The Moving picture world (November 1926-December 1926)

7. • MOVING PICTURE WORLD MOVING PICTURE I F. P. Sales Expansion Promotes WORLD Schaefer, Lightens Weeks' Work FOUNDED BY J. P. CHALMERS, 1907 Published weekly by CHALMERS PUBLISHING COMPANY. 516 Fifth Avenue, New York, N. Y. Telephone: Murray Hill 16I0-I-2-3. Member Audit Bureau of C)r eulatiODS. JobD F. Chalmers, ijresideril ; James P. Chalmers, Sr., vice-president: Alfred J. Chalmefa, vice-president; Eliza J. Chalmers, secretary and treasurer; Ervin L. Hall, business manager; F. G. Ortega, editorial director. Managing Editor — B^es \V. Sargent: Associate Editors — Sumner Smith, Merrilt Crawford; Advertising Oejtartment — C. Schottenfels. Gus Fausel ; Circulation Manager — Dennis J. Shea. Branch Offices; Josepb L(>ier, 5434 Clenwood Avenue. Cliicago; Tom Waller. Taft Bulld,ng, Tine Street and Holly»j«l Blvd.. Hollj'wood, CaL Subscription price: $3.00 a year to countries where sumps are not necessary for posting; $3.50 to Canada; $6.00 to other countries reQUlring stamps for postage. Copyright, llt26, Chalmers Publishing Co. Copyright throughout Great Britain and Colonies, under the provisions of the Copyright Act of 1911. (All rights reserved.) Other publlcationa: Cine Mundlal. I'uolished in Spanish and circulating in all Spanish speaking countries of the world. Spanish and English books. VOL. 83 Incorporations The slump in the imnitier of motion picture tomi)aiiies incorporating continued during tlie past week when only three companies were formed to enter the business in New Yorlv State. The largest capitalization was that of the Amateur Motion Picture Equipment Corporation, capitalized at $300,000 and having as its director.s 1>. 1>. Cook, r. K. Schreiner and C \V. Gould, of New York City. The other two companies included the Miracle Knterprise Corporation, $20,000, with Loui.-< Berman, William 1-. I'rice and Alorris Wolf, of New York; the A. W A. Film Trading Corporation, capitalization not specified, with A. Leonard, M, Gerst and A. Bregstein, of New York. Films Developing iContiiitted from /yagv 1 ) jection room of the home eoftlCb and, in backing up his statement, show ed them a new comeil.v made by Charlie Bowers' mystery process. Its technical hishlight was the "growing" of cats on a tret — real, live cats— and it was an astounding lilt of trick photography. The F. 1!. ( ). president also talked mergers and theatre building. The former he saw inevitable in order that the tremendous overhead of producing and distibuting companies be met and a profit showed. Of the laltei he said that 1". B. O. would not liuild theatres unless it jirovcd to be good business. •Simon Rowson of Ideal Films, Ltd., London, looked over the F. B, O. product in the making with Mr. Kennedy and was much pleased with it, findinK nothing in any of the pictures to offend the tastes of British audiences. F. H. O. is about half througn with the proiluction of its fortytwo pictures. "Bigger Than Barnum." Mr. Kennedy said, is going splendidly under Ideal distribution in England. Asked if he expected Fred Thomson to sign a new contract, Mr. Kennedy said that it was too early to reply He had a great boost for Sam Wood, new F. B. O. associate producer, considering him the best man poslble for the Job. The continuous expansion in the sales activities of Famous Players-Lasky and im|>oii:mt development planned for thi' f tture have brought about an increase in the home office executive personnel of Paramount's distribution department and in Paramounfs territorial divi-ii.n of the country for sales p'irposes, according to S. R. Kent, general manager. In the future, Paramount's forty-two exchanges in the United States will be grouped into three main divisions instead of two. John D. Clark will continue as sales m.inager of the Western Division as heretofore. Phil Reisman, until recently executlVv. sales head of the Kastern Division, will act in n similar capacity aS sales chief of the newly created Central Division. In executive charge as rivisioual sales manager of the Eastern Division will be George J. Schaefer, who has been promoted from his former position as district manager of Paramount's New England district. The adition of Mr. Schaefer to the home office's sales e.xcfutive forces will enable George W. Weeks to devote more of h's time to the distribution and sales rrobletn:: of (he productrs outsUl' of the comi)!^n\ « own production dc;>iir*meiit wh'"h are releasinif thfiuKl; Paramount. Jazzbo Club Elects The annual election -of the Jazzbo Club, 1'. 1). C.'s social organization, was held last week. The new officers are: Joseph K. Burger, president (re-elected); George Harvey, vice-president, succeeding Hayden O. Duke; A. A. Schubert, treasurei, succeeding J. J. Glynn: Airs. Josephine French, secretary (re-elected), and Maude Sankey, corresponding secretary. -Announcement of the new officers was made following the dinner and theatre party given by the Jazzbo Club Thursday, October 28. A Little Film Theatre The Little Theatre moveinent, confined heretofore exclusively to the drama, has been extended to screen presentations, with the opening by Michael Mindlin. stage producer, last Friday night, of the Fifth Avenue Playhouse at No. 66 Fifth Avenue. This house has ;;(S4 seats and wilt b'» devoted to presentations of pictures that stand out because of their artistic value. The initia. offering was a reissue of tni German production, "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari." Joe Kb-isler, UFA publicity repres'.