Exhibitors Herald (Oct-Dec 1920)

December 25, 1920 EXHIBITORS HERALD 201 Selznick Gets Permanent Injunction In Long Standing Equity-Young Suit Surety Company Bond of $25,000 Must Be Put Upon Each Production Featuring Star When it is Published Reelcraft Is Ready With Record Output Twelve Productions — Two Weeks Accomplishment of Studios The production department of Reelcraft Pictures Corporation has established a new record for the company by completing twelve productions during the last two weeks for its exclusive short subject program. Eight Are Completed At the Hollywood studio eight singlereel comedies were completed and shipped to the general office. In the single-reel comedy unit featuring Billy Franey, with Glover Jones directing, completed six productions for shipment — "The Thief," "The Messenger," "The Lawyer," "The Taxi Driver," "The Dancer" and "The Tourist." The Paragon single-reel comedy unit, featuring George Clarke, the latest star to be added to the Reelcraft program, shipped two single-reel comedies: "The Fire Bug" and "The Pussyfoot," directed by James Howe. This new series will be a weekly single-reel issue and ready for the market in January. Finch Picture Ready In the Royal comedy series, a two-reel comedy titled "The She-Male Sleuth,*' in which Flora Finch is featured, has been made ready for distribution. The Reelcraft Scenic Nature Beautiful series is also scheduled for first issue in January, and has ten installments already completed and ready for distribution. The titles of the first six are: "The Mountain That Was God," "Crater Lake," "Wandering," "Wind Goddess," "Lake Chelan" and "The Spirit of the Trapper." 4 'Their Mutual Child" Is Popular, Say Producers "Their Mutual Child" is piling up new records for American Film Company productions, according to company officials. That the photoplay is proving to be another "Flying A" triumph is established in the immediate bookings by some of the country's largest first-run factors and by important circuits. A few of the bookings just received are: Leow's Garrick of St. Louis, Mo.; the Superba of Freeport. 111.; the Capitol of Lynn, Mass.; the Rosedale, Duplex and Drury Lane of Detroit, Mich., and the Lyric of Birmingham, Ala. Second Hallroom Comedy Ready, Reports C. B. C. "A Close Shave," the second issue of ! the new series of Hallroom Boys comI edies directed by Del Pratt, under the : personal supervision of Harry Cohn, is I now ready, according to the announcement made by C. B. C. Film Sales CorI poration, which is offering these comedies to state rights buyers. Harry McCoy and Sid Smith play the I parts of Percy and Ferdie, while Polly Moran assumes the role of the halfi witted cousin of Miss Millionbucks. Lease Grand at Dows, la. DOWS, IA.— Sisk & James, who formerly operated the American theatre, have leased the Grand opera house. They purchased the lease from A. G. Ferris, who retires after several years of theatre management. The long-standing Selznick-Clara Kimball Young litigation has progressed another step in the courts. Lewis J. Selznick has been granted a permanent injunction in the suit by Judge Learned Hand of the United States District court in New York. Also, the Equity Pictures Corporation has had to put up a surety company bond of $25,000 for each of the star's pictures published. Charge Contract Evasion Clara Kimball Young, her manager, Harry I. Garson, and their attorney, Brownson, according to the bill of complaint, attempted to avoid the consequences of a contract of settlement LEWIS J. SELZ.MCK Who has just completed sale of $2,000,000 in bonds to Utica concern. tract intimated that the corporation might lend to her from time to time what she would need for living expenses. As a matter of fact, the accounting which was made after the third picture showed that these loans considerably exceeded the profits to which she was entitled. Within two weeks after the execution of the settlement contract Equity came into being and at once made a contract with the Michigan corporation under which it was to finance the production and was to receive the exploitation rights of Miss Young's pictures. This contract originally made with Herbert K. Somborn, then an employe of Garson, was immediately assigned to the Equity Company, in which Harry I. Garson had nominally one-half stock interest. Calls Contract Clumsy The judge aptly describes the contract between Miss Young and the Michigan company as "a clumsy and transparent attempt to frustrate Mr. Selznick's rights," and indicates that "it very carefully provides against the possibility of any attachable salary for Miss Young." In the meantime Mr. Selznick was apprehensive about his $25,000 a picture and not knowing just what was going on, began shooting out notices in all directions. This was annoying to the Equity company, and they sued for an injunction to stop Selznick's activities. Unfortunately in their papers they set out the contracts which Selznick desired to have and which on their face disclosed the whole scheme. Selznick got busy, counter-claimed for an injunction which was granted in temporary form and has now been made permanent. It is also interesting to note, as the judge points out, that the contract between Clara and the Michigan company was cancelled "perhaps because of the awkward situation arising from the temporary injunction," and that the contract with the Equity company "in turn dissolved as a phantasm and so far as one can infer the Fine Arts Film Corporation (the Michigan company above referred to) went to limbo." executed on June 17, 1919, by which Selznick released Clara Kimball Young from her contract with his company in consideration of her agreement to pay him $25,000 on each of not less than ten pictures in which she might thereafter appear. The record shows that shortly after this contract was signed, L. J. Selznick saw fit to publish to the trade what he conceived to be his rights for the purpose of protecting his $25,000 per picture. This annoyed Miss Young and her associates considerably and they immediately set about to prevent Mr. Selznick from getting his money. Form Michigan Company Miss Young's lawyer through a former associate practicing in Michigan organized a $1,000 company there, which company within ten days after the settlement contract was signed, made a remarkable attachment proof contract of employment with Miss Young under which she was to get an interest in the profits every so often, but without any right on her part to an accounting or to question the figures arrived at. The con Jans Closes With Aliens For Canadian Territory With the departure of Herman F. Jans for Toronto, where he will make one of a series of stops in Canada which will include many of the cities where "Madonnas and Men" is scheduled for special presentation, comes the news that arrangements have been completed whereby the Aliens will handle the big Jans production for the dominion. According to Jans this does not interfere with the elaborate presentations already arranged and which will be given with the full approval of the Aliens in Peterboro, Ottawa, Hamilton and London in the order named. These showings include a prolog which includes in addition to a ballet of "Roman Slave Girls" backed by a special set, four snowwhite horses plunging across the stage with a chariot. Open Grand, Alton, 111. ALTON, ILL.— The Grand theatre was given formal opening on December 4.