The Moving picture world (July 1921)

33& MOVING PICTURE WORLD July 16, 1921 his 6-year-old star, has also been here. Work will soon be started on a new picture. * * * Having opened a temporary of- fice for the Fred B. Warren Cor- poration, Resident Manager W. A. Crank is planning to make a trip through the territory and will visit exhibitors in the Sacramento Valley at an early date. * * * The College Theatre, Market street near Seventh, which has had a checkered career since its open- ing several years ago, is again closed. * * * Howard Strickling, publicity man- ager for the Metro Studios, Los Angeles, was a recent visitor in San Francisco en route to Reno, where Viola Dana is to appear during the big rodeo. Pictures featuring this star will be shown in all Reno houses during her stay there and "Home Stuff" will be offered in ten Nevada theatre, July 3-4-5. * * * Viola Dana was visitor in San Francisco late in June and made a personal appearance at the Tivoli Theatre, following a parade on Market street, participated in by city officials. Her local appearance was arranged by Frank J. Costello, manager of the T. & D. Circuit. This circuit has booked Metro pro- ductions for the rest of the year at its Oakland house. * * * Clara Kimball Young, who ac- knowledges a warm spot in her af- fections for San Francisco, was a recent visitor here from Los An- geles. * * * San Francisco recently had two well known screen stars appearing in the spoken drama during the sarhe week, Bessie Barriscale hold- ing forth at the Savoy Theatre in "The Skirt" and Frank Keenan" at the Columbia Theatre in "Rip Van Winkle." * * * Harry Revier, well known direct- or, returned to this city recently from a short vacation trip, accom- panied by Roy Stewart, Louise Lovely and Harry Van Meeter. He recently completed a locally-made production for Quality Pictures, Inc., featuring Roy Stewart, and known as "Heart of the North." Work on a new picture will be com- menced at once at the Montague Studios. George H. Davis is presi- dent of this producing concern. * * ♦ The first showing in this city of the San Francisco located picture, "The First Born," featuring Sessue Hayakawa, is to be made at the Wigwam Theatre in the Mission District. * ♦ ♦ Marshall Neilan has arranged for Hugh Wiley, San Francisco writer, to write stories exclusively for Nei- lan productions. * * * Earl Snell, manager of the Ma- jestic Theatre, Reno, will also have charge of the Grand and Rialto theatres, purchased recently with the Majestic by the T. & D. Jr. Circuit. The deal marks the retirement from the field of Hurst Bros., who have operated houses there for the past twelve years. A petition containing the names of 270 young people of Fresno has been filed with the city commis- sioners protesting against Sunday picture and vaudeville shows. Seattle During his three days' stay in Seattle recently, Al. Lichtman ap- pointed Harry Sigmond as manager of the Seattle office of Associated Producers. Although Mr. Sigmond is comparatively new in the film business, having been assistant man- ager of the Seattle Vitagraph office for less than a year, both film men and exhibitors have nothing to offer Mr. Lichtman but congratulations on his choice. Mr. Sigmond was formerly an attorney practicing law in Seattle. * * ♦ Manager George Jackson of the Seattle Vitagraph office announces the appointment of the following new members of his selling staff: J. A. Rugar as assistant manager, succeeding Harry Sigmond; S. P. Peck, salesman; Sid Schubach, salesman. * * ♦ C. C. Ezell, special representative for Selznick, announces the follow- ing new salesmen for the North- west territory: Melvin G. Winstock, B. W. Copeland, T. W. Bailey, for- mer manager in Vancouver; J. H. Hurschinan, formerly with Pathe in Montana. * * * G. A. Metzger, manager of the Rivoli Theatre of Portland and the Equity Distributing Company of that city, paid several days' visit to Seattle's film row. * * ♦ Loew's State Theatre in Yakima, Wash., was taken over last week by Jensen & Von Herberg. This house was built about a year ago by Fred Mercy, the owner of all the other theatres in Yakima. At the time Jensen & Von Herberg tried to buy into the new house, but Mercy refused to sell. Later they remodeled a store building and opened their Liberty Theatre there. Soon after the Mercy house was opened it was leased to Marcus Loew through Ackerman and Har- ris of San Francisco, his West Coast representatives. It has con- tinued as a combined vaudeville and picture house since that time, Jensen & Von Herberg will operate it as motion picture theatre exclusively. It is one of the finest theatres in the Pacific Northwest, having been built at a cost of over half a million dollars. Baltimore Walter D. Pacy, manager of Pacy's Garden Theatre, has pur- chased "The County Fair" fo« Maryland. This picture was shown at the Strand Theatre, Baltimore, recently. Mr. Pacy will start book- ing his picture in the fall. * * * Arthur B. Price, manager of the Blue House Theatre, has had that playhouse redecorated inside and out. The front has been painted white while the lobby has been painted a light blue and lined with white to represent large tiles. A handsome new box office has been installed in the lobby and new poster and dis- play frames to match have been set up. New lighting fixtures have been installed and two Bicaulky exhaust fans, each measuring thirty-six inches in diameter, have been placed over the