Motion Picture News (Jan-Feb 1922)

846 Goldwyn Sales Convention in Chicago Jan. 23 AS. ARONSON, vice president and sales manager of Goldwyn Dis* tributing Corporation .announces the annual mid-winter sales convention of Goldwyn branch managers for four days, starting Monday, January 23, at the Congress Hotel, Chicago. Among the home office executives who will attend the convention are Samuel Goldwyn, president; Alfred Weiss and F. A. Gudger, vice presidents, and Abraham Lehr, vice president in charge of production. This is the first general meeting of the Goldwyn sales organization since the convention at Culver City last spring. Branch executives who plan to be present are as follows: Arthur Lucas, At lanta; J. A. Koerpel, Boston; George A. Hickey, Buffalo; Cecil E. Maberry, Chicago; Jack Stewart, Cincinnati; W. J. Kimes, Cleveland; L. B. Remy, Dallas; Ben Fish, Denver; J. E. Flynn, Detroit; W E. Troug, Kansas City; M. Wolf, Los Angeles; Newton Davis, Minneapolis; S. Eckman, Jr., New York; Felix Mendelssohn, Philadelphia; Nat Barach, Pittsburgh; G. C. Parsons, San Francisco; Jack Weil, St. Louis; W. E. Banford, Seattle; W. A. Busch, Washington; J. W. Pope, Jr., New Orleans; H. S. Lorch, Omaha; Charles Knickerbocker, Salt Lake City Sarah Bernhardt Invited to Film Celebration Leading stars, directors and authors, representing the entire film profession in Hollywood, sent a cablegram Sunday night to Sarah Bernhardt in Paris, inviting her to come to America as their guest of honor in a nation-wide celebration of the tenth anniversary of the first big feature picture featuring a stage star. The cablegram, which .was addressed to the famous actress at the Sarah Bernhardt Theatre, Paris, follows : “ We as representatives of American motion picture art invite you to visit America to be honor guest in nation-wide celebration of tenth anniversary of feature motion picture. This invitation is in recognition of fact that you were first as you have been greatest artist to lend your genius to establish motion pictures as art. Your example ten years ago in creating ‘ Queen Elizabeth,’ first feature picture, gave this new art impetus which has carried it to its position as most important entertainment of world. Your appearance in ‘ Queen Elizabeth ’ was inspiration to motion pictures as your appearance on speaking stage always has been inspiration to drama.” “The Rosary” Big Success at Frisco Premiere William A. Johnston’s editorial in the Motion Picture News recently on “ The Rosary ” brought forth the following telegram from Eugene H. Roth and Jack Partington, associated managing directors of the Imperial theatre, San Francisco: “ Your splendid editorial on ‘ The Rosary,’ produced by Selig & Rork, arrested our attention, with the result that we had the world’s premier showing at our Imperial theatre on January 23rd. The box office verified your good judgment and ours. ‘ The Rosary ’ is splendidly cast and superbly directed and is proving a high class entertainment for all classes.” Seek Lower Electric Light Rates in New York The New York Theatre Owners’ Chamber of Commerce, at its meeting last Tuesday decided to take action in connection with the existing electric light rates, now prevalent in its territory. President William Brandt, in appointing a special committee for the purpose of petitioning the Public Service Commission to reduce the rates, pointed out the following facts : That the use of electricity in picture theatres is one of its greatest expenses; that such theatres use more electric displays, advertising for marquees and signs than any other industry; that the very nature of the business requires several projection machines and spotlights in each theatre, together with electric decorations, electric fans, electric exhausts, electric cleaning devices, motors for organs, etc., making the motion picture theatre one of the most important consumers of electricity. Mr. Brandt further declared that the rates in some instances had nearly doubled, and that they were working a tremendous hardship on an industry which was laboring under a severe business depression. There are six companies directly involved. They are the New York Edison, United Electric Illuminating Company, Brooklyn Edison, Queens Edison, Public Service Company of New Jersey, and Richmond Light and Railroad Company. Statistics have been gathered with a view to showing that the price of coal, the cost of supplies and material, and the salaries of all employees of these companies have been materially decreased, so that a reduction in electric rates would not work a hardship upon these companies. It is expected, in response to the petition from the committee of the Theatre Owners’ Chamber of Commerce, that a public hearing will shortly be had by the Public Service Commission. MOTION PICTURE NEWS William A. Johnston, Pros. & Editor E. Kendall Gillett, Treasurer George D. Gould, Managing Editor Fred. J. Beecroft, Adv. Mgr. Published on Friday every week by MOTION PICTURE NEWS, Inc., 7 29 Seventh Are., New York, N. r. ’Phone 9360 Bryant Chicago Representative, L. H. Mason, 910 S. Michigan Ave. ; ’Phone Harrison 7667. Los Angeles Representative. J. C. Jessen, Suite 205, BakerDetwiller Building, 412 West Sixth St. ; ’Phone Pico 780. Subscription $3 a year, postpaid, in United States, Mexico, Hawaii, Porto Rico and Philippine Islands. Canada, $5. Foreign, ?8. N. B. — No agent is authorized to take subscriptions for Motion Picture News at less than these rates. Have the agent who takes your subscription show his credentials and coupon book. Western Union registered cable address is “ Picknews,” New York. Copyright, 1922, by Motion Picture News, Inc. Motion Picture N e w 1 Warner Plans Broadway House for Independents Announcement is made by the Warner Brothers’ headquarters that Harry M. Warner is planning the construction of a motion picture theatre on Broadway, New York. The site is now under consideration, and the house will be built between Forty-second and Forty-ninth streets, according to the announcement. The cost of the theatre will be in excess of $1,000,000, it is declared. The building of the proposed cinema edifice is declared to be due to the fact that independent motion picture producers cannot get a Broadway run with their production, “ due to the monopoly of the theatres now in that vicinity,” says the Warner Brothers statement. With the completion of the plans for the structure, it is planned to give all those organizations with meritorious attractions an opportunity to present their product to a Broadway audience, it is announced. New York Not Final Judg Say Papers of Country A recently published statement b Arthur S. Kane to the effect that Ne> \ ork is not to be looked upon as a cr terion for film values, has been taken up b many important newspapers of the cour try as a significant commentary on pres ent day film conditions. The Pittsburgh Gazette Times in print ing the Kane statement in full says tha the New \ork ideal is not national an that the big city is often wrong as regard the taste of the rest of the countn Among many other newspapers which re printed this analysis of motion pictur standards were : The Sacramento Bee, th Seattle Times, the Portland Journal, th Detroit Free Press, the Union (N. T.) Dis patch, the Philadelphia Ledger, the Port land Oregonian, the Atlanta America 1 the Denver Post, the Oakland Tribune, th Sacramento Union, the Baltimore Sun. 1 In his article Mr. Kane asked the ques tion, “ Does New York set the taste fo the rest of the great American republic i motion pictures?” He answers it b pointing out that a Broadway success i no criterion for the results to be obtaine' afterward in thousands of America: towns radically different from the heter ogeniously populated and tremendousl provincial Bagdad of the East. From hi own experience as sponsor for the Charle Ray productions Mr. Kane stated that th star’s policy of appealing to the America: outside of the big centers is a great facto in his success. Introduces Bill to Repea New York Censor Board Assemblyman Louis Cuvillier, of Nev York, has introduced a bill in the Nev York State Legislature to repeal the lav under which the New York State Motioi Picture Commission is functioning. Afte being introduced the bill was referred t< a committee.