Movie Age (1927)

AUGUST 13, 1927 PAGE 19 The question of who owns the rights to the title “Birds of Prey,” one of the Columbia pictures of the past year, was decided definitely in favor of the pro¬ ducing organization. Kane, Thatcher & Noel, the plaintiffs, claimed that they owned a play of the same title which they had produced throughout the country, and sought to enjoin Colum¬ bia from advertising or offering for sale the film, “Birds of Prey.” Colum¬ bia’s attorney proved that the purchase of the book gave the company the rights to the title. The decision was handed down by the Supreme Court. * * * “The Big Parade” will leave the Astor Theatre, New York, on September 10 after 96 consecutive weeks on Broadway. This sets a new record for all time in filmdom. * * * There is a report that the old Tri¬ angle trademark will come back. A New York company is organizing with the idea of using the once famous la¬ bel. It was once controlled by C. A. Baumann and Harry Aitken. • • • Speculation as to Claire Windsor’s first production for Columbia ended this week when Harry Cohn, produc¬ tion manager, announced that she would be featured in “Say It With Sables,” one of the company’s eight specials for the coming season. * • * Twenty of the leading producers have pledged themselves to omit ridi¬ cule of the clergy, profanity, salacious billboard advertising, jokes on prohibi¬ tion, and the Washington administra¬ tion, as a result of a campaign started by Rev. C. T. MacLean, father of Doug¬ las MacLean. * * * The fall meeting of the Society of Motion Picture Engineers will be held at Lake Placid, N. Y., September 26 to 29, it has been announced by L. C. Porter, secretary. The committee on arrangements will be appointed by Wil¬ lard C. Cook, president, at once. More than 80 firms engaged in the manufac¬ ture of technical equipment are expect¬ ed to attend. The firm of Raymond & Whitcomb, operators of transcontinental tours, will present motion pictures on their trains beginning this month. Contracts have been signed with Pathe calling for short subjects to be shown on trains leaving Boston for California and the North¬ west. ♦ * * John L. Baird, the British inventor of television, has predicted that television making possible motion pictures on a record combining the principles of tele¬ vision and the phonograph has passed the novelty stage and will be ready for commercial use within a short time. * * * Owing to the great length of time ne¬ cessary for the titling and editing of “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” Universal has an¬ nounced that the picture will not be ready until late in September. The Central Theatre in New York, which was leased for a first run Broadway outlet of the picture, will open August 21 with “Les Miserables” at an extend¬ ed two-a-day run, at legitimate prices. * * * Pictures are taking the place of bull fights in Mexico. Figures show that more than four million pesos were spent in Mexico in 1926 for box office ad¬ missions while less than a million pesos went into the bull fight arenas. * * * Anite Loos, who has convinced the world that gentlemen have a failing for fair-haired maidens, has returned from Europe and has gone to Hollywood where she will select the screen Lorelei for her story “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes” which will be made by Para¬ mount. * * * Clara Bow has signed another con¬ tract with Paramount. And it’s one of those long term affairs. * * * The re-issue of “The Covered Wag¬ on” is announced by Paramount on its August schedule. * * * A new independent distributing com¬ pany has been organized under the name of the Producers Releasing Alliance, Inc. Instead of maintaining the home office in New York, the new company will have its headquarters in Hollywood. * * * The Duncan Sisters have gone to New York where they will sing and dance in the Rivoli in connection with their latest photoplay for United Artists, “Topsy and Eva.” * * * Corinne Griffith will begin pro¬ duction on “The Garden of Eden,” her first for United Artists, on August 15. Lewis Milestone will direct. * * * UFA is considering the establishment of exchanges in the United States. Dr. Rudolph Becker, foreign sales manager for the German company, is in this country looking over the field. * * $ After deducting all charges and taxes, Paramount has realized a net pro¬ fit of $1,420,000 for the second quar¬ ter of 1927. This is a big increase over the same period last year, according to a statement just issued by the company. * * * Jeanne Eagles, noted stage actress who has gained fame in “Rain” and “Her Cardboard Lover,” has been signed for a screen appearance in a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer picture, “Fires of Youth.” John Gilbert will co-star. * * * The Roxy has established a new world’s record. In the nineteenth week of the theatre the gross receipts passed the $2,000,000 mark. This is an aver¬ age of more than $105,000 a week. * * * “The King of Kings” will open in the most important cities in Europe in the near future, executives of the De Mille organization have announced. Premieres have been set for Budapest, Paris, Ber¬ lin, Vienna and Prague. * * * Bruce Gallup has been nominated for the presidency of the A. M. P. A. Lon Young has been mentioned for the of¬ fice of vice-president. James Zabin and George Harvey have been nominated for secretary and treasurer, respective¬ ly. The election will be September 8. * * * A $950,000 theatre in a Chicago neighborhood is dark for the want of a tenant. The theatre has never been opened. * * * An investigation by Variety shows that there are two male stars for every woman celebrity in pictures. Only 33 per cent of filmdom’s stars are women.