Moving Picture World (Jan-Feb 1927)

January 1, 1927 MOVING PICTURE WORLD 15 Joins Warner Bros. William Demarest, who scored In Louise Fazenda's “Fingerprints” for Warner Bros., lias signed a Warner contract. Lease Chicago’s Drake The Drake Theatre in Chicago has been leased by the Ambassador Theatre Corporation, owners of the picture and vaudeville house of that name, for twenty years at a gross rental of $580,000. It opened Christmas. The house has 1.800 seats. Selznick Joins U. A. Myron Selznick, son of Lewis J. Selznick, has joined United Artists. He will be first assistant to John. W. Considine, Jr., in charge of the Duncan Sisters unit. Wayland for Sunday Shows Sunday films won out, 481 to 328, at Wayland, N. Y. Gaby & Tooker, exhibitor firm, paid the cost of the special election and will open at 8:45 p. m. Sunday evenings. Decker Joins Universal Universal has engaged Harry Decker as supervisor of production. He formerly was with M-G-M as assistant to Hunt Stromberg. Coldeway with Warners Warner Brothers have signed Anthony Coldeway to do originals and adaptations. Revnes Leaves Fox Maurice Revnes has resigned as Fox Film contact man. with playwrights and authors. Joseph Engle takes over supervision. “J.D.”See$ “ Al ” J. D. Williams, recently returned from Europe, figured in a series of conferences this week with Al Lichtman, general manager of distribution for United Artists. The topic of their conversations was not made public. Italy Plans Education Through Film Campaign The Italian National Institute of Luce has, by agreement with the Ministry of National Economy, created the ‘‘Industrial Cinema,” whose activities are to be regulated by royal decree, according to advices to the Department of Commerce. It is reported in Italy that the Luce intends to develop a campaign of civil and national education through the cinema theatres of Italy. On the board are the Director General of Industry in the Italian. Ministry of National Economy, a representative of the Federation of Industries, a representative of the head of the government. It is stated in Italy that the Luce maintains friendly relations with the various Italian industries, and that the directors of many large industrial organizations in that country are in sympathy with the plan of education by means of the motion picture. The pictures filmed by the new organization, besides being displayed in Italy, are to be distributed abroad, it is said. German Exports Vary Exports from Germany of sensitized but unexposed films during the first nine months of 1926 totaled 39,699,000 meters, as compared with 56,747,300 meters exported in the entire year 1925, according to advices from Berlin to the Department of Commerce. Negative films in the first threequarters of this year amounted to 316,000 meters as compared with exports of 93,000 meters in the entire year 1925. Exports of positive films totaled 10,449,000 meters in the period under survey, as compared with 4,215,000 meters in 1925. Fred Kent Passes On Fred Kent, 53 years old. first treasurer for S. V. Lynch in the South, died suddenly of heart disease on December 22 at Asheville, N. C. He had been interested recently in gold mining enterprises. He leaves a widow and five daughters. Loew Gets Bronx House The 2,000-seat house being built at Clinton and Tremont avenes, the Bronx, by Joseph Weinstock will become a Loew theatre. Marcus Loew is said to have an option on any house Weinstock puts up. An unusual situation has developed in theatre circles in cities in Ontario on the border line opposite Detroit, Mich., as a result of the move on the part of United States immigration officials to place a restriction on thousands of residents of the Ontario centres who daily cross to Detroit. U. S. officials have raised the question of the $8 head tax and other points regarding these Canadians. For years leading theatres of Detroit have had a special page in the Saturday edition of the Border Cities Star of Windsor, while the Windsor and other nearby theatres have had a page of their own, thus giving the E. C. King Arrives The arrival in New York of Edwin O. King, vice-president in charge of production for F. B. O., marks the beginning of a series of conferences with Joseph P. Kennedy, E. B. Derr, J. I. Sclinitzer and other home office executives on further plans for the 1927-28 product. Left to right: Mr. Kennedy, Sirs. King, Mr. King. Films and Burlesque Go The radical departure of the Strand in Washington, D. C., in playing a feature picture and stock burlesque has been so successful that Charles Linkins, owner, is said to plan a circuit of such theatres. Negotiations arc believed to be on in Balti. more at the present time, and it is said that he has several other cities in mind. Now Japan Complains Japan is the latest nation to register a complaint against the dominance of American pictures. In an editorial the Takyo Nichi Nichi claims the Japanese picture prospects are even worse than those of other countries. American films, it finds, are of a lower grade artistically than French and German pictures. Canadians the direct choice of inter-city entertainment. The movement of traffic from Ontario to Detroit is now being restricted, however, with a gain for the theatres on the Canadian side. There are two theatres of the Famous Players Canadian Corp. at Windsor, these being the Capitol and the Palace, under the management of Ed Gilmore, with J. Lynch having direction of the Palace Theatre. Other theatres in the Candian border cities include the Walkerville in Walk, erville, Regent in Windsor, Temple in Ford City and the Sandwich Theatre of Sandwich. Canadian Head Of Film Studio Opposes Quota Britain Would Lose by Passing Law, He Says To put a quota law against the United States and other foreign moving pictures in Great Britain would be a mistake and would tend to place a bonus on inefficiency, was the opinion expressed by Raymond S. Peck, director of the Canadian Government Motion Picture Studio, Ottawa, before the weekly luncheon of the Lions’ Club of Ottawa in the Chateau Laurier December 23. Mr. Peck declared that the whole question of control had been taken up by the recent Imperial Conference in London, England, and it had been hoped that some way would be found to combat the predominance of United States films in the British Empire. He pointed out that 95 per cent, of all films shown in the United Kingdom and in the Dominions were of foreign manufacture. This created a serious situation, he said, as today trade followed the film and the continued showing of American films was bound to act as a powerful selling agency. Films Aid Travel Men The moving picture is gradually becoming an adjunct to the tourist travel agent. At the Central African Exhibition at the Louvre, Paris, recently, the screen gave some remarkable views of the Saharan roses, while a previous film of the same expedition, entitled ‘‘La Croisiere Noire,” enjoyed a successful run in Paris and is now being shown in outlying theatres. Recently, the Scandinavian countries have been making use of this film for propaganda purposes. In this connection, it is interesting to note that films about Brittany wtere shown at the Grande Salle des Fetes in Paris recently. Plan New Sunday Fight The Stanley-Fabian chain next next Sunday will try to repeat the Irvington, N. J., success by defying the Sunday closing lid in Paterson, N. J. This will be the first time Sunday shows have been presented in Paterson in twenty years, though Passaic enjoys them regularly. Hecht Makes Bow A gangster story titled “Underworld,” has been written by Ben Dec lit as his first original for the screen. The production will be made by Paramount ns one of the most important features of the coming year, according to B. P. Sehulberg, associate producer. The picture will be a Hector Turnbull production. Work is to begin about February 15. The gangster chief will be portrayed by Ricardo Cortez. Canadian Theatres Benefit By Immigration Restrictions