Motion Picture News (Mar-Apr 1923)

2028 Motion Picture News SCIENTIFIC folk, literary folk, society folk — and some ordinary folk met at dinner at the Waldorf Tuesday evening to say Godspeed to Robert J. Flaherty, maker of " Nanook of the North," who left Thursday for Samoa to discover new Nanooks in the South Seas. " Nanook " was run off at the conclusion of the dinner to the delight of everyone present, many of whom had already seen the picture. We have a lot of faith in Mr. Flaherty's artistic and dramatic faculties and we look for another motion picture treasure when he brings back his film. # # # TAKE heed of this optimistic note : Business conditions have suddenly taken a very favorable turn for the motion picture interests in New England. The exhibitors and exchange men are registering joy due to the wage increase of 12y2 to 15% in the textile industries. Our Boston spy informs us that this is only 2% lower than the highest wages paid during the war. # # # TJ/' HTLE Sol Lesser and Michael Gore are in Gotham they . will make a careful survey of the holdings of West Coast Theatres in Educational and First National franchises for the State of New York. # * * STRAIGHT from the Coast comes a busy wire telling us that Tom Mix is busy planning the formation of a polo team with A. Frank and other executives of the Ambassador Hotel. Tom has fifteen or more perfectly sound polo ponies which are ra'rin' to go. Other items announce the fact that Amy Leslie, for thirty-eight years dramatic critic of the Chicago Daily News, was one of the judges of the Cocoanut Grove dancing contest at the Ambassador the other night. The motion picture stars who attended found that they were part of a merry-go-round and circus which had been specially built for them. # # * IT Avill occasion some surprise among Jack Lloyd's friends to know that he has been married for three years. The young benedict, a member of the Mermaid Comedy Company at HollyAvood, gave away the secret last week and introduced his wife, Irene Vernon, formerly a New York comedy actress, to film circles in Los Angeles. The couple met when they were both members of " The Flirting Princess " in New York four years ago. They eloped to Jersey City a few months afterward and found a parson eager and willing to tie the nuptial knot. Later Mr. Lloyd succumbed to the lure of motion pictures. The love nest is in Hollywood. JDOLPIT ZUKOR and S. R. Kent, who went to Europe severa! weeks ago to look over film conditions, have returned to New York. # • • VISITORS from the Coast include Jack White and E. H. Allen, producer-director and general manager respectively of Mermaid Comedies, who are in New York for the purpose of conferring with E. W. Hammons, the Educational chieftain, over production and distribution activities for the fiscfcl year. Messrs. White and Allen will remain in the metropolis long enough to take in a few of the shows and several of the ball games before returning to California. STRAIGHT from Paris comes the report that E. Costil, general manager of the Cinema Departments of the Societe des Etablissements Gaumont. has embarked on the S. S. Paris and will arrive in New York by the 21st of this month. Mr. Costil, according to the cable, will remain here for some time in the interests of his company, which is considered the largest motion picture company of Europe. * * * AMONG the 100,000 visitors in our midst are George A. Blair of Eastman Kodak and George Kleine of Chicago. * # # MYSTERIOUS are the goings-on that keep the A. M. P. A. boys busy these days. 'Tis rumored about that their Naked Truth Dinner, which will be given a week from Saturday night in the ballroom of the Biltmore, is the last word in three-ring circuses. A ten spot takes the boys (shush — for men only) into the big show. Come prepared to have the laugh of the season — come prepared to hide your head under the table as you feel the import of the pointed shafts of satire and good-natured ridicule. Silver-haired Harry Reichenbach is charge d'affairs. * * • A DELE WHITELY FLETCHER, editor of Motion Picture Magazine and managing editor of the Brewster Publications, has been tendered a new contract by Eugene V. Brewster, the owner and publisher as a reward for her valuable services in making the magazine' circulation builders. Miss Fletcher's ability rests in her knack for gauging the pulse of the public and giving the fans what they want in Pictures and People. * # * p IRST National has discovered in Matt Taylor a right smart young man and adaptable to their way of doing things. Consequently he has signed on the dotted line to take a cliair of publicity. Success and all that sort of thing. Matt has a way of getting his " copy" over. He believes in the pithy paragraph and the slashing of superlatives. mm* THE Palace theatre at Indianapolis has hit upon one of . the best good will builders in its history. Each week a one reel film of activities at one of the public schools is shown. The theatre produces the reels through a local film company and school authorities are willingly co-operating to the extent that the fact that the film will be shown at the Palace is announced in every class room. • • • THEODORE C. Deitrieh, accompanied by Mrs. Deitrich, will sail next Monday for Europe on the steamship ' ' Bremen." They will visit Germany, Austria, Italy, Norway, Sweden, France and England, in all of which countries Mr. Deitrich will investigate existing conditions in the motion picture industry. Three months will slip by the calendar before they return to New York. # # * EX BEACH is back in New York putting his personal touches in the matter of titles and cuttings to the film version of his story, " The N e'er-Do-Well,' made at the Paramount Long Island studio. which is being O NE of the busiest stars in pictures. Colleen Moore, is planning a vacation which will be spent in Europe. It is rumored about that she will make the trip as the bride of John McCormick (west coast representative of F. N., not the tenor) to whom her engagement was announced some time ago. C. L. YEARSLEY, director of publicity and advertising for First National, is convalescing in a Neiv York hospital from an operation performed upon him last week. Tlie many friends of Bill hope for a speedy recovery.