Moving Picture World (Jan-Feb 1927)

246 MOVING PICTURE WORLD January 22, 1927 Have One On Us Shooting Omaha Bandit Gets $1,595; Man Hurt COMING and GOING MOVING PICTURE WORLD FOUNDED BY J . P. CHALMERS, 1907 Published weekly by CHALMERS PUBLISHING COMPANY. 516 Fifth Avenue. New York, N. Y. Telephone: Murray Hill i 61 0-1 -2-3. Member Audit Bureau of Circulations. John F. Chalmers, president ; James P. Chalmers. S*r.. vice-president; Alfred J. Chalmers, vice-president; Eliza J. Chalmers, secretary and treasurer; Ervin L Hall, business manager; F. G. Ortega, editorial director. Managing Editor — Epes W. Sargent ; Associate Editors — Sumner Smith, Merritt Crawford : Advertising Department — C. Schottenfels, Gus Fausel; Circulation Manager— Dennis J. Shea. Branch Offices: James Esler, 5434 Glen wood Avenue, Chicago; Tom Waller, Taft Building. Vine Street and Hollywood Blvci, Hollywood. Cal. Subscription price: $3.00 a year to countries where stamps are not necessary for posting; §3.50 to Canada; $6.00 to other countries reQUiring stamps for postage. Copyright. 19 2t), Chalmers Publishing Co. Copyright throughout Great Britain and Colonies, under the provisions of the Copyright Act of 1911. (All rights reserved.) . Other publications: Cine Mundial. Pub lished in Spanish and circulating in all Spanish speaking countries of the world. Spanish and English books. 5 VOL. S4 NO. 4 Credit Where It’s Due The motion picture is a blessingto rural America, according to Irwin Greer, president of the Greer College of Automobile and Electrical trades, Chicago. In a recent syndicated article, Mr. Greer declared: “The farm family, which traditionally lived in isolation, is now able to step from the narrow round of the humdrum into the life of European capitals, or of the thrills of melodrama, or any other phase of life that its nearest movie house chances to be presenting.’’ Sue Over Old Film Warner Brothers has filed suit against William Kopp, Jr., an exhibitor of >St. Cloud, Minn, for $50,000 and is seeking to restrain him from showing an old version of “The Better ’Ole.” This picture was made in England more than five years ago. Kopp is reported to have purchased the old print from a man at Red Wing, Minn, Sports THE Motion Picture Basketball League officially opened its 1-127 season on January 11 with Fox Films and Metro-GoidwynMayer as contestants. Fox won a hard fought battle, 34 to 30. A1 Star, manager of the Fox five, was high scorer for Fox with 14 points. Capt. McEvo.v showed a strong defensive game. Jukivis, Bushel, Press and Franklin played well. Von Collin of M.G.-M. was high scorer of the game with 16 points. Sandler, Weiner, Marks and Schreiber, his teammates, also played corking basketball. Consolidated Films emerged victorious in the second game, played with United Artists on January 13. The score was 20 to 14. In the game Tuesday evening Pathe swamped United Artists, 43 to 14. THE STANDING Team Won Lost Fox 1 0 Consolidated 1 0 Pathe 1 0 Metro 0 1 United Artists 0 2 Have One On Us Take this or leave It. William Nigh, making “Mr. Wn* for 3I-G-M, last week rescued a flock of ducks from drowning. They had been kept in marshy land and were encrusted with mud. Transferred to an artificial lake, they became waterlogged and began to sink. Nigh’s assistants fished them out with nets and washed oft' the mud so that they could navigate. The press agent saw it with his own eyes, so it must be true. Make Fund Charge Application has been made to the New York Supreme Court for an order requiring Isaac M. Bortman of Pottsville, Penna., president of Spiro Film Corporation, to appear before a referee for examination in an action brought by Ada Aline Urban for the recovery of $300,000. The plaintiff recites that the action is brought for the recision of a contract, on the ground of fraud, for the restitution of $300,000 worth of bonds, and for an accounting. She says she was induced to part with $300,000 in bonds by representations of Bortman and one P. B. Shaw, who, she says, informed her that they would contribute $400,000 toward the film corporation. Few Rap Scarlet Letter’ “The Scarlet Letter,” in which there has been great interest because of censorship and regulations. is meeting with great success in practically every section of the country and has been the object of reformer complaint in only a few localities, M-G-M reports. This result is due to careful production, which was testified to when the Federal Council of Churches officially approved the picture after conferences with Will H. Hays. (Continued from preceding page) Among those present were Fred Beetson, Christy Cabanne, Harry Carey, Arthur Edwin Carewe, Irving Cummings, A1 Christie, Reginald Denny, Jack Dempsey, and his wife, Estelle Taylor; Jack Daugherty, Pattison Dial, John Ford, Francis Ford, B. P. Fineman, Samuel Goldwyn, Sid Grauman, Ralph Graves, Jean Hersholt, Walter Hiers, Lambert Hillyer, Robert Hill, Marco Hellman, Emory Johnson, Rupert Julian, Norman Kerry, Sol Lesser, Ralph Lewis, Paul Leni, Rabbi Magnin, Ivan Moskine, Martha Mattox, Sidney Olcott, Carmel Myers, Marian Nixon, Robert McGowan, Henry MacRae, Louella O. Parsons, Alexander Pantages, Harry Pollard, Hal Roach, Wesley Ruggles, B. P. Schulberg, Edward Sloman, William Seiter, and his bride, Laura La Plante; George Sidney, Forrest Stanley, Irving Thalberg, Donald Ogden Stewart, Lois Weber, Jack