Moving Picture World (Jan - Feb 1919)

February 1, 1919 THE MOVING PICTURE WORLD 649 program following the musical numbers. The services of Clarence Reynolds, formerly organist for the city of Denver, but more recently of Detroit, have been secured for the Oakland house. Popular Film Girl Engaged. The interesting' announcement was made recently of the engagement of Miss Sadie Litzenstein, head of the office department of the Triangle, to Melvin Korn, a young business man of this city. Miss Litzenstein has a wide acquaintance among exhibitors of the Pacific Coast and is exceedingly popular in the trade. She has been connected with the business for about seven years, the period having been divided about equally between the General and Triangle exchanges. \ew Mutnal Supervisor Covering Territory. Newton Levi, recently appointed Pacific Coast supervisor for the Mutual, has left on a visit to Portland and Seattle, and will inspect the Los Angeles branch at the conclusion of his trip to the Northwest. J. L. Frasier. formerly with the local Goldwyn brand), but more recently engaged in business elsewhere, has been added to the Mutual staff and is visiting the trade in Northern California. Metro Representative Visits City. Hairy Lustig. special representative of the Metro Pictures Corporation, whose headquarters are at Los Angeles, was a recent visitor here and will leave shortly for an inspection of the Northwest. He looks for a big business when the influenza epidemic is over and declares that the Metro is turning out some wonderful pictures to be released shortly. Booker Has Thrilling, Experience. Sam Samuelson, booker for Pathe at the Seattle branch, is due to arrive shortly at San Francisco from the Orient. He enlisted in the merchant marine and sailed for the Far East, but when near Guam the vessel was struck by lightning and the survivors were compelled to take to a life raft. A typhoon drove them to the Philippine Islands, but during the twenty-four days they were adrift eighteen of the thirty-four men aboard the raft perished from exposure. Pathe Giving Speedy News Service. Instead of sending pictures of local happenings to New York to be developed and printed, as was formerly the rule, with a loss of two weeks' time, these are now being finished here and are sometimes available in less than three hours, to the great satisfaction of exhibitors. L. C. Hutt, Pathe cameraman, has his offices with the local exchange and developing and printing is being done in the same building. New Division Manager Expected. T. W. Chatburn, formerly of Pittsburgh and Chicago, who has been appointed division manager for the Greater Vitagraph Company on the Pacific Coast, succeeding the late H. D. Naugle, is expected to arrive here at an early date. News of San Francisco and Vicinity. Clarence A. Kells, formerly with the General Film Company, is now booker at the Pathe Exchange, Inc. Carl Bredhoff, of the Hawaii Film Supply Company, who was on his way to France when the war ended, has returned home. Smith & Benham, who conduct the Lyric Theatre, at Marysville, Cal., have taken over the Liberty Theatre, of that place. NEWS FROM THE MARITIME PROVINCES Exchange Managers and Exhibitors Meet and Discuss Paper Cost and Theatre Closing By Alice Fairweather, "Standard," St. John, N. B. Theatre in St. John, one of the St. John newspapers put the matter as follows: "It is said that the theatre situation in St. John may take on a new complexion if the plans of Messrs. Allen, of Toronto, mature as outlined. They are the Canadian rightholders of Paramount pictures on an agency basis, and in proposing to erect a theatre in St. John and Halifax say it is a move to protect their agency and to market their own films, a dispute having arisen between them and important exhibitors as to prices and" the nature of the contract they were asked to sign." Maritime Notes. Mr. Rothenberg's financial representative has been in the Maritime Provinces and has been arranging for sites or leaseholds in New Glasgow, Moncton and Sydney, as well as Halifax. It is rumored that an offer was made for the Imperial Theatre, but the management states that the Keith house will be run as at present. Albert Donaghy, manager of the Exhibitors' Distributing Corporation, at St. John, had quite an experience on his trip to the Sydneys, recently being in a train wreck In which four cars were overturned. Fortunately, the passengers escaped with only scratches. Sydney, C. B. — In Sydney the Casino Theatre, under the management of E. R. Lynn, is doing splendid business. The house has been newly decorated, the artistic green wedgewood designs being renewed, and new chairs being installed. Music is made a feature at this house, the orchestra having among its members a cornet player of much ability who was formerly one of the Coldstream Guards Band. R. G. McAdam, of Halifax, the owner of the theatre, who visited Sydney recently, expressed himself as much pleased with business there. Gets Prints of German Fleet Surrender. The Greater Features Company, of Seattle, which handles, besides its own films, those of the Consolidated Film Company, of California, has secured the European prints of the surrender of the German fleet. These pictures were made by