Exhibitors Herald (1927)

November 12, 1927 EXHIBITORS HERALD 21 “ UNCLE TOM’S CABIN” is now being shown in New York at the Central. In the above scenes from Universal’s picturization of the classic of the South are (left to right) Margarita Fischer as Eliza, Virginia Gray as Eva, James B. Lowe as Uncle Tom, John Roche as Mr. St. Clare, Mona Ray as Topsy and Gertrude Astor as Mrs. St. Clare. Cleveland Exhibitors Re-elect Harwood at Largest Meeting President, William Janies, Wood and Lustig Speak on Results of Trade Practice Conference — 87 Per Cent of Membership Represented at Session By J. C. JENKINS The annual convention of the Cleveland Motion Picture Exhibitors’ Association was held in the association’s rooms on the seventh floor of the Film Building in Cleveland last Tuesday. The main business of the convention was the election of officers and the hearing of a renort of the committee appointed to the Trade Practice conference recently held in New York. Harwood Re-elected President J. J. Harwood was elected unanimously to succeed himself as president over his very vigorous protest. H. H. Lustig was re-elected vice president; B. Z. Levine, treasurer; G. W. Erdman, secretary and business manager, and H. E. Horowitz was chosen a member of the board for the three-year term. Superb Photography Noted in UniversaUs “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” ( Continued from page 17) villainous Simon Legree, and the reuniting of the little family of George Harris, the runaway slave. Photography Remarkable Remarkable photography marks the entire production and many of the built-up settings are little short of superb. The photography is credited to Charles Stumar and Jacob Kull, and after viewing the wonder-work of these two artists one wonders why they have been kept in the dark so long in this day of photographic development of picture making. Much in the way of setting is nature's own, and in obtaining these Director Pollard has used the Far North and the Far South. Outstanding examples of these are the scene where Eliza, carrying the child in her arms, crosses the ice-covered river, and again the steamboat scenes down on the Mississippi. Both are too real to ever be mistaken for anything but what they are — the bonafide thing. For the ice scene Pollard took his company to the northern Adirondacks in the dead of winter. There a stream was found which lent itself admirably to the purpose, and as the result one of the most marvelous scenes ever depicted on film is shown when Eliza, with the bloodhounds in close pursuit, leaps from ice cake to ice cake in her desperate and successful effort to cross the rushing torrent to the freedom which she Hlieved awaited her on the Northern shore. The steamboat scenes are things of beauty, and no one who has ever had a glimpse of the broad Mississippi and the majestic packets of that great waterway, would fail to recognize that the scenes shown were really taken there. Production Well Cast The picture is well cast, and Pollard has given us an excellent Eliza, a sufficiently villainous Simon Legree, a good scheming Marks the Lawyer, a lovable Little Eva and an excruciatingly funny Topsy. The acting honors go to George Seigmann as Simon Legree, and a more repugnant _ and brutal villain scarcely could be imagined. Arthur Edmund Carew is an excellent George Harris, and Margarita Fischer is equally good as Eliza. The Little Eva is Virginia Gray, beautiful and sweet enough to make the portrayal very real. Mona Ray is funny all the time as Topsy, and pathetic when that angle of her work is necessary. A luncheon was served in the association’s rooms, after which were presented a number of speakers who gave short addresses on various matters of interest to the exhibitors. William James, president of the state association, spoke at some length on the results accomplished by the Trade Practice conference and then made an urgent plea for a large attendance at the coming state convention at Columbus November 16-17. Wood and Lustig Speak J. P. Wood, secretary of the state association, also urged a full attendance at the convention and dwelt at some length on his version of the results of the Trade Practice conference and what it may eventually do for the industry as a whole. H. H. Lustig was the one appointed to make the major report on the Trade Practice session and he took time to cover the matter most fully as did President Harwood, who was also a delegate. Other addresses were made by State Senator Joseph Ackerman, James Nimmo, chief of the Cleveland fire department, and Captain Emmett Potts of the police department. Secretary G. W. Erdman spoke of the many things the association had done in the past year and outlined a policy for the coming year. He also stressed the importance of a full delegation from Cleveland to the state convention and stated two special cars had been arranged. Erdman stated the total membership of the Cleveland association was 52, representing 104 theatres, and that 87 per cent of the membership was present at the meeting, the largest representation they ever had had. The Cleveland association is composed of a live bunch of exhibitors and it has a live and active set of officers. This association is likely to take the state convention by storm, for every preparation is being made to send down a full delegation. Wampas Entertained by Dooley and Demarest ( Special to the Herald) HOLLYWOOD, Nov. 8.— Members of the Wampas were entertained last week at their regular meeting by a program arranged by the newspaper and trade paper representatives of Hollywood. The meeting was held at the Breakfast club and was in charge of Danny Thomas, of N. E. A. service, chairman; Jerry Hoffman, N. Y. Telegraph; George Schafer, Chicago Tribune; Lew Vanader, Times; and Ray Murray, Exhibitors Herald, The program featured Billy Dooley, and Wm. Demarest, comedians. Sam Harris, representing a British film paper, also addressed the meeting as did Donald Crisp, DeMille studios director.