Motion Picture News (Nov-Dec 1923)

3066 Motion Picture X e w s Philadelphia THE Stanley Company of America has inaugurated new policies in two of its downtown nouses in Philadelphia. Beginning Christmas Day, the Aldine, which has been playing a regular program of pictures, will open with two shows a day, 2:30 and 8:30, and with " Scaramouche " as the offering. The prices will be 50, 75 and $1 in the afternoon, and 75, $1 and $1.50 at night. A symphony orchestra, will be added. The Arcadia, which has been closed since early Spring will also re-open Christmas with the " Hunchback." It will run a continuous show. An orchestra of 25 pieces will be featured. More than 50 members of the Fraternity of Philadelphia Theatre Organists gathered recently at McAllister's Hall for a testimonial dinner to Paul C. Baily, president, who is leaving the city to accept a position in Pottsville, Pa. Mr. Baily has been connected with the Wurlitzer Company in the Quaker City, and has done much to advance the interests of the organists. W. C. Blue served as toastmaster. Speakers included L. Luberoff, of the Moller Organ Co., Wm. Murphy, secretary of the fraternity, Thos. Whitrqck, vice-president, and Wm. Shepperd, superintendent of organists for the Stanley Co. Mr. Baily was presented with a smoking stand. Sydney Sugarman, who has for the past few years been connected with the Philadelphia office of the Electric Theatre Supply Co., dis tributing Educational Pictures, has joined hands with Thomas Bible, in the Keystone Film Exchange, and will cover Jersey and Delaware. John Bethel, who has been branch manager of the Philadelphia office of Vitagraph for the past four years, and who recently resigned, has accepted the position of manager of the American Feature Film Co., a corporation recently organized to handle independent productions formerly distributed through the Metro office, which will in the future handle only Metro pictures. Local 307, I. A. T. S. E., motion picture operators of Philadelphia at their annual election of officers, seated the following for the coming year: Harry Abbott, president; Abbott Oliver, vice-president; Cornelius Sullivan, recording secretary; A. B. Freeman, financial secretary ; Wm. Katz, business agent. The executive board will consist of Frank Adams, Robert Taylor, Wm. Friedman, and Horace Johns. David Starkman, proprietor of the Standard Film Attractions has taken into partnership Gus Krug, who has for past several years been booker at the Philadelphia office of Metro. Mr. Starkman and Mr. Krug plan to expand the business, and are already negotiating for several important feature releases. The Liberty Theatre, Pen Argyl, Pa., was recently opened by Marsh and Hurd. The house, which has a seating capacity of 850 will be devoted to vaudeville and motion pictures. It is built of terra cotta brick and white stone, and the interior is rough casted with Colonial effect. The first of the series of talks on sales ethics given to film salesmen in the Philadelphia territory took the form of a luncheon in the Hotel Vendig. More than 150 film men attended. Every salesman in the territory was called in by his exchange manager. The affair, which is the first of several more to be held during the course of the winter was under the auspices of the Film Board of Trade. The Philadelphia office of Goldwyn-Cosmopolitan was recently awarded a verdict of $520 against Sol Greenstein, proprietor of the new Penn theatre for alleged breach of contract. In September, 1921, Mr. Greenstein bought the Goldwyn franchise and under its terms was to play ahead of its opposition the Stratford. The contract continued in force until Jan. 23rd, 1923, when it was alleged to have been broken by Mr. Greenstein who claimed that on Oct. 23 and 24, 1922, the Stratford played '■ The Ace of Hearts " ahead of it. Felix Mendelssohn, district manager for Goldwyn while a witness claimed that Mr. Greenstein had refused to play the pictures on account of certain eliminations made by the censors, and that it accordingly was rented to the Stratford, having been released from the terms of the contract by Mr. Green stein's refusal to play it. Mr. Greenstein denied the existence of any such agreement. The court, however, accepted Mr. Mendelssohn's testimony. Harry Ertel has been placed in charge of the newly organized short subject department of the Philadelphia office of Select pictures. The new department will handle cartoons, comedies, and scenics. The opening was announced following a two day visit to the city of Myron Selznick. W. H. Hickey, who has been special representative for First National in the Middle West covering the Chicago and Kansas City offices has joined the sales forces in the Philadelphia territory. An unprecedented legal battle over the right of occupancy of the Rittenhouse theatre, 