The Moving picture world (August 1921)

722 MOVING PICTURE WORLD August 13, 1921 Live News from Everywhere Buffalo For the first time in local film history, most of Buffalo's large neighborhood houses are closed. The heat wave, daylight saving, in- creasing numbers of automobiles and perhaps not enough good pictures are some of the reasons for the situation. Most everyone in Buffalo seems to be the owner of an auto nowadays, so that it is only natural that when Old Sol commences to burn things up that father and the family start for the open places. Among the large houses which are closed for the summer are the Vic- toria, Elmwood, Shea's North Park, Centra! Park, Allendale, Regent, Ellen Terry, Star, Marlowe, Circle, Orpheum, Cozy Corner, Pastime, Temple, Cazenovia, Victor, Oriole, Fillmore Palace and others. * * * The Premier Theatre, 2331 Main street, formerly owned by Claude Weill and leased by Art Schmidt and Joseph Schuchert, and recently sold to M. Steinhorn, has been sold again. Harry Green, manager of the Temple Theatre, William street, is the new owner. Mr. Green an- nounces that he will attempt to make the Premier one,of the finest pic- ture houses in town. * * * At a special meeting of exhibitors of Buffalo and vicinity in the Regent Theatre recently, it was decided to form a local branch of the Motion Picture Theatre Owners of America. A meeting was called for August 30, at which time organization will be perfected. Among those who spoke were Howard J. Smith, of the Palace, and Charlie Hayman, of the Cataract, Niagara Falls. Repre- sentatives from Jamestown, Niagara Falls, Lockport, Salamanca, Tona- wanda and other 'nearby cities were in attendance. * * * Creatore will be permanent con- ductor of all overtures and special musical numbers at Shea's Hippo- drome this fall and winter, accord- ing to an announcement by Harold B. Franklin, managing director. Alfred H. Moulton will continue as regular director. Creatore filled sev- eral engagements at the Hippodrome this spring and summer and made a decided hit with patrons. A local impresario declared that the famous conductor turned the Hippodrome ensemble into a Boston Symphony Orchestra. * * * Following the presentation of "The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse," at Shea's Criterion this fall, Harold B. Franklin announces that "The Affairs of Anatole." "The Old Nest," "Over the Hill" and other big productions will be given elaborate presentations. The Crit- erion will offer some of the biggest productions in screenland next sea- son, all of which will be given typical Franklin presentation. A top price of $1.50 will be inaugurated. A. C. Hayman, of the Cataract Theatre, Niagara Falls, N. Y., an- nounces that his company has award- ed the contract for construction of the new theatre and office building on the Prospect Park hotel site in Falls street, adjoining the present Cataract Theatre, to the firm of Wright & Kremers, of Niagara Falls. The contract cost for con- struction an dequipment will be ap- proximately $450,000, according to Mr. Hayman. Construction is to be rushed as fast as possible and it is expected that the house will open in November. Joseph A. Schuchert, of Buffalo, is interested in the new theatre. * * * Over 100 theatres are closed in the Western and Central New York ter- ritories. This has been the dullest summer in the history of the Buffalo film business. * * * Eddie Weinberg, of the Strand Theatre, is knocking off a two weeks' vacation at Chautauqua Lake. * * * O. T. Schroeppel, formerly assis- tant manager at Realart, is now a member of the Associated Producers' sales staff. * * * Shea's Hippodrome is getting ready to celebrate another anniver- sary the week of August 21, in pre- paration for which the house is being re-decorated, re-furnished and a new stage setting and curtain installed. The setting will be a massive one in blended gold and silver with costly hangings of gold. The mezzanine floor is being re-finished in Italian Renaissance style and $10,000 worth of period furniture installed, repre- senting the interior of a millionaire's home. * * * Isidore Moses, one of Buffalo's Pioneer theatrical men, is dead. Mr. Moses' last position was assistant manager at Shea's Hippodrome. He was associated with the late Mitchel H. Mark in the old penny arcade business days. In Buffalo Mr. Moses was