Motion Picture News (Jan-Feb 1922)

504 Motion Picture News NEWSY BRIEFS FROM CENTRAL FILM BELT Chicago and the Mid-West L. H. MASON, REP RESENT AT IV E, 910 S. MICHIGAN AVE. The personal appearance of Rex Beach at the Roosevelt Theatre last week, in connection with the showing of “ The Iron Trail,” the feature picture for which he is responsible, was a real success. Mr. Beach is the first author of note to make a personal appearance in a Chicago movie house, and many persons who were not in the habit of patronizing moving picture theatres were brought into the Roosevelt to see him and, undoubtedly, will from now on be regular patrons. “The Connecticut Yankee,” which opened at the Woods theatre the day before Christmas for an indefinite run, at seventy-five cents top price, got away to a good start and did big business during its first seven days. Observation of the people going into the theatre would indicate that the picturization of Mark Twain’s famous book appeals to a higher class of picture fans than probably any feature ever shown in Chicago. Jack O’Brien stopped off in Chicago last week for a few hours on his way to Universal City, where he will play leads for the Laemmle organization. Mr. O’Brien was rehearsing for a Frohman stage production in New York when he signed up with Universal, and within a few hours was headed west. He worked for Mr. Laemmle back in the two-reel days, and states that it is like coming back home to be connected with the Universal organization once more. Maurice Heilman returned to Chicago from New York for the holidays and will be here for a couple of weeks before moving to New York, where he will take up his permanent residence. Mr. Hellman states that his new business arrangements are completed and that he will have an announcement of considerable interest to the trade, to make within a few days. Carl Laemmle is back on the job again at Universal exchange, after being confined to his home for three weeks, first by his own illness and later on account of illness in his family. A convention of Chicago and | Milwaukee Famous Players-Lasky sales forces was held in Chicago last week at the call of H. W. Given, Chicago manager, to discuss matters arising from the taking [ over of Realart Pictures and othef things pertaining to the 1922 sales campaign. While the conference was strictly a business one, those in attendance enjoyed the performance of “The Merry Widow” on Tuesday night, and a luncheon at the Stratford Hotel on Wednes day. Those who participated in the meeting included the following from the Chicago office : H. W. Given, manager; Otto Bolle, sales manager; Neal Agnew, assistant sales manager; and salesmen Wolfberg, O'Brien, Wolff, Goldberg, Chapman, Carmichael, Jacob O’Connor, Rockabrand, Zink, Stover, Washburn, Petaria, Rowley ; (Messrs. Petaria and Rowley formerly were connected with Realart and have been taken into the Paramount organization at Chicago), and Head Booker William Hamm. Those from the Milwaukee office included A1 Bernstein, branch manager; Milton Hirsch, sales manager; Rob Gary, exploiter, and Salesmen Reisman, Oldfield and Roderick. W. R. Sheehan, of Fox Film Corporation, spent last week in Chicago, making his headquarters at the local exchange where a meeting of central west Fox exchange managers was held. Mr. Sheehan is optimistic over the 1922 outlook and stated that Fox now has seven or eight big features completed in addition to those already announced, and that four or five more important pictures are in the course of production. The big Fox specials in Mr. Sheehan’s opinion, will do much to get the public back in the motion picture habit and will be an aid to the theatre men in getting back to normal. An election held at Springfield, Missouri, last week, resulted in the defeat of Sunday opening by 6,082 votes against 3,166 favorable to keeping the movies open on the first day of the week. The Colonial Theatre, of Gillespie, Illinois, formerly owned by F. W. Stehline, has been taken over by Oscar Wesley, of Benld. Mr. Wesley recently disposed of his Wesley Theatre, at Benld, to the owners of the opposition house. District Manager Shirley, of Metro, was made very happy over the token of good will which came to him from the branch managers in his territory on Christmas. It was a very handsome gold watch which Mr. Shirley is observed to consult every few minutes. T. J. Denton has been promoted from the service department of Universal’s Chicago exchange to salesmen and will cover northwestern Illinois. His promotion is in line with the policy of District Manager Stern to advance men from the ranks of the organization, rather than going outside for new