The Moving picture world (May 1925-June 1925)

June 27, 1925 Typhoon fan for the Phillips-Sussman Theatre, Pleasantville, N. Y. Before the fan was installed it was driven about the city for an advertisement. The poster on top of the fan is one of the typical posters furnished by the Typhoon Company. Schulberg Signs Windemere Director Completes Third Unit Now Working On Initial Releases for Next Season Telegraphic word from B. P. Schulberg has been received by J. G. Bachmann, general manager of distribution, that the producer had signed the well known director, Fred C. Windemere to a contract which calls for him to begin work immediately on Fanny Heaslip Lea's novel, "With This Ring." This story, which ran serially last winter in the Saturday Evening Post, and is now on the best selling list of Dodd, Meade & Co., is one of the most important properties of eighteen pictures to be presented by B. P. Schulberg during 1925-1926. The signing of Windemere completes the third production unit now functioning on the Schulberg lot. In addition to "With This Ring," two other stories are in the making —namely, "The Girl Who Wouldn't Work" which Marcel De Sano is directing, and "Parisian Love" being filmed by Gasnier. Franklin Merges with Hoffman The Franklin Film Company of Boston, one of the leading film distributors in the New England territory, announces through William Shapiro that his company has been merged with M. H. Hoffman of the Tiffany Productions, Inc., and the Truart Film Corporation, the latter acquiring a half interest in the Franklin Film Company. The announcement further states that the Franklin Film Corporation will devote itself entirely to the exclusive distribution of all the products of the Tiffany and Truart organizations and all other worthwhile pictures that Mr. Hoffman and Mr. Shapiro will purchase jointly for the Renown exchanges and the Franklin Film Corporation. The Franklin Film Corporation have exchanges situated in Boston, New Haven, Conn., and Portland, Me. MOVING PICTURE WORLD IOC William Fox Creates Short Subject Comedy Department CREATION of a new and distinctive comedy unit was announced today by Fox Film Corporation, with George E. Marshall as Supervising Director. The new unit will film a series of two-reel, high-class comedies, continuing the successful Van Bibber stories and creating screen versions of the widely read newspaper stories on "Married Life of Helen and Warren," by Mrs. Mabel Herbert Urner. A third company of this unit will picturize a series of 0. Henry stories, rights to which have just been purchased by William Fox from Doubleday, Page & Company. The success of the Richard Harding Davis' Van Bibber two-reel subjects convinced Fox officials that the public today appreciates clean, fast moving, modern, thoroughly delightful comedies, free from the much used and much abused slap-stick methods. Searching for such available material, the 0. Henry and "Married Life" stories were purchased. A separate scenario department for the new unit, headed by Harold B. Lipsitz and Monty Brice has been created. A staff of six readers will thoroughly canvass the stories of 0. Henry and Mrs. Urner for available material. Robert Kerr will continue to direct the Van Bibber series, starring Earle Foxe. Casting and shooting on the new picturizations will commence in a few days and as soon as material, directors and actors can be secured. The Fox Imperial comedies will continue under the direction of Lou Seiler, Ben Stolaff, Bryan Foy and others to be announced shortly. Radio Tells of Warner's Invasion of the South THE radio was used to tell the world of picture fans about Warner Bros, invasion of the Southern exhibition field. One of the attorneys for the firm was in the South a few days ago to close negotiations for the acquisition of several theatres. He reported to the home oace in this telegram, sent from Charlotte, N. C. : "Tune in Station WBT two seven five meters eleven o'clock, Standard time." Not only the Warners, but many thousands of others, did tune in, and learned not only of the taking over of the houses, but, in the cases of some, of the first days' operations under new management. Theatres purchased by the Warners included the Pastime, Concord, N C, and the Lexington, Lexington, N. C-, both of which had been operated by the late H. C. Varner, and the Broadway, Charlotte, N. C, and the Ideal, Columbia, S. C, properties of R. D. Craver. The Warners also obtained a management option on the Lincoln, a Craver theatre at Winston-Salem, N. C.