connected with several theatres. Ill health forced him to resign his position at Shea's Hippo- drome last year. * * * The Buffalo Theatre Managers' Association has notified the local musicians, stage hands, operators and other unions conected with the thea- tre that the managers expect the men to accept a 25 per cent, decrease in wages September 1. So far the only reply received has been from the stage hands. They refuse to stand for the cut. Whether Buffalo's new theatre season will open with a strike of theatrical workers is only conjec- tural at this time. All the unions got increases in wages last -<r. * * * Lockport is to have a: ' v theatre. Incorporation paper; been filed in the country rWk's office bv the Lock City Theatre Corpora- tion, capitalized at $200,000. The plans call for a motion picture and vaudeville house at East avenue and Elm street. Plans are now being prepared by Thomas W. Lamb, of New York City. The corporation has organized with the following officers and directors: Clinton L. Bates, president; William H. Lee, vice president; William H. Hamil- ton, secretary; A. Edmund Lee, treasurer. The officers and J. S. Medill form the board of directors. The theatre will have a seating ca- pacity of 1500 on two floors. It is planned to open the new house Janu- ary 1. Each of the upholstered chairs will so control the ventilating system that it will be turned on or left off by the raising or lowering of the seats, thus insuring proper ventilation at all times, regardless of the number of patrons in the house. Indiana Frank Holland, manager of the Murray Theatre at Richmond, had as his guests at one of the daily per- formances at the Murray this week, forty-one youngsters from the Oesterlin Orphans' Home. * * * Work of re-decorating the Oliver Theatre at South Bend is -now in progress. Workmen are tearing out the old opera chairs and when the work is completed the decorators will go over the entire interior. * * * South Bend exhibitors are well pleased over the action of the city council in refusing to license any more carnival companies to exhibit there. After having been inflicted with several carnival aggregations last summer and part of this season, the board of works voted to bar all carnivals and similar aggregations from the city. * * * Pearl C. Chattin and Roll Wagner, exhibitors of Union City, have again been arrested for operating their theatres on Sunday. Chattin was convicted on a similar charge before a jury in the circuit court last week and paid a fine of $59.50. He, with Wagner, was arrested again Sunday, July 17. The date for the hearings of the latter cases have not yet been set. * * * Because of the general depression Columbus picture theatres have closed for the summer. * » * According to articles filed in the recorder's office at Fort Wayne a few days ago, Alfred L. Randall becomes the sole owner of the Jeffer- son Theatre Company and the Jeffer- son Theatre property, which is now leased to Walter C. Quimby until February, 1923. Under the articles, Mr. Randall, who owns the room used as the auditorium of the thea- tre, gets a 99-year lease on the prop- erty at 1030 Calhoun street, which is used as the lobby and entrance to the theatre. * * * New lighting fixtures have been installed in the Strand Theatre at Frankfort, making the entire system indirect and giving a soft mellow light over the auditorium. Mr. Barnhard says that new decorations will also be added to the theatre from time to time. A color effect of dark rose is now produced through the new lighting system. * * * After having been closed for sev- eral days for numerous changes to the interior, the Majestic Theatre at Fifth and Main streets, Evansville, was re-opened Saturday, July 16. to capacity crowds. The main walls have been decorated in a mottled effect of gray and blue, while the decorative portions have been finished in blue, ivory and gold. An im- mense cooling and ventilating system has been installed. New lighting effects have been acquired through (Continued on Page 724) SMASH! You'll Break All Records With the HALLR00M BOYS COMEDIES Featuring SID SMITH "... A generous measure of funny epi- sodes. . There will be many a sore side In the audience from lauchinc over Percy and Ferdle'i funny adventures—AND THERE IS NOTHING TO OFFEND THE MOST EXACTING CENSOR." —Exhibitor's Trade Review. BOOK 'EM TODAY AT