Exhibitor's Trade Review (May-Aug 1925)

May 30, 1925 Page 39 Sales News and Personalities of the Week SEATTLE Felix Feist, of the Metro-Goldwyn organization, arrived in Seattle this week on his tour of key city exchange centers. Harry Lustig, Western division manager, came up from the South to complete the tour of Portland, Denver, Salt Lake, San Francisco and Los Angeles with him. Seth Perkins, local manager, was host to the visitors and salesmen Saffle and Wingham were called in for a conference. * * * Joe Brandt, of C. B. C, was in Seattle this week, setting his product for 1925-26, which is already sold over 70 per cent throughout the entire United States, according to Mr. Brandt. According to Mr. Brandt, gross bookings over the United States on the 1924-25 product encouraged his company not only to increase its output but to double its cost of manufacture. * * * D. D. Gilbert, of Independent Pictures Corp., was in Seattle from Hollywood last week arranging for releases of his next season's product. C. P. Beason, sales control manager of the Seattle Pathe, has been transferred to the Butte office. Seattle's film row was so depleted of managers who had gone either east or south to conventions that the regular weekly Board of Trade meeting was not held as usual this week. Managers Sullivan, of Fox; Perkins, of Metro-Goldwyn, and Endert, of Famous Players, have just returned ; while Managers Black, of Vitagraph, and Brin, of Warners, are now in Los Angeles ; Manager Huot of F. B. O., in Chicago, and Manager Schlaifer, of Universal, in Chicago. Leo A. Adler, Pathe traveling auditor, is paying a visit to the Seattle Pathe exchange in his official capacity. UNIVERSAL PUBLICITY MAN ASSIGNED TO NORTHWEST F. L. Babcock has arrived in Portland to take charge of Northwest publicity of Universal Pictures, Inc. Babcock was formerly dramatic editor of the Denver Post. He will divide his time between Portland and Seattle and will handle promotion details and campaigns for coming Universal productions. MORGAN MAKES TORONTO TRIP W. J. Morgan, assistant to E. A. Eschmann, of First National, in charge of open market bookings, made a flying trip to Toronto last week He reports that "The Lost World," which had just opened at the Regent Theatre for an indefinite run at increased admissions, had made a hit of unusual proportions. The reviews were splendid and the attendance capacity. Toronto and the surrounding territory was billed extensively and the Canadian premiere of the picture is gaining widespread publicity. SALESMEN GATHER The annual sales convention of Film Booking Offices was held in Chicago, at the Drake Hotel, on May 9-10. All F. B. O. executives, officials, division and branch managers attended to discuss sales policies covering the new 1925-26 product. In the illustration on this page are those who were present. Front row : P. C. Taylor, Branch Manager, Toronto ; E. J. Smith, Division Manager, Buffalo; C. E. Penrod, Div. Manager, Indianapolis ; Lee Marcus of the Home Office Sales Promotion Dept. ; J. I. Schnitzer, Vice-President and General Alanager of F. B. O. ; Harry M. Berman, Sales Manager; Nat G. Rothstein, Director of Publicity ; Cleve Adams, Div. Manager, Chicago ; M. J. Weisf eldt, Div. Manager, Indianapolis ; and Al Boasberg of the Home Office Sales Department. ST. LOUIS Lou Hess, manager for the local Universal office, accompanied by Maurice Davis, publicity director, attended the "U" sales gathering in Chicago the past week. * * * Tom McKean, of F. B. O., returned from the F. B. O. meeting in Chicago, all pepped and raring to go. He called his boys into special meeting and told them the wonderful things for F. B. O. he learned while in the Windy City. * * * Charley Werner, Metro-Goldwyn manager, visited Quincy, 111., Jacksonville, 111., and vicinity during the week. * * * Neil Kingsley, home office representative for Producers Distributing Corporation, was stricken with an attack of paralysis while in St. Louis, and is a patient at the Missouri Baptist Sanitarium. The stroke occurred Thursday, May 14, while Kingsley was riding in the automobile of C. D. Hill, manager of the local office for Producers Distributing Corporation. * * * C. E. Mayberry, district manager for Producers Distributing Corporation, was a visitor of the past week. * * * All of the St. Louis exhibitors and film men who attended the big convention in Milwaukee, Wis., have returned to town. Some big things are expected to result from the gathering. * * * Tom Mix, the popular Fox star, will visit St. Louis with his famed horse on May 27th. Max Roth and Joseph Shea, special representatives, are in town arranging the details. The program for the day will include an exhibition by the pair at Forest Park for the benefit of the school children.