The New York Clipper (May 1917)

May 30, 1917 THE NEW YORK CLIPPER 33 MILLIONS PUT INTO TRIANGLE AND METRO NEW SHAKEUP ON WAY Reorganization of the Triangle Distribut- ing Corporation and the Metro Pictures Corporation, occurring within a few. hours, at the close of last week, were the biggest pair of developments in the film industry for months. Both companies have come out of their deals with millions of new capital and unified methods for the future. These two events, momentous as they are, are regarded in certain circles aa but fore- runners of a general shaking up of the whole manufacturing division of filmdom. Loose combinations, excessive overhead, ex- travagant competition, and dark clouds of taxation are declared to be pressing the big companies to a point where tremendous changes are on the way. The producers are stripping for the severest tests in the history of the busi- ness, it is declared. Triangle's affairs culminated in the pur- chase by Stephen A. Lynch, owner of the S. A. Lynch Enterprises, of Atlanta, Ga., of a controlling interest in the corporation, he taking over the holdings of W. W. Hodkinson, president, and Raymond Pawley, treasurer. Lynch became presi- dent, and Hodkinson and Pawley resigned, coincident with the transaction. Mr. Lynch is understood to have paid $1,400,- 000 for his share. The new plans of opera- tion will increase the revenue by $000,000 a year, it is stated. The officers, besides Mr. Lynch, will be G. El. Holcomb, vice- president ; Fred W. Kent, treasurer, and Frederick L. Collins, secretary. R. W. France, who has been acting gen- eral manager, retains a directorship, but will be no longer in executive charge. The Metro deal was confined to recon- struction from within. The corporation was reincorporated at Albany with an increase of capitalization from $400,000 to $2,800,- 000. The new issue was subscribed for en- tirely by the Metro group, and it is said no stock will be offered to the public. The officers remain as before: President, Richard A. Rowland, of New York; first vice-president, Louis B. Mayer, of Boston; second vice-president, James B. Clark, of Pittsburgh ; treasurer, Joseph W. Engel, of New York; secretary and general counsel, J. Robert Rubin, of New York. Metro officials declare the reorganization is the first step in its campaign to contend for a position at the head of film manu- facturers. It will broaden its operations and work on a much larger scale, it is stated. MAYFAIR NAMES FIRST FILM M. A. Schlesinger, president of the May- fair Film Corporation, announces that the first production starring dainty Peggy Hyland is "Persuasive Peggy," the charm- ing story of Maravene Thompson which scored such a hit in magazine and book form. In the title role of persuasive Peggy, Miss Hyland is ideally cast as the young wife who ties her blustering boy husband to her chariot wheels in so diplomatic a way that he still believes himself the master. Never before has she had such wonderful opportunities in which to dem- onstrate her natural charm and the pro- duction promises to be delightfully whole- some and refreshing. In order that no part of the attractive- ness of the original story be lost in the adaptation, the scenario was written by the director, Charles Brabin in collabora- tion with the authoress, Miss Thompson. FILM EVIDENCE WINS SUIT Before Justice Weeks in the Supreme Court last week, a jury decided against Charles Arthur in his action against the Fox Film Corporation for $20,000 damages. In bis suit Arthur alleged that his ankle was broken while he was taking part in a murder scene that was being filmed. To offset the testimony of the plaintiff, the Fox people gave a studio showing to Justice Weeks and the jury of a picture in which Arthur appeared and which was filmed in Central Park a week after he alleged he was injured. On their return to court the jurors' answer to the testimony shown on the film was their verdict in favor of the Fox Corporation. SWEDISH FIRM OPENS OFFICE John Olsen and Co., film dealers of Copenhagen and London, representing the three largest renting concerns in Sweden, Norway and Denmark, including Fotorama, the Swedish Biograpb, and the Scandina- vian Film Central, have opened offices here and will transfer their London representa- tive to this country for the next few years. They have already purchased the Scandina- vian rights for "Intolerance" and "The Birth of a Nation." GAUMONT CO. MEN ENLIST Five men of the Gaumont Co. factory in Flushing have enliBted and are members of Co. 1 of the Tenth New York Regiment, National Guard. They are M. Blundell, B. Holmes, S. Field, H. Schafer and F. Peters. Henry W. Pemberton, an actor who has appeared in Gaumont productions, is in training at the officer's school at Madison Barracks, N. Y. ARTCRAFT CHANGES RELEASES The release dates of the new Mary Pick- ford and Douglas Fairbanks productions now being staged at the Lasky studios in California, have been changed. The Fair- banks picture, "Wild and Woolly," origi- nally scheduled for June 17, will be re- leased a week later, June 24. "The Little American," Mary Pickford's new picture, will be released July 2 instead of July 4. NEW COMPANY IN FIELD The Progress Feature Film Co., organ- ized recently by Roy L. McCardell and Irwin Rosen, with the backing of several unnamed wealthy men, is announced as the newest enterprise of note in the producing division of picturedom. The company will picturize many famous novels. The first will be George Eliofs masterpiece, "Daniel Deronda." PROCTOR'S TAKE ART DRAMAS Proctor's Twenty-third Street Theatre has decided to add Art Dramas to its regular bUl and will show this program every week for three-day runs. Two other Proctor houses, the one in Schenectady and the one in Yonkers, are also about to show Art Dramas. FITZGERALD