The Moving picture world (January 1920-February 1920)

870 THE MOVING PICTURE WORLD February 7, 1920 Keeping in Personal Touch ARTHUR ASHLEY, featured in the World, productions and recently starring in W. A. Brady's stage play, "The Man Who Came Back," now heads his own producing company, the Poet Photoplay Company, Inc. He has secured the motion picture rights to Ella Wheeler Wilcox poems. The first picture to be made by this company is "Laugh and the World Laughs with You." * * * Harry Crandall and his general manager, J. P. Morgan, of Washington, were in New York the latter part of last week. Harry is a staunch believer in co-operative booking and has an interest in most of these organizations. * * * William Worthington, an experienced photoplay director, has resigned from the Haworth Pictures Corporation and will assume the director generalship of Gibraltar Pictures. He will direct the first production of the Louis Tracy Pictures Company, a unit of the Gibraltar, entitled "The Silent Barrier." * ^ * Milton D. Crandall, of Pittsburgh, is stopping at Wallick's in New York, where he will remain for the next week or two. Mr. Crandall has organized the Crandall Film Company at Pittsburgh, and while here is in the market for big state rights features. Mr. Crandall is the original exploitation man who put over "Mickey" in Pennsylvania and Ohio. « * * C. C. Johnson, secretary of the United Pictures Productions Corporation, is on a trip to Chicago, Cincinnati, St. Louis and Kansas City. * « * David G. Rodgers, special representative of the home office staff of the United Picture Productions Corporation, is in New Orleans establishing the United in the former Triangle exchange, pending the appointment of a branch manager there. * * ♦ Charles Dazey, who wrote "In Old Kentucky," "Manhattan Madness" and "Suburban," also wrote "The Silent Barrier" for the Louis Tracey Pictures Corporation. * ♦ ♦ Harry Friedman, assistant New York branch manager of the Metro, has resigned and established himself in the wholesale and retail jewelry business * * ♦ AI Hack, formerly poster salesman is now general manager for Charles L. OReilly theatres, Rex and Sixty-seventh Street New York, and Park View. Brooklyn. * * * The Fox scenario department has moved from 130 West Forty-sixth street to temporary quarters on Fifty-fifth street and Tenth avenue. It is not certain when they can get in the new studio building, but they have got to vacate the old quarters. I ♦ ♦ « ?• Price Company, Inc., has sold the rights to "The Log of the U-35" to O. S. Rankin, of Billings, Mont., for the State of Montana. Western Pennsylvania and Eastern Ohio have been sold By Sam Spedon to Harry Davis, of Pittsburgh. Alexander Film Corporation of New York and the Exhibitors Distributing Corporation of Boston have purchased the rights for New England. * * * Pete Smith, publicity director of the Marshall Neilan Productions, has been laid up with influenza for the past ten days. * * * M. M. Goldsmith, treasurer of the United Picture Productions Corporation, is making a month's tour of the United branches. * * * Mr. Fischel, owner of the Grand Theatre, of 116th street and Fifth avenue, has sold it to Mr. Freeman. After extensive alterations have been made by Mr. Freeman, the Strand will be run exclusively as a picture house. * * * Bruno J. Becker, general manager of the Model Comedy Company, is still in New York and expects soon to announce many important matters relative to the Gale Henry comedies for the ensuing year. During his absence from the studio at Hollywood, Major J. M. Campbell is handling his company's aflfairs. * * * Byron Park, of the Park-Whiteside Photoplays Library, is now covering the state rights territory throughout the West, presenting the feature production "Empty Arms," in which Gail Kane and Thurston Hall assume the leads. * * * Frank Dazey and Agnes Johnson, it is reported, are engaged to be married in the near future. Both these young people are well-known authors and scenario writers. * » ♦ Many of the prominent exhibitors of New York City and Brooklyn who were former members of the old Manhattan Rubye de Renter In "A Pool and His Money. Eugene O'Brien's vehicle for Selznick. Exhibitors League are organizing a local board of trade or commerce. They held a meeting on January 23 at the Hotel Astor and a luncheon at the same place on Tuesday 27. They will hold another meeting on Tuesday, February 2. We understand that plans are so far advanced that announcements and prospectus will be given the trade press within a very few days. * * * Sam Morris, general manager of the Selznick Pictures, is home with the flu. * * * Moe Streimer, formerly with the Famous Players-Lasky, is now a representative for the Selznick Pictures. * « * Earl Hudson, assistant publicity director of First National, is down with the flu. He has the earnest wishes of his many friends for his speedy recovery. * * • M. C. Solomon, formerly manager of the Crescent Theatre, Harlem, and now representative in Manhattan for Select, is doing a marathon record in booking the territory. * * * Ralph Ince starts for the Canadian border on February 1 to take the outdoor scene for his next big special, "The Law Bringers." * * * The contract department of the United Picture Productions Corporation is greatly increasing its pace at the home office, 1600 Broadway, New York, taking over the space formerly occupied by the publicity department, which has moved to the Brokaw Building, 1457 Broadway. * ♦ ♦ A. L. Fineman, associate editor of the Selznick Times, has resigned from that publication. * « * Louis Weinberg, salesman for Select Pictures, will resign his position in the near future and open Plaza Theatre at 187th street and Washington avenue, New York, about March 10. The Plaza will seat about 1,200, with an open air annex seating 1,200. * ♦ ♦ A. Bela Viragh-Flower, the wellknown interior decorator, formerly with the Clara Kimball Young company is now with the Park-Whiteside Photoplay Library. "Empty Arms," the first offering by this organization, contains many striking examples of Mr. Flower's decorative ability. * » ♦ B. T. Phelps has been appointed salesman of the Chicago branch of the United Pictures Productions Corporation. W. Harding has been given a like position at the Boston exchange. * ♦ ♦ Coleman Brothers, located in the Borough of the Bronx for thirteen years, are now proprietors and managers of the Scenario Theatre in Orange street Newark, N. J., and the Regent Theatre' at East Orange, N. J. * ♦ ♦ Maxwell Milder, the London representative of the Select, arrived in New York on the Mauretania on Tuesday January 27. '