Motion Picture News (Jan-Feb 1922)

February 25, 1922 1247 N E W S Y BRIEFS FROM CENTRAL FILM BELT Chicago and the Mid-West L. H. MASON, REP RESENT ATIFE, 910 S. MICHIGAN A V E Edna Wallace Hopper, noted stage beauty, is appearing in per son at the Barbee with a movie on how she stole twenty years from Father Time and rejuvenated her youth. Several excellent publicity stunts were pulled during her engagement, such as a full color page tie-up with the Chicago American, all of which were arranged by Jo Fischer and A1 Dezel, of Mastei Advertisers, who are handling her publicity and exploitation campaign during her personal appearances at the Chicago motion picture houses. Clyde W. Eckhardt, manager of Fox’s Chicago exchange, has engaged Louis P. Kramer as publicity representative for the local office. Mr. Kramer is an experienced newspaper man, having worked on the Chicago Tribune, as well as other leading papers, and became known from coast to coast as press representative for General Leonard Wood, when the general was a presidential candidate. He also worked for Universal as field man in Ohio. Manager Woods of the Columbia theatre, Chicago, has taken over the management of the Oliver theatre, South Bend, Indiana, where he succeeds Harry Leonard. The latter intends to devote his entire time to the Bucklin theatre at Elkhart, Indiana. Walter Eschenbach reopened the Art theatre at Gary, Indiana, on February 11th. Extensive repairs and improvements have been made in the theatre, which is now one of the most beautiful small houses in that part of the state. The Hawthorne theatre, of Cicero, Illinois, also reopened on February 11th with “Conflict,” starring Priscilla Dean as its big feature. The Hawthorne is under the management of Mr. Lopatka. Construction of the New Palace treatre, South Bend, Indiana, was slightly delayed when the scaffolding surrounding the new house was destroyed by fire last week. Little damage, however, was done to the structure itself, and work is progressing rapidly. The Castle theatre. South Bend, Indiana, has cut its admission prices, all seats now being ten cents instead of ten and twenty cents, as heretofore charged. Another theatre reporting a cut in admissions is the Rhode theatre, of Kenosha, Wisconsin, whicn is now charging fifteen cents, instead of twenty-five cents as formerly. Carl Laemmle, accompanied by his daughter, Rosabelle Laemmle, and her friend, Estelle Cohen, of New York City, left for the coast studios of Universal after stopping off in Chicago to witness the opening performance of “Foolish Wives” at the Roosevelt theatre. Julius Stern also is on his way to the coast after stopping off in Chicago for the opening. “Over the Hill” broke all booking records when it last week completed a simultaneous run of one week in forty-three outlying Chicago theatres. This city wide engagement was of more than ordinary interest as it established a record breaking schedule for New York, as well as Chicago. The majority of these houses never before ran a feature for one entire week, and it is gratifying to know that many of them broke house records with this production. Following is a list of the theatres which presented “Over the Hill:” Standard, Julian, Milford, Howard, Rex, DeLuxe, (South side) Central Park, DeLuxe (north side), Bryn Mawr, Vision, Paulina, Stratford, Keystone, Peerless, Villas, Casimir, Kimbark, GayetyHippo, Jackson Park, New Brookline, President, Harper, Lyceum, Owl, Ideal, Berth, Gold, Crown, States, Monogrami, Vitagraph, Franklin, Eighteenth Street, King, Hamlin, Farkside, Crane, Parkway, Iris, Elston, Liberty, Wilson and Lawndale. Salesman H. R. Smith was winner with Phil Solomon as second in the six weeks’ sales drive conducted by the local Vitagraph exchange, and both have received handsome rewards for their good work. Educational Films, Inc., will hold a district sales convention in Chicago on February 20th and 21st. President E. W. Hammons will preside over the meeting and Mr. Ginsberg will also be present. The branch managers who will attend include M. H. Starr, of Detroit; Lee Goldberg, of Louisville ; Carl Lieber, of Indianapolis ; H. J. Fitzgerald, of Milwaukee ; and I. Maynard Schwartz, of Chicago. The meetings will be held in the Educational exchange at 837 S. Wabash Avenue. Sid Schwartz is now connected with Security Pictures as special representative, selling the feature, “ Call of the Wild.” He is a well known Chicago film man, having been connected for some time with Celebrated and other exchanges. At the request of Constance Talmadge, Balaban & Katz