Motion Picture News (Mar-Apr 1923)

April 7, 1923 1693 Toronto and East Canada Branch-Office Notes MRS. MARY E. GODARD, 87 MacDonnell Avenue, Toronto, known as " The Mother of Toronto," and a quaint old lady, passed away on March 22 from a heart attack. Her passing caused much regret among local theatre-goers. The deceased had officiated at the opening of various moving picture theatres, being the first one to buy a ticket at a number of the Allen theatres. She was also the hostess at the Allen down-town house when Mary Carr, the actress, was making personal appearances in connection with the presentation of " Over the Hill." Mrs. Godard had lived in Toronto for fifty years and had conducted a grocery in the section of the city where Mary Pickford and the other Pickfords were born and lived. The Capitol theatre, Winnipeg, Manitoba, one of the leading houses of the Famous Players Canadian Corporation, has undergone considerable change in Ihe installation of a full-size stage, this replacing the prologue stage facilities. The new stage was used for the first time in the presentation of a novel specialty along with "Adam's Rib" during the week of March 19. St. John, N. B., now has a fine large film exchange building in the Marr Building, 158-162 Union Street, and the city, thereby, joins the list of important key cities of the Dominion which boast extensive film centers, these including Montreal, Toronto, W innipeg and Vancouver. Canadian Universal Films, Limited, has just moved its St. John offices from Prince \\ illiam and Union Streets to the Marr Building. Other distributing companies having their exchange headquarters for the Maritime Provinces in the same structure include the Fox Film Corporation and the Associated First National. Manager Arthur Bugg, proprietor of the Model theatre, Midland, Ontario, and the Famous-Lasky Film Service, Limited, Toronto, through C. H. Weeks, exchange manager, have been engaging in a controversy which finally found its way into Midland's newspaper, the Midland Free Press. The Toronto exchange circularized every resident in Midland to point nut that all Paramount releases were not being >ho\vn in Midland. This letter eventually found its way into the Midland paper along with a reply by Mr. Bugg in which he listed various Paramount pictures which he had screened locally and he also gave a lengthy list of productions of various other companies which he had offered. Mr. Bugg pointed out that he was one of the few remaining independent exhibitors of Ontario and that he intended to reserve the right to book pictures on the open market. The result was that the Model theatre obtained considerable space in the reading columns of the paper and the argument got everybody talking. The proposed theatre ta of 50 cents a seat per year by the Winnipeg, Manitoba, City Council, has been shelved for a year, owing to the stubborn opposition of the theatre managers. It was pointed out that Winnipeg exhibitors already gave one-twentieth of their gross revenue to the Municipality of Winnipeg or the Provincial Government of Manitoba in taxes. In and Out of the S an rancisco B ranches MONTE BLUE, handsome six-foot four star of Warner Brothers' productions, arrived in San Francisco and quickly got acquainted with local exchanges and managers. The actor has completed " Brass " and " Main Street " for Warner Brothers and will commence work in three or four weeks. As guests of H. L. Rothchild, Fred Stone and the members of the " Tip Top " company, together with local theatrical folks enjoyed a special screening of H. A. Snow's film, " Hunting Big Game in Africa " at the Portola. Among those who attended the presentation were those from the Columbia, Alcazar, Orpheum, Golden Gate, Rivoli, Casino, Hoppcdrome and others. Completion of one of the largest theatre sales in San Francisco and the Far West in recent years was recently announced when Superior Judge E. P. Shortall gave formal legal sanc tion to the transfer tor $1,675, of 90% of the stock of the firm of Turner & Dehnken to the West Coast, Inc. The theatres cover motion picture houses in San Francisco, Oakland, Richmond and six other cities. Leading figures in the purchasing Company are: A. Ramish, A. L. Gore and M. Gore and Sol Lesser and J. M. Schenck. A theatrical deal has just been consummated whereby the entire holdings of Kahn and Greenfield, operating a chain of six big motion picture houses, pass into the hands of Louis R. Greenfield. The