The Moving picture world (May 1920-June 1920)

1048 THE MOVING PICTURE WORLD May 22, 1920 Snappy News Secured from Sundry Sources Ordinance Would Stop Razing of Homes to Build Theatres NEW YORK CITY theatre men are opposing the adoption of an ordinance introduced by Alderman William F. Quinn, providing that no theatre or motion picture theatre to provide for the erection of which dwellings, apartment houses or tenement houses have to be torn down, shall be granted a license within the next five years. The real fight against the proposed ordinance began at a hearing on May 7 before the General Welfare Committee of the Board of Aldermen. Representing Sam H. Harris, J. A. Driscoll said that Mr. Harris plans the construction of a theatre in West Forty-fifth street. "If you stop this project the land will lie idle," he said. "If you pass the ordinance you will create a monopoly in the theatrical business." You will also increase the price of theatre tickets, for which there is now a greater demand than there is a supply. If you refuse to issue licenses for new theatres the price of tickets are sure to go up." Mr. Driscoll doubted the legality of the proposed ordinance. He said that Mr. Harris is only one of several theatre men contemplating the erection of new theatres in New York City. Others appearing were Edward Margolies and Ralph Douglas, representing A. L. Erlanger, Charles B. Dillingham, Florenz Ziegfeld. Mr. Margolies said he had contracts to build seven theatres. Alderman Quinn was willing to have the ordinance amended so as not to apply to existing building contracts. The committee will have an executive session later. Lesser Made First National's Special Coast Representative IN order to promote closer relations between the First National producing units on the Pacific Coast and the theatre owners who comprise the First National Exhibitors' Circuit, Inc., Sol Lesser has been appointed special representative of the First National executive committee to handle all business a£Eairs for organization in Los Angeles. The appointment of Mr. Lesser, who, in association with Gore Brothers, is First National franchise holder for Southern California and Arizona, was announced by J. D. Williams, general manager of the organization. It was decided by the executive committee of the organization that it was necessary to have a special representative on the Coast in whom could be centralized the powers of that body to pass on matters which could not be handled by mail and telegraph. The executive West Coast headquarters will be established at 634 Hellman Building at Fourth and Spring streets, Los Angeles. Mr. Lesser will be empowered to pass on productions submitted for First National distribution, and will be in constant touch with the studios as the connecting link between producer and the distributing organization. A general publicity bureau will be established under Mr. Lesser's supervision. J. E. McCormick, who toured the country with the Sennett bathing girls, will handle the Pacific Coast bureau. Indianapolis Company Plans $2,000,000 Fort Wayne House NEGOTIATIONS are under way at Fort Wayne, Ind., which, it is understood, will result in the erection of a new $2,000,000 motion picture theatre and hotel building there. The northeast corner of Wayne and Calhoun streets has been chosen as the site for the new structure, according to word received in Indianapolis. The building, it is reported, is to be erected for the Bankers' and Merchants' Theatres Company, Inc., which has its headquarters in Indianapolis. F. H. Coonberg, president of the company, is out of the city, but others in his office said that negotiations for the erection of a theatre at Fort Wayne had been under way for some time. The Bankers' and Merchants' Theatres Company has several theatres in Indiana, principally at Richmond, Ft. Wayne and Terre Haute, and is building photoplay houses at Evansville and Clinton. The majority of the stock in the concern is held by Chicago, Terre Haute, Ft. Wayne and Richmond people. They Would Tax Theatres to Swell Police Pension Fund CITY officials and politicians in Troy, N. Y., are still squabbling over an effort which is being made by one faction to compel the managers of motion picture theatres in that city to pay over a portion of their Sunday night receipts to the police pension fund. The matter came up two or three months ago and there have been frequent airings since, but without any decision being reached one way or the other. The entire city, or at least as much of it as is interested in the movies, has apparently taken sides in the issue. The matter came before the common council last week but after a long debate it got no further than being referred back to one of the committee. A letter was read from Mayor Lunn, of Schenectady, to the effect that S per cent, of the Sunday night receipts in that city went to the child welfare fund. Frederick Burlingham Is Now Exploring the Wilds of Borneo WORD has just been received from Weltevreden, Java, that Frederick Burlingham, known all over the world for his descent inside Vesuvius and for his alpine pictures, has left for the far interior of Borneo to cinematograph the wild men there. Borneo is the largest island of the Dutch East Indies, cut in two by the equator, and the third greatest island in the world, having an area of 210,000 square miles, the larger part of which is covered by primeval forests untrodden by the foot of man. The Burlingham expedition landed at Bandjermasin on the south coast, using a stern wheel boat as far as practical, after which the advance into the interior was continued by native canoes. Besides a guard, Mr. Burlingham took with him his assistant, H. Flindt, a Dane; some Javanese servants and a large number of Dayak coolies as porters. It is the idea of Mr. Burlingham to photograph and cinematograph the Borneo native at home, whether his house is perched in the tree tops or on bamboo stilts out in the streams, where he is not easily surprised and killed by enemies. Simplex Department Hauls Dine. Department heads and foremen of the Precision Machine Company, of New York City, who are banded together for social purposes under the name of Simplex Engineers, met last week for an Italian dinner in a Greenwich Village restaurant. Sixtyfive sat down at the festive table. Among those present were General Manager Everette M. Porter, Joseph Hornstein, general manager of the David P. Howell* Company; E. L. Bragdon, technical editor. Motion Picture News; Jacob Lourie, Associated Press; Thomas Healey, L. F. Frappier, M. G. DeVries, T. L. Johnson, T. L. Lambert, Louis Schraeger, Leon L. Horstmann, Kenneth R. Caldwell, J. Hornstein, L. W. Harmon, A. Fleming and William C Francke, toastmaster. Producers to Aid Americanism Week. Letters asking for the aid of producer* and distributors in helping exhibitors celebrate Americanization Week, which begin* on May 28, have been mailed by the Americanism Committee of the National Association of the Motion Picture Industry. It is suggested that trailers containing Americanisms slogans be worked to the utmost and that news weeklies show the pictures and utterances of famous Americans. The committee seeks to complete its list of Americanism subjects. As examples of such subjects it suggests "The Man Without a Country," "The Copperhead," "Dangerous Hours," "Dangerous Days," "The Land of Opportunity," "The Martyrs of the Alamo" and "The Son of Democracy" series. Frank E. Woods in New York. Frank E. Woods, supervising director of the Lasky studios in Hollywood, has arrived in New York for a week of conferences with Jesse L. Lasky, first vice-president of the corporation, in charge of production, and other officials of the production department. Mr. Woods plans to spend a week or so in the metropolis. To Our Readers EACH individnal copy of Moving Picture World is being made more valuable than ever these days due to data formerly in Quarterly Index of Releases now being incorporated into the weekly List of Current Film Release Dates. This change, which went into effect following the Quarterly Index issued with the last number of December, 1919, gives intact files of Moving Picture World more reference value than ever. Volume and page numbers are listed each week in the release pages opposite the name of the pictnre reviewed, giving the reader a weekly service instead of a quarterly. An individual investigation of the newsprint paper situation by the Chalmers Publishing Company last fall brought the inevitable decision that paper must be conserved wherever possible without interfering in any way with service to exhibitor or producer. It was then decided to omit the quarterly index as such, but to continue the service weekly Instead of every three months.