Moving Picture World (Jan-Feb 1925)

January 3, 1925 MOVING tlCTURE WORLD 25 Wisconsin Closing Qreatest Theatre Building Year in Its History Investments During 1924 Are Estimated At $10,000,000 with New Seats Totaling Nearly 30,000 — Latest Projects WISCONSIN, closing the greatest theatre building year in its history, has two more show houses to add to its list as a result of plans just announced in Milwaukee. Thus far this year, theatres completed or announced for the near future total approximately a score and represent investments estimated at $10,000,000. A total of 25,000 or 30,000 seats will have been added with completion of the present building program. The latest projects announced are a $350,000 house in Bay View, suburb of Milwaukee, and a $75,000 theatre on the city’s south side. The first of these is a two-story structure which will be erected at Kinnickinnic avenue and Homer street for a company, the identity of which has not been revealed. Frank Rigas, Milwaukee real estate man, is handling the deal. The theatre will occupy a site 180 by 160. Plans are in the hands of R. B. Williamson & Co. Besides housing the theatre, the building will also have bowling alleys and several stores. The exterior will be of Spanish design. It is expected that the seating capacity will be 2,000. Shipped Films; Jailed Convicted of violating the federal law relating to the interstate shipment of prize-fight films, Allen Burke, Denver, Col., motion picture man, was fined $1,000 and sentenced to ninety days in the county jail recently. This marked the first jail sentence upon the charge ever meted out in the West. Similar fines were given Eugene Gerbase, manager of the Universal exchange, and Max Schuback, secretary of the Midwest Theatre Company. The three men had pleaded guilty. They were charged with having shipped Dempsey-Firpo fight films from Denver to New Mexico and Utah. In addition to the fines and the one jail sentence, the defendants were ordered to pay court costs. New Production Department Formed by William Fox The announcement of the formation of a new production department, to be located in the New York offices of Fox Film Corporation, was made this week by William Fox. Maurice S. Revnes, for many years prominent in New York’s theatrical circles, will be in charge. The first move of this new department will be the establishment of a research bureau to do the preparatory work on all plays, novel and original stories which the company intends to turn into screen entertainment. Mr. Revnes also intends to enlarge the present staff of play and book reviewers who will scan every novel, short story and play possible. This department also will handle the engaging of scenario and continuity writers to prepare all stories purchased for screen presentation. The engaging of directors, scenario writers, technical men, principal players, etc., will also come under this jurisdiction. Tlews on &ery Page H. S. Marion, traveling’ representative of Moving Picture "World, is telling some mighty interesting stories in his series of articles under the heading, “Some Sidelights on Yankee Exhibitors.” Turn to page 35 for the details. A prominent exhibitor of Schenectady, Wllw liam Shirley, keeps his faith with his patrons and newspapers by apologizing for an advertisement about a certain picture. Turn to page 37 lor the reason. The $75,000 show house is to be built for E. Maxeimer and F. Trottman, who at present operate the Gem Theatre. An innovation in theatre competition is revealed by their plans, since the new house will be next door to the Gem, but will be operated entirely as a separate project. The Gem, built fifteen years ago with a seating capacity of 600, long ago became too small for the patronage it received. Since Trottman and Maxeimer own the adjacent lot measuring 50 by 150, they decided, instead of building an addition to their present house, to erect a new theatre on the site, thus booming that corner. Thus, both houses will be operated simultaneously by the same owners with competing programs each week and identical policies. The new theatre, which will be known as the Grove, being named after the street on which it will stand, will have a seating capacity of 1,100. It will be one or two stories high and will have one store. A feature of the house will be an organ, costing approximately $20,000. The Gem recently installed a $10,000 organ. Of the houses completed during the year, Saxe’s Wisconsin, at Sixth street and Grand avenue, Milwaukee is the largest and most expensive. It represents an expenditure of $2,000,000 and can accommodate 3,500 patrons, giving it the greatest seating capacity of any show house in the state. Saxe during the year also completed the $1,000,000 Modjeska, on Milwaukee’s south side, and the $1,000,000 Jeffris in Janesville. Plans for a $500,000 theatre on the northwest side of Milwaukee also have been announced by the company, but when work will start has not been decided. Other projects completed during the year include George Fischer’s Capitol, in West Allis and the Keystone Company's Hollywood, a $150,000 house on Milwaukee’s extreme north side. New Milwaukee projects on which building operations are expected to start shortly and details of which were revealed during the last year, include a $300,000 theatre in Shorewood, exclusive residential suburb of Milwaukee, to be erected by Henry and Joe Goldman, with a seating capacity of 1,500 and a $500,000 house at Twenty-seventh and Wells streets for the Mai Investment Company, seating 3,500. In addition, rumors have had it that a $2,000,000 theatre will go up on Sixth street, between Wells and Grand, and that a theatre costing $125,000 will be erected on a site near the Mai Investment Company’s house on Twenty-seventh and Wells streets. However, there is some doubt whether these projects will materialize. Outside of Milwaukee, large houses are contemplated or in the process of construction in Eau Claire and Fond du Lac, while smaller houses are designed for Oxfordville, Burlington, Tomahawk and a number of other towns. In Eau Claire, according to reports reaching Milwaukee in recent weeks, two show houses are to be built, one by the Finkelstein-Ruben interests of Minneapolis, and the other by the Eau Claire Theatre Co., which already operates a number of houses there. Fond du Lac is to be the home of an elaborate motion picture palace controlled by the Schroeder real estate firm of Milwaukee. A. J. Fuller will conduct the new Oxfordville house, seating 350. Kuehling and Foster, who operate the Princess, are planning the new Tomahawk Theatre, while W. L. Uglow, F. L. Oberg and John McCarthy are behind the Burlington project. RICHARD ROWLAND AND COLLEEN MOORE ARE GODPARENTS Richard Rowland, general manager, and Colleen Moore will act as godfather and godmother, respectively, at the christening of John Francis Dillon, Jr., whom the stork recently presented to Mr. and Mrs. John Francis Dillon. Mr. Dillon is now producing "One "Way Street" at the Biograph Studios, New York City.