Exhibitors Herald (1925)

July 4, 1925 EXHIBITORS HERALD 39 Rumchasers Fire Upon Tug As Ship Is Sunk for Picture Coast Guard Cutter Hurls Shot at Vessel of F-N Staff Making '■‘Half Way Girl” After Explosion — Storm Perils Writers Aboard Yacht By JOHN S. SPARGO NEW YORK, June 23 — This is the story of the sinking of the Mandalay— and other things. The sinking of the Mandalay, while part of the making of a motion picture, furnished almost enough adventure to make a whole scenario in itself. What was lacking could be supplied by any one of the 14 newspaper persons, invited guests on board a 110-ton pleasure yacht, who spent 36 foodless and sleepless hours and didn’t see the big show. Incidentally 10 tons of dynamite, 1,000 pounds of blasting powder, a $900,000 steamship, five tug boats, three rum chasers, the U. S. coast guard cutter Seneca, a four-pound cannon owned by Uncle Sam, Earl Hudson and a score of motion picture cameramen, figured in the scenario, or cast, or something. All for 10 Minutes on Screen And all of this for providing the big punch in “The Half Way Girl,” which Earl Hudson is making for First National, and which will likely get about 10 or 15 minutes showing in the completed picture. Honored FRANK L. NEWMAN [KANSAS CITY, MO., June 23.— As a farewell tribute to Frank L. Newman, Kansas City’s premier exhibitor, who leaves for Los Angeles to manage three theatres for Paramount, having disposed of his Newman and Royal theatres in Kansas City to Paramount, the Kansas City Star published a column story on his life, which rivals the most fanciful fiction. From a job working all night in an iron foundry for $1.75 a day, to $1,000 a week salary and $500,000 laid away as a nest egg — those are the two extremes of Mr. Newman’s career thus far. After saving diligently for a small ready-to-wear establishment which he later founded, Mr. Newman 11 years ago opened the Royal theatre in Kansas City, but the house didn’t come without a fight, as there was an injunction against having a theatre in the downtown block. Last year’s proceeds of the house netted nearly $70,000, according to Mr. Newman. Then came the Newman theatre six yeais ago, which is by far the most elaborate theatre in Kansas City. The lowest profits for any of the six years has been $54,000, Mr. Newman said. “I haven’t done anything spectacular or unusual,” Mr. Newman insisted. “I am doing now at 40 what a lot of men do when they are older, cashing in on what I have, seeing that there is something laid away and enough to take care of my family as well. “I don’t desire a yacht or many luxuries. I just want to live simply and well, with as many games of golf for recreation as possible.” The biggest tribute received thus far in life, Mr. Newman said, was when the employes of the theatre begged him to take them half way across the continent so they might continue working for him. Although the deal whereby Paramount will purchase the Newman and Royal theatres is not yet closed, according to Mr. Newman, Paramount is paying $900,000 for the two houses. Since Mr. Newman owns the controlling stock in both theatres, his proceeds will be more than $500,000. The original plans called for everything except the rum chasers, the Seneca, the storm and the cannon; but these, injected quite unexpectedly and unrequested, for a time threatened to ruin the biggest scene in the picture. The captain of the Seneca stepped in, took the place of the director, supervised the filming of the last scene and then fired one of his four-pounders startlingly close across the bow of one of the tugs carrying three cameramen, Tom Persons, studio manager for First National, and Edward T. Morse, Jr., president of National Dry Dock Company. Blazing Steamer, Escaping Leopard “The Half Way Girl,” in which Doris Kenyon and Lloyd Hughes are featured, is an oriental drama laid in Singapore and the Indian ocean. The thrilling scenes take place aboard a steamer in the Indian ocean and show the steamer afire, passengers scampering in mad panic for the lifeboats, a leopard escaping from its cage and dashing at the passengers, and then a cargo of benzine explodes, blowing the steamer to pieces. To make the scenes as realistic as possible Earl Hudson purchased the former shipping board steamer Corvallis, a 4,000ton vessel built during the war at a cost of $900,000. The “Indian ocean” was 125 miles off Sandy Hook and the steamer, renamed the Mandalay, was taken out for the explosion. Five tugs carrying the explosives, and news weekly photographers, and the pleasure yacht Alicia, with 10 newspaper and magazine writers and Earl Hudson aboard, set out from the New York Yacht Club pier in the East river. It was a jolly group of writers aboard the yacht with your correspondent. The first hour found them making merry, and then lowering clouds blotted out the moon and a few forked streaks of lightning streaked the sky in the distance. Rumblings of thunder sounded afar, and some of the more timid typewriter ticklers started below. When the yacht reached Ambrose Light the full force of the storm broke. A 40-mile wind whipped up the seas, rain fell in torrents, lightning played everywhere and the crashing thunder sounded like a cross section of a night attack during the recent war. Waves Drench Writers The decks were swept by heavy seas. Daring writers who ventured out were drenched, and everything loose in the yacht from the pans in the cook’s galley to the portable organ in the main salon crashed to the floor amid the shouts of those who were not yet seasick and the curses of those who were fast turning pea-green. It was a great night at sea. Somewhere ahead were the Mandalay and the tugs. The writers forgot them for the time and breathed a sigh of relief when Captain Gustav Allen put about and returned to Gravesend for the night. By daybreak even the cook, who had been at sea for 37 years, was sick. The stewards were flat on their backs as were all but Hudson, Cushing of Collier’s Weekly, “Dal” Clawson, cameraman, Norman Hall of the New York American and Adolph Roberts of the Brewster Publications. Then Adolph joined the pots and pans and lay on the deck. Early afternoon found the Alicia along( Continued on page 41) Pro-Dis-Co s 8 Division Managers to Decide Booking Contracts in Move to Speed Service NEW YORK, June 23. — To eliminate delay in handling of contracts which under the present system may take four weeks before a satisfactory agreement finally is reached with the New York home offices of distributing organizations, John C. Flinn, vice president and general manager of Producers Distributing Corporation, has devised a new plan. Under his system the matter of accepting or rejecting contracts is placed entirely in the hands of the company’s division managers. Pro-Dis-Co will also redivision the country so that there will be eight divisions instead of four. The new method, being worked out by W. J. Morgan, sales manager, is expected by Pro-Dis-Co officials to reduce to one or two days the time required to settle the contract.