Motion Picture News (Sept-Oct 1918)

October 5, 1918 THE WEST COAST 5 production. The principal scenes of the story arc laid in a western mining camp, where two young men, one a sweetheart of Miss Bennett, make Merry and get into a peck of trouble. A Spanish girl figures in the plot. The story is thoroughly saturated with comedy, it is announced. DOUGLAS FAIRBANKS began work, this week, on " Arizona," his newest Artcratt release. It is understood that the compjete cast for the picture has been selected, but it was not made public this week. Fairbanks and his company will go to Arizona to film some exteriors. FATTY ARBUCKLE, this week, finished " The Sheriff," his newest screen comedy. He is planning to begin a new subject, the title of wh'ich is still unnamed. . /THE SENNETT studios were thrown into gloom last Monday, because of the death of the wife of Director Eddie Cline. She leaves a ten-day-old child. LOIS WEBER met with a painful accident last Tuesday when she slipped and fell in a downtown furniture store in Los Angeles. She broke her left arm, and at this time it looks as though she will be incapacitated for several weeks. "DON'T MOVE" is the title given a new picture being directed by Vin Moore at the L-Ko studio. Harry Mann is playing the part of a husband who is always getting into trouble with his neighbors in the apartment house. Other members of the cast are Merta Sterling, Grace Orma and Helen Lynch. DIRECTOR CRAIG HUTCHINSON resumed work this week on "Work or Fight," after a few days in the hospital, due to blood poisoning. It is a story of a man who couldn't get into the army and who, at the same time couldn't hold a job for any length of time, is the central figure in the comedy. Others appearing in the cast are Harry Gribbon, May Emory, Eva Novak and Jim Donnelly. THE FIRST COMEDY to be directed by Joe Le Brandt and Anthony Coldewey at L-Ko is called " It's a Bird." Le Brandt was with Sennett and Keystone six years before joining L-Ko. In the cast are Harry Mann, Eddie Barry, Loretta Wilson, Bartine Burkett, Grace Orma. DIRECTOR FRANK GRIFFIN, this week, completed "The Chef," his first picture with the L-Ko studio. It is a comedy of boarding-house love. MORE THAN 3,000 POUNDS of explosives were fired during the filming of " Behind the Front," a Hughie Mack comedy, according to announcement by the L-Ko press agent this week. ETHEL CLAYTON, this week, began work on the screen version of the late Charles Klein's stage success, " Maggie Pepper." WALLACE REID is beginning a new comedy picture which is yet unnamed. Nina Byron, who has heretofore played only minor parts, will take a prominent part in the picture, appearing as the feminine lead. The new vehicle furnished Reid with an opportunity to appear as a real manabout-town, it being a metropolitan story throughout. In and Around Denver CHARLES R. GILMORE has again taken charge of the interests of the Universal Picture Theatres, Inc., in the Rocky Mountain district, and has established headquarters at the local exchange of the General Film Corporation, 1533 Welton Street. He left the latter part of this week for Boise, Idaho, and expects to visit the leading exhibitors of that State and Utah before his return. His big bunch of contracts now number more than a half hundred. Mr. Gilmore announces that R. J. Churchill, who resigned as manager of the Denver Fox office six weeks ago to enter the army, has cast his lot with United until such time as he is notified to report for training. MANAGER G. W. WHITNEY of General is visiting exhibitors in Nebraska this week. IRVING EHRENSOFT of Supreme Photo Piays Corporation, is out on a trip covering Southern Colorado, the Western Slope, Salt Lake and Ogden on " The Grain of Dust." CARL LAEMMLE, president of Universal, will be in Denver for a short visit the latter part of September, en route to Universal City, where he will spend a few weeks giving the producing companies there the once over. EDWARD ARMSTRONG, district manager for Universal, is expecting a personal visit from Joe Brandt of New York, general manager of all U. exchanges, some time this month. D. B. LEDERMAN, Universal special representative, has arrived in Denver on a trip that will take him to every one of their exchanges in the country. Mr. Lederman is a veteran exchange manager, having been with Carl Laemmle ever since the latter quit the clothing business in Oshkosh. At present he is installing a now booking system that will be uniform in all exchanges. MABEL HELZER has taken over the interest of Marie Goodhand in the American theatre at Kimball, Nebraska, and assumes charge immediately. She makes her debut with Kimball fans with " Crashing Through to Berlin." R. W. DAVIS, owner of the Palace theatre at Trinadad, and M. B. Niven, who operates the Culver theatre at Fort Morgan, Colo., were visitors on Film Row this week. Both came in to arrange fall