Exhibitors Daily Review (1927)

A Newspaper Devoted to the Motion Picture Industry Vol. 21. No. 95 New York, Saturday, April 23, 1927 Five Cents The premiere showing of “Camille.” At the Globe Theatre. New York City. This week. Was a most brilliant affair. It showed Norma Talmadge. At her best. I really believe. That in her entire career. Miss Tali madge never gave a more sympat Ihetic characterization. / don't believe that the Talinadc/c version. Of the characacter Marguerite. Is in exact ; accord. With the original Dumas character? But what of it? The picture. As it stands today. Is a remarkable piece of art. And; entertainment. It seemed to me. While looking at the picture. That Director Niblo realized the far greater potency. Of story-telling on the screen. As against the story itself. And that realizing. That people would get a more vivid impression. In the picture. Than they could possibly gather. From the story. He purposely handled the character of Marguerite. With splendid restraint. “Camille” is a story of love. Told in an extremely interesting way. With absolutely no sordidness. Or revolting sex phases. That the story has sex. Is evident from the start to finish. It is a sex that is handled delicately. Beautifully. The picture is real entertainment. So far as the eye was concerned. Norma Talmadge. In many shots. Showed extreme beauty. She always held the audience’s sympathy. Even though her character. As a woman is bad. Her love for the young hoy, Armand. Was so unselfish. And pure. As' to almost regenerate her. At least it did. In the minds of the audience. From the box office standpoint. “Camille” won’t take a back seat. For any picture made. It will stand any amount of exploitation. And will make good. On any kind of sales talk. To the public. Anyone seeing it. A¥ill get their money’s worth. And more. And it will do much. To bring up the tone. Of a lot of other “Camilles.” That have gone before. One can’t help feeling. What a splendid actress. Norma Talmadge is. And how much she means to every lover. Of screen entertainment. In the world. “BIG FIGURES’’ FLY IN P. D. C. AFFAIRS Zach M. Harris Wants $7,500,000 for Services Rendered FORMAL ^Ufr BEGUN Producers Distributing Corporation and the Cinema Corporation of America, the latter the producing branch of P. D. C., have l>een in a perfect swirl of “big figures” for the past two or three days as the result of the culmination of the big merger deal with Pathe Exchange, Inc. More “big figures” are being kicked about toda3' as the result of a suit being brought by Zach M. Harris, of the Columbia Theatre Building, New York Citj% to collect a little matter of seven and one-half millions of dollars which he says is coming to him for services rendered Cinema Corporation of Anier( Continued on page 2) RUTH PICTURE HERE First National Home Office See Baseball Special and Like It Two of First National’s early releases were screened for the executives and the members of the publicity and advertising department this week. First of the two was “Babe Comes Home,” starring the home run king. Babe Ruth. It was rated by executives and others of the home office force as one of First National’s biggest money-makers of the year. The new George Fitzmaurice production, “The Tender Hour,” featuring Billie Dove and Ben Lyon, was placed in the big money-making class by those who saw it. Takes British Job \\ illiam Kolima, British director, who has been acting as gag man for Lupino Lane, has returned to England, where he will accept an offer to direct a scries of British-made comedies. Getting Back to Work F. H. Allen, general manager of the Educational Studios, and Jack White, director-4n-chief, left New York this week to return to Los Angeles and begin preparations for the reopening of Educational Studios early in May. Denny Cast Chosen Wheeler Oakman, Dorothy Earle, Alfred Allen and Robert Seiter have been selected to play the principal roles in Reginald Denny’s next big Universal picture, “Out All Night.” Marian Nixon already has been announced as the feminine lead. NEW CHILD COMEDIES Empire Pictures to Make Thirteen Two-Reelers Empire Pictures Corporation, newly formed comedy producing unit, announces, the appointment of Charles Donald Fox as supervisor of production for a new series of juvenile comedies which will feature well-known child players. Production activities will begin in the immediate future in Hollywood on thirteen two-reel subjects. Charles Donald Fox has been eastern editorial representative for Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks, making