Motion Picture News (May-Jun 1923)

June 2 , i p 2 j 2641 Charles Kent, Aged Stage and Screen Actor, Dead CHARLES KENT, veteran actor of stage and screen, died on Monday night of this week in a Brooklyn hospital, following a prolonged illness, at the age of 70. His death marks the passing of one of the first great legitimate actors to enter pictures, and he ranked as one of the sterling actors of the screen. Kent was born in England in 1852 and came to America in 1875. He was on the speaking stage for half a century, appearing with such prominent stars as Edwin Booth, Sol Smith Russell, Viola Allen and Amelia Bingham. In 1905, while playing King Saul in "The Shepherd King" with Dwight Lorimer, he lost his voice. He then turned to pictures, and in 1906 joined the Vitagraph stock company — an engagement which continued nearly until his death. His first appearance was in " The Jailbird," a one-reel picture written and directed by J. Stuart Blackton. He appeared in " The Enemy," " Whom the Gods Destroy," " Soldiers of Chance," " The Gamblers." " Kennedy Square," " The Rainbow " and " The Prodigal Judge" for Vitagraph; " Body and Soul " for Metro; and "The Leopardess" for Famous Players. Spier Directs Publicity for West Coast Theatres Richard Spier has been engaged by West Coast Theatres, Inc., for an executive position, to take charge of the publicity and advertising department of this string "of houses, nowreaching from San Diego north above San Francisco. Spier was formerly with the West Coast firm, during the first acquisition of theatres and formation of the circuit. Scenes from "Lawful Larceny," an Allan Dwan production for Famous F:ayers, with Hope Hampton, Nita Naldi, Conrad Nagel and Lew Cody. Goldwyn Salesmen Win Promotions Rewards For Valuable Services Are Announced at Atlantic City Session ever since its inception, has been promoted from the resident management of the Dallas office to be district manager with supervision over the Dallas and Oklahoma City territory. Last week Goldwyn announced the acquisition of two new district managers from outside the organization — Sam Dembow, Jr., who has been placed in supei vision of the San Francisco, Los Angeles, Portland and Seattle exchanges with headquarters in San Francisco; and George F. Dembow in charge of the Boston and New Haven territories, with headquarters in Boston. During the month of June Goldwyn's four new branch exchanges — Butte, Des Moines, Portland, Ore., and Charlotte, N. C— will begin operations, giving the company thirty-one exchanges. The enlargement of its own producing program, the distribution merger with Cosmopolitan Productions, which will add fifteen pictures to its next season's supply and the arrangement for the distribution of the output of Distinctive Pictures Corporation made it necessary for Goldwyn to enlarge its facilities for the physical distribution of films in order to keep abreast of its growing supply of pictures. Scenes from "Hollywood," a James Cruze production for Famous Players-Lasky. AT the Goldwyn Convention which opened on May 20 in Atlantic City, officials of that organization announced the promotion of several of its best salesmen to be resident managers of various of its branch exchanges and the transfer of other managers to new territory. These appointments and changes are in the nature of rewards of merit for excellent work done during the past two or three years by the individuals concerned. J. D. Solomon, a Goldwyn salesman in the Salt Lake City territory for a number of years, has been promoted to be resident manager in that city, succeeding Charles Knickerbocker who is transferred to Minneapolis where he will be manager of that branch exchange. Mr. Knickerbocker, originally a salesman in the Chicago territory, has been given a larger office to manage because of the excellence of his work in Salt Lake City. Seth Perkins who has been with the Goldwyn organization for a long time, recently resident manager in Los Angeles and then detailed to special work in the northwest, is now branch manager at Seattle, replacing W. E. Banford, who was promoted to district manager over the Salt Lake City, Denver and the newly created Butte exchanges, with headquarters in Denver. Ralph Pielow has been named resident manager of the new exchange in Portland, Ore., having won the promotion by his work as a salesman in that territory. C. F. Lynch, a salesman in the Omaha office, has been promoted to the resident management of the new Des Moines branch exchange. A. S. Schayer, formerly branch manager in Denver and recently doing special sales work in the nort Invest, has been made resident manager of the new Butte office. Charles E. Gregory, salesman in the Kansas City territory, has been appointed resident manager of the Kansas City office, replacing J. H. Hill, who will take charge of the new office in Oklahoma City. William J. Clark, -who is a salesman in the Minneapolis territory and was formerly in the Carolina.?, will be placed in charge of the branch in Charlotte, N. C, when it is opened. L. B. Rcmv. who has been with Goldwvn (< Skyline of Spruce" Is Well Under Way The William Desmond Company returned to Universal City during the week from the Feather River country in Northern California. They have been shooting exteriors on " The Skyline of Spruce." Robert Hill is the director. It is a Canadian Northwestern written by Edison Marshall and adapted by Paul Scofield. Virginia Brown Faire plays the feminine had. Others in the cast are, William Welsh, Albert Hart and Fred Kohler. Solomon Transfered to Fox Coast Studios David Solomon, who Las been connected with the William Fox eastern studios, has gone to the West Coast to act as assistant to Sol Wurtzel in production matters.