Moving Picture World (Nov-Dec 1922)

250 MOVING PICTURE WORLD November 18, 1922 Making Big Preparations for Paramount Convention Seek $5,500 for Breach of Film Contract Word comes from Los Angeles that elaborate plans are being formulated for the entertainment of the Famous Players-Lasky convention which opens in that city November 21. The Eastern delegation, headed by Adolph Zukor, Jesse L. Lasky and S. R. Kent and comprising the home office executives and eastern district and branch managers, will leave by special train over the New York Central November 16. The train will run as the second section of the Lake Shore Limited to Chicago, where the delegation from the North Central exchanges will be picked up. From Chicago the route will be over the Santa Fe, with a stop at Kansas City to take on the representatives from the Middle West. The party will arrive in Los Angeles Monday, November 20, and will be met at the station by Mayor Cryer, member of the City Council, representatives of the Chambers of Commerce of Los Angeles and Hollywood and other prominent citizens. The visitors will be escorted to the Hotel Ambassador, which will be the convention headquarters. and there they will be officially welcomed by Mayor Cryer. Following the opening of the convention a big dinner will be given at the Lasky studio, the guests including hundreds of Hollywood picture people and prominent citizens of Los Angeles and Hollywood. The business sessions will last four daj'S and at their conclusion another dinner will be given in honor of the visitors on Friday evening at the Ambassador. Between seventy-five and a hundred official representatives of the company will attend the convention, which will be the largest gathering of its kind the West Coast film capital has ever entertained. Those going’ to the convention with the main party are as follows: Adolph Zukor, Jesse L. Lasky. S. R. Kent. E. E. Shauer. Marcus Ijoew. Gerald E. Akers. Harry Ballance. P. A. Bloch, of Philadelphia; A. M. Botsford. advertising manager; P. N. Brinch. of Boston: H. H. Buxbaum. New York district manager; John Clark, divisional sales manager; H. B. Franklin, G. B. J. Frawley, of the home office; Harry Hunter, of Washington; J. H. MacIntyre, of Portland. Me.; John D. Powers, of New Haven; Charles E. McCarthy, publicity manager; Henry Salsbury. of the home office; Claud Saunders, exploitation manager; Walter R. Scates, of Boston; George J. Schaefer, New England district manager; Mel Shauer. accessory sales manager; W. E. Smith, Philadelhia district mana,ger; George Spidell, general purchasing agent; E. W. Sweigert, of Wilkes-Barre: George Weeks, divisional sales manager; M. W. Kempner, of Albany; Allen S. Moritz, of Buffalo; Otto Bolle, of Chicago; G. A. Durlam, of Milwaukee; H. E. Elder, of Cincinnati; J. E. Fontaine, of Cleveland; H. W. Given, of Detroit; M. M. Hirsch, M. C. Hughes, of Pittsburgh; A. B. Leak, of Sioux Falls; Charles M. Reagan, of Indianapolis; Philip Reisman, Minneapolis district manager; H. A. P'oss, Detroit district manager; Frederick Strief, of Minneapolis; C. C. Wallace, of Chicago; B. Blotcky, of Kansas City: F. F. Creswell, of Atlanta; D. Prince, of Atlanta; R. C. Ll Beau, Kansas City district manager; R. J. McManus, of St. Louis; A. W. Nichols, of Des Moines; Frank Newman, of Kansas City; R. D. Thompson, of Omaha; Oscar Morgan and George Meeker, representing Cosmopolitan, and A. O. Dillenbeck, of the Hanff-Metzger advertising agency. Players Chosen to Suit Screen Roles Suit has been filed in the New York Supreme Court by the Harmony Film Company of Los Angeles, Cal, against the Sunny west Films, Inc, and Jacob Berkowitz, its president, and Bernard H. Mills, its treasurer, to recover $5,500. In the complaint filed in the County Clerk’s office, it is alleged that on February 4, last, an agreement was entered into between the litigants, whereby it wag agreed that the defendants for a valuable consideration would pay to the plaintiff $3,000 on May 1, last, and $2 500 on July 1, last. It itf charged by the plaintiff that it has lived up to all the requirements of : the agreement, but despite repeated demands the Harmony people declare they have been unable to collect the $5,500. The papers in the suit were filed by Woodward, Dennis i & Buhler, of 261 Broadway, counsd I for plaintiffs. The characters in George Ade’s screen story, “Back Home and Broke,” which is now being produced at the Paramount Long Island studio with Thomas Meighan, are certain well-known small town types, and to be assured of characterizations which will be true to life. Director A1 Green and Meighan, together with Mr. Ade, have been carefully considering players for these welldefined parts. Accordingly a cast of seasoned screen and stage players has been chosen to portray the realistic activities of the townspeople of Bradford. Frederick Burton, who appeared recently with Alice Brady in “Anna Ascends,” the screen version of Harry Chapman Ford’s play, has the role of a small town banker in the Ade story. Another former member of the “Anna Ascends” cast is Florence Dixon, now playing Olivia Hornby, Tom Meighan’s fickle sweetheart in “Back Home and Broke.” Others in the cast are Lila Lee, Cyril Ring, Laurance Wheat and Gertrude Quinlan, Ned Burton, Charles Abbe, Maud Turner Gordon, Ned Borden and James Marlowe. 