Warner, Irwin Wiilat, Sam Van Ronkel, Bryant Washburn, Earle Williams. A novel touch was the erection at one end of the hall of a reproduction of the first Laemmle Theatre, “The White Front,” in Chicago, in which was run one of the first Pickford-Baggot films of fifteen years ago. The theatre itself dates back to 1906. Bandits, just before noon on Monday held up a colored porter and girl cashier of the "Strand Theatre, one of the A. H. Blank theatres in Omaha, shot the porter, John F. McCree, twice through the back and lungs and escaped with $1,595, the weekend receipts of the theatre. McCree and the cashier, Helen Linaberry, were on the way to the bank, and in the heart of the city. Girl a Heroine Miss Linaberry showed exceptional courage. After McCree was shot and one of the three bandits had the bag, she ran after him, seized the satchel and tried to pull it awa.y from him. The bandits escaped in a car. McCree’s chances for living are uncertain. Writer Extols Films ‘‘I, myself, have found more beahty, in the last half dozen years, in motion pictures than in any other form of art except the great field of English prose,” says Katherine Fullerton Gerould, in an article In the January issue of Harper’s Magazine. The article is called “What, Then, Is Culture?” Oral Argument Jan. 26 Oral argument on the Famous Players-Federal Trade Commission case will begin January 26 in Washington, D. C. Mrs. H. F. Jans Dies Mrs. H. F. Jans, wife of Herman F. Jans, independent producer and former exchange owner, died last Tuesday night at their home in Maplewood, N. J. Mrs. Jans had been in ill health for a year or more. She was well known, throughout the industry, having made many key city tours with her husband. The banquet was arranged by the members of the Universal company at Universal City, who had served with Mr. Leammle ten or more years ago. Among the more important executives in the business who received their training in this Laemmle-Universal school are Irving Thalberg, William .Sistrom, Henry MacRae, A1 Christie, “Doc” Wiilat, Watterson Rothacker, George E. Kann, John Graham, M. Henri Hoffman, Joe Brandt, Jack Cohn, Harry Cohn, E. J. Smith, Maurice Fleck les, John Tippett and Fred J. McConnell. Of the stars and directors, among the most prominent are; Mary Pickford, Mae Murray, Lon Chaney, H'arry Pollard, Hobart Henley, Robert Z. Leonard, Louis Weber, Herbert Brenon, Harry Carey, Alec B. Francis, Allan Dwan, Louise Fazenda, Colleen Moore, Gertrude Astor, Hobart Bosworth, Pearl White, Betty Compson, Lew Cody, Jean Hersholt, Raymond Griffith, George Uackathorne, Erich von Stroheim, Marie Prevost, Jack Holt, Rupert Julian, Annette Kellerman, William A. Seiter, Ford Sterling, Anna Q. Nilsson, Warren J. Kerrigan, Hoot Gibson, Carmel Myers, Lynn Reynolds, Emory Johnson, Wallace Beery, Marguerita Fischer, Dorothy Phillips, Priscilla Dean and the late Wallace Reid. COMING and GOING Paul Lazarus, general sales manager for the southern and western divisions of United Artists, left on January 17 for a three weeks’ trip through the South. Several United Artists men have left for trips. Otto B. Mantell, sales manager at Cristobal, Canal Zone, is en route back following a fortnight’s visit to New York. Sam Moross, in charge of the department of play dates, left on a visit to St Louis, Mo. Cresson E. Smith, general sales manager, midwest division, returned to New York after a fortnight’s trip to Indianapolis, Detroit and Cleveland. * * * John Carleton, of Carloma Pictures, has arrived in Hollywood. • • • J. E. Storey, assistant genera] manager of Pathe Exchange, Inc., arrived in New York January 11, for a production conference with Elmer Pearson, vice-president and general manager. * * * E. B. Derr, treasurer of Film Booking Offices, left New York for a trip through the West Coast branches and F. B. O. Studios in Hollywood. The length of his stay is undetermined at this time. * * * Charles H. Hutchison arrived in New York last week from Los Angeles, bringing with him the master print of his latest production, “Flying High,” which he delivered to the New York offices of Lumas Film Corporation. * * * Lawrence Gray, Paramount leading man, recently arrived in the East, leaves soon for the West to supplant Neil Hamilton in “The Telephone Girl,’’ owing to illness of the latter. » * • Arthur M. Loew, M-G-M’s export head, and Ludwig, in charge in Western Continental Europe, are in Culver City conferring with Marcus Loew. They return to New York shortly, then visit •South America and then proceed directly to Europe. * * * W. G. Dutton, Washington manager of Columbia, is in New York conferring with President Joseph Brandt. * * * E. B. Derr of F. B. O. has left for a visit to the company’s Hollywood studio and western branches. * * * Harry Reichenbach has returned from Hollywood. * » * Lewis J. Selznick has left New York for Los Angeles without announcing the purpose of his cross-continent trip » * * Johnnie Walker has gone west * * * Jack Warner left Hollywood Wednesday for New York. Wingate Gets $7,500 James Wingate, recently appointed by the Board of Regents to head the New York State Motion Picture Commission, is to receive an annual salary of $7,500, according to an announcement made at the State Capitol in Albany this week. Mr. Wingate was the only person who took a Civil Service examination for the position he now holds. LAEMMLE’S 60™ BIRTHDAY