Motion Picture News (Mar-Apr 1923)

March i o , 1923 1155 Exhibitor Conferee at "U" City Eugene Roth Is Engaged as Personal Representaeive of Laemmle on Coast EUGENE H. ROTH has been engaged as the personal representative of Carl Laemmle, president of the Universal Pictures Company. In this capacity Mr. Roth will be headquartered at Universal City, where he will confer constantly with Universal's production chiefs with a view to supplying the exhibitor angle on all production work to be carried on at the big producing center. The purpose of Mr. Roth's engagement is stated in the following from an announcement emanating from the Universal home office in New York this week: " As an expert in theatre management and exhibitor problems, he will advise Universal as to what the e hibitor wants." Mr. Roth, by his theatre activities on the West Coast, has achieved a prominent place in the ranks of the country's exhibitors. Until recently he was associate managing-director of the Herbert L. Rothchild Entertainments, operating a chain of theatres in San Francisco, including the California, the Imperial, the Granada and the Portola. In its announcement of the appointment of Mr. Roth .to the Universal City post, Universal had the following to say concerning the acquisition of Mr. Roth's services: " This is a distinct innovation in the production field, and marks a great forward step on the part of Carl Laemmle and Universal to attain a more perfect type of box office picture. It means a closer tie-up between producer and exhibitor and should make for greater good will between Universal and its exhibitor patrons. " Laemmle has long laid great emphasis on the exhibitor's angle. The past year or so have seen a series of innovations in the Univarsal organization looking towards closer co-operation between the box office and the studio. The most recent was the creation of eight Assistant General Sales Managers, who, as home office representatives, now spend their time in the various territories, getting the theatre owner's ideas as to what kind of pictures lie needs. " The acquisition of Roth as an exhibitorconferee, is the culminating step in Universal's campaign to approximate a 100% salable product. He already has assumed his duties, and is concentrating his energies at Universal City, where Laemmle, Julius Bernheim, director general of Universal City, and Homer Boushey, production director at the big studio, are in continual conference over Universal's forthcoming product. " Roth's fame as an astute e hibitor is not only national, but reaches around the world. Since the time twelve years ago he opened the Portola theatre in San Francisco, the first of the Rotliehild's chain, he has constantly been in the lead in exhibitor progress. He combines original ideas of showmanship with an uncanny understanding of what the public wants. His ability has had much to do with the success of the Rothchild interests." "Covered Wagon" Showing For N. Y. Charities New York society leaders are going to pay $10 top prices to see James Cruze's Paramount picture, " The Covered Wagon," at a pre-release showing of the picture Sunday evening, March 11, at the Hotel Plaza. Through arrangements made by Charles E. McCarthy, of the Famous Players-Lasky Corporation, with the Film Mutual Benefit Bureau Paramount lent the picture for its world premiere for the benefit of two big New York charities, Miss Anne Morgan's Committee for Devastated France and the New York Maternity Center. Admission prices will be $5 and $10, with boxes costing $75 and $100. Girl Scouts and members of the younger social set of New York will act as ushers, and a musical program will be given. In the Vitagraph comedy " Forward March," Jimmy Aubrey is the featured comedian. Derelys Perdue Rechristened Ann Perdue Derelys Perdue, the new F. B. 0. featured player, who was recently placed under a longterm contract, has been rechristened, and will hereafter be known on the screen as Ann Perdue. The new name resulted from a contest held under the auspices of Film Fun, a monthlv humorous publication. A prize of $50 was offered by F. B. O. for a new name for Miss Perdue, the judges being the editors of the magazine and a committee of F. B. 0. executives. A total of ten thousand names were submitted by four thousand motion picture fans after Miss Perdue's photographs had appeared in a double page spread in Film Fun. The winner is Miss Grace Rosenberg of New York City. Ann Perdue will make her debut as the leading lady in " Daytime Wives opposite Wyndham Standing. The picture is now in production at the F. B. 0. studios under the direction of Emile Chautard. BushmanBayne Title Is "Modern Marriage" THE interest which has been aroused in the picture that Francis X. Bushman and Beverly Bayne are producing as a combination screen and stage attraction in which they are to appear in person, comes to a head with the announcement that American Releasing has obtained distribution of the attraction. Simultaneously, first announcement is made of the title of the picture now being produced by F. X. B. Pictures, Inc., under the supervision of Whitman Bennett at his studios in Yonkers. The story selected for the personal appearance of Mr. Bushman and Miss Bayne, acting a twenty-minute episode in the larger theatres, is "Modern Marriage," adapted by Dorothy Farnum from the novel, "Lady Varley," by Derek Vane. The picture is practically completed under the direction of Lawrence Windom and its first presentation as a combination attraction will be made in a large Eastern city the first week in April, after which Mr. Bushman and Miss Bayne are to be booked for a twelve-week tour. Scenes from the Cecil DeMille production, "Adam's Rib," a Paramount picture