-ntative, :.s directing publicity for .Mr. Mindlin's charming dcjiarture. Win State Offices .Vrthtir James. IMviiioiilli. theatre owner, has just hirii elected lieutenant-governor of Pennsylvania. He is believed to be the first theatre owner to gain an office of such magnitude. He formerly was district utiosncy of Luzerne County. Frank Harris, Pittsburgti theatre ovni-r. was elected to the St-nale if the state. In New Jersey. Walti-r H. Olden, Princeton th«-aiie owner, was elected assembly m.in from Mercer County. New Illinois Studio Tile Chicago Slandai •! CiiK tnas Corporation, soon to he incorporated, has bought fifteen acres on Holhridge and' Lewis .\venues in \Vaukegan, 111 , as the site for a $4.(11111,00(1 motion pictti-e studio. Tt will cost $3..'i0l).0O(i. i.-ew il«-tails are available. e.\<:<pt that two educational pictures to cost $1,500,000 will be made first. Th. buyer of the site has not been announced. Metro Ball Glittered .\s I-'arnier ( 'ornlossel would say, ".\ grand time was had by all." The Loew-Metro-GoldwynMa.ver annual ball closed in a blaze of glor.v last Sunda.v morn ing with a breakfast show at the Hotel Astor. Thousands of notables of all walks of life had attended during the evening — or should we say night? — and many of them remained to ^njoy a second meal at something a.m. Julius Tannen of the "Vanities" was announcer for a large' number of Broadway acts, which, like Julius, kept the huge crowd In constant merriment. Viiicent l.opez conducted the dance orI hestra. Ohio Convenes .Mi-.iiIh-i-s of tht -M. r. T. o. of <)hio will hold their annual conveiiJion at the Hotel Deshler. Columbus, Ohio, November 8. The secretaries of the Film Boaitis in the surrounding territoiy. from Pittsburgh, Pa., to .Mimiihis. Tenn., have been invited to be present. C. C. Pettijiihn. general counsel of the Film Hoards of Trade also will attfiirl the meeting. Policy Now Unknown Suigestions from a man shortly to be appointed by the New Voik State Board of Regents, lo h. ad the Motion Picture Commission on and after Januar.v L will laigel, determine the policies of the commission In its single headed form. The selection is now pending antl an announcement will be forthcoming within a few weeks. It is expected that a man will be n.imed who is not connected with th;present t-ominission or the Industry in any way. Cameraman Is Hurt Belt -Nhis.iii ..f Montreal, a well-kiiown news <-anieraman in Kastern Canada, was dangerousl.v injured on the night of October 28 when the automobile in which he was driving from Valois. Quebec, overturned, the machine being a total wreck. He suffered severe head injuries and a compound fracture bf the right arm. Miss Shannon with Pathe Bitty Shannon. the wollknow'n writer. has join< ,1 I'athe's educational depnrtnicjit. McCarthy in West Ch;irlii .\lrCartliy of l-'arniiu.^ Players is at the West t'oast to get the publicity angle on new productions. He went west immediately after the French Lick (onvention. He's due back in .Vew Y'ork in about tvv-j weeks. COMING and GOING Hay Rockett, First .National produfer. and Mrs. Rockett have left inr the West Coast where I{ock<ltt will do his future producing. .V delegation of l-'irst .N'atioiiiil otflcials saw them off. • • ' • Hms^mhU. . Brenoii. Paramount director, is leaving for a montli's vacation in Bermuda. • • * Ned K. Depinet and ,\. W. Smith, Jr., Eirsl .National sales managers, have returned to the .Vew York offices with reports of brisk business. .Ved Marin western sales manager. Is ex pocted back in a month or so. • • • Joe Brandt, president of Columbia Pictures Corp., is on the high seas bound for Europe. During an eight weeks' tour he will study conditions in Great Britain and on the Continent. He took several negatives with him. • • • Paula Gold. Warner Bro ;. publicity writer, is back in .New York from Hollywood. • • • Mary .Miles .Minler, as Juliet K. Heilly, sailed last week for Kuroite. .s'h, vi-ould not talk with shifis' news reporters. Miss Dorothy .Manners, a friend, was with her. • • « Joseph .Mc-Convllle of Boston has been conferring In New York with Columbia executives. • • • N. L .Maiiheim, Universal export manager, is in New York after a six weeks' tour of European exchanges. He expressed wonder at the improvement In German films. • • • .\lice Terry is in New York for a three weeks' vacation before sailing to star in a picture for her husband. .Rex Ingram, in Prance. • • • Paul Gullck. Universal director of publicity, has left on his first trip to California. Coworkers gave him a leather shower. Including a traveling bag complete .-ven to bay rum containers. .Mrs. Gulick accompanied him. They will be gotis over a month. • • • Howard Dietz will rfturn from Europe next week. Arthur Loew is due back early in -November. • • • .1. J. Madan. a managing director of Madan Theatres. Ltd., Calcutta, is in New York after a visit lo Hollywood. He Is both a producer and exhibitor. He has been studying production and liu.v ing er|uipment. Big F. P. Gross ^ i "iitiitiicd from {•nnf 1 i ;is *.'"..o,;>i,,-,o.'J. while frani-hises. leaseholds and contracts were carried at $8.CO<!,n3!t. Investments in affiliated companies to« tailed ;748,2.''>5. Advances to affiliated companies secured by mortgar es amounted to $102,0."iO: accounts receivable were $206.,■■••"■>."•; cash on hand. $381.17"; insurance, prepaid taxes, etc.. »ns.321. Current liabilities were lifted at $2117.270. The capital stot K of the corporation Is $12.7lK).<l(io and the first mortgage sinking fund bonds were $1.1401100. Total assets were f 1-"',-"<3j,060.