Exhibitors Herald (Dec 1924-Mar 1925)

February 7, 1925 EXHIBITORS HERALD 43 O. F. Spahr, who has been elected president of Enterprise Optical Manufacturing Company, makers of the Motiograph projector. OF. SPAHR, who for the past ten years has been vice-president and general manager of the Enterprise Optical Manufacturing company, makers of the Motiograph projection machine, has been elected president of the company. Mr. Spahr succeeds A. C. Roebuck, recently resigned and who is now vacationing in Florida. Intimations of important improvements in the Motiograph are contained in the announcement of Mr. Spahr’s promotion and it is believed that when these are ready for the trade they will tend to popularize even further the Motiograph projector. According to Mr. Spahr business is on the increase and the company is in excellent condition. The progressive policies which have been important factors in the growth of the company will be continued under Spahr’s direction with preparations under way for increased service to Motiograph dealers and the industry generally. A good business year in the equipment field may be looked for, Spahr declares. Mr. Spahr is well known in the trade and has a thorough understanding of projection requirements. He has built up an aggressive dealer organization, imbued with the idea of rendering maximum service to theatre owners. Proven Talent to Aid Next Steiner Picture (Special to Exhibitors Herald) NEW YORK, Jan. 27.— Many well known names appear, it is said, in the cast of Edith Thornton’s third offering for the William Steiner Productions which will be written by a well known author. Among them are Crauford Kent, Niles Welch, Melbourne McDowell, Dorris Dare, Joseph Kilgour, Wilfred Lucas, Robert Ellis, Helen Lynch, Eddie Phillips, and Earle Williams. Industry’s Representatives Fight Perkins Copyright Bill O’Toole, Hess and Weil Appear Before House Patents Body in Opposition to Proposed Law— Exhibitor Chief Calls Measure Gross Injustice to Theatre (Special to Exhibitors Herald) WASHINGTON, D. C., January 27. — The motion picture industry would prefer the Ballinger copyright bill to that recently introduced by Representative Perkins, members of thhe house patents committee were told last week by Gabriel Hess and Arthur Weil, during the hearings held on the Perkins measure, which was drafted by Thorvald Soldberg, register of copyrights at the Congressional Library, at the request of the Authors’ League of America. Labor and Publishers Aid Motion Picture Industry A number of noted composers and authors appeared at the hearing to urge adoption of the Perkins bill, but the motion picture industry has lined up with it in opposition the American Federation of Labor and the book publishers, both of whom fear competition from cheap foreign labor in the printing industry. Appearing in favor of the measure, Augustus Thomas, author and playwright, declared his people were asking only for rights granted under the Constitution. Mr. Thomas took time out to explain how the Constitution had been drafted, and telling the committee that the writers of that paper met in a tavern in Philadelphia to debate its terms. “It is my belief, purely individual,” he added, “that if there had been no tavern there would have been no Constitution agreed upon.” Matthew Woll, vice-president of the American Federation of Labor, accused the Authors’ League of “double crossing.” “They agreed to support other legislation which protected the printers,” he said. “Now they seek only their own protection.” Methods of securing rights to picturize stories were discussed by some of the authors, Ellis Parker Butler declaring that he received $25 for the moving picture rights to “Pigs Is Pigs” but that the company that purchased the rights at that time Gross Injustice, Says O’Toole (Special to Exhibitors Herald) WASHINGTON, D. C., Jan. 27. — President M. J, O’Toole of the Motion Picture Theatre Owners of America, in a hearing before the patents committee of the house, labelled the Perkins copyright bill now being considered as a gross injustice to theatre owners. “So sweeping and arbitrary are the elements in this bill,” he said, “that it is distinctly opposed to 'good public policy to pass it until such amendments are made as will change the greater number of its provisions.” later demanded $10,000 from another producer who wanted to utilize the same story. Fear Limitation of Rights Passage of the Perkins bill would limit the rights of producers and there are many provisions in the measure which would result in years of litigation before their terms were finally interpreted, the committee was told by the representatives of the moving picture industry. The Dallinger bill, it was declared, was far better, not only from the angle of its various provisions but in its language. Another hearing will be held this month at which the committee will seek further light on the subject. In view of the lateness of the session, however, it is becoming doubtful whether any copyright legislation will be enacted this session. 14 World Beauties Selected by Famous for New Production (Special to Exhibitors Herald) NEW YORK, Jan. 27. — Paramount announces that it has made its final selection of “the world’s most beautiful women” for the cast of “The Dressmaker from Paris.” Fourteen international beauty models will appear in the picture. Each girl, according to Jesse L. Lasky, is a distinct type of feminine charm. They are ; EUGENIA GILBERT, who was “Miss Los Angeles” in Rudloph Valentino’s national beauty contest. ETTA LEE — “Princess of the Orient.” She is said to be a perfect type of Oriental beauty. SALLY LONG — “D. W. Griffith’s most beautiful discovery.” She was in the Ziegfeld Follies two years. JOCELYN LEE — “Ziegfeld’s queen of beauty.’ She was called by Paris the most beautiful American girl. ^ CECILLE EVANS— “The Girl with the Coles Phillips ankles.” Miss Evans was personally selected by the artist, Phillips, for a place among the models. CLARA MORRIS — “Neysa McMein’s regal red head.” She was chosen personally by _ Miss McMein, one of America’s best known artists. OLIVE BORDEN — “Wampas Baby Star for 1925.” . , .... CHRISTINA MONTT— “Latin Americas favorite daughter.” She is the grand-daughter of a former president of Chile. SALLY RAND — “Named by Cecil B. De Mille as the most beautiful girl in America.” She was a model at the Chicago Art Institute. ADALYN MAYER— “The Cinderella girl of 1925.” MABEL COLEMAN — “The Gibson girl of today.” Six artists have declared Miss Coleman’s hands the most perfect in the two Americas. THAIS VALDEMAR — “The fairest of Europe’s nobility.” Her mother was a political revolutionist, her father colonel of a Cossack regiment of the Imperial Guard. YOLA D'AVRIL — “The famous model of Jean Patou.” When Patou was asked to select a model in Paris he cabled back, “The most beautiful girl in Paris is in Hollywood. DOROTHY SEASTROM— “Venus of the Snows.” A pure Norse type with fine flaxen hair, clear blue eyes, ivory complexion and a lithe, graceful figure. Calkins Goes to Butte (Special to Exhibitors Herald) BUTTE, MONT., Jan. 27.— The managership of the local Bathe offices has been put under the charge of W. A. (Wild Bill) Calkins, formerly with the Seattle branch. He succeeds C. M. Van Horn. Ted Johnson, formerly a serial representative, has taken Calkins place in Seattle.