none on the screen. The phenomenal success of "Patria" and numerous letters from exhibitors bear him out in this. Pearl White, another real box office star, has a tremendous following. Though she has been mostly used in serials, "Hazel Kirke" and "Mayblossom" proved her value as a Gold Rooster star also. Miss White is under a long term contract with Pathe. Gladys Hulette has climbed the heights of fame with dizzying rapidity during the past year. She is not merely arriving, , she has "arrived." The pictures in which she stars have a fascination and charm all of their own and are doing a big business for exhibitors. She also is signed up for a long Baby Marie Osborne has no real rival in her field. She presents to the public the absolutely unique example of a five-year-old child with the facial charm, the poise, the talent and physical resources that enable her to carry the burden of a five-reel drama and do it as well as any veteran of stage or screen. The child is wonderful and her' pictures wonderfully popular. She is assured to Pathe for a term of three years. Mollie King, by reason of her excellent work in "Kick In" and "Mystery of the Double Cross," became entitled to a position in the carefully selected coterie of box office stars. Florence La Badie has been identified with Thanhouser for several years. Many exhibitors book pictures on the strength of her name alone. "Saint, Devil and Woman," a Gold Rooster Play in which she starred, has proved to be a wonderful moneymaker. Miss La Badie is also assured to Pathe exhibitors for a long term. Frederick Warde, first in "King Lear" and secondly in "The Vicar of Wakefield," proved himself a strong box office attraction, and as a screen star as able a player as he was on the stage. As a Shakesperian actor Mr. Warde todaystands supreme. "Hinton's Double," the Thanhouser Gold Rooster play in which he stars, has received more flattering notices from the critics than almost any picture of the last twelve months. The inclusion of Mr. Warde's name in the list of Pathe's stars, is, therefore, a matter of gratification to Mr. Berst. Harold Lloyd, the "Lonesome Luke" of Pathe's comedies, is today considered by competent critics to be one of the two greatest screen comedians in the country. The new tworeel comedies in which he stars are doing big business. Another comedy star will soon be seen also in the Pathe-Rolin comedies, "Toto," the famous Hippodrome attraction. Harry Myers and Rosemary Theby, under the direction of Mark M. Dintenfass, have proved their value as comedy stars. It is promised that the new Myers-Theby Comedies will be even better than the old. Creighton Hale and Warner Oland have proved their worth in serials that have done a great business — Mr. Hale in the "Elaine" serials and "The Iron Claw," and Mr. Oland in "Patria." Each has been signed up by Astra on long term contracts to appear in Pathe pictures. "The policy of having stars of box office value only and the securing of such a number of those who truthfully come under that category 1 consider one of the most important, if not the most important achievements of the past twelve months," says Mr. Berst. "We are making it easy for the exhibitor to book Pathe pictures, and do business with them." Hodkinson Returns from West Finds Enthusiastic Reception of New Triangle Plans During a Seven-Weeks' Tour. WW. HODKINSON, president of the Triangle Distributing Corporation, has returned to New York • from a seven weeks' tour of the West in the interest of his organization. Mr. Hodkinson's itinerary included Chicago, Denver, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, Spokane, Seattle, Portland and Los Angeles. The purpose of his trip was to get into personal touch with Triangle branch managers and the leading exhibitors of the west to acquaint them with the details of the new policies that are being put into operation. The results of Mr. Hodkinson's campaign have already made themselves manifest in largely increased business and a better understanding between Triangle's producing, distributing and exhibiting units. The west, according to Mr. Hodkinson's investigations, which have been carried on over a space of ten years, is an exceedingly progressive section of the country, motion picture exhibitors having reached a high average level of achievement. It has, therefore, followed that their problems have in many respects become very sharply defined, and the president of Triangle says that the announcement of the new bonding system which he has perfected, together with the system of modified program booking, about to go into effect, has aroused great enthusiasm among western exhibitors. Some of the most widely sought accounts on the Pacific Coast were signed by Mr. Hodkinson as a direct result of his personal presentation of the new constructive policies. Resolutions of endorsement of the bonding system have been passed by many of the strongest exhibitors' leagues in the west. Before returning to New York, Mr. Hodkinson spent several days at the Triangle studios in Hollywood and the Thomas H. Ince studios in Culver City, aiding in the perfection of details of the consolidation of these plants under the direction of Thomas H. Ince. The president of the Triangle Distributing Corporation, whose wide experience and lack of prejudice make him a real authority on such subjects, declares that the Ince organization represents the highest standard of efficiency that has yet been reached in the manufacture of motion pictures. "Triangle has the ideas, the organization and the product," Mr. Hodkinson stated. "We are also getting the fullest cooperation from exhibitors. The result will be inevitable. We shall achieve success in the truest sense because we shall deserve it." KERRIGAN PICTURES RELEASED BY PARALTA. Close on the heels of the announcement that Bessie Barr riscale had formed her own company and would release her pictures through Paralta Plays, Inc., Carl Anderson, president of Paralta, announces that his corporation has secured control of the releases of the J. Warren Kerrigan Production Company. Production work on the Kerrigan features will begin about June 1, when Mr. Kerrigan will reach Los Angeles. He is at present on the last leg of his tour of the principal cities of the country. As with the Barriscale company, the Kerrigan organization will make about eight or ten pictures a year. He, too, will employ three directors. The names of the directors of the Kerrisran pictures will be announced when he reaches Los Angeles. IDENTIFYING FRANKLYN FARNUM. Tonopah, March 24, 1917. Fox Film Corporation, New York. Gentlemen — Will you please advise me if William and Dustin Farnum have a brother by the name of Franklyn Farnum? I would like to have this question answered, because a picture house here advertises Franklyn Farnum as a brother of William and Dustin. Yours very truly, J. E. SMTTH, Manager Butler Theater. No, William and Dustin Farnum have no living brother.