latter has bought up the interests of his late partner, L. L. Kahn, and all other shareholders. The deal is one of the largest motion picture deals -ever transacted in this section, representing about SI, 000,000. The actual cash paid when the deal was made was $250,000. J. E. Levin has retired from the position of manag ing director of the Fillmore in order to devote his entire time to real estate holdings and the management is now in the hands of Greenfield, M. S. Vidaver, with Citron as executive director, Lionel H. Keene, managing-director of Loew'sWarfield's big motion picture house and director of Lowe's interests in the far West, is feeling proud of the crowds that are packing the house. Dorothy Jordon, the " Carmen " of the United States, received hundreds of bouquets of flowers. A couple of them stated: " This bouquet is also for Mr. Keene, for he directs everything so keenly." Lionel H. Keene N ews Notes and Trade Bulletins from Florida A MEMORY music contest, with the Women's Clubs backing it up, is being conducted in Tampa. All of the theatres are playing memorymusic, and slides are shown each show announcing the special' musical numbers for that show. Eustis now enters the field as a production center, with the establishment there of the Seminole Films, Inc. With their buildings all completed, the company started to work last Wednesday on their initial production, which will be called " Bacchus." The corporation will specialize on dramas of an educational character, on the order of their first production, which is the story of the beloved Greek god. Dr. Banks is the director-general of the corporation. The Sunrise theatre, Fort Pierce, are figuring on enlarging. The plans call for quite a little additional space. The building will be done during the summer, so as to be ready for the opening of the fall season. Harry Griffin, and his charming wife, of St. Petersburg, were visitors on Tampa's Rialto this week. Mr. Griffin is resident manager in St. Petersburg for the Southern Enterprises, besides having a farm, with chickens, a cow, running water and radio. G. E. White, who operates the theatres in Mulberry and Dade City, has a new one up his sleeve. He won't tell just where, at this time, but he isn't looking up equipment for nothing, so that's that. Jack Frost, manager of the Strand, Tampa, put on the D. W. Griffith Feature, " One Exciting Night," for a six day run, at 50c prices. This means just double the regular admission price and about the same on the length of the run, but Jack put it over with some clever advertising. Trade Bulletins from the Carolina Territory PERCY W. WELLS, of the Howard-Wells Amusement Company, Wilmington, N. C, has just returned home from a business trip in connection with one of the various corporations with which he is identified. James M. Sulke, now of New York City, but formerly owner and proprietor of the Grand and Victoria theatres, Wilmington, N. C, before ihey were taken over by the Howard-Wells interests, is spending several days in the Carolina seaport on business. The many friends in Wilmington, N. C, his home townfi of Marx S. Nathan, for several years identified with the various distributing concerns sponsored by Fred B. Warren, and for some time New York exchange manager for Associated Producers, were greatly interested to learn during the past week that Nathan, in association with his brother, had " struck it rich " in oil in Arkansas, having brought in a gusher in a new virgin territory developed by themselves. Marx was in Wilmington en route to the newly discovered oil fields. John F. Carroll, who has managed the new Imperial theatre, Asheville, N. C, since its first opening, has left that position to accept one with the Victory and Bonita theatres, Tampa, Florida, in a managerial capacity. These theatres are being operated by C. D. Cooley. Toe Adams, of the Fairfax, Miami. Florida. is vacationing in Asheville, N. C. He reports vaudeville for three days a week is registering a great hit in his theatre. Phelps Sasseen, of the Lyric, Ensley, S. C, has left the theatre in charge of Mrs. Sasseen and has accepted a traveling position with the Al Lichtman Corporation. The young son of Ralph H. DeBruler, manager of the Broadway, Charlotte, will have active charge of Craver's new Broadway just opened at Columbia, S. C. Young DeBruler is reported to be a " chip off the old block," and will undoubtedly develop into just as keen a showman as Ralph Sr.