Moving Picture World (Aug 1920)

August 14, 1920 THE MOVING PICTURE WORLD 897 Fox Official Visits Chicago to Look Over Site for New Office and Inspect Sales Force WINFIELD SHEEHAN, vice-president and general manager of the Fox Film Corporation, spent three days in the city last week, and on the return trip to New York stopped over at the Detroit and Buffalo offices. Mr. Sheehan came on specially to look over the sales organization of the Chicago office and to close important, pending contracts;'also to inspect the site of the new Fox offices, on Wabash avenue, near Ninth street. Bid for the construction of the new Fox offices, on Wabash avenue, near 27, and everything will be in readiness to transact business by Thanksgiving Day. The occasion will be marked by a regular Thanksgiving celebration in the new quarters by Manager Eckhardt and the Chicago force. During an interview, Mr. Sheehan drew special attention to a great western Fox special, in six reels, which will be released September 5. The title of this picture is "The Untamed,” with Tom Mix as the predominating figure. Pauline Starke is the leading woman and George Siegman, who will be remembered as the famous heavy in “Hearts of the World" and “The Birth of a Nation,” figures prominently in the oast. Mr. Sheefian pronounces .“The Untamed” the greatest picture in which Tom Mix has ever appeared and also the finest western picture ever made. Although the actual acting time of the big special occupied but three months, the picture has been under way for a year and a half. Strange to say, the leading actors in this picture are a dog and a horse, each possessing an instinct that approaches the intelligence of a human being. Each of these animals, in the normal state, is perfectly tractable; but Tom Mix — in order to make them fit their parts — actually trained them to become so untameable that they are perfect demons in horse and dog flesh. The horse and dog are both featured in the advertising matter. “Skirts,” a six-reel Sunshine comedy, has also been finished and will be released September 1. "The Sunshine comedy occupied nine months in its production, and cost $350,000,” Mr. Sheehan told the writer. He also stated that an extensive advertising campaign will be conducted for six weeks throughout the entire country, attracting public attention to “The Untamed” and “Skirts” specials. "The progress of Fox pictures is at its zenith today,” said Mr. Sheehan. “At, no time in its history has Fox Film Corporation been so strong in production as now, nor has our service to exhibitors been ever so proficient.” Since his last visit to Chicago, Vice-President Sheehan has made a trip abroad, during which he visited nearly every country in Europe, in the Fox interests. His next foreign tour will be made early in 1921. “Humoresque” at Orchestra Hall. "Humoresque,” the Cosmopolitan-Para mount production which has been scoring heavily in New York, will be the feature attraction at Orchestra Hall, for the week beginning Sunday, August 8. This will be an exclusive premiere showing in Chicago, the second city in the country to see the big feature. Elaborate billboard and extensive newspaper advertising has been arranged for the event. A novelty onesheet in Yiddish will be used in the Ghetto district. Stench Bombs Being Used in the Musicians’ Strike FOUR of the finest picture theatres in Chicago were visited by a stench-bomb thrower Wednesday night, July 28. The miscreant was caught at Balaban & Katz’s Riviera Theatre after bombs had been deposited the same evening in the Pantheon Theatre, owned by Lubliner & Trinz, and in the Chateau and Oakland Square theatres on the Ascher Brothers circuit. All of these houses have presented their programs without music since the musicians’ strike started, July 5, and it is believed that the outrage is connected with the failure of the Chicago Federation of Musicians to obtain the wage increase of 50 per cent, demanded. Several of the smaller houses had also been subjected to similar outrages earlier in the week, due it is believed to the fact that they objected to their piano or organ players joining the union. The Riviera, the Chateau and the Pantheon are on the North Side, within a short walk of each other. The Chateau, further to the south, on Broadway, was Grand and Uproarious Feelin.’ “An’ they met me with a band” says William Russell in ‘‘A Live Wire Hick,” released by American. the first to suffer, but the culpiiit escaped. Manager Beaumont, of the Chateau, suspecting that other big theatres would be visited, immediately phoned the manager of the Pantheon to be on the look-out. Half an hour later a bomb was placed in the Pantheon, but the perpetrator escaped notice. The visit to the Riviera followed about three-quarters of an hour later, and it is believed that the same man was responsible for the four outrages. Winkler Disclaims Knowledge. Joseph Winkler, president of the Chicago Federation of Musicians, disclaims all knowledge of the affair. “I have no control over such happenings,” he said over the phone. “I am at the end of a string and I can’t keep track of what 3,000 others are doing.” Seeing that the exhibitor members of the Allied Amusements Association are standing like a rock against the demand of the Federation, the latter has been actively engaged in a campaign to induce the nonunion musicians in the smaller theatres to join the musicians’ organization. These non-union musicians, as stated in a former letter, comprise fully 50 per cent, of all the musicians in Chicago, engaged in moving picture accompaniment. A typed letter dated July 26 was sent out to each of these non-union musicians (most of them being women or girls) by the Federation. This letter warned them that if they wanted to preserve a clean record with the Federation, they must cease playing immediately and make application for membership. This letter failed to win a single applicant, it has been stated by a trustworthy authority. Send Clipping to Non-Union Men. On July 15, newspaper clipping from a Chicago daily, containing an advertisement of the Federation which warned the public against attending any unfair picture theatre, was mailed every non-union musician in the small theatres. The letter, in every case, was sent by registered mail. On the newspaper clipping, stamped with a rubber stamp, in red ink, the followingwords appeared; “If you wish a clean record with the Chicago Federation of Musicians, you will cease playing in any unfair theatre. Now is the time to make application for membership in the musicians’ union.” Not a single case of defection has been reported up to the present writing. It is interesting to note what the manager of a well known theatre on the South Side says about the absence of music, and he had a large orchestra before the strike started. "Business has not been affected in the least by the musicians’ strike. On the contrary, patrons are enjoying the change. In talking it over with my patrons, I have noticed that there were more who approved of pictures without music than there were of those who lamented the lack of it.” This statement is especially interesting, from the fact that the orchestra employed was quite popular. The outrages perpetrated by these stench-bomb throwers have already succeeded in alienating any sympathy that may have been entertained for the mu