Moving Picture World (Aug 1920)

SSO THE MOVING PICTURE WORLD Pat he ’s Pittsburgh Head Says Big Business Compels Small Showmen to Enlarge Houses INCREASING business in the Pittsburgh territory has led exhibitors there to inaugurate one of the biggest building movements in theatre history in the section, according to Frank C. Bonistall, manager of the Pathe Exchange, in Pittsburgh. Mr. Bonistall has just spent a week in New York, discussing Pathe affairs with Director of Exchanges Elmer R. Pearson, and others of the home office officials. “There are not only many new theatres building,” Mr. Bonistall reports, “but hundreds of exhibitors are increasing the seating capacity of their houses. They are adding “bleachers” and balconies, and in many instances more than doubling their seating capacities. The smaller exhibitor has become enriched through the prosperity of the territory, and the greater demand for amusement that followed the ending of the war, and the reopening of the steel mills after the great strike. Houses that formerly seated two and three hundred are now taking care of audiences of five, six and seven hundred at a time. Pathe Features Going Big. “An unusually cool summer, thus far, has led exhibitors to expect much for the coming fall season. The exhibitors’ ‘an vil chorus,’ too, has been suspended this season by the continued high average which the box office has been striking. “Pathe features are making rapid strides in Pittsburgh and the surrounding territory. As an example of the favor with which these features are being received, we exceeded our quota on William Desmond in ‘A Broadway Cowboy’ in twelve days. ‘One Hour Before Dawn,’ starring H. B. Warner; J. Stuart Blackton’s ‘Man and His Woman’ and ‘Passers By’; Blanche Sweet in ‘The Girl in the Web,’ ‘Simple Souls’ and ‘The Deadlier Sex’; Edgar Lewis’ ‘Lahoma’ and ‘Sherry’; and ‘Rio Grande’ are meeting with the greatest success. “Harry Davis, managing director of the Grand Theatre, one of Pittsburgh’s biggest motion picture houses, has booked the second series of Harold Lloyd’s tworeel comedy specials. Lloyd was never as popular as he is today, and his pictures are booking stronger as each day passes along. “Pittsburgh exhibitors are keenly interested in our forthcoming serials, particularly Ruth Roland in ‘Ruth of the Rockies’ and George Seitz in ‘Pirate Gold.’ I predict these two serials will top, in business, any ever used by Pathe in our territory.” FrancoAmerican Corporation Outlines Its Objects at Dinner in Ritz-Carlton THE Franco-American Cinematograph Corporation gave a dinner on the evening of July 9 at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel to about fifty representative men in commercial life. The announced intention was to bring about an exchange of views between those interested from a financial, economic, production and exhibition standpoint in the motion picture and theatrical professions throughout the world, with the object of providing a closer tie in the future between the interests of the United States and those of Europe, as represented by the Franco-American company.” Several motion picture men were present, among these being Lewis J. Selznick, Marcus Loew, Whitman Bennett, Paul Cromelin, Arthur Kane, William Newgass, Earl Hammons and Leonce Perret. Howard K. Wood, president of the United States Corporation Company, was among those interested in pictures on the financial side. The honorary chairman was Maurice Casenave, director general of the French services in the United States. Mr. Casenave made a short speech, in which he referred to the motion picture “as the most modern of all industries.” F. D. Pavey, a former New York state senator, who officiated as toastmaster, introduced Andre Himmel, who had come to the United States to further the interests of the Franco-American company, and who also had sent out the invitations for the dinner. Names Companies in Corporation. “We desire, and the French government has especially charged me to make you feel,” said Mr. Himmel, “that we can arrive at a more perfect understanding of America by France, and of France by America, through motion pictures. “It is for this reason that we have formed the corporation whose guest you are, and it is the objective of this corporation which I am going to explain to you. “We have succeeded in grouping together in Europe all that is important in the moving picture industry. In France, we control Pathe, Eclipse, Comptoir