The Film Daily (1924)

fHE tie BRADSTREET of FILMDOM 7/<?re(ocmize6 Authority Vol. XXVII No. 3 Friday, January 4, 1924 Price 5 Cents Hays On Annual Trip En Route to Coast on First Visit Since Last December — Stay A Short One Will H. Hays on Wednesday left Sullivan, Ind., where he had been spending the holidays for a ten day visit to the coast. It will be his first visit since December, 1922. Hays has been planning this hurried trip for some weeks. Contrary to newspaper reports, he will not concern himself with any effort to clean up the Hollywood colony but will confer with members of the Motion Picture Producing Ass'n relative to the types of pictures they plan to make for late 1924 and 1925. That Proposed Bank Allen Carruthers, counsel for the organization committee of the proposed bank to serve motion picture interests, said yesterday that the organization committee expected to meet within about 10 days and finally complete arrangements. The name for the institution is to be the "Times Square National Bank," and application for this has been filed with the Government authorities. He also said that a former well known bank president would head the institution. 1st Nafl Buys Three Stories Brandt and Kirkpatrick have sold the following stories to First National: "Counterfeit," by Leroy Scott; "One Way Street," by Beale Davis and "The Mouth of the Dragon," by Jesse H. Anderson. All of them will be made by First National's own producing units. Colleen Moore will appear in "The Mouth of the Dragon," which will be released as "The Perfect Flapper." Brandt and Kirkpatrick also sold "Sailors' Wives," the new Warner Fabian story to First National. "America" Premiere Feb. 21 "America," will have its world premiere at the 44th St. theater on Washington's Birthday Eve. The picture is being made by D. W. Griffith. Plan Big Building Program (Special to THE FILM DAILY) Marquette, Mich.— The Belt Theater Circuit, headed by "Doc" Gallup, plans a big expansion program. The company, now operating theaters in four Michigan cities, will build houses in five other cities in the state. "In 'The Courtship of Myles Standish' Charles Ray has made a splendid picture," said Harriette Underhill in the Chicago Tribune. "He gives a gorgeous performance." Associated Exhibitors. — Advt. First Nat'l In Orient Horace T. Clarke To Establish Offices There — Sails Saturday Via London and Paris Horace T. Clarke, Far Eastern representative of First National, sails for London on Saturday aboard the Aquitania. From there he will travel through the Orient establishing contact points for his company. Clarke expects to remain in the East for about a year. He is thoroughly conversant with conditions there, having been representative of the Howells organization for years. This is his fifth trip. He is authorized to make whatever changes he deems necessary in those territories to give First National the representation desired. Beaverbrook Here Lord Beaverbrook, who is heavily interested in Provincial Cinematograph Theaters, Ltd., and Pathe Freres, Ltd., of Great Briatin, is at the Ritz. Two Weeks For "Black Oxen" "Black Oxen" opens at the Strand on Sunday for a two weeks run. Found Houses Filled Theater Business Good, H. Ginsburg Discovered But Independents Have Trouble on Bookings Henry Ginsberg, sales manager for Preferred is back from a long trip throughout the country during which he visited various of the Preferred franchise holders and straightened out certain matters of business with them. Washington is the only point in which Preferred now operates its own exchange. In all other centers, the product is being handled by franchise holders. Ginsberg found that business at the theaters is very good with the exception of some points on the West Coast where, it was claimed, a slight (Continued on Page 2) Wilson Quits T. O. C. C. Fred Wilson, o'f Reeland Review, declared yesterday that he has resigned as a member of the T. O. C. C. It was also reported that Charles Goldreyer had resigned. Irene Rich Here Irene Rich is at the Plaza. Just in from the coast. Seek 3 Million Gross First National After High Mark for January Business — Expect $4, 600,000 in 8 Weeks The entire sales organization of First National is geared to top-notch speed in an effort to roll up bookings of $3,000,000 during January which has been designated as First National Month. E. A. Eschmann, sales manager, declared yesterday he was confident the figure would be reached, especially in view of the unusual line-up of box-office pictures his organization would release. A sales drive was inaugurated the week of Dec. 17 to run through eight weeks. During that period, the national quota has been set at $4,600,000, this estimate, of course, including the $3,000,000 figure set for January alone. Special prizes have been offered the exchange rolling up the highest total. Monroe County for Repeal (Special to THE FILM DAILY) Rochester, N. Y. — James L. Hotchkiss, Republican leader in Monroe County, announces that the five Assemblymen and the two Senators sitting in Albany from Monroe County will vote for the repeal of the censorship law. Decision Rests With Westchester (Special to THE FILM DAILY) Albany — It would seem that the fate of the censorship repeal rests with the four Republican Assemblymen of Westchester County. Whether William L. Ward, Republican Leader, and a close friend of Will H. Hays can induce a vote for the repeal is uncertain. Rowland, Eschmann to Coast R. A. Rowland leaves for Los Angeles on the 7th. He will be followed later by E. A. Eschmann. Sell To Saenger Famous Disposes of 40 Per Cent Interest in Southern Theaters — Transfer Jan. 1 The 40 per cent interest in the Saenger Amusement Co. of New Orleans held by Famous Players, has been sold back to the Saenger interests effective Jan. 1. Famous acquired the interest in the Southern string of theaters when Herman Fichtenberg sold out to S. A. Lynch. When Famous assumed control of the Lynch Enterprises, the share in Saenger naturally went with it.