bookings. DENVER EXCHANGE MANAGERS are getting together in order to insure perfect distribution of the reels issued in connection with the Fourth Liberty Loan. They expect to be able to reach every exhibitor in the territory every day during the coming drive. WARD E. SCOTT, local manager for Pathe, has left for New York City, where he will attend the coming conference of managers called by the company. H. BRADLEY FISH, secretary of the Rocky Mountain Screen club and manage. of the Goldwyn Denver exchange, is back on the job again and believes he has broken all records for a man saying goodbye to his appendix. He returned to his desk in just ten days from his arrival at Mercy hospital for the major operation. Local managers celebrated his recovery by accepting invitations from Mrs. Fish to an elaborate luncheon in his honor last Tuesday evening. EARL P. BRIGGS, in charge -A the Denver office of the American Film Company, is in Salt Lake City this week. He is arranging for the handling of his larger accounts out of Salt Lake for Utah and Idaho territory. THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN DIVISION of the American Red Cross this week s<nt out slides to all exhibitors in this territory to stimulate the collection of S.000 ions of clothing for the people of Belgium. They consider this as the best wjy to raise the money. A. L. SELIG, of the publicity department of the Fox Film Corporation and publicity agent for Ttieda Bara. was a Denver visitor last week. He is lining up the newspapers of the country for more publicity for pictures in their columns. If they don't come through more liberally and more gracefully hereafter it wi!i be no fault of Mr. Selig. Denver and Colorado Springs were both on his Colorado list. H. E. LOTZ, new manager for Select, is back from a trip to Salt Lake, where he closed an important deal with George Mayne, manager of the Swanson theatre circuit in Salt Lake. Mr. Mayne operates both the American and the Strand in that city, and will handle two second runs each week hereafter at the Strand in addition to Select first runs, at the American. Mr. Lotz has also renewed the contracts with the Ogden and the Webber theatres in Denver for Select star series for the coming year. I Ogden Short Paragraphs LOUIS H. PEERY, manager of the Ogden theatre, has been accepted for service at the United States War Prison camp at Fort Douglas, Salt Lake, Utah, as finance clerk and interpreter. There are the civilian war prisoners confined at the camp. Mr. Peery spent three years in Berlin, about seven years ago and reads, writes and speaks the German language fluently. JOSEPH RODEN, representing the Fox Film Company in the intermountain region, with headquarters at Salt Lake, was an Ogden visitor last week. " Joe " claims that the Fox Victory pictures will " make 'em all set up." LILLIAN WALKER, one time star of the Ogden Pictures Corporation, passed through Ogden Monday afternoon en route to California Movie Pasture in Los Angeles environs. During the short time she was in the city Miss Walker renewed acquaintance with a number of her Ogden friends. THIS WEEK has been a busy one at the Orpheum and the Alhambra theatres, the former was showing Theda Bara in " Cleopatra " and the Alhambra had " The Hun Within." Both pictures drew well. AS A SPECIAL ATTRACTION on Thursday, September 12, the national day for registration of men between 18 and 45 years of age, the Ogden theatre presented Bessie Barriscale in " Patriotism." The picture was greeted with several large audiences. It is the first Paralta released in this city. It seemed good to see " Bill " Hodkinson's name on the billing. " Hod " " use to was " a citizen of Ogden and we are glad to see him " put over some good ones." THE OGDEN MOTION PICTURES HOUSES have raised prices. Not much, but a little — seventeen cents for adults and six cents for children under 12 years of age. The new prices include the war tax. The former prices, pripr to September 15, were fifteen for adults and five cents for the kiddies and this included the war tax. They have been showing big stuff here for a long while at small prices, while Salt Lake and other towns have charged " more'n a quarter " to see the same pictures. "SOLDIERS, SAILORS AND MARINES admitted free at any time, upon payment of two cents war tax." The above is the sign that has a conspicuous place in the lobby of the Ogden theatre. The boys in uniform take advantage of the theatre's hospitality at every performance. THE ALHAMBRA AND THE UTAH THEATRES are now taking the entire output of the Paramount-Artcraft program. These pictures will be shown at the two houses this winter. H. E. SKINNER, manager of the Alhambra theatre, who was recently elected manager of the Western Association of Managers, is in Chicago this week attending the meeting of the western managers. SEE THE COMPLETE PLAN BOOK IN THIS ISSUE