Exhibitors Herald (1925)

38 EXHIBITORS HERALD July 4, 1925 Copper’s Iron Grapple Ruins Rothstein’s Adams Apple Advertisers’’ Luncheon Affords Rare Treat — Kinograms Gets H. E. Hancock — M. P. T. O. Chooses Aarons Again By JOHN S. SPARGO NEW YORK, June 23. — Nat Rothstein has an Adams apple. This was made public last Thursday at the regular weekly session of the A. M. P. A. The heavyweight exploiteer of F. B. O. may have suspected for many years that he had an Adams apple, but now he is sure of it. 'T'HE certainty of having one of these neck ornaments was impressed on Mr. Rothstein by Grace G. Girard, known to all and sundry as the greatest living feminine exponent of the gentle art of jiu jitsu. Miss Girard has exposed the adams apple secret of many other persons and usually the person so exposed wakes up to find himself on the inside looking out. However, this was not the case or the circumstances with Rothstein. He is out and hasn’t been in. It all came about in the line of duty, and here’s the story. Mrs. Mary Hamilton, head of the Womens’ bureau of the New York Police department, recently sponsored a film showing the work of her bureau in the matter of the crime prevention campaign it is conducting. The picture is being distributed by F. B. O. and as the guest of honor at last Thursday’s luncheon Rothstein brought Mrs. Hamilton that she might tell of her work and of the making of the picture. Mrs. Hamilton brought Miss Girard with her to demonstrate how easy it is for a properly trained young woman to protect herself from thugs, robbers, mashers and other pests. Working with Miss Girard was a husky man who impersonated the pest. After the jiu jitsu woman had shown how easily she could put to rout almost any sort of an attacker, she let the man working with her secure a throttling grip on her throat in an apparent attempt to choke her into insensibility. Then she brought up her hands to the thug’s throat, and in an instant his grip was broken and he was lying full length on the mat. This pleased and interested Rothstein, especially as a similar scene is shown in his picture. So he asked her to show more slowly how it was done. Miss Girard readily agreed, providing Rothstein impersonated the thug. Always ready to sacrifice himself on the altar of duty, Rothstein walked out on the mat, after extracting a promise from the young woman that she would not throw him down. Securing what appeared to him to be a death grip on Miss Girard’s throat, Nat was ready. So was she. Grasping the lapels of his coat with her left hand, she inserted a small fist inside this loop and against Rothstein’s adams apple and deftly proceeded to force it almost back to contact with the upper vertebra. Nat’s grip on her throat ended instantly, tears came in his eyes, he gulped a few times and quietly slipped into a nearby chair. There for the remainder of the session he sat rubbing his adams apple and making sure it would perform its customary function of sliding up and down as in the days before it had been jiu jitsued. When asked on the mat again to demonstrate some other stunt, Nat replied: “Not this day. I am trying to get this damn thing to work without making it jump over a lot of bumps.” ^ ^ >}c Policewoman Criticizes Censorship In her address Mrs. Hamilton declared that censorship of motion pictures should come from the responsible heads of the industry itself and not from politically appointed censoring committees. She is opposed to the censorship of motion pictures as now applied in this state. Some sort of censorship is necessary, but she expressed the belief that all that is necessary can be done by the responsible people at the head of the industry. She expressed the opinion that some of the provisions of the state laws regarding the admission of children to motion picture theatres were unnecessary. She cited conditions on New York’s East Side. Many of the mothers there are working all day and their children, who need some sort of relaxation, cannot go to a picture theatre without subjecting the exhibitor who admits them to the danger of arrest. The law provides that children under sixteen, unaccompanied by an older person, cannot be admitted to a picture theatre. Mrs. Hamilton spoke briefly of what she is trying officially to accomplish for the protection of young girls that they may travel alone in safety and without being subjected to annoyance. Also of the efforts being made by the women’s bureau of the police department to obtain provision for better quarters for girls and women detained on technical charges that they may not be forced to associate with hardened criminals while under arrest. * * * W hat Price Glory? Fame is a fleeting