Exhibitors Herald (Dec 1924-Mar 1925)

36 EXHIBITORS HERALD March 14, 1925 Dr. Riesenfeld Celebrates Sixth Anniversary as Manager Managing Director of Rivoli and Rialto Puts on Special Programs — E. A. Eschmann Goes to Coast to Confer with Rowland By JOHN S. SPARGO New YORK, March 3. — This is gala week at the Rivoli theatre, the occasion being the celebration of Dr. Hugo Riesenfeld’s sixth anniversary of his taking the management of the Rivoli and Rialto. The picture chosen for the marking of the anniversary event is “The Thundering Herd,” Paramount’s picturization of Zane Grey’s famous story. N elaborate musical program was prepared, especial attention being given to arranging something that would do credit to an artist of such musical attainments as those which made Dr. Riesenfeld famous in that field before he branched out into theatrical management. The prologue to the picture is also arranged on elab Hugo Riesenfeld orate lines as a • • n j tribute to the anniversary. This is called “On the Arapahoe Trail,” and in it appear full-blooded Sioux Indians : High Pine, Flying Hawk, Kills Enemy, Red Feather, Red Eagle and Princess Red Eagle, as well as the full Rivoli ensemble. All in all, anniversary, picture and everything, it looks like a big week for the Rivoli and Dr. Riesenfeld. * * * E. A. Eschmann, manager of distribution of First National, left last week for a hurried trip to the coast to confer with Richard A. Rowland on present and forthcoming productions. After looking into picture matters in Hollywood, and conferering with Mr. Rowland, Mr. Eschmann will spend about a month visiting key centers on the coast and en route on his way back to New York. Shortly after Mr. Eschmann’s arrival on the coast, Mr. Rowland will leave for New York and is expected to arrive here early next week. * sJJ ♦ Four pictures are now in production simultaneously in the East by First National units under the supervision of Earl Hudson, this registering the high water mark in Eastern production by this company. The last phases of preparation for the working of the four units was the announcement last week by Mr. Hudson that he had engaged Webster Campbell to direct “The Half Way Girl” and had assigned Dorothy Mackaill to play a co-featuring role with Milton Sills in “The Making of O’Malley.” The other pictures are “Chickie,” the interiors of which are completed, and “The Necessary Evil,” which will be finished in about two weeks. * * * Samuel Goldwyn, who has been abroad since early last December, sailed for home last Wednesday and brings with him his conclusions of the foreign market after one of the most exhaustive studies yet made by a film producer. Mr. Goldwyn is understood to have purchased several out of the ordinary stories and plays, one of which is a novel of Parisian night life which will be produced by George Fitzmaurice. Mr. Goldwyn will remain in New York but a short time for conferences with First National officials, and will then go to the coast to place three new production units at work. The first of these will be “Partners Again,” of the Potash and Perlmutter series, another will be the untitled Fitzmaurice production, and the third will be “Stella Dallas.” * * * Following along the lines of expansion announced by President Sam Sax of the Lumas Film Corporation, that company has signed a long term contract with Gertrude Klein, the well known scenarist, formerly on the First National scenario staff. Miss Klein will have as her first assignment the adaptation for the screen of James Kyrle MacCurdy’s play, “A Little Girl in a Big City,” which was such a success on the legitimate stage a few years ago. She is one of the new school of motion picture writers whose experience has been confined solely to screen work and whose technique has been developed by writing with the sole purpose of having her work translated into terms of action by the camera. * * Headed by Lila Lee, Larry Wheat, Charles Dow Clark, Max Figman and Charles Sellon, the supporting cast for “Old Home Week,” left last Friday for Ocala, Florida, where they will join Thomas Meighan and make the exterior scenes for this Paramount production. Alvin Wyckoff, cameraman, left two days ago accompanied by his assistants and several technical men. Meighan, Victor Heerman, who will direct the picture, and Tom Geraghty, who adapted the scenario from an original story by George Ade, have been in Florida for the past several weeks completing the script and selecting location sites. * * M. H. Hoffman, treasurer and general manager of Tiffany Productions, Inc., accompanied by H. E. Cronenweth, vicepresident of the company, and Abraham Carlos of the Carlos Productions, Inc., left England on board the SS. Aquitania March 4 and are due in New York about March 10. During their six weeks abroad business conferences have been held with various heads of organizations in England, France, Germany, Italy and Spain, and it is believed that on the arrival here of Mr. Hoffman he will have some interesting news concerning the future plans of Tiffany Productions and film conditions as he found them abroad. * * * The illness of Gloria Swanson in Paris has caused the Famous Players-Lasky Corporation to postpone production of “The Coast of Folly,” which was to have been started at the company’s Long Island studio this month. Allan Dwan, who was to have produced this picture with Miss Swanson in the star Pathos, tragedy and humor are found in “The Girl of Gold,” with Florence Vidor, a John Ince production for Producers Distributing Corporation release. role, will make instead “Night Life of New York,” an original story by Edgar Selwyn. * * ♦ Ivan Abramson, author and director of “Lying Wives,” heralded the .return of Clara Kimball Young to the screen with a studio party given last week to trade paper and newspaper men, at the Tec-Art Studio, where the film production is being made. New York newspaper critics and dramatic editors, along with members of the film trade papers, met, beside Miss Young, other artists appearing in Abramson’s new photoplay. These included Madge Kennedy, Edna Murphy, Niles Welch, Richard Bennett and J. Barney Sherry. Buddy Harris, a three-year-old film prodigy, and “Bee” Jackson, the famous Broadway dancer, entertained the guests. Lita Lopez, Porto Rican beauty, who is also a member of “Lying Wives” cast, was present. ‘*Use Radio,** Exhibitor Appeal to Producers {Continued from page 29) was of very short duration and was only a boxing exhibition as a basis of the story, which was a good one. I was met with the exclamation invariably: “Oh, well, we’ll go in then.” In other words, there is too much paper that drives patrons away from your place when they come to look over what you “have on." I could make many suggestions for both producer and distributor, but I take it that they are paying men high salaries to tell them how to manage. I have been an exhibitor ever since our old friend John Bunny was the “ace high” comedian, and few of them nowadays have him equuled. I play to what is termed “country town,” 2,000 population and rural patronage. Haven’t a nigger in the county and no Mexicans. Our people are as a whole above the average in intelligence, and possessed of reason. Jean Havez Is Dead (Special to Exhibitors Herald) LOS ANGELES, March 3. — A shock came to the film colony last week with the death of Jean Havez, famous as a song writer, and gag man for Buster Keaton.