Motion Picture News (Sept-Oct 1916)

2032 MOTION PICTURE NEWS Vol. 14. No. 13 KLEINE EXCHANGE MANAGERS MEET IN CHICAGO An important conference of George Kleine exchange managers was held in Chicago on Sunday and ]Monday, September 10 and 11. Branch managers of the Kleine offices from the West, the South and the Central West gathered to discuss plans for launching the regular fall sales campaign and to talk over problems affecting each individual exchange. On Monday, all the managers were guests at a noonday luncheon given at the University Club and following the meal, M. E. Smith presided over a business meeting that lasted well along into the afternoon, and resulted in bringing out many new ideas by which exhibitors in all territories will benefit. In attendance at the meeting were Messrs. Buckwalter of Denver and Salt Lake City; Ragland of New Orleans; Edmunds of San Francisco and Los Angeles ; Rosenberg of St. Louis; Wuerz of Dallas; Ratz of Indianapolis; Hardcastle of Atlanta; Reavey of Cleveland; Graham of Minneapolis; Nathan of Detroit and Jenner and Fox of Chicago. Fall Business in Omaha Territory Is Excellent and Managers of Exchanges Report Bright Outlook for Coming Months WITH the first of September— or at least as soon as danger of the strike INCREASE OF BUSINESS IN PARAMOUNT'S SEATTLE TERRITORY Herman Wobber, manager of the Progressive Motion Picture Comj^any, San Francisco, distributors of Paramount Pictures, recently spent three weeks in the Seattle territory, which is under his supervision, and returned stating that the business of the Paramount theatres, in that section is far better this year than at the same time the year before. During this same period, G. A. Metcalfe, president of the Metcalfe Supply Company of San Francisco, installed in that district new equipments in a large number of Paramount houses. was over — renewed life was noticed about the exchanges in Omaha, reflecting the advent of fall business among the exhibitors throughout the territory. Nearly every exchange manager had just completed tours over the territory, the exchanges had been brushed up, all the goods overhauled and the force of workers primed for the rush. Within the first two weeks of September, notwithstanding the delay caused by threats of a strike, business jumped to a plane higher than that reached at any time during the month of September, 1915. Before the end of the month arrives, business will be far above any record reached in that section of the middle west, the managers say. " It was fine in the south," said B. J. Abrams, special representative of the Melais Manufacturing Company of New York. Regular programs, features, all are enjoying an early season's business that is highly satisfactory. Mr. Abrams says the Knickerbocker features and Vim comedies are selling better than ever in the Omaha territory. Manager C. W. Stombaugh of the General Film exchange in Des Moines, says he did not lose an account during the hot weather, and since the first of September he has gained a number. There are more exhibitors, and all are paying more for pictures, he says. In a number of the larger Iowa towns the theatres are opening on Sunday. Manager Stombaugh was in Omaha to confer with Manager C. W. Taylor of the General here regarding plans for future business. R. C. Herman, branch manager of the Mutual at Sioux Falls, S. D., became so First of Sixty-Day Meetings for Universal District Managers Announced by Hoffman Two Months Ago, Set for the 15th THE first of the sixty day meetings for the district managers of the Universal which were announced two months ago by M. H. Hoffman, general manager of the Universal Exchanges, will be held on September 15 at the Sherman House in Chicago. This first meeting promises to be an extremely interesting and important one, for aside from announcing in his invitation thirty-five general topics for discussion, Mr. Hoffman has several more or less revolutionary plans which he intends to announce and put into effect at that meeting. For obvious reasons it is impossible to even hint that these are before the meeting. The district managers of the Universal Exchanges, all of whom have been invited, are as follows : Claire Hague, with headquarters in Toronto, Art Schmidt with headquarters in Buffalo, George Weeks with headquarters in Detroit, V. R. Carrick, general manager of the Interstate Exchanges with headquarters in Philadelphia, William Oldknow with headquarters at Atlanta, Maurice Fleckles with headquarters in Chicago, R. C. Cropper with headquarters in Kansas City, and M. L. Markowitz with headquarters in San Francisco. Mr. Hoffman, general manager of exchanges, and his assistant, E. H. Goldstein, will also be present. In all probability the meeting will last three days, September 15, 16 and 17. In speaking about the meeting in Chicago, Mr. Hoffman explained that this was the first of the regular meetings of this kind which he intends to call every two months. " There will be,' said Mr. Hoffman " a great many matters of unusual interest coming up at this meeting, so many in fact that I have informed the district managers that it would be well to prepare for a stay of at least three days. I have sent out a list of matter upon which I want reports and which will be thoroughly discussed. Nearly all of these matters are things which inevitably came up during the course of business and are not of an emergency nature in any way. In fact that is not the character of the meeting. It is rather for mutual benefit, an exchange of ideas and experience, and to discuss ways and means of taking care of the new and increasing business which has come to the Universal exchanges during the past few months. I will also have one or two interesting announcements to make. delighted with prosperity, says Manager Max Weisfeldt of the Omaha branch, that he couldn't go without someone to whom he could constantly sing his happiness. So on October 3 he is to be married, and his stenographer in the Mutual office will be the bride. Ed Brocker, Mutual booker in Omaha, has been spending his spare hours looking for a house. He, too, is to wed soon. Fred Solomon, another Mutual booker, is the proud father of a son — "A second Charley Chaplin, sure," he says — and he, too, is in the optimism band wagon. Fantomas,' because it is only a fiveweek series, ancf because it is alive with thrilling episodes, is enjoying a red-hot sale throughout the Omaha territory," says Weisfeldt of the Mutual. Exhibitors, because of its brevity, seem to accept it more readily. Not that they are tired of serials, but a shorter one sells quicker." Weisfeldt and his assistant manager, C. E. Jones, have been taking a series of automobile trips through the territory, and had everything lined up for the big rush that came right after the first of the month. B. N. Judell, according to word received in Omaha, has purchased the rights of the new picture, " Purity," in Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and the Dakotas. Mr. Judell is the special representative of the Mutual in that territory. Although he is charging an unusually high price for the picture, he expects it to be widely known. J. H. " Curley " Calvert, has seen the business of the Bluebird exchange in Omaha jump 100 per cent, since he took the managership several weeks ago. JerrjAbrams, general field man of the Bluebird from New York and designated by Calvert as " one of the finest scouts it was ever my good luck to meet," is in Omaha now installing a new system of booking and collections. As soon as he leaves, says Calvert, a system of advertising that will leave everybody in the middle west with a better idea of the merits of Bluebird pictures, will be started. " Harry Hyman, my star road man, has just completed a swing through Nebraska and Iowa, during which he was picking up a general report of conditions, as well as business," said Manager Ph. Goldstone of the World exchange in Omaha. " Hyman found every exhiditor in Nebraska lining up for more and better pictures. In Iowa he found a number of Sunday opening nights, and there, too, the exhibitors have prepared for and are enjo3'ing the first rush of fall business. Many improved houses were seen in both states. Without exception the exhibitors are adopting progressive methods in pushing their pictures. Cut-throat competition is not so noticeable as this time last year." " The Pathe comparative figures show Omaha holds its place well to the front, where it stayed even during the hot weather," said Manager Kirk. " We have just finished overhauling the exchange, checking up and getting ready for the fall business. We are glad we were ready, too, because it has started now, and with a vim.