Motion Picture News (Jan-Feb 1920)

U)4 Maurice Fleckels, vice-president of Universal, stopped off in Chicago 'last week for a few days on his way to New York from the Coast, after spending six months at Universal City as Mr. Laemmle's personal representative. Mr. Fleckels reports that the west coast studios never were busier in their history and are turning out some wonderful pictures. " The Virgin of Stamboul," Universal's first great feature starring Priscilla Dean, according to Fleckels, is the most elaborate and costly production in the history of the organization, $515,000 having been expended alread\^ and before " The Virgin of Stamboul " appears on the first moving picture theatre screen, it will represent an outlay of $625,000 including exploitation and advertising. Motion Picture N ias lure, some old slides and an early dayslap bang comedy. Harry Rice is back in Chicago and has taken up his duties at the Universal office from where he will direct the publicity for the territory from Cleveland west. Although offered strong inducements to stay in New York where he was general director of publicity for Universal, Harry just couldn't stay away from Chicago and is very happy at returning to the home town. He is wasting no time in getting down to business and already has arranged some big exploitation stunts for "The Great Air Robbery," the picture featuring Lieut. Locklear. He lias engaged a squadron of aeroplanes to bomb Chicago with free tickets for the Band Box where "The Great Air Robbery" is to open and arranged for the planes to carry Mayor Thompson and several of the feature writers on the Chicago newspapers over the city during their bombing trips. One of the interesting features of this exploitation campaign is that the film will be delivered to theatres in the nearby towns, such as Aurora, Wheaton, Hammond and Gary and many others, by planes. The boy scouts, school pupils and youngsters in general also are to be given a chance to compete in aeroplane model contests and the results of their work will be displayed in schools, stores, theatre lobbies, etc. Banks Winter, who has been sittSii'g, in as publicity man at the Universal Chicago office, has been assigned to a southern territory with Charlotte, North Carolina as his headquarters and departed Sunday to take over his new duties. Chicago moving picture and theatrical circles regretted the departure of this veteran actor and publicity man as he had hundreds of friends here and during his connection with Universal made manv more. Lee Herz has purchased the rights to "Human Passions" for the states of Illinois and Indiana. This is in line with his new policy for having the Silee Film Exchange release two big features a month. E. Edwards and Sam Keeley, representing the Edwards Amusement Company in this territory have taken offices on the sixth floor of the Film Exchange building and are putting out a feature which is causing considerable interest, showing how the movies used to be about ten years ago. The novelty includes a reel showing one of Mary Pickford's first pictures, some of the oIH fashioned illustrated songs, a lec M. J. Mintz has joined the staff of the Chicago office of Hallmark Pictures Corporation as manager of serials. The California Motion Picture Enterprises is the latest exchange to join the independent ranks in Chicago and has opened an office in the Consumers Building. "Alma Where Do You Live?" is being handled by the new exchange and the office is in charge of Ernest G. Gagnan, who will exploit the picture in the states of Illinois, Indiana and Michigan. Phil Solomon again is on the staff of George Kleine after being connected with other moving picture organizations for several ^■ears. H. A. Spanuth, president of Commonwealth Pictures Corporation is now directing ihe Billy Whiskers pictures himself and claims he can make Billy, who by the way is a goat, do everything but talk. .\ merry party of film folks gathered at Ben Beadell's home Saturday night, February 7th, to pay a Birthday homage to the genial manager of the Chicago Select Office. To say they had the time of their lives, would be putting it mildly. And then — Oh Boy ! A luncheon was served. It thrilled the eyes — it electrified the most jaded appetite — in fact, some of the boys still get that far away look in their eyes when someone says, "Let's go to lunch". And then, when all the doors were locked, and the blinds pulled down, the cellar reserves were brought in. What damage was done to the cellar, ©nly Mr. Beadell knows. \X was 5 :30 A. M. when the taxi's drew up. at the door to take the merrymakers > to their homes, and everybody has marked the date of Mr. Beadell's next birthday in their note books. Among those present were : Eddie Silverman, Paul Bush, Al Gallas, Julius Alcock, Lee Woodyatt, Percy Barr, L. R. Nelson, Ed Barbour, Art Schwartz, Louis Schutt and Joe ZilHgan. While on the Coast in February Watterson R. Rothacker planned to run up to Frisco to personally say "Thanks!" to ,N. S. Brower, of the Turner & Dahnken Film Exchange. The concluding paragraph of a recent letter from Mr. Brower to Mr. Rothacker follows : "Considering the amount of work that j'ou do and the numerous prints that you make for First National we think that it is trulv remarkable that the quality of your work remains the same at all times. You also give the smallest replacement order the same careful attention that you would give for an order of a hundred prints. You can put us down for a Rothacker booster at all times." Samuel A. Block has joined