44 The Young Rajah” Suit to recover $9,248.06 from the Clark -Cornelious Corporation has been brought in the New York Supreme Court by Milburn Morante and Frank D. Fowler of Long Beach. CaL, through their attorneys, Phillips, Mahoney and Leibell of 51 Chambers street. According to the complaint filed in the County Clerk's office, it is alleged that on May 24 last the plaintiffs drew up a bill of exchange to defendant requiring the latter to pay to the order of the plaintiff the sum sued for on October 15 last, at the Pacific Bank, 729 Seventh avenue. It is alleged that the bill of exchange was given by defendants for a valuable consideration, and was duly ac' cepted by the Clark-Cornelious Corporation. However, when the paper fell due it is alleged the Clark-Cornelious Corporation failed to honor same, and allowed the paper to go to protest. Failing since then to collect the indebtedness plaintiffs were obliged to bring suit for recovery. for Early Release Rodolph Valentino in “The Young Rajah,” an adaptation of the play, “Amos Judd,” by Alethea Luce and the novel of the same name by the late John Ames Mitchell, is the Paramount feature for release November 12. Here is, it is said, one of the most fascinating stories in the whole realm of American fiction, scenarized by June Mathis, who adapted “Blood and Sand” and “The Four Horsemen,” and di rected by Philip Rosen, one of the most capable men on the Paramount directorial staff. The picture has been most lavishly produced, it is said, with a reproduction of the Indian Durbar and a college boat race, with a background of handsome steam yachts and a myriad of darting motorboats, among its high lights. Wanda Hawley, as leading woman, and Charles Ogle head the supporting cast. According to a report of Arthur Ofner. referee, filed in the New York Supreme Court. Josiah B. Millet, as sociated with the New England Mo-, tion Picture Corporation, is entitied to $2,500 compensation from the Mas-' ter Productions, Ltd., Emil Wertheimer, Arthur L. Fullman. J. Frank Brockless, Inc., and Arnold B. Car-s rick for depreciation to the value of “Land of Rising Sun,” the owner ship of which is claimed by Millet. Millet brought suit in the Supreme Court for damages for an “invasion of iind interference with his exhibition rights to the picture in Great Britain.” and the matter was referred to Mr. Ofner to adjudicate. The pic-ture deals with various forms of life in Japan, and had a private exhibit in this city at which Japanese Amj bassador at Washington was present, and subsequently it was exhibited at the Rialto Theatre. Selznick Holds Successful Showing of “One Week of Love ” at Hotel “Curse of Drink” Political Tieup What proved to be a crowd representative of Who s Who in the Motion Picture Industry” gathered at the Ritz-Carlton Hotd, New York, on Friday evening, November 3, applauded enthusiastically Selznick’s newest melodramatic production, “One Week of Lov^ co-starring Elaine Hammerstein and Conway Tearle, and later adjourned to the Crystal Room where they pranced, danced and frolicked to the syncopated strains of a Paul Whiteman aggregation of jazz hounds. Pronounced the “prince of entertainers,” L. J. Selznick, president of Selznick Corporation, was sought out by the same 2,000 film folks who jammed into the spacious hall at each of the two showings, made necessary because of the unexpected large attendance, and warmly congratulated for giving the trade one of the most thrilling productions of the season. While special trade showings at exclusive New York hotels have become common occurrences, the Selznick showing was blaz^ with a pretentiousness and replete with an atmosphere of sociability that put it in a class all by its lonesome. The showing was care^lly staged without a single hitch, the presentation being artistically given. That the audiences enjoyed the picture was ev’denced from the frequent outbursts of applause. Following each showing the guests were invited to the Crystal Room where dancing was in full swing until the wee morning hours. L. Lawrence M’eber and Bobb; North’s exploitation forces this pas week negotiated a tieup that rank among the best of the season. Th tieup involved clever exploitatioi for that firm’s production. “Th Curse of Drink.” The Prohibitioi question became an issue in virtual! every State engaged in pre-electioi controversies. Sam Werner of the Federated Es change. St. Louis, with his lineup of pictures for 1922-23 complete, is coni centrating every effort on getting a 100 per cent’, showing for his pictures. Jack Underwood of Enterprise Exchange in St. Louis joins Mr. Leonard in the statement that conditions generally among the exhibitors are iia^ proving, and desnite the theatre siteation in this section the State right exchanges with box office pictures -wfll not want for dates.