The Moving picture world (September 1920-October 1920)

328 THE MOVING PICTURE WORLD September 18, 1920 perience which will afford the proper sort of co-operation, and to my fellow editors I pledge such cheerful rivalry and competition as may carry on without rancor or bitterness, at the same time reserving the right to be active in behalf of Moving Picture World against all comers." Following Mr. James' speech, Martin J. Quigley, publisher of the Exhibitors' Herald, paid the new editor of Moving Picture World a neat tribute, adding that although Mr. James was a pacemaker in many particulars, the pacemaker was not always the champion, and that he therefore welcomed Mr. James into the fold. Johnston Called Away. William A. Johnston, president and editor of Motion Picture News, was called upon, but Mr. Johnston had been called away. Leslie Mason, editor of Exhibitors' Trade Review, had also disappeared. Fred Beecroft, advertising manager of the News, said that the boss had failed to leave the cuff with his speech on it, but Fred nevertheless extended the welcome to Mr. James. Joe Dannenberg, whose editorial "shoes" have received earlier mention, told the A. M. P. A. that it has lost a good leader in Arthur James, and added that the latchstring at Wid's was always out to the new director of Moving Picture World's editorial policies. Harry Reichenbach, the silver-haired and silver-tongued orator, funster and exploitationist, was called upon for some humor and delivered. A verbatim report of Mr. Reichenbach's speech is being mailed to the League for Better Sunday Schools and, at his request, to the Amalgamated Lion Tamers' Union. Mr. Reichenbach said he would rather be frank and earn a lot of money than be subtle and diplomatic and starve to death. He therefore told the World why the acquisition of Arthur James was the best thing that could have happened to it. Pettijohn Recalls Friendship. C. C. Pettijohn, of Selznick Enterprises, steered the course of remarks on a kindly, good fellowship line by saying that the meetings of the A. M. P. A. were the only occasions when business matters could be put aside and things of a finer personal and social nature indulged in. Mr. Pettijohn linked up the Biltmore dinner to the tenth anniversary dinner of Moving Picture World by saying that the latter function, to which he had been invited by Sam Spedon, was his entry into the "dinner" life of the trade. He also had a strong word of praise for Arthur James, which is given in full in another part of this story. Bert Adler, personal representative for Allan Dwan, was called upon as "the Old Exhibitor" and served as the historian of the occasion, recalling the early days of Moving Picture World when it absorbed the Film Index, edited by James L. Hoff, now assistant general manager of Moving Picture World. To the World Mr. Adler ascribed the success of the independent movement in the motion picture field. His tribute to Arthur James is also given elsewhere in this story. The career of Arthur James is known to the motion picture industry, but the story of his accession to the position of editorin-chief of Moving Picture World would not be complete without the review below. The Story of Arthur Jame«. Arthur James entered the motion picture field in 1914 after a successful career in metropolitan journalism, during which time he was a reporter, editorial writer on the New York World, New York Mail and Express, New York American, and for seven years Sunday editor of the New York Morning Telegraph, following a long ex perience as city editor of the same paper. He joined Harry E. Aitken, then president of the Mutual, as publicity and advertising director of all the Mutual company's activities in 1914. His first work was the putting of Irvin S. Cobb's stories into screen form in co-operation with that author. After Mr. Aitken was succeeded by John R. Freuler as the Mutual's president, Mr. James went with the Metro Pictures Corporation three months after its organization. He organized the scenario department and reorganized the publicity and advertising departments, directing the latter during the period of Metro's active growth from small beginnings to one of the most important producing and distributing organizations in the motion picture field. First User of Color. Mr. James was a trail blazer in the matter of advertising and exploitation methods, and is credited with being responsible for much of the advertising progress in the picture field. He conducted a series of campaigns in Metro's behalf, being the first to make use of color in the trade publications. He originated the Pictures Magazines, whcili attained a circulation of one million copies weekly. Mr. James was active in the organization and was a vice-president of the old Mo Paul Gulick Retiring president of A. M. P. A. and "the complete toastmaster" at the Biltmore dinner. tion Picture Board of