Sutte, Cline Studio de Nice ; in England, the London agency under which are grouped the principal English motion picture corporations and the Commercial Films, Limited, and the Urban Trading Company; in Spain, the Societe Monopolis and the Studio Films; in Italy the Union Cinematographique d’ltalie, which controls Itala Film, Fotodrama, Gloria Film, Pascuali Film, Cines, Cesar Film, Bertini, Tibere Film, Film d’Art, Celio Film and Palatino, and the Rinacimente Film; in Germany the Groupe L. U. F. A., Universum Fil Atien Gesellschaft, and in Belgium the Cie. Beige des Films Cinematographiques. Claim 2,200 Theatres in France. “We further control theatres and exhibition rooms all over the world, of which 2,200 are in France, 2,495 in Germany, 1,650 in Italy, 1,935 in England, 1,203 in Austria, 725 in Spain, and the rest distributed over the other countries of Europe. We are building ourselves more theatres, a considerable number of which are already under construction. “As to the financial operation, it is very simple. The society has been constituted with a capital of $100,000,000. This capital is sufficient to assure the progress of the undertaking at the beginning. The subscriptions to the capital necessary for the general operations were assured in whole by the French group. When this subject was under discussion with the business men whom we met here, certain of their proposals relative to their desire to obtain a direct financial share in the subscription of $100,000,000 were considered by us as natural. After the necessary negotiations with the group of original French subscribers, it was decided to sell a certain portion of the capital stock already subscribed in America.” Other speakers were Arthur Brisbane and Louis Wiley. Mr. Brisbane made one of his characteristic talks, in the course of August 14, 1920 Sorrow. Writes itself on Alice Joyce’s face in this moment from her Vitagraph, “The Prey." iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiMiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiminmiiiiimiMiiiiiiiiiuiiiiiiii which he pointed that we were chimpanzees using our eyes two million years before we were human beings. Mr. Pavey announced the temporary American representatives of the company as G. J. Fleischman, McDougall Hawkes, H. W. Miller and Jose Castellot. Clarence Burton Signed by DeMille for Coming Picture \ NOTHER veteran actor has been add\ to the rapidly growing cast of Cecil B. DeMille’s forthcoming Paramount special production in the person of Clarence Burton, who has just signed a contract with the Famous Players-Lasky Corporation to appear under the direction of the famous producer. Burton will appear in the next Cecil B. DeMille production from the original story by Jeanie Macpherson. Production work is scheduled to start at the Lasky studio in the near future. No title has been selected as yet for this special. According to Cecil B. DeMille, Burton is to play one of the three principal roles, that of the husband in the unusual triangle which forms the nucleus of the story. Ann Forrest and Forrest Stanley, both recent additions to the DeMille forces, will play the remaining two roles of importance. Other notable names already listed in the cast include Theodore Roberts, Kathlyn Williams and Shannon Day. Alvin Wyckoff and Karl Struss will be in charge of the camera work and special settings are now in construction from designs drawn by Paul Chalfin, well known architect and artist, who is working with production manager Howard Higgin on this angle of production perfection. This is Mr. Chalfin’s first venture in motion pictures and he is said to have surpassed previous Cecil B. DeMille sets in artistic perfection and beauty. Strong Cast Supports Ray A splendid cast is supporting Charles Ray in his adaptation of “Forty-five Minutes from Broadway,” to be distributed by Associated First National Pictures, Inc. Dorothy Devore is a beautiful and appealing Mary; Donald MacDonald impersonates Tom Bennett with just the right touch ; Harry Myers acts forcefully as the heavy Cronin ; Eugenie Besserer is a i\ ideal Mrs. Dean; Hazel Howell, a pretty Flora Dean; May Foster, a sufficiently tearful Mrs. Burdy, and William Courtright, an unctuous Andy. Donald MacDonald, William Courtright and Harry Myers have played with Charles Ray before, but all the women are new to his casts. The principal sets are erected on the new glass stage, but both stages are being used for this big production.