IS IN MIAMI Dallas M. Fitzgerald, who has been missed lately from New York film circles, has been discovered at Miami, Florida, in the King Komedy Film Co. studio, direct- ing comedies for the Greater Pictures Cor- poration. STRAND BUYS LIBERTY BONDS The Mitchel H. Mark Realty Corpora- tion, owner of the Strand Theatre, claims to be the first in the theatrical field to buy a number of liberty bonds. This firm pur- chased $35,000 worth last Friday. DINNER GIVEN FOR FARNUM William Farnnm was given a dinner last week by members of the Lambs Club, in celebration of his return to Broadway after two years spent on the Pacific Coast acting for moving pictures. SELZNICK TO FIGHT YOUNG SUIT TO END CALLS IT VERY UNFAIR Lewis J. Selznick and Clara Kimball Young have begun a legal battle that will be rich pickings for a flock of lawyers on both sides, as the result of charges filed lust week by the film star. The latter sues for an injunction and accounting from the Selznick Enterprises, and the Clara Kimball Young Film Corporation. ' The young woman declares that, because of her inexperience in such matters, Selz- nick conspired to deceive and defraud her. She says she was treasurer of the company formed by Selznick to produce and ex- ploit productions featuring her, but that she was not permitted to look at the books or touch the money brought in. Selznick's answering statement calls the suit an unprincipled action. He decares his contract with Mrs. Young was a straight- away, ironclad employment agreement, that he paid Mrs. Young her salary, $1,000 a week, in advance, through the week ending September 1, next, and that his company shut its eyes to repeated exhibitions of "temperament" on ber part. "We are going to see this issue through to the finish," said Mr. Selznick. "We will spare neither trouble nor expense in pro- tecting our rights and the interests of our distributors and exhibitors throughout the country against this unprincipled attack. We know that we have the support of everybody in the industry in our efforts to make an example of this case, which illus- trates one of the most demoralizing forces threatening the industry." Mrs. Young is in Detroit. Her suit was filed in the Supreme Court here. STARS TRAVEL TO BRONX Isidor Stern, an intrepid young press agent, cooked up a back to the farm move- ment last week that reached its zenith with a benefit entertainment 'way up in The Bronx, at Hunts Point Hall. Six first- degree films stnrs traveled into the wilder- ness to help the good work. The aim is to send 100 boys a month to farms in New Jersey. The stars that helped were: Alice Brady, Carlyle Blackwell, Wilfred Lucas, Mae Marsh, Robert Warwick and Violet Mersereau. PLAYERS HELP BOND SALE Film actors and actresses got together last week to promote the sale of Liberty Loan bonds among the profession. Earl Williams, of the Vitagrapb, beads the actors group, and Alice Brady, of World Films, leads the women's committee. Mar- guerite Clark, of Famous Players, banded in her check for $5,000, as a starter. OPPORTUNITY FOR MANAGERS The Fox Film Corporation announces that the faralus Annette Kcllermann $1,000,000 phantasy, "A Daughter of the Gods," may be secured by high-class thea- tres during the Summer and season of 1017-1018. This provides progressive managers the opportunity of securing the greatest box-office stimulant ever of- fered the public. "A Daughter of the Gods," with the wealth of advertising already received, and with the minimum of expense re- Suired to put it on, offers more extraor- inary advantages than are now enjoyed with regular road attractions. And, in- stead of keeping the playhouses dark dur- ing the Summer, after the regular road shows are taken off, it is a chance to delight their public and at the same time realize unusual profits. There are great advertising possibili- ties in connection with "A Daughter of tbe Gods" and Annette Kellermann, which fact the wise manager will not overlook. And thousands of dollars are being ex- pended by the Fox Film Corporation to foster and keep alive the advantages which expensive publicity has brought the famous spectacle. Managers have but to bear in mind the tremendous success of the production elsewhere to appreciate the opportunities that the latest Fox announcement pro- vides. The run of forty weeks in New York, twenty-two in Chicago, eighteen in Philadelphia, fourteen in Boston, eight in Pittsburgh and seven in St. Louis are eloquent and convincing arguments from u box-office standpoint that cannot be overlooked. The booking office of "A Daughter of tbe Gods" makes it explicit that percentage terms only will be given, and it positively will not play at less than $1 top. These decisions have been reached by the Fox management to en- sure the standard of excellence so rigidly observed in the past. M.cALARNEY SUCCEEDS TURNBULL Robert E. Mac&larney, who bas been as- sociated with Hector Turnboll in the scenario department of the Famous Play- ers-Losky Corporation, succeeds Mr. Turnbull as the head of that department next Friday. Mr. MacAlarney was former city editor of tbe New York Tribune. FORM PROGRES FILM CO. The Progress Feature Picture Co., in which Irwin Rose and Roy L. McCardell are interested, was organized last week. Tbe first picture of the company will be Mr. MeCardeU's adaptation of "Daniel Deronda." It will be shown in New York in August. NEW PICTURE CO. FORMED A new motion picture concern was or- ganized last week under tbe name of the Progress Feature Picture Co. Roy L. McCardell will be head of the scenario de- partment. "Daniel Deronda" will be the first output of the new concern. WILLIAM A. BRADY, Director-General. Brady-International Service WORLD-PICTURES Present SUSAN GRANDAISE THE SWEETEST GIRL IN EUROPE "A NAKED SOUL" Directed by Louis Mercanton