Motion Picture News (Sep-Oct 1925)

September 2 6, 19 2 5 1507 Salt Lake City GEORGE L. CLOWARD, manager of the Metro-Goldwyn exchange here, has left for a short trip into the Wyoming territory. Clyde H. Messinger, in charge of the local Educational exchange, is in the Idaho branch at present. A fine tieup has been obtained with a prominent down town store in connection with the eighth annual Paramount week, which is being celebrated here from Sept. 5th to 12th. A window display has been arranged showing different models which have been used in making Paramount pictures, among which is Peter Pan's doll house. Harold Pickering, exploitation manager for Famous PlayersLasky, has been busy distributing an abundance of advertising matter for Paramount week. The formal opening of the new Paramount house at Ogden, Utah, was very successful according to George E. Carpenter, managing director for the Louis Marcus Enterprises here. Many people were turned away, scores of telegrams were received from different stars, and many beautiful floral offerings were sent as is the usual custom upon opening a new and large theatre. Manager Fish announces that the Fox exchange here, has just returned from a very successful trip through the Idaho territory. Fish has a sign attached to his car proclaiming loudlv that William Fox presents "The Iron Horse." "The Iron Horse" is being presented this week at the Salt Lake Theatre here. An elaborate prologue is being shown in connection with this picture. The publicity and exploitation work has been taken care of by Weir Cassady, manager of the American Theatre of this city. A tieup which is attracting much notice is displayed in the window of a local music store, showing many historic articles of furniture and musical instruments which were brought to this section of the country before the entering of The Iron Horse. Max Roth, Fox home office representative, who was here to install H. Bradlev Fish as manager of the local office, has left for Buffalo. New York. Roth planned to meet Jimmie Grianger, sales manager for Fox at Ogden. Grianger is also returning to New York from the coast. Manager Fish announces that upon his return trip from Idaho he closed the Egyptian Theatre at Ogden. Utah, with the 1925-26 Fox product. J. L. Tidwell, selling out of the Fox exchange here, has returned from the Southern Utah territory. Miss Pearl Cardwell, assistant cashier for Fox, has changed her name to Mrs. R. S. Brown. Joe McElhenney and Milton Cohn out of the Universal office here, have come in and left again for their territories in Southern Utah and Idaho. L. J. Schlaifer, Western Division Manager for Universal, is expected to be in this city this week. E. S. Winward, booker, and C. W. Peck, assistant manager at the Universal office here, report that their week end trip spent in chicken (grouse) hunting was highly successful. "The Keeper of the Bees" was sold to the American Theatre here by manager L. A. Davis of the F. B. O. exchange, after the trade showing last week. This will be the world premier showing of this picture, which will open September 19th. An exploitation man is being sent here direct from the studios to work with Weir Cassady, general exploitation manager at the American Theatre, to handle the exploiting of this picture. W. K. Bloom, salesman for F. B. O., was in this city for two days and has now left for the Duschene County in Southern Utah. Manager Davis is leaving for Montana this week to make the key towns with his Fox product. Miss Madge Mitchell. F. B. O. cashier, is spending her vacation at the studios in Los Angeles. W. F. Gordon, in charge of the Associated First National exchange here, has just returned to his managerial chair from New York. R. S. Stackhouse local manager for Warner Brothers is now making the Montana territory. L. W. Hyde, selling out of this office, has returned from Southern Utah and left within a few days for Northern Utah and Nevada. Harry Gibson is on his way to the Yellowstone Branch in Idaho, and G. E. Jensen is doing his work in Montana. The Kinema Theatre here has adopted a new policy within the last week, and will have a change of program three times a week in place of once, as was their previous custom. Local Pathe exchange manager W. G. Seib, has taken the fatal step and is spending his honeymoon and vacation some place in Colorado. According to Charles Epperson, booker for Pathe here, they are expecting a visit from the new District Manager, Frank Harris, who is enroute to the District Managers' Convention in New York. C. J. Hamal, selling for Pathe, has left for Idaho for about five or six weeks, and R. D. Boomer is