The Moving picture world (April 1921)

484 MOVING PICTURE WORLD April 2, 1921 ; Number of Requests for Accommodations Indicates Record New York Convention this meeting one that will make motion picture history and that will long be pointed to as the greatest gathering of its kind in the state. ROCHESTER exhibitors are sending forth the boast that they are going to make the annual convention of the Motion Picture Theatre Owners of New York, which will be held in the Flower City on April 5, 6 and 7, the record convention of the organization both in point of attendance and in importance of subjects discussed and results obtained. The convention headquarters will be the Hotel Seneca, where every room has been engaged for the event and where every large producer and dealer in theatrical supplies will have booth space to exhibit his wares, thus making an exposition of the very newest things in theatre art. Indications of the wide interest in this convention are found in the unusual number of requests for accommodations during the time of the meeting. F. J. Koch, of the Lyndhurst Theatre, Rochester, who is in charge of all acommodations, reports that he has filled one hotel completely with guests, and that several others will be required to handle all who will attend. New York City exhibitors have already engaged 125 places in the special cars that will carry them to Rochester, and large parties from other cities and vicinities will take advantage of the liberal fare concessions that have been obtained from the railroads. Entertainments The Rochester exhibitors are making elaborate plans for convention entertainments. Two of the chief events will be the convention dinner, at which a large number of notables in the film, legislative and business world will be guests, and the Movie Ball, which will be held in the Rochester State Armory and to which are being invited several of the most prominent motion picture stars. All arrangements for this ball are in the hands of "Jack" Farren, of the Victoria Theatre, Rochester. Irving M. Salyerds, state organizer for the M. P. T. O. and president of the Rochester Exhibitors' League, is head of the executive committee of the convention. He asserts that nothing short of 100 per cent, attendance by state exhibitors will satisfy him. Rochester as a city is exhibiting keen interest in the convention plans. Several large lunch clubs have rnade requests to have speakers assigned among the convention guests, thus giving opportunity for extensive distribution of propaganda favorable to motion picture interests. There never was a time when a real, serious, thoroughly representative convention of exhibitors was so greatly needed as now, and Rochester is determined to make Book a Serial The New Mission and New Fillmore Theatres of San Francisco, the Liberty Theatres of San Jose and Fresno, the T. & D Theatre of Sacramento and the Colonial Theatre of Stockton, have booked "The Sons of Tarzan," released by the All Star Features Distributors, this being the first serial ever booked by them. This production has been booked solidly in this territory. Pathe s "Brunet Month" Contest Proves Interesting as Third Week Is Entered t tNLIKE previous Pathe contests, the I J competing branch managers and their aides are not holding off for a grandstand finish but have been flooding the home office with contracts that added a perceptible punch to "Brunet Month" during the third week of the competition. There apparently is an earnest desire on the part of the various teams to get their decks cleared for the last week of the contest, which all the Pathe home office officials expect to see record an unprecedented volume of business in every department. Inasmuch as there are twenty-seven actual business days in March, every branch manager will have an unusual opportunity for recording a total of business he has never before attained in a single month. The spurt during the third week was so marked as to make it safe to say that fully 70 per cent., at least, of the thirty-two Pathe branch offices throughout the country will better their best previous performances in any four week period. March marks the fourth anniversary of Paul Brunet as head of the great distributing organization — three as vice-president and general manager, the last as president of Pathe Exchange, Inc. There have been years marked by a steady march forward. Never once has the organization taken a backward step. Each year has seen a big increase in the volume of Pathe's business, under the guidance of Mr. Brunet. Even in these times, which are considered adverse in many quarters, but which are optimistically regarded by the entire Pathe organization, the progress of the Pathe Rooster remains unimpeded. This is made emphatically apparent by the returns so far recorded this year, particularly during the current month, which has been set aside as "Brunet Month." Zukor Goes to Europe to Call Attention to Need for Cleaner and Better Films ADOLPH ZUKOR, president of the Famous Players-Lasky Corporation, has sailed on the Aquitania for his annual trip to Europe to outline to British and Continental producers affiliated with his company the necessity of keeping their pictures clean for American theatres. Mr. Zukor will explain the fourteen requirements for clean pictures recently adopted by the National Association of the Motion Picture Industry in its campaign for cleaner and better pictures and will call the attention of other European producers to the necessity of adopting them in the production of their pictures. While in London Mr. Zukor will confer with Sir James M. Barrrie regarding the picturization of Barrie's play, "Peter Pan," which is to be produced in this country soon as a Paramount picture. The scenario, written by Barrie himself, already has been received. Barrie will come to America in a few months to supervise the production of the picture. Arrangements also will be discussed by Mr. Zukor while in Paris looking to the exhibition of Paramount pictures at the Paris Opera on nights when operatic performances are not being given, Mr. Zukor also plans to enlarge the production activities of the Famous Players-Lasky British Producers, Ltd., the company which makes Paramount pictures in London. , PAUL BRUNET, PRESIDENT OF PATHE, PHOTOGRAPHED IN HIS OFFICE IN THE NEW PATHE BUILDING Mr. Brunet recently celebrated his fourth anniversary as the head of the distributing organization Selling Out Confirmation of the popularity with the New York theatre-going public of Metro's mammoth picturization of "The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse" is contained in the heavy advance seat sale at the Lyric Theatre where Rex Ingram's production is being shown. For the past several nightly performances the house has been sold out long before the curtain rose and standing room only was obtainable at the box office.