Motion Picture News (May-Jun 1922)

June 3 , 1922 3083 MEN AND EVENTS IN THE FILM CENTRES Wi tl 1 “] N ews” Correspondents ITEMS OF THE EXCHANGES AND THEATRES SPRINGFIELD, ILL. W. W. Watts and Lee A. Burnstine were the Springfield delegates to the national convention of motion picture exhibitors, held in Washington, D. C. Mr. Burnstine went to New York city after the convention and will be home about June 1. The Lyric advertised “ Peacock Alley ” like a circus and the picture stood them out for the first two days of the engagement. This is conceded to be the best of the Mae Murray productions. George Koehn is finding things pretty good at the Empress despite the coal miners’ strike. The big majority of fans are from the families of the miners in Empress territory. The Chatterton and Majestic are closed for the season. The Majestic finished with “ The Four Horsemen ” on May 14, and the week before had “ Ten Nights In a Bar Room.” Both pictures did fairly well. The Capitol, Amuse-U and Savoy theatres are doing pretty well, using second run features, with an occasional first-run attraction. “ Over the Hill ” is coming back to the Strand. On its first trip this picture played to something like 36,000 people in eleven days, which is the house record. Mrs. Harry Thornton, wife of the manager of the Gaiety theatre, is recovering from a serious operation. She will be around in a few weeks. This spring has been the rainiest on record. Add to this a very poor financial condition and it will be seen that the exhibitors have had anything but a profitable year. Business is the poorest it has been since 1915. The carnival season opened here May 15. Last year there was some carnival in town all summer, making things doubly bad for the theatres. The Mayor has barred them from the city, so this year they will show at the state fair grounds, which is outside the city limits. Roy Ray, assistant manager of the 1 Gaiety, returned to his post after a month’s sojourn in California. Roy didn’t like the climate on the coast and got homesick for Springfield. L. A. Burnstine, of Springfield, 111., made the round trip to Washington in his Hudson touring car. SEATTLE James Q. Clemmer, veteran Seattle I motion picture exhibitor, two weeks ago sold out his interest in the Winter GarIden theatre, and is now planning to move to California. Clemmer had been manager of the Winter Garden for the past ' several seasons, having taken an interest lin the house shortly after selling out the 'original Clemmer theatre, now the Columbia, which he built originally, and owned and managed for ten years. George De C. Meyer, secretary and treasurer of the Winter Garden, also sold his interest and left the theatre. The theatre was taken over by Frank Edwards and George Herpick, both Seattle the! atre men who were formerly connected j with John Danz at the Colonial theatre, Edwards having been identified with that jhouse for about four years. The new 'policy of the Winter Garden, according ito Edwards, secretary-treasurer and man ager, will be to furnish the Seattle public with first-class photoplays at moderate prices. John Steelie, former San Francisco show man, and more recently connected with the People’s Amusement Company, of Portland, Oregon, a few weeks ago became acting manager of the Columbia theatre, Seattle, during the absence of William Cutts, former manager. Cutts is temporarily on leave, and during his absence will conduct some investigations for Universal in the East, according to reports. Charles Bridges still continues on in his position of assistant manager, and the publicity is being handled by Robert Bender. John Hamrick, manager of the Blue Mouse theatre, the middle of May announced a new scale of prices for the summer months, with regular afternoon performance admissions at twenty-five cents and evening shows at thirty-five cents. Loge seats are fifty and seventyfive cents. Children are admitted for ten cents at any performance, day or evening. In advertising the change in prices, Mr. Hamrick emphasized the fact that there would be no reduction in the quality or quantity of his shows. Herbert Hixon, for the past ten years doorman at the Columbia theatre, left Seattle recently on a three months’ trip to New York. Hixon expects to return to the city at the end of that time, but is undecided in regard to his future activities. He has been at the Columbia practically since it was built by James Clemmer, about ten years ago. ST. LOUIS F. B. Pickier, former St. Louis manager for Selznick-Select, is now attached to the Oklahoma City Associated First National organization. Joseph Mogler, president of the Motion Picture Exhibitors’ League of St. Louis, and owner of the Mogler and Bremen theatres here, who was re-elected vice-president of the National Motion Picture Theatre Owners’ Association at the Washington convention, is back home again. E. II. Brient, of Associated Exhibitors, reports an interest demand for their pictures throughout the territory. He is enthusiastic for the future despite the near approach of hot weather. G. M. McKean, Fox manager, has gone to New York to attend the annual convention of district managers. Mike Vogel, Paramounter, is back from an exploitation trip through Kentucky. Mike is first aid for a depressed box office. He has some sure fire receipt stimulators in his box of tricks. The exhibitors always like to have him on the job. Romaine Fielding, production director of the National Film Publicity studios, has perfected plans for the first of the series of short comedies to be produced by that company. The real heavy work will get under way about June 1. PROVIDENCE, R. I. Frank W. Brown, better known as “ Brownie,” business agent for the Moving Picture Operators’ Union in Providence, will report to the Governor of the Panama Canal zone some time in July to operate a moving picture machine under the auspices of the U. S. Government Department for the amusement, education and general edification of the employees in the Canal Zone. To accommodate the large throngs which saw “ Smilin’ Through ” at the Strand theatre during the week of May 15, the management “ tucked ” in a couple of extra shows a day, opening the house at 10:30 a. m. instead of at noon. “The Connecticut Yankee,” which was shown at the Providence Opera House in the winter, at top prices, were shown at the Rialto this week at 33 cents top, and in addition the fans got Mary Miles Minter in “ Heart Specialist.” Isaac Conn, manager of the Gaiety theatre, is having plans drawn for a new motion picture theatre on Broad street. INDIANAPOLIS A meeting of the Motion Picture Theatre Owners of Indianapolis to hear reports of Gus Schmidt and E. H. Bingham on the national convention at Washington, will be called in a few days. Mr. Bingham motored to and from Washington with Mrs. Bingham. Mr. Schmidt and his family also motored. Other Hoosiers who are back to spread word of the convention are Ben Van Borssum of the Savoy, Terre Haute; William Bender, Jr., of the LaSalle, South Bend ; Manager Wallerstein of the Greenland, Michigan City. H. E. Cohen, partner of E. H. Bingham in the Colonial theatre, disports a new maroon roadster and calls it a barometer of the house’s business. The Colonial has been completely redecorated in a black, gold and old rose color scheme. Lobby and other changes also have been made. “ I feel very confident the Motion Picture Theatre Owners of America are going to keep on going forward notwithstanding the dissatisfaction of the New York delegation,” said Mr. Bingham the day he got back from Washington. The Brazil Theatres Company has sold its lease on the Sourwine theatre in Brazil, Ind., to Dr. T. A. Walsh of the Citizens Theatre Company and announced it will leave the field. A fight for possession of the house has been in progress for almost a year. Both companies claimed the lease. Meanwhile the Citizens Company put up a $100,000 theatre of its own. CANADA II. L. Nathanson, formerly Western Canadian manager of Regal Films, Limited, Toronto, Canadian distributors of many releasesj has been appointed manager for all Canada of Pathe subjects with headquarters at the Regal head office in Toronto. H. L. Nathanson, who is a brother of N. L. Nathanson, managing director of Regal Films, Limited, has taken a tour of Regal branches in Western Canada before assuming his new work. Regal recently absorbed Specialty Film Import, Limited, for years the Canadian distributor of Pathe pictures. Harry Kaufman is the sales manager of the Regal organization for all but Pathe pictures. The Famous Players Canadian Corporation, Toronto, controlling the extensive chain of Capitol theatres in Canada, has acquired still another important theatre. This is the Colonial theatre of Fort William, Ontario, the deal for which was recently closed by N. L. Nathanson of Toronto, managing director of the corporation. H. M. Thomas, general supervisor _ of theatres of the Famous Players Canadian Corporation, has started out on a tour of inspection of theatres in Western Canada controlled by the corporation. For months past, Mr. Thomas has been in personal charge of the Capitol theatre in Montreal, one of the greatest houses of the Capitol circuit. He returned to Montreal recently from his honeymoon. “ Reckless Youth,” starring Elaine Hammerstein, has been condemned by the Ontario Board of Moving Picture Censors, it is announced, and the picture will, accordingly, not be seen in the Province of Ontario. The Quebec Board of Moving Picture Censors has passed the same feature, however, and it was the attraction at the New Grand theatre for the third week in May. Garrick theatre, Winnipeg, Manitoba, continued its successful run of British pictures by the presentation of the latest Hepworth feature to be released in Canada, “ The Amazing Quest of Mr. Ernest Bliss,” during the week of May 15. W. Jennings, formerly a theatre manager in Toronto for the Allens and more recently special Ontario representative for United Artists, has become manager of a Loew theatre in Indianapolis, Ind. The Kitsilano theatre in Vancouver, B. C., has been required by R. E. Berry, who is the owner of a chain of moving picture theatres in the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia. WESTERN NEW YORK E. O. Weinberg, manager of the Buffalo Strand, has returned to Syracuse where he will take charge of the Strand in that city. Ill health has forced Edgar Weill to retire from the management for several months. Mr. Weinberg has rented his Buffalo apartment. Eugene Pfeil is now managing the Buffalo Strand. Frank Davidson, formerly in charge of projection, and now local manager of the Independent Movie Supply Company, is spending part of his time assisting Mr. Pfeil. Stuart Parmelee has resigned as assistant manager of the Buffalo Loew State to accept the management of the Buffalo Capitol, a neighborhood house in the Park district. Buffalo folks who are interested in establishing a community theatre in the city may rent the Allendale, a General Theatres Corporation house, for a period of three 5’ears. Dr. Peter C. Cornell, manager of the Majestic and John R. Oishei, manager of the Teck, spoke in favor of the movement at a meeting of 150 men and women in the Hotel Lafayette. Marion DeForest, dramatic critic of the Buffalo Express, is president of The Buffalo Players, Inc., the organization which is furthering the movement. The Allendale is on Allen street near Elmwood avenue. It has been operated as a picture house for more than five years. Lillian Walker, screen star, will appear in person as the headliner at the Buffalo Shea Cort street theatre the week of May 29. Lillian has many friends in this part of the country, especially Mr. and Mrs. Bobby Albert of the Albert theatre in Lancaster, N. Y. Jim Bailey, manager of Keith’s theatre in Buffalo, looks like one of those boys in the lost city in “ The Mistress of the World.” Jim stuck his head in a gas range one day last week. When he opened the door a sheet of flame shot out. Jim’s eye brows and most of his hair shot off. However, he’ll soon look normal again. A special showing of “ The Heart of Africa,” was given for a Catholic charity in the Criterion, Buffalo, last Wednesday evening. Lady Mackenzie donated the films and the house.