The Film Daily (1924)

i^BRADSTREET FILM>OM f^RECOCMZEl Authority XXX No. 6 Tuesday, October 7, 1924 Price 5 Cents AN AD By DANNY h a kick in it. Interesting ryone in this business. ng to what lengths an inlent producer feels he ^•o. To get his picture on Broadway. I n by A. H. Sebastian. Gennager of Belasco Prod. Which Welcome Stranger." DirecJames Young. With a reported :" cast. After telling of the nt houses. That have played ic playing — "Welcome Stran1 around the country. And them. Sebastian says: J wing to the fact that the Broadway motion picture icrs (with the exception of beautiful new Piccadilly the B. S. Moss Cameo) iwned and operated by the •al largest film producing panics or affiliated with 1 and, therefore, must ex exclusively the photoplays icir representative controll corporations, there seems )e no first-run theater in York available for 'Wel ' Stranger.' he amusement loving peoof New York are entitled iew 'Welcome Stranger,' T believe the producers of film, who with their earnissociates have created an ual entertainment, are en1 to a showing which is < d to the picture in any !ic four largest Broadway ters." " len tells of efforts being made "c a Broadway house. In fact The picture goes in the Picon Saturday. Which is as d be. Because Lee Ochs can no greater service. To the industry. Than to make this il house. The show place of dent product. The only probnaining is this: Can he find pictures? Without being > as to price? leafse, Mr. Independent ■ribiitor. Don't send in a oad of titles. Of pictures i enough to run at the Piclly. Tell it to Lee Ochs. t booking the house. C. C. Griffin Wants Ind'p'ts' Product; Says He Can't Buy Except in Blocks New Piedmont Theatre, Oakland, Cal. Editor, Film Daily New York Dear Sir: There is so much talk in the trade papers lately about exhibitors not giving business to the independents, that I have begun to think that conditions in other parts of the country must be difTerent than they are here. I would like very much to run independent pictures. For instance, I would like to run Warner Brothers' product, Producers Distributing Corporation, Vitagraph and Metro-Goldwyn, but when I attempt to buy anything from any of the above, they immediately tell me that I must buy the entire out-put, as that is the only way they sell their product. In my theater I have three changes a week, I use Famous Players and First National's product, but have room left for quite a few so called independent pictures, but cannot buy them in blocks of twenty or hiore because if I did I would be buying more product than I can use, which of course, I will not do. If the conditions in other parts of the country are the same as they are here, how in thunder do the independent distributors figure to sell their product? Will somebody please tell me, I would like to know. Yours very truly, C. C. GRIFFIN. Reply To Griffin So-Called "Independents" Explain Their Attitude Toward Block Bookings In response to the assertions made by C. C. Griffin, of the New Piedmont theater, Oakland, Calif., that he can't buy the so-called "independent" pictures because the companies controlling their distribution insist upon selling in blocks, executives of what are generally termed the "independent" distributing organizations have forwarded a number of interesting replies to THE FILM DAILY. In addition to taking issue generally with what Griffin claims, several communications take up the block booking situation in Detroit, and refute the statement made by the Michigan M. P. T. O. that producers are in league to corral play (Continued on Page 7) Schulberg Plans Special B. P. Schulberg has purchased what he terms an unusual story and will produce it under the title, "Capital Punishment." A second unit is being formed on the Coast to handle it. Bears Out Laemmle W. E. Atkinson Back— Saw No Foreign Pictures Suitable for American Consumption William E. Atkinson, vice president and general manager of Metro-Goldwyn, returned yesterday on the S. S. Baltic from a brief vacation trip in Europe. "London film theaters are doing a prosperous business," he stated. "American pictures, of course, dominate the field there, as they do throughout Europe." Speaking of foreign production, Atkinson made the same observation that Carl Laemmle did upon his return recently: that Europe was doing nothing in pictures that was suitable for consumption here. Laemmle saw only one, "Siegfried." In this connection, Atkinson said: "While I was there I saw no for (Continued on Pape 2) Road-Shows for "Romola" Metro-Goldwyn officially announced the acquisition of "Romola" yesterday. The picture will have a Broadway run at advanced prices and will be sent out as a road-show all over the country. / Ufa Chief Coming Erich Pommer, Production Head, Here Sunday — No Decision Yet on Marguerite Erich Pommer, chief of production of the Ufa company of Berlin and head of the large studios at Neubabelsberg is aboard the Deutschland which is due in New York on Sunday. Together with Dr. Felix Kailman, the managing director of the company who has been here for some time, Pommer will go to the Coast. The visit will be made for the purpose of watching the trend in American production, with the ultimate desire to shape the Ufa methods to meet the entertainment standards of the American public. While here, Pommer will discuss a selection for the part of Marguerite in "Faust" which Ludwig Berger will direct and in which Emil Jannings will star. Lillian Gish is mentioned in this connection, but as yet no decision has been made. Ufa will release "Die Nibelungen" in America as "Siegfried." To Stand by Contracts A statement from Warner Bros, issued yesterday, says in part: "Since the fact has been made public that our organization is about to enter into an extensive theater building campaign we have had repeated calls, messages and communications from exhibitors throughout the country who have gained the mistaken impression that we are about to enter into direct competition with them. "Such is not the case and in every instance where we have a definite bona fide contract with an exhibitor for the exhibition of our productions such contract will be lived up to by us." Fox Holds Lyric for 20 Weeks The long term lease on the Lyric secured by the Mutual Burlesque Circuit forces Fox to vacate the theater in about twenty weeks. "The Iron Horse" is now playing there. Williams and Kent Coming East (Stecial to THE FILM DAILY) Los Angeles — J. D. Williams and S. R. Kent are expected to leave for New York tomorrow. Shauer Returns Tomorrow Emil E. Shauer, head of the foreign department at Famous who has been abroad for several months, returns tomorrow on the Homeric. Grauman May Have N. Y. House It is reported that Sid Grauman will take over an existing New York theater and remodel it into a theater like the Egyptian in Hollywood. Grauman is due back from Europe shortly. It is also possible that he will enter the production field.