The Film Renter and Moving Picture News (May-Jun 1923)

a THE FILM RENTER & MOVING PICTURE HE volume of correspondence that has flowed into this office during the past few days from exhibitors shows how deeply they feel the. failure ‘of the Jasi tax campaign, and many of the suggestions made for the prosecution of the next campaign to be’seen on other pages in this issue are well worth studying. In particular, Mr. Dixon Scott, Mr. Locke, and Victor Sheridan have some very sound views cn how the campaign for the abolition of the tax should be conducted, and I would seriously suggest that before anything is attempted in the way of a new campaign a mass meeting of the trade should be called so that every section may be represented, and the committee appointed would then have the advantage of hearing exactly what is in the mind of those who are most anxious to see this tax either abolished or revised. Mr. Dixon Scott’s plea for the establishment of a central office with a real organisation behind it is an eminently scund and sensible suggestion, and it is to be profoundly hoped that before any committee embarks upon a new campaign that they will take the first means of securing the opinions of men outside the industry from whom they can gain valuable points. Above all, there must be a personality in charge of operations, as with a big, unwieldy committee containing no outstanding personality, it is not to be wondered at that it fails to secure the desired result. In every agitation in the past, ranging from beer to anything one can think cf, there has always been some driving personality at the head of affairs upon whom public attention has been focussed, and until this is done in connection with the Entertainments Tax the chances of success are likely to be considerably retarded. As far as I can see, a national campaign is entirely necessary to bring our case home. to the Press and the public, but in charge of that campaign there should be a man who is au fait with all its points, and is in a position to enlist the powerful support of the Press. A Stupid Stunt. E are accustomed, from timne to time, to having W ridiculous stunts put ovér in this trade which often have the effect of making the kinematograph industry appear ridiculous in the eyes of people with ‘average intelligence, but I think the limit has been reached this week with the return to London of Miss Margaret Leahy, the beauty competition winner, whio is appearing in a picture with Mr. Bustcr Keaton, entitled ‘The Three Ages.’’ The stupid nonsense that has been written concerning this young lady constitutes, without any doubt, a record, as one would gather that this girl was a film star of great importance. Lunches and dinners are being given in her honour, and the public are being stampeded into seeing a picture which, sad to relate, is a very ordinary production, indeed, and presents little or no opportunity of showing whether Miss Leahy possesses any screen talent or not. | Making the Trade Ridiculous. “cc HE THREE AGES,” in fact, is really a poor picture, and the beauty competition winner does not by any means shine. Naturally, one can quite understand that at her first attempt in film acting this young lady could not be expected to achieve wonders and, therefore, the stupidity of this campaign to depict her as a great film star is all the more ludicrous. The only effect that it has is to make exhibitors show the film to a public who are entirely misled. and when they see the picture are certain to be profoundly disappointed. ‘The further effect it has is merely that of making the entire industry look utterly NEWS. June 30, 1923. | By the W A W eekly On Trade = ridiculous, and it is high time that steps were taken by the leaders of this industry to prevent such a state of things happening. What is the Inner Story? NOTHER curious situation in regard to this screen star competition is that after all the commotion and exploitation last year, whereby Mr. Joseph M. Schenck loudly announced that this beauty competition winner would feature with Miss Norma Talmadge, it is a little extraordinary ‘to find her, after all, in a Buster Keaton comedy, and inore extraordinary still to see Film Booking Offices handling the picture instead of First National. I wonder what is the story behind it all, and will Miss Leahy return to America as has been so often stated? Big News Expected from Gaumont. R. REGINALD C. BROMHEAD, chairman of the K.R.S., returned from America last week, where he had a very successful time. Mr. Bromhead is not one to court the limelight, and when he departed for the States very few members of the trade were aware of his departure and, similarly, upon his return he immediately settled down to business without indulging in a flare of trumpets as to his experiences in that country. All the same, when I had the pleasure of secing Mr. Bromhead, who looks particularly well after his trip, 1 found him exceedingly satisfied with the results he had attained. Many deals are in process of being fixed up, upon which he preferred to say little at the moment, but I can promise the readers of this journal some very interesting news from the Gaumont Company in the course of the next week or two. Who will Run the Tivoli? REMENDOUS interest centres round the ownership of the new Tivoli Theatre which Mr. James White has built in the Strand. Rumour after rumour has been prevalent in film trade circles this week as to who would be controlling the destinies of this theatre, as it is known that there has been spirited competition for the leasing or selling of it from Mr. White. Famous-Players, Goldwyns, and Fox have been the firms most frequently mentioned, but I believe I am right in saying that Mr. Ben Blumenthal and Mr. Walter Wanger will be the eventual licensees. At the moment of going to Press, nothing definite has actually been settled, but I should not be at all surprised if the contract between these two gentlemen is not signed within the next day or two.