Moving Picture World (Aug 1919)

1336 THE MOVING PICTURE WORLD August 30, 1919 A. N. WOLFF LEAVES SHOWMAN GAME Managei of Rochester Rialto Had Long Career with Pictures and as Executive Musician AFTER more than eight years of remarkable success as the manager of one of Rochester's best known down town picture palaces, A. N. Wolff has. quit the show game, temporarily at least. When the "Good Night" slide was flashed on the screen of the Rialto Theatre on August 16, his last show had been presented in that house and in his capacity as "boss" he was saying good bye to the staff of employes whom he had trained in showmanship during his tenure. A . showman of the old school, Mr. Wolff was in the game long before the coming of the movies and not only watched their growth, but had a part in the rise to popularity of the theatres devoted to the silent art. He was the first Rochester exhibitor to lift the picture house from the nickelodeon stage, and for this alone he should have a monumental place in the history of the screen in Rochester. Mr. Wolff dared to raise his admissions above the five cent price which had become an accepted institution with the picture houses of those days. But the higher price was not all, for in its wake followed higher class shows, music and other thing. Active in Organizations. In the early days of exhibitors' leagues Mr. Wolff was active. When the Rochester Exhibitors' League was formed he was chosen president, an office which he held for four years. He was also for two terms president of the state exhibitors' league, resigning from that office a year ago. Mr. Wolff's career in the show business has been a varied one and he is known generally by many of the old time showmen throughout the country. One of his principal claims to fame is as a musician, having been identified with theatrical music for many years and in many places. Born in Geneva, N. Y., he came to Rochester with his family and took up the study of music. His first engagement was as a violinist in the orchestra of the old Grand Opera House, now the Family Theatre, in Rochester. Goes with Minstrels. The traveling companies next claimed Mr. Wolff, and he was on the road for many years as musical director for Barlow Brothers' Minstrels, Haverly Minstrels and many other prominent organizations. Later he was located in St. Paul, where for fourteen years he directed a large orchestra which during the summer months gave public concerts in the city parks. During the theatre season he was musical driector at the Orpheum Theatre. Helped Sunday Opening. Since coming to Rochester his success has continued unbroken and he is especially well remembered for his activity in the campaign which resulted in Sunday opening. In retiring from the field Mr. Wolff says he has no plans other than to rest, perhaps for a long time, although when he announced his intention of getting out of harness he received a number of flattering offers to become associated with big city houses. Jean Paige Is Morey's Leading Woman. "Out of the Dark," Harry T. Morey's latest Vitagraph feature, has been completed and the star and his supporting company are taking a vacation before • beginning a new picture. Much of the action of "Out of the Dark" occurs in a lumber camp and to get the proper atmosphere the principals, Paul Scardon, the director, and the cameraman, went to the lumber camps in the White Mountains. Real lumberjacks not only willingly got into the picture, but they saw to it that it was perfect in every technical detail, so far as a lumber camp and its customs were concerned. Constance Binney Supported Well in "Erstwhile Susan" THE cast of players supporting Constance Binney in her first production for Realart, "Erstwhile Susan," -contains the names of several famous actors who have appeared in photoplay. In this film Miss Binney will make her debut as a screen star. Miss Binney made her first appearance on the screen in Maurice Tourneur's production of "Sporting Life" and was later John Barrymore's leading woman in "The Test of Honor." She has lately been appearing with marked success in "39 East," the stage play which has been playing to crowded houses in New York. The photoplay adaptation of "Erstwhile Susan" was made from the stage play of the same name, which served Mrs. Fiske as a starring vehicle a few seasons ago. The part originated on the stage by Mrs. Fiske, Juliet Aliller, Erstwhile Susan, will be portrayed by Mary Alden. Jere Austin, a veteran actor of the stage and screen, will be Miss Binney's leading man in the role of Judge David Jordan. His latest screen appearance was in "A Perfect Lady" with Madge Kennedy. Barnaby Dreary, the father of Barnabetta, will be impersonated by Anders Kandolf. Alfred Hickman has been famous on the stage since playing Little Billee in "Trilby." Leslie Hunt, comedian, will enact Abel Buchter, the school teacher of the little Pennsylvania Dutch town, w inch is the locale of the story. John S. Robertson is directing the filming of "Erstwhile Susan" with the assistance of Shaw Lovett. Mix Goes to Oklahoma, Former Stamping Ground TOM MIX'S next picture, which has not yet been given a permanent title, but which, according to Fox Film Corporation, is another of those big smashing Western stories like "Rough Riding Romance" and "The Daredevil." is now in work at Ponca City, Okla. A large company of supporting principals and scores of cowboys and horses have been transported to this location to secure the exact atmosphere and true local color for this picture, which is promised, as the most sensational thriller in which Mix has appeared under the Fox banner. No better location than Oklahoma could have been selected for a Mix picture, for this is an old stamping ground of the cowboy star. The House of 12,200 ! Page 1377