Trade, but resigned when the issue lay between the exhibitors and that body, successfully exploiting the Motion Picture Exposition in Grand Central Palace, which ran as a rival to the Board of Trade's Exposition in Madison Square Garden. The exhibitors' exposition was conspicuously successful and the Board of Trade's exposition was a sad week in the history of that body. President of A. M. P. A. When the National Association of the Motion Picture Industry was formed, Mr. James was elected a director and served as vice-president and a member of the executive committee for two years. He was one of the founders of the Associated Motion Picture Advertisers, generally regarded as the most alive body in the industry at the present time. Mr. James was president for two terms, and has subsequently been active as a director in that body. In June, 1919, Mr. James assumed the supervision of' the advertising and publicity departments of Fox Film Corporation, handling campaigns for that organization throughout the world and a milliondollar campaign in twenty-eight nationally circulated magazines in the United States. A conspicuous chapter was the reception to the Prince of Wales at Mr. Fox's Academy of Music, which from its inception to its successful completion was in his personal charge. Mr. James' experience in motion pictures covers production, distribution and exploitation in all their ramifications. A Pennsylvanian. .\rthur James was born in Pennsylvania and is the son of Rev. Dr. John Sexton James. He was educated in the public schools of Philadelphia, the Collins Street Classical School of Hartford, Conn., and Bucknell University. His first newspaper work was on the old Altoona Gazette, where he began as a reporter and completed his services as editor. He then became a special correspondent for the New York Sun under Chester S. Lord, and continued actively in newspaper work until he entered the motion picture field. When city editor of the Morning Telegraph he conducted the Town in Review column, writing sixty thousand paragraphs in six years. He is the author of "The Spirit of Broadway," "The Yellow Jackel," and upwards of six hundred magazine contributions of light verse and special articles. His "I Am the Motion Picture," written five years ago, has been published in five languages and been distributed throughout the world. Club Member. He served as first lieutenant of the machine gun company. Seventh Regiment, and is a member of St. David's Society, Flushing Country Club, Bayside Yacht Club, the Adventurers and other organizations. ThoNe Who Attended the Dinner. Those present were: The staff of Chalmers Publishing Company, headed by J. P. Chalmers, Sr., president of the firm; R. W. Baramore, E. M. Asher, C. F. Chandler, S. S. Cassard, Howard I. Young, Eugene Zukor, Jacques Kopfstein, Pat Kearney, Victor Johnson. Henry Jaedicker, W. C. Francke. Fred Forrest, Joe Hirt, Daniel Henderson, High Harvey, Hopp Hadley. Walter K. Hill. J. B. Hall, Earl J, Hudson. Paul Gulick, N. T. Granlund, T. Green, George Gray, Harry L,. Graf, Jay .\. Gove, J. Gourlay, Anton Gablick, John P. Fritz, John F. Post Howard F. Dietz, Herbert Feldman. Walter F. Eberhardt, H. P. Diggs. A. B. Dick, Joseph Di Lorenzo, Harry Day, Lynde Denig, Ben Davis, P. B. Dana, Southard Brown, Colvin Brown. James I. Shaughnessy, Randall M. White, E. O. Brooks, Ralph Block, Morton B. Blumenstock, Jerome Beatty, C. W. Barrel!. Tarkington Baker, E. J. Rosenbaum, Allan Rock, Morrle Ryskind, Burton Rice, Joseph Reddy, James A. Milligan, Harry I.,. Reichenbach, Terry Ramsaye, J. V. Ranck. Jack Pegler, Charles McClintock. .'oe Mayer, F. J. McConnell, J. E. D. Meador, Theodore Liebler, J. E. Natteford, W. E. Mulligan. Edward Moffat, Harry R. Raver. Maurie Meyers, Charles McCarthy, Philip Lonergan, Robert Long, W. H. Leahy, Harry Lewis, W. W. Lewis, Arthur Leslie, Mark Larkin. Paul Lazarus, George Landy, Karl KrusTSa, Hal Phyfe, Harry Poppe, C. C. Pettijohn, P. A. Parsons, S. D. Palmer, C. L. Yearsley, Jack Weaver, Joe Weil, Tom Wiley, C. J. Verhalen, Sidney Singerman, Harry J. Shepard, V. M. Shapiro, Fred Schaefer, Paul Sarazan, Nat Rothsteln, Charles Ryan, L. R. Thomas, Vincent Trotta, Harry King Tootle, Silas Spitzer, Julian M. Solomon, Martin Quigley, James Beecroft, Wm. A. Johnston, Fred Beecroft, Leslie Mason, Al Carmier, Joe Dannenberg, James R. Quirk. C. C. Burr. H. Croker, Ben. Garretson, G. Allvine, L. Jordon, J. W. Krafft, R. J. Scott, Fred. Baer, A. Frienf, H. S. Field. R. Nellson, J. MacFarland, Bert. Adler, B. Grimm, A. Karpin, Al. Sebg, Jos. F. Femlmore Lee, Peter Milne, Lambert Guenther. Cohen Committee to Meet An investigating committee of the Motion Picture Theatre Owners of America will meet on Wednesday, September IS, at .10:30 a.m., at the Hotel .Astor, New York City, to hear complaints against Alfred S Black and the Famous Players-Lasky Corporation in New England