Exhibitors Herald (Jan-Mar 1920)

March 20, 1920 EXHIBITORS HERALD 33 Select's Second Annual Meeting Of Managers to Convene April 5 New York Convention Is Expected to Exceed in Important Conferences Held Last YearOnly Tentative Plans Are Made The second annual convention and sixday conference of home office and branch executives of the Select Pictures Corporation will convene at the Hotel Astor in New York City on April 5, according to an announcement made by Sam E. Morris, vice president and general manager. Although only tentative plans have been made, it is declared that the forthcoming conference will exceed in importance last year's convention and that the attendance will be much larger. Branch managers of Select in the more distant points will leave in time to arrive in New York the day before the convention opens. Expect Greater Increase It is understood that the new plans of the Select organization and a resume of its last year's activities will be among the important subjects discussed. Great stress will be laid, it is understood, on the fact that the Select organization has not only grown considerably within the last year, but that the coming year will see an even greater expansion. Reports from the various exchange managers will be heard, and the home office executives will address the branch managers on subjects relative to their respective departments. The first meeting will be of an informal nature and will be held Monday afternoon in the convention headquarters, following an informal lunch at WI1VCHELL SMITH author of many stage successes and successful producer for the theatre, has entered motion pictures and will write original stories for Metro, as well as personally supervise some of his screen plays. The first of these will be "The New Henrietta," which, in collaboration with Victor Mapes, Mr. Smith revised from Branson Howard's famous drama of Wall Street speculation. June Mathis is writing' the scenario. which the convention delegates will be the guest of Lewis J. Selznick. The balance of the week will be devoted to formal morning and afternoon business session. Plan Studio Trips Plans for the evening entertainment of the visiting managers have not been divulged, but it is reported that Mr. Selznick will put into effect a program similar to the one carried out last year. In addition to this, there will be trips to the studios where the visiting managers will be shown productions in the making. Several theatre parties and after-theatre suppers probably will be held. One of the innovations of this year's convention will be the daily publication of a convention edition of the Selznick house organ, "The Brain Exchange. ' This will be published in the form of a morning newspaper and will be delivered to the rooms of the delegates at an early hour. Copies of this daily edition will be mailed to the branch offices on the date of issue. Exhibitor Defies Oak Park Censors To Show Feature Oak Park, Chicago suburb, is stirred over a finish fight on the censorship question. For several years women of the village have censored all pictures which were shown. There has been more or less friction over various rulings, and matters came to a climax when the women refused to sanction the showing of "The Corsican Brothers" at the Oak Park theatre of the Lubliner & Trinz group. J. G. Hodgson, manager, attempted to reason the matter, but when the women remained obdurate, he announced he would show the film without their sanction. He was arrested and will be tried March 10 on a charge of violating the city ordinance. In the meantime, patrons of the theatre have been circulating petitions demanding the immediate repeal of the censorship ordinance. Miss Breamer Ready For Mayflower Role Sylvia Breamer, who will star in Mayflower productions under Sydney A. Franklin, with whom she has a twoyear contract, has arrived in Los Angeles from New York to play the leading role in Robert W. Chambers' "Athalie," which will be Mr. Franklin's first production under his new contract with Mayflower. Miss Breamer expects to be on the coast six weeks. She announces that she will return to New York between each of her productions. "Athalie" will be Mr. Franklin's first screen offering since he directed Mary Pickford in "The Hoodlum" and "Heart o' the Hills." THE MYSTERY GIRL Another portrait of the new screen star soon to be introduced to the public. She has talent and beauty, two important requisites. Who is she? Fox Corporation to Own Chicago "Home" The Fox Film Corporation is the first of the large distributing organizations to solve the problem created by the blanket order from Chicago city officials to remove all film exchanges from the "loop" this spring. Although official announcement has not been made, it is admitted that the Fox company will erect a building near Wabash avenue and Fourteenth street, large enough to house its exchange, and will have additional space to lease to other film companies. Several other projects to erect buildings on Wabash avenue between Eighth and Fourteenth streets are being considered by other companies. Dwan Returns West To Cut Three Films Allan Dwan, who was in Xew York all of last week in conference with Isaac Wolper, head of the Mayflower company, regarding exploitation campaigns in connection with his productions, has returned to Los Angeles. Mr. Dwan had with him "A Splendid Hazard." "The Scoffer" and "In the Heart of a Fool," the three productions which he took to New York to show to President Wolper. He will cut and title them as quickly as possible. Warwick Has Guests (Special to Exhibitors Herald) LOS ANGELES, March 9— Robert Warwick, during the filming of "The Man from Blankleys" has as his guests a party of Chicagoans, including Mr. and Mrs. Peter J. Schaefer, Mr. and Mrs. Adolph Linick. and Mr. and Mrs. Smalley.