headed for Southern Utah as usual. Ed. Mix, Associated Exhibitors local manager, is leaving the later part of the week for a short trip into Idaho to make the key towns with his next year's guaranteed product sales. Manager C. F. Parr of the Producers Distributing Corporation exchange here, is expecting L. W. Weir, Western Division Manager, to be in this city soon enroute back to the coast from New York. C. C. McDermond, salesman for Producers Distributing Corporation, has returned from a trip into Southern Utah with contracts by the score. Dave Schier, Idaho salesman, is still in the midst of an extensive campaign there. A display featuring Warner Brothers stars, pictures and directors, and telling of the outstanding pictures of the new season, has been given a conspicuous place this week in the lobby of the Victory Theatre here. Carl Stearn, who has charge of the United Artists exchange in this city, has just closed a seven day engagement for "The Gold Rush" at the Egyptian Theatre of Ogden, Utah. This picture also opens in Salt Lake at the Paramount Empress Theatre. Stearn closed every key center in Montana during his recent trip, and has closed practically all of the key cities in this whole territory. T. C. • Pierce, who covers the Idaho territory out of the local Greater Features branch, was here for a brief stay and has left for his territory again. Among exhibitors seen on "Film Row" this week are : J. Whitehead, who has a new house which he calls Recreation Hall, at Eureka, Utah ; John Ruger of the American Theatre at Park City, and who has just completed plans for a new house to be built there ; Isaac Swenson, owner of The Angelus Theatre, Spanish Fork, Utah ; J. W. Hedges operating the Meridian Theatre, Meridian, Idaho ; Gordon Thornberg, owner of the Blue Bird Theatre, Garfield, Utah; J. J. Gillett of the Strand Theatre, Tooele, Utah, and Don Carrothers of the C. & A. Amusement Company of Pocatello, Idaho. WHEN Lambert Hillyer, First National director, made "The Knockout" in Northern Quebec, a number of lumberjacks, log rollers and river men were engaged to appear in the picture. Noted among these jacks were the Letang Brothers of Gatineau Point, Quebec, and since the time last spring when they shot the rapids on logs they have been busy filling engagements throughout'the Ottawa Valley. Not long ago they put on the stunt of log rolling at the Brighton Beach regatta, Ottawa, and their last appearance of the season was on Sunday, September 13, at Luna Park, Aylmer, Quebec, where they staged their log riding specialty. Starting September 12, a reduced scale of prices went into effect at the Regent Theatre, Ottawa, the manager of which is Leonard Bishop, but even under the new schedule the admissions are no lower than those charged by houses playing both vaudeville and pictures. The Regent shows pictures exclusively. The prices now range from 65 cents for loges and 50 cents for the orchestra floor down to 25 cents for children. Rodolph Pelisek, for years the conductor of the Regent Theatre orchestra at Ottawa, Ontario, returned to his post of duty at the theatre on September 12 after an absence of two months in which he was seriously ill in a hospital at Montreal, Quebec. During his illness, the orchestra was directed by Rodolph's brother, Joseph Pelisek. A startling development occurred at Chambly, Quebec, a few nights ago in Columbus Hall when the discovery was made that the moving picture projection machine had been stolen from the booth. The theatre was well filled with patrons and the show was about to get under way when it was found that the machine was not in its place. No trace of it has been found either. It was valued at $1,250. Independent Films, Limited, Toronto, has been making excellent headway during recent months on its avowed independent basis. The company . has offices in Toronto, Montreal and other cities. The company has signed for the Canadian distribution of the 12 Gotham Productions in the 1925-26 schedule to follow the six Gotham features previously booked. L. Rosenfeld, formerly with the Aliens at Toronto, and J. Levine are identified with the Independent Films, Limited. Exhibitors of Calgary and Edmonton, Alberta, interviewed Hon. Alex. Ross and AttorneyGeneral Brownlee of the Alberta Provincial Government at Edmonton a few days ago to enter objections regarding the stringency of the examination regulations for projection machine operators. A request was made for a board of three or more examiners in place of the one inspector at present who issues licenses. Arrangements have been made for a board of appeal to reconsider several cases of license applicants.