Motion Picture News (Mar-Apr 1923)

April 21, 1923 1961 Around Seattle's Photoplay Trade Circl es THE Reginald Barker unit of the Louis B. Mayer Pictures Corporation passed through Seattle recently en route to Edmonton, Canada, where Mr. Barker is staging the outdoor scenes of "The Law Bringer," an adaptation of G. B. Lancaster's story. Fifty persons comprised the party, including Mr. Barker, Earle Williams, Barbara LaMotte, Wallace Beery, Pat O'Malley, Renee Adoree, Josef Swickard, Pat Harmon, and Harry Schenck, unit manager. "Thirty Days," Wallace Reid's last picture, played a three day engagement at the Coliseum theatre recently and attracted large houses. Manager Frank Steffy advertised the picture as the last opportunity of seeing the former favorite, and also featured Wanda Hawley, a former Seattle girl, as being in the cast. More than 150 employees of the Jensen-Von Herberg circuit of theatres in Seattle were entertained recently at Chantecler, one of the largest cafes and dance halls in the city. The cafe was celebrating "Strand Theatre Night," and Manager H. B. Wright and the thirty-five employees of the Strand were hosts of the occasion. "Members of the general circuit staff and officers and employes of the Liberty and Coliseum theatres were guests of honor. Elaborate programs were printed for the occasion and several special entertainment numbers were provided by Mr. Wright to liven up the evening. Realizing a "life ambition" to take part in the movies, Marguerite Schechert, four-year old resident of Seattle, left the city last week with her mother for Anchorage, Alaska, to take part in "The Great White Silence," a motion picture being produced there by the recently formed Alaska Motion Picture Corporation, Little Miss Schechert will enact the part of an orphan. Oliver G. Wallace, guest organist at the Liberty theatre during the "Robin Hood" engagement recently, has just been engaged by Manager Leroy V. Johnson to become a regular member of the Liberty's musical staff. Mr. Wallace first achieved fame as an organist at the Liberty several years ago, and since then has filled long contracts at Grauman's theatre in Los Angeles and the Granada theatre in San Francisco. His rendition of the musical score for " Robin ood " was exceptionally well received here, and Liberty patrons have received with enthusiasm the announcement that he will join Ernest Russell as permanent organist at Mr. Johnson's house. T. L. Tohnston. for the past several seasons advertising, publicity and exploitation manager J. L. Johnston for the local First National exchange, left the city this week for New York, where a new position has been created for him, by the home office of the circuit. During the time spent in this territory, Mr. Johnston put over some of the most elaborate exploitation stunts that have been seen by theatregoers in any locality. He was in charge of exploitation and publicity for the Portland and Butte exchanges, also, and made the Seattle office his general headquarters. His position in Seattle will not be filled for the present, according to the arrangement plans which take him from this city to his new post in the East. Gene O'Keefe, former manager of the Blue Mouse theatre here, was a visitor in the city recently. Before joining Mr. Hamrick's organization Mr. O'Keefe was interested in the theatre business in Montana, and after a few months as manager at the Blue Mouse he was forced to return to Montana and look after his affairs there. At the present time he is still interested in the exhibiting game in that state. Forty Selznick features have just been sold to C. H. Coldwell by E. A. Lamb of the local Select exchange, for exhibition in the Aleutian Islands, a small group of islands located at the extreme southwestern tip of Alaska close to the Bering Sea. The pictures have just been shipped by Mr. Lamb to the Islands. Mr. Coldwell will exhibit the pictures around the Islands during the coming few months, and will send them back to the local exchange about the first of October, when the last boat leaves the Islands for the United States before the eight month's flow of ice sets in. L. W. Barclay of the Los Angeles Goldwyn exploitation force arrived in Seattle recently to handle the advance exploitation for "The Christian" when it played at Manager H. B. Wright's Strand theatre for two weeks beginning April 7. During his stay in the city, Mr. Barclay made his headquarters with W. E. Bamford, manager of the local Goldwyn office. L. K. Brin, president of the L. K. Brin exchanges, left Seattle recently for his Butte office, and from there was scheduled to continue his trip Eastward to New York for a conference with Warner Brothers in regard to the output and conditions for the coming seasons. He was expected to return to Seattle about the middle or latter part of April. "The Beautiful and Damned," the first Warner