recruits, which is a big factor in the fine esprit de corps shown by the local exchange staff. Harry McDonald, of Wid Gunning, Inc., was in Chicago this week conferring with Manager Sid Goldman, of the local exchange. Herschel Stuart, a new addition to the staff of the company, joined Mr. McDonald here and Wid Gunning himself arrived from the west coast, where he spent Christmas with his family, and tarried in Chicago for a couple of days. Messrs. McDonald and Stuart accompanied Mr. Gunning back to the New York office. The rights to the DempseyWillard fight pictures for Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin have been acquired by Clyde E. Elliott Amusement Enterprises, and Mr. Elliott will handle the distribution of the pictures in Illinois and intends state righting the other territory. Elliott is also handling “The Lady of the Dugout,” with which A1 Jennings is making personal appearances. Lee Herz announces that during j922 Interstate Film Service will distribute short subjects only, comedies, serials, two-reel westerns, etc., eliminating features. He states that it will be his aim to offer only the best in short reelers to exhibitors. First National’s Chicago exchange has added H. P. Joslyn, recently connected with a Chicago advertising agency, to its staff as director of publicity and exploitation. Mr. Joslyn will be prepared to give exhibitors service in putting over features released through First National in this territory. Joe Friedman, of Celebrated Players, had added three new series of short subjects to his list of releases. They are twenty-six Joe Rock single-reel comedies, to be released every other week; Funny Face Comedies and Marcus Cartoons, one a month : Out of the Inkwell series of comedies, one a month. Mr. Friedman prides himself on being a judge of short subjects and declares that exhibitors will do well with these fun makers. H. E. Boswell, who recently was covering Illinois territory for Realart, is now on the staff of Manager L. Gallas, of Chicago’s Robertson-Cole exchange and will cover the same territory. O. L. Hall is back in the motion picture business, having repurchased the Plaza Theatre at Gary, Indiana, which he sold some months ago. The New Era and Blackstone picture exchanges will hereafter be located at 804 S. Wabash avenue, where they have taken quarters with the Chicago Reelcraft Exchange. Corrington & Sons opened their new 900-seat Clintonia Theatre, at Clinton, Illinois, last Monday. It is one of the most beautiful and best equipped theatres in Illinois, and is a real monument to the enterprise of its owners. The Corrington policy will be to have a short Orpheum program of vaudeville with pictures on Monday and Tuesday, and during the remainder of the week the biggest feature pictures will be run at the Clintonia. An orchestra of seven pieces will be an added attraction at this house. Corrington & Sons recently purchased the “ K ” Theatre from Manager Suddith and now controls two out of the three houses in Clinton. Board & Sons are rushing the finishing touches on the 1100-seat house which they plan to open in Hoopeston, Illinois, about February 1st. This is another one of the small town theatres which is a real credit to the town and its proprietors, as it is of beautiful design and the equipment is up to date and modern in every respect. A meeting of the exhibitors’ organizations of Chicago was scheduled to take place at Schaefer’s projection room Wednesday to take action on the operators’ wage scale. All exhibitors were invited to take part in the discussion. Bert Lytell came to Tones, Linick & Schaefer’s Rialto Theatre the first week of the new year to appear in person and made a hit with the large audiences at this house. He is one of the few picture stars who is seasoned to the speaking stage, as well as the movies, having been leading man in stock some years ago, and having had a wide theatrical experience. The Rialto engagement was his only appearance here, as he returned to the coast immediately thereafter to make some new feature pictures for Metro. Ben Garretson is back in town after several months spent in New York, and is receiving a warm welcome from his numerous friends. He is acting as advertising and publicity director for “ The Connecticut Yankee ” during its showing at the Woods Theatre, and it is reported may remain in Chicago after its run ends. D. O. Reese, of Celebrated, was in town over New Year’s and reports that exhibitors in his territory are optimistic over the outlook for 1922 business, and that the abolition of the five ner cent film tax also is having a cheering influence on the owners of both large and small theatres in country districts.