and evanescent thing, and some times the bumps of a man’s head mean more to some persons than a name in electric lights on the principal streets of every key city in the country. Johnny Ragland had this impressed on him at the recent golf tournament at Briarcliff Lodge. During the course of the morning Ragland and Fred Beecroft met and each discovered that the other needed a shave. Several outsiders were called upon to act as referees and the unanimous verdict was to the effect that both were guilty. So the pair repaired to the lodge barber shop to get the foliage trimmed. Ragland was the first to be barbered, and after he had been trimmed — face and pocket — the tonsorial artist (or whatever a barber who charges that much should be called) remarked to Beecroft: “That is a smart young man. I can tell by the bumps on his head.” “You’re right,” replied Beecroft. “He is one of the smartest young men in the film business.” “You don’t tell me,” ejaculated friend barber. “Yes,” continued Beecroft. “He looks after all the business affairs of Harold Lloyd.” “Well. Well. Is that so? He must be a mighty smart fellow to do that,” was the further wonderment of the barber. And then, after a long pause, “Who is Harold Lloyd?” * * * Hancock Joins Kinograms Herbert E. Hancock has joined the edi torial staff of Kinograms, which looks like a good thing for the latter. As one of the best known and best equipped men in the news reel games, Hancock returns to the field where he made a host of friends and rendered distinguished service. Hancock for 15 years occupied various editorial positions on metropolitan dailies and national magazines. About ten years ago he entered the motion picture field with the International Film Service, organizing and managing its animated cartoon department. After leaving International Hancock joined the H. and H. Productions as general manager. Then he went to the Fox forces, where he organized Fox News, of which he was director-in-chief for four years, during which time he was responsible for some of the most notable achievements ever credited to the news reels, among them the first flight into the crater of Vesuvius, the first and only airplane picture ever taken of the Grand Canyon of the Colorado, the first and only motion pictures ever taken of Pancho Villa on his Mexican farm, and an expedition to Formosa for pictures of the head hunters. * * * The board of directors of the Motion Picture Theatre Owners of America unanimously selected George P. Aarons of Philadelphia, Pa., recording secretary of the organization for the ensuing year, an office to which he has been elected for the past several years. * * * Arthur Hammerstein, producer of “RoseMarie,” has invited the 85 members of this production to attend B. S. Moss’ Colony theatre, Thursday afternoon, where his daughter, Elaine, has the leading role in “After Business Hours,” the principal photoplay attraction. Mrs. Dorothy Dalton Hammerstein and Mary Ellis, prima donna of “Rose Marie,” and William Kent, its principal comedian, will be among those present. * * * Lon B. Ramsdell has been appointed manager of Loew’s Victoria on 125th street, and assumed charge there last week. Ramsdell is an old-timer in the theatrical business, with many years of experience. He was for three years manager of Keith’s Hip at Baltimore, and prior to that was with “The Bat” on the road for three years. New Standard Building Goes in Effect July 1 Over New York State ( Special to Exhibitors Herald ) ALBANY, N. Y., June 23. — Inspection of motion picture theatres in New York state on and after July 1 will not only be done, with a few exceptions, by the state troopers but the certificates of compliance with the law will be issued by the superintendent of the state police instead of the head of the labor department. This is one of the important provisions of the new standard building code which will go into effect July 1, affecting owners of present motion picture houses and those erecting theatres in the future. (Full details of the new building code will be published in the next issue of “Better Theatres.”) Paramount Editor Sails ( Special to Exhibitors Herald) NEW YORK, June 23. — Julian Johnson, Paramount title editor, has sailed with Mrs. Johnson for a six weeks tour of Europe. A farewell dinner was given at the Long Island studio. The following were guests: Mr. and Mrs. Edwin C. King, Mr. and Mrs. Thomas J. Geraghty, Mr. and Mrs. Lloyd Sheldon, Mr. and Mrs. J. E. D. Meador, Mr. and Mrs. Robert J. Flaherty, Mr. and Mrs. John W. Butler, Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Block, Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin De Casseres and E. W. Wingart.