Moving Picture World (Jan-Feb 1927)

January 29, 1927 MOVING PICTURE WORLD 323 Grimm With “U” Ben H. Grimm, wellknown moving picture publicity and advertising man, lias been engaged by Universal to edit the official sales organ. He will be directly under Lou B. Metzger, general sales manager of the Uaemmle organization. Grimm has just completed an exceptionally active campaign as exploitation manager of the Laugh Month drive. Hippodrome Contemplates New Booking Arrangemenl The Hippodrome, New York, which to date has booked its features through the regular Keith-Albee channels, which books in block and pro-rates the film costs among the houses in the circuit, is said to be contemplating a change in policy. It is reported that Tom Gorman, manager of the Hip, has discovered that he can book the features he wants at an average cost of $1,000 per week, while under his arrangement with the home office he has to pay lrom $1,500 to $1,600 weekly. As the Hippodrome operates under a more independent policy than, the regular run of IC.-A. houses, owing to its unique character, this will mean, it is indicated, either a readjustment in the price now charged against the Hip by the K.-A. main office or the individual booking of its weekly feature offerings. Judgment Against Selznick Judgment for $3,000 with costs was entered January 19 by City Court Justice Keller against the Select Pictures Sales Corp. on behalf of the Magnus Sales Corp. of 1540 Broadway. The original complaint sets forth that this amount was paid as an advance for the South American rights to a series of pictures, the first of which was to be delivered December 1, 1926. No delivery was made nor was the deposit returned, it was alleged. L. J. Selznick is president of Select and Henry Aries, president of Magnus Sales C'orp., was the complainant. “Variety” Wins Poll The Film Daily’s canvass to determine the ten best pictures of 1926, an annual event, this year was participated in by 218 screen critics. “Variety” won first place as the outstanding picture of the year, with the others, in the order of their standing, as follows: ‘Ben Hur,” “The Big Parade,” “The Black Pirate,” “Beau Geste,” “Stella Dallas” “The Volga Boatman," “What Price Glory,” ‘The Sea Beast” and “Da Boheme.” M.-G.M. leads with three in this list, Famous Players and United Artists1 have two each, while P. D. C., Warner Bros, and Fox score one each. Not Mitchell’s Brother Theodore Mitchell of the publicity department of Individual Films, Inc., reports that someone traveling through the South under the name of Robert J. Mitchell is claiming to be his brother and is cashing checks on the Hamilton National Bank of New York. Mitchell’s only brothers are located in New Haven and Los Angeles. N. Y. Censorship Has Cost Trade Over a Million Censor Commission Reports Figures to Governor In. five years and five months, motion picture producers have paid to New York State the sum of $1,027,751.38 for the “privilege” of having their pictures censored by a political organization known as the New York State Motion Picture Commission. These figures were embodied in a report made by the commission to Governor Alfred E. Smith during the past week, the report being the last to be made by the commission as it has been legislated out of office and all censoring is now being done under the direction of the Department of Education, but at fully as great a cost to the producers. During the five years and five months, according to the report, the running expenses of the commission amounted to $463,821.86, giving a revenue to the state of $563,929.52. The revenue last year amounted to $83,870.64. During the past year, the New York State Motion Picture Commission made 1,277 eliminations in the name of “censorship.” A total of 507 of these were due to what is termed as scenes tending to incite to crime, while 442 eliminations were made because scenes portrayed were “inhuman;” 152 cuts came about through “indecent” scenes; 141 as “tending to corrupt morals,” while 35 were deemed sacrilegious. During the year 2,250 pictures were approved by the commission. Nine features we re condemned in their entirety. Sixteen appeals were taken by producers who requested a review of the picture by the entire commission rather than by one member. There was no attempt during the year, according to the report, to inject objectionable pictures under the guise of news reels, such as was predicted at the time that news reels were permitted to be exhibitd without inspection by the commission. According to the report, the producers have given their sincere co-operation to the commission. Henle Leaves F. P. Maurice Henle, who has been handling out-of-town newspaper and syndicate publicity for Famous Plasters, has resigned to go back to the newspaper game. His resignation becomes effective on February 1. Henle has organized his own syndicate, the Henle Newspaper Syndicate, Tnc., with offices at 55 West ’ 42nd street, New York. Films in Brooklyn Albee The Albee Theatre, Brooklyn, regarded as the finest house in the K.