Exhibitors Herald (Dec 1921 - Mar 1922)

44 EXHIBITORS HERALD March 4. 1922 SPEAKING of the zero weather, which we weren't, there is one picture man in New York who is ready to rear up on both hind legs and vote a couple of times against it. And this is the how: Arch Schmidt, general manager of Universale short subject department for all exchanges, recently came here from Cleveland where he was district manager. Search for an abiding place for himself and wife, proved unavailing and Mr. Schmidt told some of his friends of his troubles. One of these was P. A. Powers, now of R-C, who happens to be a friend of long standing. Mr. Powers also happens to own a beautiful big house in Spuyten Duyval which he is not occupying, and which was standing idle, all furnished and everything. The milk of human kindness always being on tap with Mr. Powers, he told his friend to take possession of the house, which Mr. Schmidt did. Then came the cold snap, and according to Mr. Schmidt's friends, he discovered that Mr. Powers had had a one-way furnace installed. Everything going in and nothing coming out. It takes a lot of coal to heat a big house, but after wearing one shovel out and consuming two tons of fifteen dollar coal a week, he is wondering where he can find some new words to express his opinion of the weather man. Mr. Schmidt declares that after Mr. Powers takes the house back, he will never again look a gift furnace in the mouth. * * * Ralph Clark, New York exchange manager for First National, met another exchange man at the Astor after both had returned from the Albany convention. "How did you like that weather up there?" greeted Ralph. "Pretty fine until the second day when that rain came. After that it was too wet for comfort," was the answer. "How do you get that way?" asked Ralph. "They've got another name for the cause of all that moisture. They don't call it rain." The other man studied a minute and then admitted: "Maybe it wasn't rain. But something made it mighty wet." * * * And this is fame. Someone sent us a paper from Miami. Fla., containing an item that "David Mark Griffith, premier motion picture actor," is visiting there. * * * And in the same paragraph about David Mark Griffith we learn that "Eddie Pole, King of the Serial Play," is in Miami making a picture We'll just bet that David Mark and Eddie Pole were chumming around together something awful. * * * David Powell, who has been in London for Paramount for the past year and a half, is in New York for a few days before going on to the west coast. * * * Maude Romnson Toomiis, the demon press agent of Century Film Corporation, asks us to announce that she is in a receptive mood for a scenario for a comedy that can be played by a bunch of well-fed husky lions with all their teeth and claws. She has had worrl from her boss. Julius Sfcrn, that the Century troop of lions is champing at the bits and kicking off the stable doors (or whatever they call the places they keep lions), for the want of some real work. The antidote for too much rest, according to the D. P. A., is a little work, and a lion scenario is a necessary adjunct to the antidote. Maude Robinson, always helpful, suggests that having a man absent-mindedly get into the same bath tub with a lion, is always good for a laugh. Nice, isn't it? * * * A. M. Botsford and Tom Wiley, who are running the ticket selling concession for the A. M. P. A. "Naked Truth" dinner are the busy birds these days, trading dinner broads for dinero. The dinner will be held at the Biltmore on March 25, and as the attendance is limited, everyone is trying to get in early to avoid being left on the outside looking in. * * * Will A. Page, who took over exploitation of "Foolish Wives" when Harry Reichenbach joined Paramount to exploit "Mistress of the World," has been ill with the flu for the past ten days but is back on the job this week. One of his friends says Page has lost several hundred pounds — or maybe it was only several pounds — during his illness. Another one meanly remarks that he always thought that first "A" in Page's name stood for "Avoirdupois," but now he doesn't know. * * * A. Edward Cook, P. A. of the New York Photodramatist Club, in broadcasting us an invitation to attend the club's anniversary dinner at The Cecil on February 28, says: "We are workers, and we mean to forge ahead and show everyone we meet that we are earnest photodramatists and intend to write scenarios that will be classics." We are for all of that. Especially the work and forge ahead stuff, as long as it is tempered with food or something, so we're wigwagging right back that we will be there. * * * Miss Fannie Hurst sailed Saturday on the Olympic for Cherbourg and other seaports. Among those who were at the pier to bid ban voyage to the writer and present her with a large basket of flowers, Anthony Paul Kelly was not. * * * Billy Brandt declares he was so happy at the Albany convention when they were turning down his Hays resolution that it was with difficulty that he was restrained from bursting into song. * * * And speaking of songs and song birds, try this one of H. I. Phillips' on your church pulpit: Doc Straton is a fighting man; Bill Brady is a noble Roman: But I'll defy the man who can Beat either as an able showman. » * * It is rumored that Paul Perez has abandoned his work on the scenario, "The Bootlegger's Daughter," because no producing company could afford to surround the star with settings of sufficient luxuriousncss to give the picture proper realism. John S. Sparco. Bert Ennis Publicity Director for Serial Sales Corp. WE have with us today, gentlemen, Mr. Bert Ennis, who admits that he had to go on the stage to lind out just how good he was before starting out to fit himself as one of our rising young publicity hounds. Born of wealth but honest parentage Mr. Ennis honored the public schools of Brooklyn with his presence as long as they would let him go there, after which he gathered the rest of it in Commercial High School of the trolley dodging city. He debutted into the theatrical game as manager for the Harry Ennis Music Publishing Company, and later broke into vaudeville with brother Harry. Growing tired of the six a day stuff, Mr. Ennis hunted for honest employment (honest he did) but not finding anything lying around loose, he decided to become a publicity man. And did. He broke into the game in 1910 and has never been broke since. Vitagraph was liis first victim. Later he became publicity manager for the New York Motion Picture Company, producing Keystone comedies and Thomas Ince pictures under brand names B Broncho, Kaybce, et cet., et cet. Managed theatres for a period but the virus was working and he went back, or forward, again to publicity and is still at it. Alter exploiting some of the most famous stars and pictures of the decade, he is now with Serial Sales Corporation, and admits over his signature every day that the "Adventures of Tarzan" is a whale of a serial. Many of his friends assert that Mr. Ennis' greatest claim to fame is that he is the man who hired Charlie Chaplin for Keystone while the now regular comedian was playing for the Karno Pantomine Company in Toronto. Modestly Mr. Ennis admits he did, and then admits that he can't quite figure out that it gets him much ii"".