Movie Age (1927)

PAGE 20 MOVI E AGE Orchestraphone Premiere In New York Last Week Demonstration of the Orchestraphone, phonographic device designed for thea¬ tre use, was made on Friday of last week at the Tivoli, New York. The de¬ vice, which is offered by National Thea¬ tre Supply Co., retails for $3,500, with a library of 200 records included. The invited audience was impressed by the possibilities of the new device. A newsreel and two-reel dramatic subject were shown, with Orchestraphone accompaniment, after which sev¬ eral selections were given to demon¬ strate the volume and clarity of tone of the instrument, which employs stock records. By means of a dual turntable, the op¬ erator is enabled to cue pictures with considerable effectiveness. The ma¬ chine is located in the rear of the thea¬ tre, with the music emanating from loud speakers located on the stage or behind the screen. Universal Experts Have Invented New Developer A forward stride in photographic ex¬ perimental work has been made at Uni¬ versal City, according to an announce¬ ment from Carl Laemmle, president of Universal Pictures Corporation. Universal technicians have invented and patented an automatic developing machine for negative film, which it is declared, will revolutionize motion pic¬ ture laboratory work. The inventors are Roy Hunter and Robert Pierce, who have been working on the machine for two years. Automatic positive developers have been used with success on positive prints but in case the machine does not adapt itself to the varying density of the film, the various degrees of over and under-exposed film, the expense of re¬ printing was slight. If the negative machine should fail a full day’s work would be lost and directors would have to re-film their scenes. Universal’s machine protects against this and is declared flawless. The machine is electrically run and has storage batteries in case the current failed and could be run by hand in case the batteries also failed. More than 300,000 feet of negative from Universal’s various productions have been developed on the machine in the past six months without loss of a single foot. The negative has emerged perfectly developed ready for the auto¬ matic printing machine. Plays New Music Device By Only Waving Hand A new musical device which plays by the wave of the hand, will be brought to America by Leon Theremin, a young Russian inventor and musician, who will arrive late this month. The instrument, which may find its way into American theatres, consists of electrical antennae placed in a box. With an electromagnetic sphere thus produced, Theremin, through skillful manipulation of his hands, creates music. Riesenfeld Joins U. A.; Opposes Vaudeville Acts Dr. Hugo Riesenfeld has been ap¬ pointed managing director of United Artists Theatres, it is announced by Joseph M. Schenck, president of United Artists Theatre Circuit. Accompanied by Lou Anger, vice-president and gen¬ eral manager of United Artists Theatre Circuit, Dr. Riesenfeld has left New York for Chicago, where he will open the United Artists Theatre on December 26, Norma Talmadge in “The Dove” to be the feature film. Dr. Riesenfeld, who has been man¬ aging director of the Colony Theatre, New York, for Universal, has secured his release from that organization. The Colony was the fourth Broadway motion picture theatre which the doctor had managed, as he had been for eight years managing director of the Rialto and Rivoli Theatres, and for five years of the Criterion. Dr. Riesenfeld expressed himself as flatly opposed to vaudeville in picture houses and said he was chiefly gratified with his new association because it will satisfy his ambition to offer the feature picture as the chief item of his show, merely pointing the surrounding musical features to the fidm. Barbara Worth in Horse Epic Barbara Worth, Universal player, has just begun work in the feminine lead of “Plugging Hoofs,” the fifth of a seines of western productions starring Rex, king of wild horses. Jack Perrin plays the principal male role with the support of “Starlight,” his trained horse. Nine FBO Pictures Slated For Release in January FBO will distribute nine pictures in January; five features and four short subjects. On January 1, “Driftin’ Sands,” star¬ ring Bob Steele, will be ready for ex¬ hibitors. On January 13, “Coney Is¬ land’,’ a Ralph Ince production, with Lois Wilson featured, will be shown. “Deadman’s Curve,” with Douglas Fair¬ banks, Jr., will be shown on January 15. On January 22, “Wizard of the Sad¬ dle,” starring the 13-year-old Buzz Bar¬ ton, will be released. “Little Mickey Grogan,” starring Frankie Darro, will be shown on January 30. “Mickey’s Parade,” a two-reel subject based on the Mickey McGuire cartoons by Fontaine Fox, will be released on January 2. On January 9 “Panting Papas,” a two-reel Standard Fat Men comedy, produced by Larry Darmour, will be distributed, while two one-reel Newslaffs by Bill Nolan, travesties on the news events of the day, will be distributed on January 8 and 22, respectively. The only book of its kind published ! THE FILM DAILY YEAR BOOK Everyone of any importance in this industry should have a copy of this volume for regular reference. OUT IN JANUARY FREE to Subscribers to THE FILM DAILY 1650 Broadway, N. Y. C.