-A. circuit, which has been exclusively a two-a-day vaudeville house since its opening, will carry a feature picture each week after June 1. This will make the Albee in Brooklyn what the Hippodrome is in New York, with the same policy. New Movie Hero Babe Ruth becomes a screen leading man through a contract he has signed with First National. He’ll play opposite Anna d, Nilsson in “Babe Comes Home.” John McCormick signed him. Fox Fun Frolic Due March It At McAlpin The Fox Fun Frolic and Dance will be held on March 11 at the Hotel McAlpin, New York, announces Douglas Tauszig, assistant to Vice-President J. G. Deo of Fox Film Corporation. A buffet supper will be served in conjunction with a minstrel, written, staged and acted by Fox folk. Exchange Fire Sets Hollywood In Wild Furore Executives Speed to Save Stored Film By TOM WALLER ( Wired fromjio Ply wood Bureau, Movi.ng Picture Worli>, January 26) Hollywood was in a furore this morning when word was flashed here that a building occupying several city blocks and housing, with the exception of Fox, every Los Angeles film exchange, was on fire. Boulevards leading into the city were crowded for over an hour with studio executives speeding to the building where is stored hundreds of thousands of reels of film representing an investment of many millions of dollars. Due to the alertness of Chief Ralph Scott and the Los Angeles Fire Department the blaze was confined to the Pathe exchange at a loss estimated unofficially tonight to be in the neighborhood of $15,000. The World learned from an employe in the Pathe exchange that credence is given the report that a lighted cigarette coming in contact with a small quantity of exposed film may have started the fire, which seems to have started in or near the news and advertising department. This employe states that flames were licking up to the ceiling when she turned in the alarm. Within five minutes the fire department had responded. The blaze was gotten under almost immediate control, since vaults containing at present about 5,000 reels of film and many valuable records were securely locked. The fire was extinguished after it gutted several of the department offices. The committees and their personnel follow: Entertainment — Jack G. Leo, J. R. Grainger, Alexander Kempner, Douglas N. Tauszig and Harry Reinhardt. In Charge of Arrangements — Roger Ferri, Clarence Elmer, Alan Freedman and Fred Bullock. Ticket distribution — Jack Sichelman, Aaron Fox, W. E. Sennett, W. R. Ritter, Milton Harris, John Weinberg and Moe Altman. Program — William Freedman, Dan Doherty, Joe Fine, Ben McEllwaine. Publicity — Vivian Moses, Dan Doherty, Charles Cohan, Jos. Fine. Music — Harry Kosner, Luke Stager. Secretarial — Deen Di Titta, Doris Berman, Ida Hycken. Wardrobe — Moe Altman, Ted Altman. Balsdon Convalescent George Balsdon, branch manager of the New Jersey office of Warner Brothers, who has been confined to his home with a serious attack of influenza, is rapidly recovering. M-G-M Gets “The Miracle” Joseph Menchen has sold the screen rights to “The Miracle” to Metro Goldwyn Mayer. It is probable that Lillian Gish will be allotted the leading role. Gloria Denies Rumor Gloria Swanson, denies a published statement that she will leave the independent producing field after completing one other film beside “The Love of Sunya” f«r United Artists release, to join another producing organization. Publix in Seattle Ground has been broken for a new Publix theatre in Seattle to seat over 3,000. The theatre will be known as the Seattle and will be part of a nine-story commercial and apartment building. New “U” System Universal will have Its own exchange system In Germany, it is announced at the Universal home office. N. L. Manheim, export manager for Universal, left for Europe several days ago to inaugurate the new system. It will be known as the Matador exchanges. The general office will be in Berlin and there will he branch offices in Ueipsig, Frankfort, Munich, I)usseldorf and Hamburg.