Exhibitors Herald and Moving Picture World (Oct-Dec 1928)

21 EXHIBITORS HERALD and MOVING PICTURE WORLD November 3, 1928 Qotham Bristolphone will Qive Small Exhibitor Even Chance: Rogers President Tells of Having Turned Down Order for 100 Machines Based on Delaying Other Installations (Special to the Herald-World) N"EW YORK, Oct. 30. — Absolute independence in production and distribution, whether to individual exhibitor or chain owner, is the objective of the newly formed Gotham Bristolphone Service Corporation and its producing organization, the Gotham Bristolphone Photoplays Corporation, according to Charles R. Rogers, president of both companies. JT is the aim of the organization to license large circuit to install 100 Bristolphone Charles R. Rogers four or five outstanding producers to make pictures with Bristolphone in order to offer any theater owner his pick of box office product. Fiftytwo short subjects in sound also will be produced, covering a variety of vaudeville acts, novelties and other short subjects. "In formulating our policy," announces Rogers, "we are guided by the spirt to maintain a progressive, fearless position of independence, to give precedence to no one, whether he be an exhibitor operating a little 400 seat house or a circuit owner controlling a large chain of first runs, and to avoid entanglements of any kind that might compromise this independence, because of the fact that we are the only independent producing and distributing concern that has its own sound device. "With four or five independent producers making Bristolphone pictures and with a product of 52 short subjects in sound, it should be plain to see that we are in a position to accommodate the exhibitors of the country in a manner unparalleled by any independent since the advent of sound. "For one thing, there will be the well known Asher, Small and Rogers brand of pictures, pictures made along the same lines that made 'McFadden's Flats,' 'Cohens and Kelleys,' 'Shepherd of the Hills' and other money makers. For another, there will be a series of features under the Gotham brand, and Gotham's progressive history for the past several years can surely be construed as a recommendation of the product to come. Turned Down Production Order "To give a specific instance of what wc mean by giving precedence to none, I might cite the case in which recently we were offered an order by the owner of a machines if we would agree not to make any other installations until these had been completed. We refused to abide by any stipulation of this kind, which meant ignoring the little exhibitor who might be urgently in need of a machine. This incident is a plain enough illustration that the smaller exhibitor will receive attention and service on a plane with the largest. Our future is a glowing one; our machine in repeated demonstrations has stood the closest scrutiny and criticism, the final analysis of this being seen in the constant flow of orders from the many exhibitors who have heard it." World Wide to Release British-Dominions Film Series in U. S., Canada (Special to the Herald-World) NEW YORK, Oct. 30.— World Wide Pictures, Inc., will distribute a series of British-Dominions productions in the United States and Canada. The series will include Wilkie Collins* "The Woman in White," starring Blanche Sweet, and Sir Hall Caine's novel, "The Bondman," starring Norman Kerry. Herbert Wilcox directed both productions. The deal was closed following negotiations participated in by J. D. Williams, Alexander S. Aronson and Joseph S. Skirboll for World Wide, and W. HendersonClelland and Herbert Wilcox of BritishDominions, who returned to London last week. Direct Wire East Tells of Movietone City Opening (Special to the Herald-World) NEW YORK, Oct. 30.— Fox Films held a party at the Roxy theatre Sunday night in honor of the opening of Movietone City on the Coast. A direct wire from the studios afforded the party here a running word picture of the celebration there. Members of the press and the Fox organization attended. Students Who Rushed Theatre in War On Price Raise, Apologize With Check (Special to the Herald-World) ALBANY. Oct. 30. — There will be no more "rushing" by students of the State Normal School at Potsdam. N. Y., of motion picture theatres located in that village. About two weeks ago one of the theatres announced that it would increase prices. A howl went up from the student body. Then some 500 young men and women gathered downtown one night and "rushed" the house. State troopers were summoned, and after considerable trouble the students were pacified, but not before several hundred had invaded the theatre and made themselves decidedly obnoxious. The faculty then stepped in, with the result that last week the students made an apology to the faculty for their action and at the same time sent a check to the owner of the theatre to reimburse him for lost business. New ' 'Art Theatre" To Open, Offering Pictures, etc., etc. (Special to the Herald-World) NEW YORK, Oct. 30.— What is said to be the most novel theatre in the country opens Saturday evening. It is the Little Carnegie Playhouse at 146 West 57th Street, the latest of the Michael Mindlin enterprises. It boasts of almost everything but a golf course and a polo field. There is a ping-pong court, a ball room for dancing, with muisc playing continuously; a card room where bridge and other table games may be played; an art gallery and a lounge with a divan over 50 feet long. For the opening program, the first feature film ever shown in America, "Queen Elizabeth," with Sarah Bernhardt and Lou Tellegen, will be shown, and also a novelty called "Handicap," in which only the hands of actors are used to tell the story. Metzger Elected General Manager Of Indiana Body (Special to the Herald-World) INDIANAPOLIS, Oct. 29.— Charles R. Metzger, Indianapolis motion picture owner was elected business manager of the Associated Theatre Owners of Indiana at its convention here. The office is new. Metzger, president of the association last year, was succeeded by David B. Cockrill of Newcastle. All other officers were re-elected. They are, A. C. Zaring of Indianapolis, vicepresident; Gene Marks of Indianapolis, treasurer; and Miss Helen Brown of Indianapolis, secretary and assistant business manager. Directors for the coming year are; Sam Neall of Kokomo, Zaring, Cockrill, Paul Meloy of Shelbyville, Jack Belger of Bluffton, O. I. Demaree of Franklin, Walter Easley of Greensburg, Metzger, H. E. Hart of Auburn, A. M. Howard of Monon, Sam Carlton of Frankfort, Harry Markum of Indianapolis, L. Goldberg of LaPorte, R R. Bair of Indianapolis, Marks, Peter Mailers of Fort Wayne, Harry Vonderschmidt of Bloomington, William Brenner of Winchester, Roy Feltus of Bloomington, and Fred Dolle of Louisville, Ky. Cashier, Robbed at Booth, Gets New Threat Letter (Special to the Herald-World) OAKLAND, Oct. 30.— Betty Miller, cashier of the Orpheum theatre, who was held up in the ticket booth and robbed of $300 a couple of weeks ago, has received a letter threatening her with violence unless she hands over an additional $500. She was advised that she would be accosted on the street at a certain date by a woman who would address her as "Miss Oakland," and for her to obey instructions. The letter is declared by police inspectors to be in the same handwriting as the note handed through the wicket by the bandit a couple of weeks ago. All Louis Marcus Houses Will Have Sound Devices (Special to the Herald-World) SALT LAKE CITY, Oct. 30— Sound machines will be installed in all theatres of the Louis Marcus Enterprises, Louis Marcus announced after a tour of the east. He added that something entirely new in entertainment was in store for the Salt Lake public. In the meantime, he states, the Victory theatre will continue to show the best of the sound pictures.