the Gaumont Company, of Paris and London, and they are now being shown at the Clemmer Theatre in Seattle. TWO meetings of interest to film men have taken place in St. John, N. B., recently. The first, January 6, was a joint gathering of exchange managers and exhibitors, held at the Universal Exchange, on Union street. It was the regular meeting of the Exchange Managers' Association, with the president, G. A. Margetts, in the chair. A number of exhibitors, including several from other towns, attended. Among the matters discussed were the propositions on the prepayment plan and the advance on the cost of paper which has been imposed by the Motion Picture Board of Trade, at Toronto. This has been thoroughly discussed at the meetings of the Association before, and it has been shown that the new rates when worked out make an exhibitor who used only one sheet of paper pay ?5 for that one sheet. The charge is 7% per cent, on the price of contract, and this with the paper an exhibitor is obliged to take with his film and which he does not always use, makes the price at which the theatre manager has objected. Those attending from out of town were R. G. McAdam, of the Casino, Halifax; J. M. Franklin, of the Strand, Halifax; J. J. Gaudett, of the Happy Land, Summerside, P. E. I.; W. W. O. Fenety, of the Gaiety, Fredericton; Meyer Herschorn, of the Imperial, Halifax. A meeting of the local men was held at the Opera House in the morning, after which F. G. Spencer entertained at luncheon at the Sign o' the Lantern. The visitors had supper at the Dufferin Hotel after the afternoon's meeting, and the executives of the Motion Picture League of the Maritime Provinces met in the office of the secretary, W. H. Golding, at the Imperial Theatre, in the evening. Those present were W. C. McKay, who presided; R. J. McAdam, vice-president for Nova Scotia; J. J. Gaudett, vice-president for Prince Edward Island; W. W. O. Fenety, vice president for New Brunswick, and the secretary, W. H. Golding. A full account of the motions passed will be published as soon as they have been forwarded to the persons to whom they are addressed and an account of the minutes of the meeting is now in the printer's hands and -will be ready shortly. Until then no details of the proceedings are to be given to the public. Tour correspondent learns that one of the resolutions concerned the action of the Board of Health in closing the theatres and allowing the churches to remain open during the recent epidemic. The executives claim that the Board of Health discriminated in favor of the churches. Another discussion was on the matter of compensation for wages lost by theatrical employes during the epidemic. It was stated that the Province of Manitoba is now considering granting 55 per cent, of the wages lost. This percentage is placed upon the indemnity provided in the Government's Workmen's Compensation Act. New Brunswick has a workmen's compensation act, but it does not state that workmen shall be compensated for wages lost while out of employment owing to a Government measure. Compensation for Lost 'Wages Considered. The Maritime executive will probably present to the Government a memorial urging that in the case of a shutdown of the theatres by the Government to conserve the public health and not through any fault of the theatres, at least a proportion of the wages lost might be returned as compensation. In St. John more than 250 families were affected by the ban, and the wages lost were in the neighborhood of $3,000. As many employes as could be retained were kept employed about the theatres, but there were many who suffered severely. In regard to the proposed new Allen New Orleans News Letter By N. E. Thatcher, 2801 Canal Street, New Orleans, La. THE influenza situation in New Orleans is growing steadily worse and there is apprehension among theatre managers that the theatres may again be closed. They were hit pretty hard as a result of the closing during the first siege of the epidemic and the managers have felt that they were made to bear the burden. It is predicted that any attempt to close the theatres a second time without taking action to regulate department stores and other centers of human congestion -will be met with obstinate resistance, even to the point of the managers submitting to imprisonment. In short, the theatres will be kept open unless other points for congestion are to be closed by the same order. E. M. Clarke of the Baker Grand Theatre at Natchez, Miss., has acquired control of the new Marion Theatre at Clarkesdale, Miss., and is making a success of the enterprise. Manager J. B. Bryan of the Vitagraph Exchange has gone to New York to hold a conference with the home office. General Supervisor S. T. Stephens of the Mutual is on a business trip to Dallas and other Texas points. E. V. Richards, Jr., general manager of the Saenger Amusement Company, is in California on business in connection with his extensive motion picture interests. P. E. Blankenship has been the manager of the Ivy Theatre since that suburban playhouse -was acquired by Ernst Boehringer, former manager of the Liberty Theatre. George C. Heck has taken over the entire management of the Trymore Theatre, one of the houses in the uptown section.