The Film Daily (1922)

rAfi BRADSTREET »/* FILHDOM Zi^^RECOGMIZEB^ Authority FORMERLY ,:. XXI No. 20 Friday, July 21, 1922 Pr> 5 C ... \g Finance Corporation Launched ; Griffith, Powers and Price Directors E. Brulatour, Arthur S. Friend, A. H. T. Banzhaf, Whitman iennett, J. J. McCarthy Also Interested, and Others Not Directly Connected with Motion Pictures on Board After a year's quiet work in organizing and testing the praclabilitv of the plan, the Producers Finance Corp., incorporated der the laws of New Jersey, announced its personnel and its ps yesterday. Its board of directors includes the following: D. W. Griffith, A. H. T. Banzhaf, secretary of United Arts; Whitman Bennett, Jules E. Brulatour, Arthur S. Friend, A. Powers, Oscar A. Price, John B. Cochran, president FrankNational Bank of Washington ; A. J. Dalton, president Main and Creek Coal Co., of Huntington, W. Va., and J. J. Mcthy, who has been identified with W. Griffith in the routing of that Jucers' important pictures. Frank Wilson, former national executive :he Liberty Loan campaigns and ner assistant treasurer of the m Loan Bureau, is president of company. Of late, Mr. Wilson been identified with motion pic's and, it is said, was largely inimental in securing finances for production of "Way Down East." onverse D. Marsh, a broker, has n given a contract for the salfe nore than $3,000,000 of the comly's stock. iroducers Finance was organized ear ago by Wilson, who at the »e of the war, joined Griffith, and :)ugh his activities organized D. ' Griffith, Inc. Vhen this work was completed he several important men in the in endent picture field together and posed a plan for the creation of a king organization to specialize in ps to producers. The plan met approval of these experienced successful operators, and the ■ipany was formed. [Producers Finance," says a state nt, "will solve the long standing iculty imder which the motion ,ure industry has labored in get j (Continued on Page 2) |tch Bookings, Warns Laemmle ''arl Laemmle has cabled his 'ze a warning to be issued to exiitors here are against booking pica's which are not yet produced. I bases his argument on the fact I one can foretell just how suc,iful a picture will be before it is bally made. Phila. Sewed Up Deal on Aldine with Stanley Would Give Latter Complete Sway Over First Runs There (Special to THE FILM DAILY) Philadelphia — Unless some unusual occurrence should happen the Stanley Co. of America will assume full control of the first run situation here by virtue of an impending deal which would give to that company the operation of the Aldine theater. The Aldine, at 19th and Chestnut, is the one first run vi'hich distributors other than Famous Players and First National have had here. Although no official statement has been made by either party concerned, it is known that the signatures are all that is necessary for the Felt Bros, to turn over the Aldine to Stanley on the following basis: Stanley will give the Felts a cash consideration of $25,000. Stanley will assume the actual carrying charges on the property such as the interest on mortgages, the rent and taxes. This is believed to total about $60,000 a year. The Felts are to be guaranteed against a loss in operation and the profits are to be split equally both ways. The lease is to run for 20 years. When this deal is closed — and (Continued on Page 2) Hatrick Back, Almost Recovered E. B. Hatrick, general manager of International News, is back in New York after a severe illness which kept him confined to a London hospital for many weeks. He has almost recovered his former strength. Five Southern Exchanges Revert to Famous Players on September 1 Despite Contrary Reports, Apparently Theaters Are Not Involved— Offices in Atlanta, Charlotte, Dallas, New Orleans and Oklahoma City Involved Famous Players, it is understood, will assume complete charge on Sept. 1 of the five exchanges now controlled and operated by the Southern Enterprises, Inc. of Atlanta. The of^ces are located in Atlanta, Charlotte, N. C, Dallas, Oklahoma City and New ©rleans. While no one at Famous Players yesterday cared to discuss the deal, it is understood that the exchanges are reverting to Famous because that portion of the contract with S. A. Lynch which covers distribution of Paramount pictures in the South has expired. Sales managers returning from tlie .South in the past few days are authorities for the repors that the return of the exchanges is only a portion of the deal and that the other would give Famous Players complete say over the management of the Lynch theaters in the South. One important Famous Players official denied this end of the report and said that the deal involved exchanges only. At the meeting between the special M. P. T. O. committee and Adolph Zukor and EIek J. Ludvigh in Mr. Zukor's office on Wednesday, Aug, 17, 1921 it was divulged that Famous Players owns the Southern Enterprises, Inc. in its entirety. At the meeting, it developed that Famous Players and S. A. Lynch Enterprises, Inc. had made a contract on April 3, 1919 whereby Southern Enterprises, Inc. were to be formed in Delaware with a capitalization of $5,000,000. Of the 50,000 shares of stock, each valued at $100, Famous Players -got half and the S. A. Lynch Enterprises, Inc. the remaining half. Lynch was elected president of Southern Enterprises. Inc. with the power to elect all officers as long as he lived. On June 3, 1919, Famous, by virtue of a second contract vested exclusive exhibiting rights in the Carolinas, Georgia, Alabama, Florida, Tennessee, Mississippi, Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana and Oklahoma in Southern Enterprises, Inc. for 25 years. A third contract covered the sale of Lynch's (Continued on Page 4) Fitzmaurice Chosen Will Direct Pola Negri in Her First American Made Picture— JFlem ing Here for Brady Film The production department at Famous Players has practically decided that (jeorge Fitzmaurice will direct Pola Negri in her first American-made picture. Miss Negri will arrive in New York sometime next month and will start work about Sept. 15th, at the Long Island City plant. Fitzmaurice is at present on the coast preparing to film "Kick In," in which Betty Compson and Bert Lytell will appear. Victor Fleming is in New York. He will direct Alice Brady in "Anna Ascends," which will also be made on Long Island. There will probably never be more than four companies at work in the Paramount Eastern studio. Tlie peak will undoubtedly be reached this fall when Alice Brady, Thomas Meighan, Elsie Ferguson and Pola Negri will be busy there. As noted, Jack Holt will make part of one picture in the East in August. 13 On Release List American Releasing Starts New Season with One a Week — Gets "Sign of the Rose" (Special to THE FILM DAILY) American Releasing, which will handle about 70 pictures in 19221923, wall distribute one a week for the first quarter of the new season which, for this company, will start on Sept. 10 with "The Queen of the Moulin Rouge." (Continued on Page 4) Saunders Back E. M. Saunders, of Metro, returned yesterday from New Orleans, where he held a sales conference with Southern managers.