Brothers picture to play the Blue Mouse theatre here was scheduled to open a week's engagement on April 7. "Cherry" Malotte, formerly a salesman for Universal, has joined the sales staff of the Seattle F. B. O. office and will hereafter cover the Spokane territory, working out of Seattle. \ . S. Brown has resigned as salesman for the local exchange, and is contemplating working out of the Portland office, although he has not definitely decided upon any course yet. A. B. Metzger, head of F. B. O. in Seattle has just returned from a trip to Spokane, Yakima, Walla Walla and other Washington towns, and reports that every reel of F. B. O. film that he handles has been sold and dated in Spokane. Trade Briefs from San Diego ^ S. BLACHLEY, formerly house manager ^* for the Colonial theatre, has gone north and the management has been taken over by W. C. Everett, treasurer of the Mission Amusement Comany, which operates the Colonial. \\ ith a seating capacity of 400, the Rivoli, the newest addition to San Diego's motion picture houses, will soon open for business at 658 Fifth street, where a store building has been remodeled for use as a theatre. This house will be added to the string already controlled by \\ . W. Whitson, who now operates the Plaza, Rialto, Kinema and California, all in this city. The Rivoli will use second runs, and will have an admission of 15 cents. The Electric Products Corporation of Los Angeles has had the contract for the installation of niche and cove lighting for the interior. A Powers' machine will be used. A new policy has been inaugurated at the Superba, where the management is now offering a playlet in addition to the film programs. This is put on by the Superba Players, consisting of eight members, with Fritz Fields directing. "The Old Music Master" is the name of the first picture to be filmed at the new studios of the Sawyer-Lubin interests at Grossmont, near this city, according to present plans. The script is by Katherine Chesnaye and the picture, an allegory for children, will be directed by Lule Warrenton, using about 250 juveniles, drawn largely from local schools. Trade Bulletins from trie Spokane Territory DR. H. C. LAMBACH, co-proprietor with Dr. Howard S. Clemmer of the Clemmer theatre here, was elected president of the Spokane Allied Amusement association at the permanent organization meet'ng held at a luncheon here April 3. C. M. Van Horn, manager of the Pathe exchange was elected secretary. Dr. Lambach and Mr. Van Horn were president and secretary respectively of the temporary organization which was formed, somewhat in haste, during the hectic moments several months ago when the Washington state legislature began to consider imposing a ten per cent tax on gross admissions. The tax was killed but only after the theatre men of the state had voiced a vigorous protest Officers elected for the permanent organization at the meeting April 3 were Dr. Lambach, president; Charles York, of the Auditorium Dr. H. C. Lambach theatre, vice-president; C. M. Van Horn, secretary; C. E. Stilwell, of the Stilwell Theatre Company, treasurer. The board of trustees, elected at the meeting is composed of Walter Finney, of the Pantages theatre ; Chuck Whitehead of Whitehead's Dancing Palace and C. Packeritz, of the Empress theatre. A constitution and by-laws drafted by Dr. Lambach and Mr. Van Horn were submitted to the members and adopted at the permanent organization meeting. "We are organizing in line with our policy of offering the public clean, wholesome entertainment," said Dr. Lambach. "We are also organizing to protect ourselves against adverse or discriminatory legislation. "We are going to invite the men in the various amusement industries throughout Eastern Washington to become members of our organization." An attorney may be hired to represent the association, according to Dr. Lambach, although no action was taken on this matter at the organization meeting. "Safety Last," Harold Lloyd's latest comedy has been booked at the Liberty theatre here to begin showing April 14, for a two week's run, according to the announcement of Manager Ray Grombacher. Spokane has always been a Harold Lloyd town and it is expected that "Safety Last" will shatter all and sundry records as a drawing card. Hornbeck Amusement Company of Indiana Augments Chain The Hornbeck Amusement Company of Lafayette, Ind., have added the Colonial theatre of Logansport, Ind., to their chain of theatres, purchasing the lease of H. R. Byerly. In the consideration Mr. Byerly assumes the leases on the Alhambra and Strand theatres of Knightstown, Ind., and E. W. Hoover, who has been resident manager of these two theatres for the Hornbeck Amusement Company for the last two and one-half years, will be transferred to the Colonial theatre, Logansport, Ind. The respective parties will assume management of the theatres entering into this deal April 1.