Moving Picture World (Jul 1920)

July 24, 1920 THE MOVING PICTURE WORLD 447 Business East and West Keep Sol Lesser a Very Busy Man SOL LESSER, since his recent appointment as western representative for Associated First National Exhibitors, Inc., has been dashing madly back and forth between Los Angeles and New York. He has just returned to Los Angeles with the news that his production “What Women Love,” starring Annette Kellerman, has been taken over by the Associated First National for distribution. Along with this announcement, Mr. Lesser states that he will not continue in the production field, but will devote his time entirely to matters pertaining to the Associated First National Exhibitors and to his own theatrical interests. One of the matters to claim his immediate attention is the settlement with Annette Kellerman and Wheeler Oakman, with whom he has starring contracts ; and another is the renovating of the Kinema Theatre, of which he is part owner, which will be closed for the purpose during the month, reopening after a fortnight with many improvements, including a deep stage to permit of plays being put on occasionally in addition to pictures. Publicity Head in Los Angeles. Howard Dietz, manager of publicity for the Goldwyn Corporation, is in Los Angeles conferring with J. S. Woodhouse, director of publicity at the western Goldwyn studio in Culver City, upon new methods and plans of exploitation for Goldwyn productions. Warner Brothers Buy Studio Site. Warner Brothers Productions have purchased ten acres of ground in Culver City for the erection of a new studio. Work on the administration building, and one light and one dark stage, will be begun at once. The site for the new plant is between the Thomas H. Ince and the Henry Lehrman studios, on the east side of Washington Boulevard. The Warners will move from the Horsley studio, on Main street in Los Angeles, where they have been operating, to the Romaine studios in Culver City, which will be used temporarily until the new plant is ready to be occupied. Helen Eddy to Star. Helen Eddy, now playing with Sessue Hayakawa in his new picture, is the newest leading woman to have been signed as a star. The company with whom she has signed is the Smith Syndicate, and she will start on her first picture under the new contract about August 1. Miss Eddy has played opposite lead to George Beban in a number of that star’s productions, and also with Hayakawa, and she has just finished playing a leading role in a recent American film. ZaSu Pitts is another star under the Smith Syndicate management. Mayer Studio to Close for Summer. Louis B. Mayer, producer of the Mildred Harris Chaplin and the Anita Stewart pictures, will close his producing plant for the remainder of the summer upon the completion of “Habit,” Mildred Harris Chaplin’s feature, and “Sowing the Wind,” with Anita Stewart. Mr. Mayer, upon the reopening of the studio in September, will enlarge production activities with several big all-star features, which are now being planned for. Mrs. Chaplin will go to New York for her vacation and Miss Stewart will divide her time between her home on Long Island and a trip to Honolulu. Ince Set Destroyed by Fire. A fire on one of the stages at the Thomas H. Ince studio recently partially destroyed a big ballroom set which had just been completed for a scene in “Beau Revel,” now in course of production. The flames were discovered and were under control before any damage was done to adjacent sets, but the ballroom had to be practically rebuilt before production could proceed. House Peters Incorporates. House Peters, now appearing in the current Louise Glaum picture, “The Leopard Woman,” has filed incorporation papers showing a capitalization of $1,000,000 for the new film producing company that will make the House Peters Productions. W. E. De Courcy and Howard U. Dennis are directors of the corporation and Harry R. Haskins will be the director. Dial Completes “Tiger’s Coat.” “The Tiger’s Coat,” from the story by Elizabeth Dejeans, the latest all-star production of the Dial Film Company, has been completed this week by Director Roy Clements. The principal characters were depicted by Myrtle Stedman, Lawson Butt, Tina Modotti, Joseph Lance and Helene Sullivan. First Bible Film Completed. The Historical Film Corporation, the company organized to film the Bible, has completed its first picture, entitled “The Letter to Philemon,” a visualization of the Epistle of Paul to Philemon. John D., Jr., Visits Lasky’s. John D. Rockefeller, Jr., who has been in Santa Barbara for the past few weeks, spent a day at the Lasky studio as the iiimiiiin* iilii)iiiiiiiiii(tmniiHiiiiilifjiiiiiitiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii&iiiji;iiiiiiiiiiiiniiiiiiiiiiiiit ui inn guest of Frank Garbutt and Cecil De Mille. Mr. Rockefeller evinced great interest in watching the work of Roscoe Arbuckle and Wallace Reid, who were each at work on current Paramount productions. New Management for Alhambra. Douglas Jarmuth has assumed charge of the Alhambra Theatre. The Alhambra is controlled by Gore Brothers and H. M. Bosley. Beginning July 30, the Alhambra, following the example of the Kinema, changed its opening day to Saturday instead of Sunday. St. John Leaves California. Bert St. John, who has been managing director at the California Theatre for the past few months, has tendered his resignation to Fred Miller, to take effect as soon as W. G. Stewart, the new incumbent, is ready to take over the work. La Carmen Productions. A new organization to produce pictures, called the La Carmen Productions, hasjust been formed in Los Angeles under the management of Claude Barber. The company intends to start work about July 15 on a series of pictures which will be personally directed by Barber. Antonio Stanich, of the operatic stage, will be leading man in the first picture, which is to be a film version of a story by Dolores Lopez. Lillian Webster Dies. Lillian Webster, a film actress who has been playing in pictures at the National studios, died at the Methodist Hospital on July 6, following a short illness. Jack Ford Marries. Jack Ford, director at Universal City, was married on July 4 to Miss Mary Smith, of New York, at San Juan Capistrano Mission, near Los Angeles. Mr. and Mrs Ford have left for the East to spend their honeymoon partly with Mr. Ford’s parents in Maine and with the bride’s parents in Washington.