two rear exits. A new pipe organ has been ordered; crash cov- erings have been placed on the chairs and new draperies of dark blue tapestry have been hung. * * * A resolution to appeal to the Northwest Theatrical Protective League, of which W. A. Steffes is president, while the National Asso- ciation of the Motion Picture Thea- tre 0\vners of America were in ses- sion at Minneapolis, so that they would carry out their activities for better pictures, was passed at a meeting of the executive board of the Citizens' League for Better Motion Pictures, of Baltimore, on Monday, June 27. * • * In order that improvements can be made to the Strand Theatre, which is under the management of Bernard Depkin, Jr., that playhouse closed on July 2 for several weeks. * * * Plans have been drawn by Archi- tect Stanislaus Russell for extensive alterations for the Lord Baltimore Theatre, 1110 West Baltimore street, which is owned by Pearce & Scheck. Several store fronts are to be built on each side of the lobby, while a hall measuring thirty-two by ninety feet will be built to extend over the lobby and stores. Estimates for the work will be asked for soon. * * * Beginning with the week of July 11, the New Belvidere Theatre, which is under the management of Charles E. Nolte, will close on Tues- days, Thursdays and Fridays dur- ing the summer. * * * Another picture theatre is planned for 4705-7 Harford avenue by Michael C. Engelmeyer which will cost approximately $30,000 and plans have been filed with the build- ing inspector's office. The building will include a store and measure sixty-seven by 148 feet. It will be built of brick and be two stories. * * * Wallace High, who has recently been engaged with his race horses at the various tracks in Maryland, has again become a film salesman. He succeeds W. F. Hayner as Baltimore representative of Goldwyn. Mr. Hayner resigned recently. Both men are well known here. * * * Extensive alterations are being made in the New Theatre, one of the Whitehurst theatres. This play- house closed on July 2 and will re- main dark for about three weeks. New seats, new lighting fixtures and a beautiful new stage set are to be installed. New carpet will be put down. Old rose and French gray will be the colors used for decorating the auditorium, while an antique bronze effect will be used for the lobby. * • * Charles E. Nolte, manager of the Fremont Theatre, closed that play- house for the summer months on July 2 so that it may be reconstructed and enlarged. The new theatre will take in the property adjoining at 617 North Fremont avenue, and when completed it will measure forty-two by 110 feet and. seat 700. .^n extensive showing of educa- tional films will be a prominent feature of the program at the Marine Show and Export and Import Ex- position, to be held in Baltimore^ at the Fifth Regiment Armory during the week of July 11. Every phase of the marine and business activities of the large exhibitors at the exposi- tion will be graphically shown by motion pictures. Seattle John Danz is holding his own in his fight with the musicians' and operators' unions, who would force him to retain an orchestra at his Colonial Theatre in spite of business conditions that necessitate the cutting down of all expense that is not ab- solutely necessary. Upon a threat of a sympathetic strike by the pro- jectionists' union, he procured non- union operators and finally a splen- did non-union organist. He maintains that the strike and the banning of his house by the unions is not hurt- ing his business in the least. * « « During the showing of "Decep- tion" at the Strand, Manager H. B. Wright arranged a striking prologue. It depicted the May Day dancing scene in which the king carries oflF the dancer. The characters repre- sented on the stage were the king, the queen, the dancer and the jester. * * * When the Winter Garden plays the Mary Pickford production, "Through the Back Door," during the week of July 3, a contest for little girls between the ages of 7 and 12 will be held. Manager Charles W. Harden of the Seattle United Artists office has arranged for Miss Pickford to send up the dress, hat and shoes she wore in the picture as prizes for the best impersonators of Mary Pickford as she appeared in this picture. This will be the second run for "Through the Back Door" at a downtown theatre in Seattle. With the exception of "The Birth of a Nation" it is the only picture that has been shown for the second run at a first-class downtown theatre in Seattle. * * * J. G. Von Herberg, while driving his brand new custom built Marmon roadster last week, wrecked the car. He escaped with only minor injuries. * ♦ * Kenneth Hodkinson, general man- ager for United Artists, wired Charles W. Harden, Seattle branch manager, that he would arrive in Seattle on the evening of July 2 to spend his holidays in the Pacific Northwest. Mr. Harden has already made arrangements for them to leave the following day for Lake Crescent and Hood's Canal. Mr. Hodkinson spent his vacation near here last summer. * * * T. Guinan, traveling auditor for Vitagraph, is spending several days in the Seattle office. Passes Censors Mr. H. F. Jans, president of tlie Jans Productions, Inc., was grati- fied to receive a telegram that "Ma- donnas and Men" has finally passed the censorship in Montreal, Quebec, and that accordingly Allen Brothers will be enabled to realize on several thousands of dollars worth of con- tracts which had been held up.