The Moving picture world (May 1925-June 1925)

528 MOVING PICTURE WORLD Mav 30. 1925 Southern Metro-Qoldwyn Holds Enthusiastic Sales Meet NEW ORLEANS, La. (Special)— C. E. Kessnick, Southern Division manager for Metro-Goldwyn, and the personnel of his four fast stepping offices concluded a three days sales convention here last week that your correspondent is ready to stack up against any similar gathering in the country for enthusiasm and pep. Thai 1925-26 product of the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer organization was Mr. Kessnick's topic of discussion and the response of the "boys on the Bring line" to the array of titles and stars that will provide their next season's ammunition forecasts action and plenty of it. What particularly impressed the sales heads from south of the Mason and Dixon line was the strong proportion of completed pictures, definite casts and other information contained in the roster of information on product presented by Mr. Kessnick. "This is the season," said "Jimmy" Briant, popular local manager, "When the man with definite facts to sell will finish far ahead of the man who has to stake his talk on mere titles and production hopes." And that seemed to be the sentiment echoed on all hands. "More stars than there are in the heavens" is also a slogan that is due to spread like wildfire. "Louis Mayer is at work on what I firmly believe to be the greatest schedule of production that any organization in this business has ever offered the exhibitor," declared Mr. Kessnick. "Everything in the list is of special calibre, every picture of the sort needed by box offices iii these days of strict competition and shopping patrons." Among those present at the three days of concentrated business-like sessions were the following : C. R. Beacham, Atlanta manager, L. Conner, New Orleans manager, Leslie Wilkes, Dallas manager, and E. D. Brewer, Oklahoma City manager. R. E. Martin Qleichman Focuses Fight on Famous; Drops Kunsky Suit PHIL GLE1CHM AN, former lessee of the Broadway Strand Theatre, Detroit, whose suit against the Famous Players Lasky Corporation, opened in the Wayne County Circuit Court May 14, won the first technical victory when Judge Frank Lamb Projectionist Saves Fans from Big Fire Telesphore Bourque, projectionist at the Strand Theatre in Somersworth, X. H., averted a panic when the film he was showing caught fire and started a blaze that destroyed the theatre building and two adjoining structures on Saturday night, May 16. The total loss is $100,000. When Bourque's attempts to smother the film blaze failed he rushed to the rear of the theatre and calmly told the audience a fire had started, but that there was no immediate danger. All reached the street safely. Bourque suffered burns about the arms and hands in his efforts to extinguish the burning film. $1,000,000 LEITCH-PRYOR HOUSE The Leitch-Pryor interests, owning all theatres in Greensboro, Durham and Fayetteville, N. C, as well as interests in Virginia cities, announce that they will start construction immediately on a new million dollar theatre in Greensboro, to rival" their handsome National Theatre there in appointments and size. denied a motion made by the defendants that the case be removed to the U. S. Federal Court. Petition for removal of the case came following the opening statement of Gleichman's attorneys, who sprung a surprise when they stated that the suit against the John H. Kunsky Theatres would not be pressed. This left only the Famous Players Company, a New York corporation, as defendant and on that ground the request was based. Gleichman claims that in 1919 the Famous Players Company entered into a contract with him to give him exclusive first run rights to all pictures released by the concern for a period of five years. He charges that at the end of three years, the defendant abrogated the agreement and turned the pictures over to the Kunsky Theatres here. Gleichman is seeking a settlement based on the earnings of the pictures in the Kunsky theatres. Inasmuch as the remainder of the contract included the release of such big moneymaking pictures as "The Covered Wagon," and other specials, the suit assumes unusual importance. It was revealed that during the three years of 1919. 1920 and 1921, gross receipts amounting to $994,338 were taken in at the box office of the Broadway Strand. It is expected that further testimony will bring to light further authentic information regarding the enormous sums paid annually in Detroit and other American cities for admission to motion picture theatres. Milwaukee Ammunition (Continued from page S17) hibitor his independence and keep the circuit wolf away from his door." Exhibitors reason that the unification brought about at Milwaukee is not just a flurry caused by present conditions in the industry. They calculate that it is one of permanency. A late dispatch from the World's Kansas City correspondent is particularly interesting in this respect. It follows: "Whether or not the M. P. T. O. KansasMissouri will affiliate with the M. P. T. O. A. will be known at a meeting of the directors in Kansas City June 8. R. R. Biechele. president ; Fred Meyn, manager of the Pershing Theatre, Kansas City, Kans., and Maurice Jencks of the National Theatre Corporation, who were officially appointed by Biechele as representatives at the Milwaukee convention, will make a report to the directors on the national convention and recommend the future attitude toward the national body. "As Kansas was among the pioneers in the Allied States Organization, the merged Kansas-Missouri body does not intend to go back into the fold of the M. P. T. O. A. in any care-free manner. A copy of the minutes of the national convention will be read to the M. P. T. O. K.-M. directors and perhaps two days consumed in reaching a decision, despite the fact that the majority of exhibitors in Western Missouri and Kansas are favorable to linking arms with the national body. " 'Will the East continue to predominate in the ranks of the M. P. T. 0. A.? Will petty politics still reign supreme?' Those are two questions which, if M. P. T. O. K.-M. officials believe can be answered in the negative, will be the deciding factors in the re-affiliation of Kansas and Missouri. " 'Allied has been too inactive. Two national bodies cannot function individually for the interests of the industry.' "Those two statements one hears on all sides on Kansas City's Movie Row, making it rather safe to predict that unless the M. P. T. O. K.-M. representatives gained a gloomy outlook at the national convention that Kansas and Missouri will become a part of the national organization on June 8." WANDA WILEY ON WAY EAST Wanda Wiley, the leading star of Century Comedies, Is on her way to New York City for the first trip East she has ever made. While in New York she will see the sights, do the shops and probably make several personal appearances in metropolitan theatres which feature her comedies. This is Miss Wiley's first extended vacation since she entered the screen world two years ago. For the past two weeks she has been at her home in Kerrville. Texas. Special Meeting A meeting of the member* of the Buffalo and Albany zones of the M. P. T. O. of N. Y. has been called by President Walter Hays for Tuesday, June 2, at 12 o'clock, in the Onondaga Hotel, Syracuse. The board of directors will meet Monday evening, June 1, at eight o'clock, in the same hotel in Syracuse.