53rd and Haverford Ave., has been in progress for almost a fortnight between Sam Hyman, who acquired an eighteen months' lease on the property about six months ago. Harry Ronisky, who own the property declared the lease broken on a technicality, and posted several men in front of the theatre to prevent Mr. Hyman and his employees from entering. Hyman continued to pay for unused film for which he had contracted for the theatre. City authorities refused to give Ronisky a license to operate a theatre on the premises claiming that it was possible to give only one license for one theatre and that was held by Mr. Hyman. GB. SPARROW of Montreal, • who recently resigned as president of the new Motion Picture Theatre Owners of Canada, which was organized at Montreal last September, is relinquishing his present connection with the theatrical business. Announcement was made December 15 that the two Sparrow theatres in Montreal were offered for sale at sacrifice prices to wind up the estate of J. B. Sparrow, . father of G. B. Sparrow. The houses are two well-known properties, His Majesty's theatre, a time-honored house, and the Theatre Fvancais, the latter catering to the French colony in the East End of Montreal. The Francais was operated for a time by Marcus Loew on a rental basis under the name of Loew's Court theatre but it reverted some few months ago to the Sparrow Company. At one time it was also known as the Metropolitan theatre. Prior to the Loew regime, the theatre was remodeled from top to bottom at considerable expense to accommodate better pictures and vaudeville. Following the unexpected resignation of Mr. Sparrow from the Canadian M. P. T. O. presidency, A. D. Denis of Montreal was selected as his successor. The secretaryship of the Canadian association was also changed at the same time, Maurice West of Montreal being chosen for the job. The National theatre, one of the older neighborhood theatres in the downtown section of Toronto, was damaged by fire to the extent of $7,000 on December 11, the blaze occurring when no one was in the building. The stage section of the theatre was swept, a hole being burned in the roof. The whole structure was threatened and . a second alarm was rung. Capt. Frank Goodale,. manager of Loew's theatre, Ottawa, Ontario, made a special feature of a film production in which he himself was the star during the week of December 10, this picture being presented in conjunction with Buster Keaton's comedy feature, " Our Hospitality." Manager Goodalc's personal hit was an Imp picture, thriller made in 1911, in which he created a sensation, at that time, by piloting a 16-foot dirigible balloon. The picture was made in the vicinity of Palisades Park, opposite New York City, where he was engaged in making daily flights for several seasons. To boost this picture, which formed a marked contrast with the calibre of present-day film attractions, Capt. Goodale used a number of still photographs of his balloon flights in the Loew theatre lobby along with press clippings of his aeronautical exploits from his personal scrapbook. He made many friends by the screening of the picture. " The Passionate Christian," produced by Maurice Elvey with Matheson Lang as the star, was booked for special presentation at Massey Hall, the large Toronto auditorium, for an engagement of 12 days starting December 24. Arrangemens for the run included the presentation of the feature twice daily at prices ranging from 50 cents to $1. After playing " The Knockout," an English feature, for two weeks, the Piccadilly theatre, Toronto, which has been specializing with British pictures, turned to an Amer Through the Air," a one-reel 'can production, "Harbor Lights,' starring Tom Moore, for presentation during the week of December 17, prices ranging from 25 to 50 cents. The Piccadilly is controlled by Dominion Films, Limited, an Allen organization. Harold Green has been appointed director of the new Metropolitan Syncopation Orchestra of the Metropolitan theatre, formerly the Allen, at Winnipeg, Manitoba, which is giving special half-hour concerts at the theatre every Monday evening at 8.30 o'clock. The employes of the Metropolitan theatre, Winnipeg, Manitoba, formerly the Allen theatre, are having their annual Christmas Frolic this year as usual. Manager Miller Stewart presented each member of the staff with a turkey as a gift of the management, 45 birds being distributed. The employes also enjoyed a special midnight show with themselves as principals, their friends being the invited guests. The Film Exchange Girls Association of Winnipeg, Manitoba, conducted a dance and midnight frolic at the Roseland Dance Gardens on Thursday night, December 13. This association was organized by all the young ladies employed by the various film offices in Winnipeg. XetHotJWan $ut gteunber