his office with the United Artists Corporation in New York. JOHN McCORMICK Now in full charge of First National’s studios at Burbank. U F A’S REORGANIZATION NOWDEFINETLYARRANGED Hugenberg Control Does Not Affect Contracts With American Firms Cal)le advices from Berlin yesterday announced the definite passing of control of the UFA company to Herr Hugenberg, known as the German Northcliffe and staunch Nationalist in the politics of the countrj'. At a meeting of the company Hugenberg was able to seat nineteen out of the total of twenty-seven members of the executive committee. His selections, it is regarded as significant, are all prominent Nationalists and none of them is at all familiar with the motion picture business. Hugenberg is one of Germany’s leading newspaper publishers and it is thought that his interest in UFA is to control the German screen for political purposes. The UFA company has been in dire financial difficulties for a long time. (Continued on page 2) Omaha Convention May 2-3 The M. P. T. O. of Nebraska and Western Iowa will hold their next convention in Omaha at the Loyal Hotel, Monday and Tuesday, May 2 and 3. BYRD PLANE CRASH CAUGHT BY KINOGRAMS An outstanding news reel scoop is appearing in Educational’s news reel, Kinograms. No. 5284, in which is pictured the crash of Commander Byrd’s airplane in which he expected to hop off to Paris. Two Akeley cameras were focussed on the plane when the accident occurred, reproducing in every vivid detail the turning over and collapse of the giant Fokker machine. Supplementary pictures show the removal of the wounded men ,Byrd, Bennett, his pilot, and Noville, assistant, the police driving away the crowds that swarmed to the spot. The pictures are exclusive with Kinograms by reason of the fact that twentyfour hours earlier this news reel had been granted the exclusive right to photograph Byrd’s flight and preparations. MCCORMICK SECURE AS STUDIO CHIEF OF FIRST NATIONAL Vice President Richard A. Rowland Says He Is in Sole Charge M. C. LE\^ RESIGNED The resignation of M. C. Levee as executive business manager of the First National Studio at Burbank, Cal., leaves John McCormick solely in charge. VicePresident Richard A. Rowland announced the resignation of Mr. Levee with great regret to the First National directors at Atlantic City last week, but stated that the studio would continue to function under Mr. McCormick. His statement concerning Mr. McCormick was made with particular emphasis in view of the repeated stories which have been told and printed to the effect that Mr. McCormick’s position at the West Coast plant was not particularly secure. Many new productions are going into work at Burbank this next month and the studio would likely have more big pictures in course of production than at any one time in its history. THEATRES RESPONSIBLE United States Supreme Court Rules on Case from West Virginia The United States Supreme Court has ruled that the theatre management is responsible for the safety of any patron while in the theatre. The case went up from West Virginia, where a verdict for .$18,000 had been given against the Rex Amusement Co. in favor of a woman who had fallen over a piece of torn carpet. The law in that state says that damages can be collected only when proof that the theatre knew of the fault had been established. A recent decision of the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court in New York State was an even broader ruling that the theatre management was responsible for the safety of patrons. Another Eastman Gift George Eastman, Rochester kodak manufacturer, will donate $300,000 for the establishment in London of a dental clinic in the Royal Free Hospital. It is expected that the hospital will be open in about two years. Dr. Henry Burkhart, head of Eastman’s Rochester clinic, is in London now, making arrangements for the gift. Asher to Make “Cafeteria” E. M. Asher’s first work as an associate producer for First National Pictures will be Howard Estabrook’s original story. “Cafeteria.” George Sidney and Charlie Murray will appear in the leading roles. DECLINE ZONE PLAN Buffalo Exhibitors Want Free Trading and See Unfair Restraint BUFFALO, April 23.— The M. P. T. O. of New York, Buffalo zone, have reported unfavorably on the zoning plan submitted to them by the Buffalo Film Board of Trade. They hold that the buying and selling of pictures should remain a matter of free tfading between the distributor and the exhibitor and, more importantly, that the operation of the zoning plan submitted to them would be in restraint of trade.