Moving Picture World (Aug 1920)

August 14, 1920 THE MOVING PICTURE WORLD 881 Gore Brothers and Lesser Building Big Hollywood House; Acquire Others PLANS have been completed for the New Hollywood Theatre, which is to be erected on Hollywood Boulevard, east of Cahuenga avenue, in Hollywood, for the Gore Brothers and Sol Lesser. A. B. Rosenthal is the architect. Contracts have already been given for the excavation and foundation work and the site, known as the old Stern property is being cleared for the building. For the ground breaking ceremonies a host of First National stars were present to assist in chopping down the celebrated orange grove which formerly adjoined the property. The new building will be a Class A fourstory reinforced concrete structure, 118 by 200 feet. In style, the building follows the architecture of the Far East. The exterior will be finished in glazed terra cotta in polychrome colors, while the interior will be decorated in Circassian walnut and mahogany with tile floors and marble wainscoting. Total Cost Over Million. The cost of the building will be approximately $575,000, and it is stated by Mr. Lesser and the Gore Brothers that with the organ, furnishings and other equipment, the total expenditure will exceed $1,000,000. A large lobby vaulted ceiling leads into a grand foyer, from which access to the mezzanine floor and promenade is gained. The waiting rooms and balcony will be gained from the mezzanine. Ultra-modern electrical devices will be included in the equipment of the building, and unusual lighting effects will be obtained through an indirect system. The ceiling of the main auditorium will be beautifully decorated and lighted. The width of the stage will be 118 feet, with the proscenium opening 50 feet in width. The entire front of the building will be illuminated. The columns which are embodied in the front are five feet in diameter at the base, and rise to a height of sixtyfive feet. The domes of these columns will be guilded, and upon them will play prysmatic color searchlights. While the house is to be used for picture presentation, the large stage will be used for atmospheric prologues of the same class that prevail in the leading downtown theatres. New First National Theatre. In addition to the new Hollywood theatre, plans are rapidly nearing completion for the $3,000,000 First National Theatre, the site of which will be announced within thirty days. It is claimed by Lesser and the Gore Brothers that this will be among the finest theatres in America from a standpoint of comfort and beauty. Many of the leading figures associated with the First National Exhibitor’s Circuit will be financially interested in this theatre. Among some of the ideas that will be incorporated into the new shrine of silent drama will be some gorgeous promenades located on the roof of the building. The finest horticulturists in California have been consulted, and it has been found that it will be possible to have an orange grove thrive on the roof of the building, so that tourists may have the opportunity of vising the roof and picking oranges while they are waiting for seats in the theatre. Will Have Japanese Tea Garden. The plans also call for some beautiful fountains to be interspersed among the orange grove, and for a Japanese Tea Garden to be placed in one corner of the garden. In the foyer and mezzanine promenade, as well as on the walls of the roof, will be found historic scenes of early California, which will be enclosed in glass so that they can be illuminated in various color effects. The building will also include a ball room, and all of the usual rest rooms, children’s nursery, both on the mezzanine floor and on the roof and many other conveniences. Takes Over Two More Theatres. Two more theatres were recently added to the ever-growing chain of Sol Lesser and the Gore , Brothers when negotiations were closed for the Rosebud and New Central theatres. Both of these houses are located in Los Angeles, on Central avenue, and are numbered among the leading community houses. Ralph Grunauer, who recently conducted the Lyric Theatre in Stockton, Cal., will act as general managers of this pair of houses. Both houses will be redecorated. THE divisional heads of Mayflower’s field exploitation force arrived in New York this week for a series of important conferences to last one week and to be presided over by John W. McKay, general manager of the producing organization. The conference, it is declared will be one of the most important in Mayflower’s history and will lay the foundation for an exploitation campaign on behalf of forth-coming Mayflower productions that will give to exhibitors the most complete and productive promotional service ever afforded by a production organization. Those who will attend the series of conferences, in addition to General Manager McKay, are J. A. Pegler, of the eastern division, Ace Berry, head of the central division; Edward Holland, in charge of the western territory; Mark Larkin, director When the new First National Palace and the New Hollywood theatres are completed, Sol Lesser and the Gore Brothers will have fourteen Los Angeles theatres in their chain. The others are the Kinema, Alhambra, Burbank, Lyceum, Rosebud, New Central, Casino, Regent, Optic, Hollywood, Windsor and Apollo. This combination of exhibitors are also the southern California and Arizona franchise holders for Associated First National Pictures, Inc. The First National releases will be shown in all of the theatres. Owing to the recent pooling of the three present Hollywood theatres, namely, the Hollywood, Windsor and Apollo, into a new corporation which will include Sol Lesser, the Gore Brothers, J. L. Swope, F. A. Grant, and J. M. Young, it will now be possible for the First National pictures to have four runs in Hollywood, whereas previously only one was possible when competition existed. of publicity and advertising, and Albert W. Sobler, in charge of trade paper and general news exploitation. The conference plans arranged by Mr. McKay call for daily sessions of three hours each, at which will be discussed several new and practical plans for aiding exhibitors in the promotion of productions presented by Mayflower. Mr. Pegler, who attracted considerable attention in publicity circles recently by arranging for the appearance of Anna Q. Nilsson on Sir Thomas Lipton’s private yacht, Victoria, during the international regatta, landing the story on the front page of the New York dailies, is responsible for a co-operative exploitation plan that is expected to bring about a substantial saving of advertising costs for the exhibitor. “Pay Up! Last Week We Killed a Bird Who Was Ten Cents Short ” Charlie Chaplin gets a notion of the land of the “free’' in “The Immigrant,” a revival on the Selzniek release schedule. Mayflower’s Field Exploitation Heads Meet in New York to Discuss Promotion Service