Moving Picture World (Jan-Feb 1927)

474 MOVING PICTURE WORLD February 12, 1927 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. Sr., vice-president: Alfred J. Chalmers, vice-president; Eliza J. Chalmers, secretary and treasurer; Ervin L. Hall, business manager; F. Q. 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, Tine Street and Hollywood Blvd.. Hollywood. Cal. . Subscription price: $3.00 a year to countries where stamps are not necessary for posting ; $3.50 to Canada: 36.00 to other countries requiring stamps for postage. Copyright. 19 2b, Chalmers Publishing Co. Copyright throughout Great Britain and Colonies, under the provisions of the Copyright Act of 19 H* (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. VOL, S4 No. Nine Incorporations Filed in N. Y. State Nine film companies incorporated during the past week with the secretary of state at Albany, N. Y. Among them was Warner Bros. Vitaphone Corporation, capitalization not specified, with Abel Cary Thomas, Stanleigh P. Friedman and Harold S. Bareford, of New York City, as incorporators; the Royal Projection Screen Co., Inc., capitalization not stated, Thomas Liperti, Josephine Applebaum, Bessie Denefsky, New York City; Dux Film Producing Co., Inc., 550,000, Joseph Alcomanno, Joseph Yaselli, Joseph Kane, New York City; The Wheaton Theatre, Inc., $20,000, Dora and Richard Wheaton, Miriam Frank, New York City; Great Events Productions, Inc., $10,000, Jack Levin, Lillian Cunningham, New York City; Florence Abramson, Middle Village L. I.; Baylis Productions, Inc., $20,000, Ellis Antkes, Edward Blair, Newman Lindner, New York City; Darmour Productions Corporation, $150,000, Herbert Plaut, John R. Newton, William A. Sands, New York City; Fedak Productions, Inc., $35,000, Sari Fedak, John S. Vajda, Joseph Teichner, New York City; Nocabe Amusement Corporation, Beacon, $10,000, Leon Samuels, Murray Karp, Florence Simeone, New York City. M.-G.-M. Buys Two Metro Goldwyn Mayer has arranged for the distribution in France, tlic United States, Belgium and Switzerland of “Mademoiselle from Armentieres,” and in Australia and New Zealand of <(3Ions.” These pictures were produced in England. “Mademoiselle5* was made l>y Gaumont. “Mons” is a picture story of the famous retreat of the “contemptible little British Army.” Ballantyne Named Sales Manager of Western Division Pathe Also Announces Two Other Promotions Harry Scott, general sales manager of Pathe Exchange, Inc., announces the appointment of R. S. Ballantyne to the important post of western division sales manager and also the assignment of new managers in the Kansas City and Omaha branches. On Monday, February 14, Mr. Ballantyne, who has been assistant southern division sales manager, takes up his duties in the West, his territory comprisingButte, Denver, Los Angeles, Portland, Salt Lake City, S'an Francisco and S'eattle. Roy Pearson, at present manager of the Pathe Omaha branch, has been promoted by Mr. Scott to the management of the Kansas City branch and assumed his new duties Monday, Febrruary 7. Walter Branson, formerly salesman at the Omaha branch, has been appointed to the position of manager to succeed Roy O. Pearson. Mr. Branson was booker at the Omaha exchange from March,, 1923, to August, 1925, when he became a salesman. All of Mr. Scott’s appointees are men of considerable experience in the film business, and particularly equipped for their executive duties. Graingers Lose Father James Grainger, 77, father of James R. Grainger, general sales manager of Fox Film Corporation, and of E. C. Grainger, of the home office staff of that company, died at his home in Medford, Mass., Sunday. Mr. Grainger was one of the pioneers in the merchandising business in Boston and had been associated in executive capacities with v a r i o us leading department stores in Boston. At the time of his death he was merchandising director of the Jordan & Marsh store in the Hub. He was well known in Boston and one of the oldest residents of Medford. Vitaphone Signs Martinelli Giovanni Martinelli, dramatic tenor of the Metropolitan Opera Company, has signed with Vitaphone for three years. Other stars signed are Bernardo De Pace, the wizard of the mandolin, Sissle and Blake, the international favorites and sensation in London. Roger Wolfe Kahn, young night club owner and orchestra leader, and Van and Schenck for more numbers. The Flonzaley Quartette is also to be heard and seen on Vitaphone. Hoffman Gets Retrial Harry Hoffman, Staten Island projectionist sentenced three years ago