arranged a midnight show for the Chicago the atrical profession when Miss Talmadge’s newest picture, “ Polly of the Follies ” was exhibited. The affair took place at the Chicago theatre on Thursday at midnight with Raymond Hitchcock acting as master of ceremonies. A large number of celebrities of the speaking stage and newspaper men enjoyed the performance and applauded the picture heartily. F. B. Warren, of the American Releasing Corporation, was in Chicago this week looking over the newly opened exchange of the corporation, which is located at 806808 S. Wabash avenue, and conferring with Central West Manager Sidney Goldman. With the close of “ The Connecticut Yankee’s ” eight weeks’ run at the Woods theatre, on February 18th, the house goes back to the legitimate, although its first offering, “The Varying Shore,” will star a movie favorite, Elsie Ferguson. The week of February 12th marked the first anniversary of Balaban & Katz’s Tivoli theatre. Gala features were put on in honor of the occasion. This house, which since its opening has become one of the most noted in America, has achieved a remarkable success and even during the oppressive and depressing summer of 1921, pulled big business. Griever Productions has recently added some big features to its extensive list of releases, including “Judgment,” which is having a successful run at the Ziegfeld, “ The Polish Dancer,” featuring Pola Negra, and the Second National Associated Photoplay programs. G. H. Meyers has purchased the Park theatre at Urbana, Illinois, from H. A. Kariher and C. T. Walton. Mr. Meyers has been* manager of the Park theatre for the past three years. Verner Hick, through a recent transaction, has become owner of the Family theatre at Marion and the Family theatre at Pittsburg, Illinois. R. V. Anderson, field representative of the International News Reel Corporation, is now making his headquarters at the Universal exchange in Chicago, and will cover the territory embracing Detroit, Milwaukee, St. Louis and Cleveland. Mr. Anderson states that he will place twenty more news reel prints in this immediate territory at once. Phil Tyrrell is the latest addition to Clyde E. Elliott’s sales organiza tion, and will cover country territory for the fight films being distributed by Mr. Elliott. Mr. Tyrrell comes from Tennessee and has had several years of experience in the business. Messrs. Fisk and Elwood, of De Kalb, are reported to have completed plans for a new motion picture theatre at that city, and construction is expected to start at an early date. Tisdale Film Gorp. to Open Branch in East F. M. Tisdale, president of the Tisdale Industrial Film Corporation of Chicago, announces the opening in the very near future, of a new eastern division with headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pa. F. R. Martin, division sales mauager, will leave to make arrangements for the new office this week. The Tisdale Company has taken its place in the front rank of the industrial division — directing its activities largely to the production of municipal exploitation subjects, in which it has specialized for the past ten years, developing this field with remarkable success. Exhibitors find in these local productions new and powerful exploitation, as they form an effective tie-up between the theatres and leading local manufacturers, and mercantile establishments as well as with the schools, churches and important civic bodies. The big fleet of fast camera cars used by the Tisdale company forms one of the most complete mobile film equipments in the industry and is designed to obtain the utmost efficiency. The camera cars and their equipment get the interest and excitement from the start and the co-operation of the local newspaper is readily obtained, the latter contributing in running stories throughout the time the crews are at work. In this way the filming of each city becomes at once an event, while the finished product supplies an accurate faisicrical record of the town. Hundreds of the leading cities of the country have been filmed, the pictures meeting with great favor and furnishing splendid added attractions for the theatres using them. The increasing demand for this service in the east, according to Mr. Tisdale, has necessitated the establishment of a permanent eastern branch to better serve their clients in that section. Complete field units of Tisdale fleet of camera cars will be assigned to handle the production while a complete force of publicity men industrial experts, etc., will be transferred to work out of the Pittsburg office.