the Fox Film Corporation, Chicago office, to organize a non-theatrical department to promote the sale of films to churches, schools and for institutional work. Mr. Block recently resigned from the Chicago censorship board. ' WHY CHANGE YOUR WIFE " Reviewed at Cleveland by Elsie Loeb HY change your Wife " is a comedy of every day lif with one tense scene. The charm of the play is that might apply to almost everybody who sees it; and a everyone likes to inject himself into an entertainiiK it IS certain of success. Robert Gordon, wealthy New Yorker, likes the froth of including jazz music, daring gowns, bull dogs and cigars. M Gordon's tastes are of an opposite character. His wife's refusj to wear a wardrobe of ultra-modern design to a Follies show lead to his departure for the function alone. CompUcations arise an divorce follows. ' i In course of time, Bob marries again; this time Sally ClarL the pretty mannequin who had sold him the wardrobe, become his wife. Bob soon finds out that his new wife has the same dis hkes as the first, and regret follows. A trip to a nearby resor brings all the parties concerned together again. Events happe; " fast and furious," and in the end Bob and his first love ar happily reunited in wedlock— only this time masculine proclivi ties for jazz music, bull dogs and black cigars are given complet' toleration. ' Men will enjoy the production; women will learn a lot o pointers on how to keep their husbands in love with them. CAST: Robert Gordon, Thomas Meighan; Beth Gordon, hiwife No. 1; Sally Clark, Bebe Daniels, his wife No. 2; Radinoff Theodore Kosloff. Length, five reels. Another View of Percental^ combination house is operated Lv and has always been operated, he result is that the " Manager " of j^e TOM SAXE, exhibitor and distributor, is right ! The producer, whose claw-like left hand reaches out for percentages while his right is pocketing his rental profits, whining at the same time that " Percentages Mean Equity " and " that percentages give the producer a square deal," is — to use Mr. Saxc's own words — " killing the goose that lays the golden egg." How anj set of men could summon up the monumental nerve, could for one minute conceive that exhibitors as a class are so devoid of ordinary intelligence as to" swallow the bunk that they have been handed, is more than we can understand. How do they expect us to believe that they are not getting a fair return on their films, when we daily read of the dividends declared? How one big picture released only about three months has already netted over a million in rentals. Good pictures will always get enough money in rentals to show a big profit. The bad ones probably will, too, as long as producers can manage to sandwich them in with the good. Percentages will never come — we hate to be disagreeable. There may be a few weak exhibitors that will fall for this propaganda, but not many. Percentages will not come for the reason that there are not as many "hicks" and "eas> marks" in this business as some people think. For once the producers of motion pictures have found something good about the legitimate show. They have found in it a good example to hold up before exhibitors in the matter of percentage bookings, that is, it is a good argument to peddle out to those who know nothing of the " legit." The purpose of the manager of the " legit " show in ninety cases out of one hundred is this : to provide a house for the attraction to play, have the stage crew ready, conduct the seat sale and provide the orchestra.. For this service he gets from 20 to 30 per cent, of the " take." The advertising, exploitation, and house policy during any particular engagement is handled by the attraction's representative. This is the way the houses in every town from 2 down has some other business w occupies his time. He takes no trade paper.^ in v, to learn how to better his businesup to the agents to do that Opera House is his " side line." other words, the attraction is e\ thing— the theatre, to all intents purposes, nothing. . Now let us look at the motion h ture business. It has developeja class of business men who are exj ts in exploitation. There are thous: Is scattered throughout the Ui ,d States They have made it their c ,f business. Ninety per cent, of the >atre managers give their theatres 1 r personal attention. Thousands f trade journals and advance expli tion ideas are shipped them we< and are eagerly read so that new i' can be secured. They are a clas: men who join Rotary Clubs, Bo; s of Commerce, Retailers Associati % and other civic associations. 1 v have made the picture a business These men, in the great majorit: f instances, if on a salary, would e worth $75.00 to $300.00 a "week to v theatre. But the producers want 3 put them in the class of the i ■' legit " men and give them a 20 r cent, or 25 per cent, split on a b ness which they have worked year i establish, with their own persona . No, percentage will not come, i the first place, the wide awake hibitor will not let another "put o\ his show for him. he wants the pi ure of doing that himself. In the ond place, he will not give away ' profits to a concern who had no h 1 in establishing his theatre — who the presumption to ask him for a i ■ tal and then a percentage on top that — a concern that takes no risk the presentation whatsoever, stands to lose nothing and to gain Further than this, if the exhibit allow the producers to get away v their percentage game, it will dest the business. Stanley Chambers, Manager, Palace Theatre Co., JVichifa. Kansa I