Motion Picture News (Jan-Feb 1922)

853 February 4, 1922 NEWSY BRIEFS FROM CENTRAL FILM BELT Chicago and the Mid-West L. H. MASON, REP RESENT ATIVE, 910 S. MICHIGAN AFE. The arrival of a new film peddler is reported by D. Arnold Kohn, of Pioneer, who was passing around the cigars this week to celebrate the advent of the stork at his home. L. R. Nelson is the latest addition to Metro’s Chicago exchange staff of salesmen and will cover the Illinois territory. Mr. Nelson formerly was connected with Select and has a wide acquaintance in this district. Sales Manager Eichenlaub states that First National Week, February I8th-25th, promises to be one of the most successful ever arranged by that company in the Chicago district and that more than one hundred theatres already have set in First National pictures for the solid week. Manager Barbee, of Barbee’s Loop theatre, reports that the re-* cent cut in admission prices from forty-five cents and war tax to twenty-five cents including war tax, has caused a marked increase in matinee business and that night trade is beginning to pick up. The three weeks’ trial at lower prices has convinced him that he made a wise move and that as the public becomes educated to the fact that notwithstanding the smaller admission high class pictures are being shown, night business will also pick up materially. R. C. Seery has been spending the last ten days in New York. It is understood that he looked over a number of pictures while there with a view to obtaining some additional releases for the Illinois territory. Sig Friedlob, formerly connected with the Chicago office of Universal, has returned from the south, where he has been working for some months, to take position as salesman for Pioneer. Manager Silton has assigned him to the In| diana territory. Associated First National’s Chicago and St. Louis offices have completed arrangements whereby the southern Illinois territory, heretofore handled out of Chicago, hereafter will be covered by the St. Louis office. The Chicago territory will include Quincy, Jacksonville, Springfield, Decatur, Mattoon. Charleston and Paris, territory south of these cities being that covered out of St. Louis. “ Peacock Alley ” and “ Turn to the Right ” are rapidly being booked by leading theatres of the Chicago territory, according to Manager Rozelle, of Metro’s Chicago exchange, who states that a b; advertising campaign, includ ing the posting of twenty-four sheets on one hundred and fifty-six boards in Chicago and large newspaper space will be used to back up these features. “ Peacock Alley ” is scheduled to open at the Randolph about February 4th for an indefinite run and will be followed by “ Turn to the Right.” Both pictures will then be shown in the Lubliner & Trinz houses and other theatres outside the loop. Charles F. House, who recently resigned as manager of Ascher’s Midway theatre at Rockford, Illinois, to accept an offer to go to the West Coast, has been induced by Ascher Brothers to remain in Chicago and look after their interests at the Terminal theatre in Albany Park. In addition to being a full-fledged theatre manager, Mr. House is an accomplished organist, that being his means of “breaking into ” the theatre game. He became associated with Ascher Brothers just six years ago, and it is a noteworthy coincidence that his first engagement was for the opening of the Terminal theatre where he presided at the organ. In 1919, Nathan Ascher consented to Mr. House’s taking over the management of the Midway theatre in Rockford, where he has remained ever since with unusual success. Manager Ed. Silton, of Pioneer’s Chicago exchange, has booked “ Shadows of Conscience ” for the entire Harry Gramp Circuit and for the Dee Robinson houses, where it will open at an early date. Pioneer is handling this Russell Productions’ seven reel super feature for Illinois and Indiana. Many film men have declared it one of the best box office pictures released on the independent market this year. The Palace theatre, the new house which is rapidly nearing completion at South Bend, Ind., has announced a policy of vaudeville and pictures, the theatre having been leased for the Orpheum Circuit. Walter Blaufuss, well-known Chicago music director and composer, has been engaged by Ascher Bros, to take charge of the orchestra and other musical features at the Roosevelt. Mr. Blaufuss gained national fame as the composer of “ Out of the Shadows,” “Your Eyes Have Told Me So,” “ My Isle of Golden Dreams ” and many other popular songs. Will M. Hight, popular