to from twenty years to life for murder, has been granted a new trial through the efforts of New York Local 306, Motion Picture Operators’ Union. R S. Ballantyne, Patlie’s new western division sales manager. Giant Grouping (Continued from preceding page ) a deal has been under discussion, which would all;; the Vitaphone Corporation with no less than six of the leading producer distributor theatre-holding groups, in addition to Warner Brothers. The deal would also include the Victor Talking Machine Co., in its ramifications, but neither the General Electric Co., nor any of the other talking picture companies would have any participation in the combine. It may also be stated authoritatively that none of the KeithAlbee officials were present at any of the conferences where the details of this giant combination were discussed, nor any executives of their allied film companies. As told exclusively to the MOVING PICTURE WORLD, however, the deal, if concluded, will involve the payment of $3,000,000 cash to W a r n e r Brothers for fifty per cent of the Vitaphone stock to be apportioned among the theatreholding film companies interested. Their houses will also receive special consideration in the installation of Vitaphone equipment, all of which, however, will pay the regular royalty of ten cents per seat, weekly. In these profits each of the film companies of course, will participate as a stock holder. If put over, the deal will leave Warner Brothers with 40% of the Vitaphone stock, as ag-ainst the 70% which they now own, for they will, of course, then exercise their option for two thirds of the remaining 30%, which now extends for three years more. It will be seen that, if the alliance isi consummated, the Keith-Albee houses will be in the position of having to compete with houses equipped with Vitaphone, and must find some other talking pictures to operate, if their patrons desire this form of entertainment. To Handle Fight Film A contract was closed last week between Harry Eilperin, Aaron Baum and the Cosmos Film Service for the distribution of motion pictures of the Delaney-Maloney fight on February 18 at Madison Square Garden, New York. COMING and GOING “The Joy Girl Special” of Fox Films arrived on schedule in Palm Beach on Monday under the command of Allan Dwan, who will direct the picture. On the train were Olive Borden, Neil Hamilton, Marie Dressier, Mari Alden, William Norris, Helen Chandler, Jerry Miley, Frank Walsh, Clarence Elmer, Peggy Kelly, Flora Sheffield, Ava Lowry, Barbara Bennett, Madeleine Bayard, Hazel Bunting, May Blayney, Ethel Bowie, Gladys Bowie, Patricia ■ Caron, Louise Clerc, Ursla Fisher, Edna Giblyn, Hazel Goodwin, Peggy Reymonds, Marie Shelton, R. Clark Hadley, Fred Hadley and Ed. Gilman. * * * E. E. Shauer, g-eneral manager of the foreign department of the Famous Players-Lasky Corporation, sails on the Aquitania tonight (Friday) for one of his regular trips to Europe. Accompanying Mr. Shauer will be R. M. Blumenthal, a member of the staff of the foreign department. * * * Nellie Revell has left for Hollywood to do a series of syndicate news stories. * * * Will H. Hays is back from his visit to the West Coast, with him were James Connery, Lucius Greve and Maurice Mackenzie. * * * M. H. Hoffman of Tiffany has returned from abroad and says he will make an important announcement within a few days. * * * Lou Anger, directing vicepresident of United Artists Theatre Circuit, Inc., has arrived in New York from California for an indefinite stay. * * * Richard A. Rowland of First National has returned to New fork from the West Coast. * * * After a two weeks’ stay in New York, Dale Hanshaw, president of Sierra Pictures, has returned to Hollywood. * * * William M. Pizor, president of the Capital Production Exporting Co., has left for Hollywood. J. D. Trop, general manager for Capital, will take care of his affairs in the East. * * * Ed. J. Smith, general sales manager for Tiffany Productions, Inc., is on his third trip to exchanges in the East and the Middle West since his affiliation with this organization last December. * * * Joseph A. MeConville and Abe Montague of Independent Films. Boston, Columbia franchise holders in that territory, are visiting the home office of the company this week. “Miracle” Cost High Richard A. Rowland told newspaper men in Chicago, where he stopped on his way east, that First National paid A1 Woods $150,000 for the film rights to ‘‘The Miracle.’’ lie also said that within five years talking pictures would be a reality everywhere.