Exhibitors Herald (Dec 1924-Mar 1925)

42 EXHIBITORS HERALD February 28, 1925 John Golden Arrives on Coast to Confer With Fox Screen Celebrities Leave for Month’s Tour of Continent — Sanford Denies Plagiarism of Famous Screen Names By HARRY HAMMOND BEALL Hollywood, February 17. — John Golden, theatrical producer, arrived this week to confer with William Fox regarding production of his plays. “Lightnin’ ” will go into production soon with Jack Ford directing, while Emmett Flynn will make “Seventh Heaven.” Golden was met by Morris Revnes, Fox production director; Tom Jefferson, who played “Lightnin’ Bill Jones” after Frank Bacon died; Emmett Flynn, Jack Ford, Jack Hill, Fox publicist, and others. Universal City has a new general manager, namely, John Griffith Wray of Ince fame. He succeeds Julius Bemheim, and the usual shake-up is anticipated. Bemheim joins the General Manager Alumni Club, for which the Universal is famous, and which includes Harry Caulfield, Isadore Bernstein, William Sistrom, Henry McRae, Irving Thalberg, H. O. Davis, J. K. McGee, Harry Klein, the late Tarkington Barker, Julius Stem and many others. Plans for a $150,000 theatre in the Los Angeles harbor district were announced this week by Michael Gore, President of West Coast. * * * Jean Havez, noted song and film writer, died Thursday. * * * Edward Carewe, producer, and two cutters narrowly escaped death when trapped with thousands of feet of blazing film in a cutting-room at United Studios. The negative of Nazimova’s “My Son” was not in the cutting room, but the release of the picture will be delayed several weeks while new prints are being made. The loss of film is $7,000. * * * Amador Withdraws Claim Charles Amador, Los Angeles boxer, in an interview, is quoted as saying he will withdraw his right to use the name Aplin on the screen when his legal battle with Charles Spencer Chaplin is resumed the end of the week in Judge Jamison’s court here. At the same time, F. M. Sanford, president of Western features, also has been producing and marketing photoplays starring not only “Aplin,” but “William Mix,” “William Fairbanks,” and “Richard Talmadge,” is quoted as stating he has never attempted to plagiarize famous screen names and that his organization will contest Charlie Chaplin’s right to a monopoly of what is termed “the French tramp character.” ^ ^ Paramount Convention in April The annual convention of the Famous Players-Lasky Corporation will be held in Los Angeles in April. All exchange and district managers, exploitation managers, sales representatives and ad sales managers as well as representatives from England, France, Germany, other European countries and South America, more than 250 persons in all, will attend. * * * A court battle to determine who owns the motion picture rights to the comedy, “The Wizard of Oz,” looms as the result of booking the new Larry Semon production in the Forum theatre in Los Angeles. * * * William La Plante, President of the National Film Corporation of New York, is said to have notified the theatre management that if the “Oz” picture was shown his concern would immediately institute injunction proceedings. * * * The California Studios’ new enlarged stage, adding more than 50,000 feet of floor space is practically completed. The im provement will provide facilities for as many as seventeen new independent organizations. The erection of the new stage is part of an expansion program aggregating $500,000. * * * Huntley Gordon, who has been engaged with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer the past year, has signed a contract to star with Warner Brothers. * * * Colleen Moore will be confined to the Hollywood Hospital for one or two weeks before she will be able to resume work before the camera as the result of being pitched from a hand car near Barstow recently. Efforts to continue work resulted in a relapse. A ligament in her neck was injured in the fall. * * * Bogart Rogers, general manager of Douglas Maclean Productions, accompanied by Arthur S. Kane, President of Associated Exhibitors, Inc., has left for New York to arrange future distribution of MacLean pictures. * * * Anita Stewart has returned to the scenes of her early successes by signing a contract with Vitagraph to star in the James Oliver Curwood story, “Barree, Son of Kazan.” * * * Jack Dempsey and his bride, nee Estelle Taylor, may co-star on the screen if negotiations now in progress to get them to sign up for a series of five pictures are successful. At present they are honeymooning. * * * Lon Chaney will be featured in four productions a year under a new contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, at a salary of $2,500 a week. * * * Numerous film celebrities entrained Saturday on their three months’ tour of the continent, with Texas scheduled as first stop. The personnel includes Bryant Washburn, Kathryn Maguire, Anna May Wong, Cullen Landis, Carl Miller, Phyllis Haver, Ena Gregory, Jack Daugherty, Joe Murphy, Ella Carlisle, Helen Holmes, Ruth Stonehouse, Harry Tighe and others. Nearly 50 large cities will be visited, in each a movie frolic and ball will be staged. * * * C. Gardner Sullivan, dean of Hollywood scenario writers, and Ann May, motion picture actress, were married last week. * * * Rupert Hughes, author and motion picture director, who had just returned with his bride, formerly Elizabeth Patterson Dial, screen actress, from New York has announced he will return to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and begin production of his own story, “The Girl’s Rebillion.” * * * Fox Seeks Injunction William Fox is seeking an injunction in federal court here against the William Mix productions and others, alleging misleading advertising involving the name of “Mix.” The complaint alleges the defendants took unfair advantage of exploitation of Tom Mix, Western screen star, by Fox. * * * Tom Mix will tour Europe this Spring. His first vacation in eight years. The trip will give European fans the opportunity to see the “hard riding” star in person. Fisher to Head New Board of Officers; Tax On Amusements Fought (Special to Exhibitors Herald) WINNIPEG, MAN., Feb. 17.— The Manitoba Motion Picture Exhibitors’ association held its annual meeting at the Marborough Hotel Thursday, when D. E. L. Fisher, manager of the Garrick theatre, was elected president to succeed Helmer Jernberg, manager of the Province theatre. L. Straw, manager of the Starland theatre, was elected vice-president of the Provincial organization and Gordon Lindsay was elected secretary-treasurer. Mr. Lindsay was elected to the secretaryship in succession to R. Kershaw, who had been an officer of the association for many years. As a result of these elections, the Manitoba exhibitors now have practically a new board of officers. The association is the oldest continuous exhibitor organization in Canada. The association has been actively engaged in waging a campaign against the . Manitoba amusement tax. Hays, M.P.T.O, Favor Bill Asking for Matrons (Special to Exhibitors Herald) ALBANY, N. Y., Feb. 17.— Assemblyman Charles A. Frieberg of Erie county has been selected to present the bill in the New York state legislature which would limit and condition the admission of unaccompanied children to motion picture theatres. The bill will have the backing of the Will Hays national organization as well as the New York state M. P. T. O. The bill will call for the segregation of unaccompanied children once they are within the theatre, the owner of the house to provide a matron who will be in charge of the children. House Accepts Hoosier Bill for Blue Sundays (Special to Exhibitors Herald) INDIANAPOLIS, Ind., Feb. 17.— The Kissinger “blue Sunday” bill to prohibit practically all kinds of amusements and sports on Sunday has been favorably accepted by the house of the Indiana legislature. A bill to prevent Sunday baseball, football and other sports charging fees was killed simultaneously. Kersey Wins Lawsuit (Special to Exhibitors Herald) NOBLESVILLE, IND., Feb. 17.— A verdict has been returned in the case of Willis Kersey, and others, against Samuel E. Perkins, and others, giving the plaintiffs damages in the sum of $2,500. The litigation referred to a theatre lease in Indianapolis.