Exhibitors Herald (Jun-Sep 1918)

EXHIBITORS HERALD AND MOTOGRAPHY Cress Smith left at the peak of the hot wave to go down to New York, where the Metro company is holding its annual meeting of branch managers. If Cress is as wise as we think he is, he had a couple of electric fans in that grip of his. Friend Bradford was host the past week to William Deeth, president of the Exhibitors' Corporation of the Northwest, Clyde Hitchcock, secretary, and P. N. Brink of the W. W. Hodkinson Film Service. The native stamping ground of all these gents is Minneapolis and they look upon Ralph as a native son. They were returning from the Boston convention. C. Creswell, assistant branch manager of the local Paramount office, is making a tour of the central west territory. We don't understand why anybody would pick this time of the year for a tour, but maybe there's plenty of lakes en route. Nothing like our lake breezes. Here are a few of the boys who came in to enjoy them last week: F. L. Coppelberger of the Majestic and La Crosse Theatres, La Crosse; F. Workman, Ranier Amusement Company, Ranier, Minn.; George Fisher, Alhambra Theatre, Milwaukee; W. H. Cadoret, La Petite Theatre, Kankakee; Charles Lamb, Palm Theatre, Rockford, and M. Rubens, Joliet. W. C. Cook, formerly sales manager for the Chicago Paramount exchange, now in a similar capacity in Cincinnati, motored here last week with Mrs. Cook and spent a few days in our midst renewing old acquaintances. Max Balaban was in the loop last Saturday in his naval uniform and looked big enough to give a dozen Huns a good argument. He's about as good an ad for the Great Lakes Naval Training Station as we have seen and we've seen some good ones. On the Finn' Line j Quite a stir among the local film celebrities when Brickhouse's "Them Was the Happy Days" hit the street last week. Of course you can expect criticism on a thing of this kind, and now Brickhouse is accused of leaving out the most important note of all of them — the New Year's party given by "Chub" Florine some years ago. H. K. Moss, Clayt Bond and Milt Simon are said to have had something to do with the affair. That guy Salkin put over another one this week. He heard of a fellow what wanted a Ford for $325 and he got one for $300 and sold it to him. The profits he put into stock in the new packing plant being built by the Pfalser company out at the U. S. yards. By the way, since they moved the fire plug from in front of the Morrisoti, Salkin's office is in the Stetson building. The war bug has hit Al Normal, of the Triangle, and he is now anxiously awaiting a reply to his application for overseas service in the Knights of Columbus recreation centers for the doughboys. Looks like normal times on the western front in the near future. George West has been put in Class 1-A by the exemption board, and will be certified for service shortly. If his tastes run like his brother's (Billy), friend Hohenzollern is due to have his imperial features decorated with a few custard pies. Paul De Outo has graduated from the small time stuff and now is driving a good sized Oldsmobile. And yet some folks say there is nothing in a name. The man who is giving out those cards on the silk shirt raffle, it is said, sure has a lot of film salesmen on his cuff. According to all reports they owe him plenty. It is said that Jack O'Toole, now batting for Frank Flaherty in the Minneapolis Foursquare office, is doing considerably better than the time he was a "dark horse" for the Clinton (Iowa) team and pulled a "Casey" with the bases full. And up there they call him "Swenson." All you can hear around the Pathe office these times is "Hands Up!" When we first heard this we thought the local office was after another bonus and that the over-enthusiastic salesmen were going through the exhibitors' pockets in the most approved western style. We were much relieved to find out that theY were boosting the new serial and thafc, everything was going fine. Will Schreiber, affectionately known among the Pathe boys as "Fashion Plate," has left the fold, and in the future will hold down the sales managers job at Goldwyn. McMillan says that he spends most of his time in the lake these days and never sees any fillum salesmen, so he don't know any news. What do you mean, Mac, you never see any salesmen? The lake's free, ain't it? Joe Lyons felt so grateful to Greiver and Herz for keeping him off the road last week that he went right down to the Verdi Theatre and got a contract for ten pictures. We've got Joe's word for this and that's enough for us. DOROTHY GISH, Who Is ;it Work on Her First Paramount Feature io He Published October 6. Frank Delo, of Metro's Milwaukee exchange, is acting as manager during the absence of J. S. Grauman, now in New York at the annual convention. C. S. Desgar has left the Goldwyn exchange to join Goldman in selling Jewels. This is characterized as larceny by Bayley. Two exhibitors took up the fillum sample cases recently and went on the other side of the counter, selling fillums. Friend Woodyatt, who has been running the Rio Theatre at Moline, is now covering the Illinois territory for Select and while Mrs. Gibbs looks after the destinies of the Princess Theatre at Galva, Gibbs himself is traveling Illinois for Paramount. Vitagraph Officials Visit Chicago Office G. F. Cooper, general auditor; A. W. Goff, assistant general manager, and E. Auger, eastern division manager of the Greater Vitagraph Company, were in Chicago last week and spent two days in the local exchange of the company. Mr. Goff explained that the trip was an annual event and that every exchange of the company would be visited before the return to New York City. He said yhat in this matter the Vitagraph Company kept in touch with the various /exchange managers and had found it ( much more satisfactory in settling local problems than by correspondence. New Essanay Chaplin Being Booked Rapidly "Triple Trouble," the new Charlie Chaplin comedy, which was produced when Chaplin was with Essanay, but just published, is reported to be booking rapidly by the George Kleine system. It opened for a week's run at the Castle Theatre, one of Chicago's loop houses, on Sunday, July 28, and several first-runs have been arranged in other large cities. The play is strictly up to the minute, touching on the world war, with considerable humor at the expense of the kaiser. Chaplin has the role of a janitor who is instrumental in preventing German spies from getting hold of the formula for a "wireless explosive." Anita King Series First of New Filrris The W. W. Hodkinson Corporation announces that Anita King is to be the first star whose productions will be distributed under the new Hodkinson service, known as Plaza Pictures. Anita King series, which it is understood will consist of eight pictures, commences with the production entitled "Petticoats and Politics." There will be three star series, it is said. STAR TO BEGIN SERIAL SOON l'earl White is not going to France as reported, but instead will start work at the Astra studio in Jersey City soon on Episode I of the new Pathe serial, known temporarily as "The Lightning Raider." 62