publicity expert and veteran theatrical man, is another new member of the Ascher organization, having recently been appointed manager of the Adelphia theatre. Nate Ascher is back at his desk after a flying trip to New York. Herman Stern, district manager for Universal, is at the Michael Reese Hospital following an operation for infection of the neck, and while on the highway to recovery, it may be several weeks before he returns to his office. Wallerstein Bros., who purchased the Garden, Michigan City, Ind., from Ezra Rhodes about one year ago, have about completed wrecking the old house preparatory to erecting a new theatre, which will be named the Tivoli. They expect the work of construction to move from now on with some speed. Manager Lambiotte, of the Temple theatre, Mishawaka, Ind., is another moving picture man who is reported seriously indisposed and is confined to the hospital. Manager Bernstein, of the Starland, Idle Hour and Dreamland theatres of Michigan City, Ind., was in Chicago this week conferring with Publicity Director Hill, of Universal, on extensive plans for the advertising and exploitation campaign for “Once to Every Woman,” “ Reputation,” “ Outside the Law ” and “No Woman Knows,” which are to run in his houses at an early date. Earl Salisbury, managing director of Shillings’ Musical Hall, and the Opera House, Valparaiso, was another out-of-town visitor who was working with the Universal publicity department on exploitation campaigns for “No Woman Knows ” and “ Reputation.’ L. M. Rubens, president of the Illinois Motion Picture Theatre Owners, is planning a four months vacation abroad and will sail from New York on January 30. Before returning Mr. Rubens expects tcvisit France, Germany and other continental European countries, as well as Palestine and Egypt. A notable array of Goldwyn executives from the home office and exchanges gathered in Chicago this week for their annual midwinter sales conference. The meetings were held at the Congress Hotel, starting Monday. Among those present were Samuel Goldwyn, Alfred Weiss, F. A. Gudger and Abraham Lehr, of New York, and Arthur Lucas, Atlanta ; J. A. Koerpel, Boston ; George A. Hickey, Buffalo ; Cecil E. Maberry, Chicago; Jack Stewart, Cincinnati ; W. K. 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; and Chas. Knickerbocker, Salt Lake City. Pete Smith, publicity man for Marshall Neilan, has been in Chicago for several days in advance of the arrival of Wesley Barry, the popular boy star who will arrive the end of this week to make personal appearance at Balaban & Katz houses. Slow music for Paramount bowlers. Their challenge to the world was promptly accepted by Universal’s “ Secret Four,” who met and defeated them in a series of three games on some fast alleys. The score was “ Secret Four ” 1830 and Paramount 1741. The Universal quartet now announces that they are open for games with any exchange team in the territory. “ Come on you slickers ” is their slogan. Chicago theatre owners who have been opposed to the daylight saving law in Chicago, as it is injurious to theatre attendance during the summer months, are pleased over the action of the city council judiciary committee which has unanimously recommended that the period of daylight saving be cut from seven to five months. The committee recommended an ordinance which will put Chicago on a daylight saving basis from the last Sunday in April until the last Sunday in September. Last year daylight saving began on the last Sunday in March and ended on the last Sunday in October. Universal’s Chicago exchange, represented by L. W. Alexander, manager of the short subject department, W. L. Hill, director of publicity, and J. J. Sampson, was host to a number of Chicago newspaper men and others at a luncheon at the Blackstone last week, at which some of the series of two reel “Leather Pushers” were screened. The sporting editors, who were present, were particularly interested in the prize ring scenes and were generous in their praise of the action and reality of these episodes. _ Among those present were Virginia Dale, Chicago Journal; Genevieve Harris, Chicago Post; J. J. Moroney, Chicago Post ; Howard Mann, Sporting Editor, Chicago Post; Ed Smith, Sporting Editor, Chicago American; M. F. Baldwin, Editor, Moving Picture Age; Dudley Grant Hays, Director of Visual Education, Chicago ; J. A. Power, Collier’s National Weekly; W. F. Ford, Collier’s National Weekly; Alderman O. H. Olson, Chairman of Chicago Athletic Commission ; and David Rotoff, Sporting Editor, Chicago Daily News.