Motion Picture News (May - Jun 1926)

2486 Motion Picture N e xv s Lopez Signs for Picture Theatre Tour Starts With 4 Weeks' Engagement at Shea's Hippodrome, Buffalo ArlNCENT LOPEZ has been booked for ^ about four months' time in isieture theatres in the East and Middle West through the William Morris Agency. The orchestra leader and his musical organization will open the booking -with a four weeks' engagement at Shea's Hippodrome, Buffalo. The Buffalo booking will be followed l)y appearances at Loew's State in St. Louis, with Loew's Allen in Cleveland following that. He will complete the contract as presently laid out about the middle of Sejitember. With the extension of presentation circuits, the jjicture houses are going in largely for ''names." The Loew theatres where pictures and presentations are offered, now numbering eight, have such well known stage names as Olga Petrova, Grace La Rue, Enda Leedom and Dave Stamper, in addition to Lopez and His Orchestra to offer at these houses. With the increase of time in picture theatres, the sources of supply for presentation acts naturally is on the increase. It M-as recently announced in New York that Gus Edwards will form the Edwards Presentation Co., to produce prologues and presentations at the picture theatres after completion of his present contract to stage a group of presentations for Publix. In New York, also, Arthur Klein, former Keith-Albee artists' representative, announced the organization of a general booking agency specializing in presentations for picture theatres. Associated with Klein in this organization are Jack Haskell, Allen K. Foster and John Wenger. V. E. B. Fuller is reported to be organizing a presentations chain of 10 theatres on Long Island, for which he will supply the acts. Among the artists he is booking is Masail Speranski, baritone of the Moscow Art Theatre Musical Studio now presenting "Carmencita and the Soldier" at the Cosmopolitan Theatre, New York. Collet*^a Jazz Revue Plays RialtOy Omaha Colletta and her Jazz Revue in which she is assisted by Maxine Hamilton, Don Lee and Gerald Griffith held the stage at the Rialto, Omaha, last week as an added feature to the showing of Harry Langdon's comedy, "Tramp, Tramp, Tramp." Brader's orchestra featured the "Music Master" film "Felix Mendelssohn." "Marionettes," a Felix Comedy and Pathe News made up the balance of the screen offerings. The Strand had "Mile. Modiste" as the screen attraction with the 3 Abbey Sisters in "Musical Moments" as the stage offer Ruth Glanville at Wisconsin The Wisconsin Theatre, Milwaukee, last week offered Ruth Glanville, saxophonist, and Rome & Dunn, the harmony duet, as the featured artists of the stage presentation accompanying the showing of Norma Tahnadge in "Kiki." PROLOGUE FOR "THE SEA BEAST" Novel ligliting efferts. simulating a lightning storm at sea was a startling feature of the prologue for the Warner Brothers production at the Brooklyn Mark Strand. The number featured sea chanties sung by a baritone. Edna Leedom Heads Bill at St. Louis State Edna Leedom and Dave Stami:)er headed the stage attractions at Loew's State, St. Louis, last week, when one of the most elaborate programs ever presented at the house was offered to heavy patronage. The program included "Brown of Harvard" as the screen feature, Don Albert's collegiate orchestra, Leedom and Stamper, and the film "A Lesson in the Charleston" as an added screen feature. Syncopation Week was celebrated at the Missouri, with "A Social Celebrity" as the main attraction and "Rhapsody in Jazz," the Publix unit show produced by John Murray Anderson as the leading numbers, and Ida May Chadwick, dancer, and Mary Raines and Mildred Cady, popular radio performers as supporting features. At the Grand Central, Gene Rodemieh and his orchestra had Ruth Etting and Harry Barris as featured performers in the main attraction in support of "Mile. Modiste," the screen feature. Atlanta Met. Presents Its Biggest Show To Date Last week's show at the j\I(?tropolitan, Atlanta, was the most pretentious so far offered at that house and evidenced a decisive thrust to offset the appeals for popular support being made by the Publix house, the Howard, now in the circuit of theatres offering the Pu1)lix unit shows. The IMetropolitan bill was headed bv the First National feature, "The Far Cry," and included two stage numbers, Ned Wayburn's Dancing Venuses, a dressy dancing act with Virginia Bacon. Olive Brndv and Mary Hornn. and Britt Wood, "The Boob" and his Harmonica, who fi'equently appeared as a headliner in Atlanta at the Forsyth, the Keith house. The orchestra featured an accompaniment to the Marion Talley record "Comin' Thro' the Rye," played on a Victor Orthophonic Electrola. Feature space in the billing also was accorded the one-reel picture, "Learn to do the Charleston." The Howard bill had Douglas ]\IacLean in "That's My Baby" and the John Murray Anderson production "The Bughouse Cabaret ' ' as the leading numbers of a program advertised as a Fun Week Festival, while the Rialto repeated Harold Lloyd's "The Freshman," with the Georgia Tech's orchestra, quartette and dancing comedian as a supplementary feature. Van and Schenck Appear at Shea's Buffalo The stage program at Shea's Buffalo. Buffalo, last week featured Van and Schenck. The screen feature Avas Corinne Griffith in "Infatuation." The Publix presentation "A Bir<i Fantasy," produced by Frank Cambria, was included in the iiund)ers offered from the stage. Sissle and Blake In Stage Presentation At State Sissle and Blake, negro stars of "Shuffle Along," "Chocolate Dandies" and other shows, made their appearance at the head of the stage program offered last week at the State Theafre, Minneapolis. The screen offering was ' ' The First Year. ' ' Fritzi Scheflf Star at Rialto The Rialto Theatre, Washington. D. C. last week presented Fritzi Scheff as the star of the stage portion of the program. "The Gilded Butterfly" was the screen attraction. Added divertissements included Scott McKee, banjoist. The orchestra featured selections from "Mile. Modiste.'' Star With Herb Straub Bunch The State Theatre, Detroit, last week offered an elaborate stage show in which Fred Stritt and Herb and the State Bunch were assisted by Mack and Long, eccentric dancers, Mary Jane, a musical comedy ])layer. and Rinalda. tlie wandering violinist.