The Moving picture world (May 1922)

May 6, 1922 MOVING PICTURE WORLD 39 Charity Drive to Open with Nominations at Midnight Show; Committees Are Named NE\']^K l)efore in the history of motion ])ictures have the various elements of the industry hned up so swiftly, so enthusiastically and so completely as they have done at the call of Will H. Hays to support the great official popularity contest to raise funds for the Association for Improving the Condition of the Poor of New York City. Notably generous as the picture people have always shown themselves to be on l)ehalf of other drives for charity, patriotic as they have always been in giving time, money and services to the Liberty Loan, Red Cross and other national drives, all past performances are going by the board when compared with the preparations for this great charity drive for New York City. The call of this association with its history of three-quarters of a century of unfailing devotion to the poor and sick of the metropolis, is being answered by stars, producers, exhibitors, distributors, salesmen, scenario writers, authors, advertising and publicity men, personally and through their several organizations, in 100 per cent, fashion. Nominations at Midnight Show After two weeks of hard preliminary work, mainly devoted to planning and deciding on the many phases of co-operation between the committees of the Association for Improving the Condition of the Poor and the picture companies, work in which hundreds of people are engaged in each organization, the Official Motion Picture Popularity Contest will officially get under way on Saturday night, April 29, with a huge midnight show at which nominations of the stars will be made by their admirers. On the following Monday the actual selling of tickets will start in theatre lobbies, department stores, on the streets, at ])ublic meetings and in City Hall Park, the steps of the Sub-Treasury Building and many other strategic points. Every day of the contest will have its dominant and interesting feature, all of them designed either to stimulate interest and inform the people of nature of the contest or to .sell votes directly. The Operating Committee ( )n the suggestion of Mr. Hays, who is chairman, each company assigned one man, and some two men, to devote their entire time to the actual and tremendous work of the drive. This group of men formed itself into a Motion Picture Producers 0])erating Committee. Vivian M. Moses of Fox was selected chairman and Paul Gulick of Universal vice-rhairman. The per.sonnel follows: Vivian M. Moses, Fox film, chairman ; Horace Judge, First National, secretary; Theodore .Mitchell, D. W. Griffith; A. Hedley, Vitagraph ; Paul Lazarus, United Artists ; Charles E. McCarthy, Paramount; P. A. Parsons, Pathe ; Paul Gulick, Universal ; Randall White, Selznick ; Jack Meador, Metro ; Howard Dietz, Goldwyn ; Nels Granlund, Marcus Loew ; Frank A. Tierney, Fox Film; Victor J. Shapiro, Pathe; J. W. O'Mahoney, Educational; Walter Moore, Minor Lithograph Co.; Earl (julick, Poster Advertising Co.; Victor Watson, Hearst Newspapers; R. H. Fulton, Poster Advertising Co. ; J. M. Loughborough, First National; W. N. Nijey. Hotel Astor; Tom North, Hotel Embassy. This general committee has been divided into committees on the following : Plans, finance, theatre, personal appearances, lithograph, posting, publicity, ball, printed matter, jjarade, stunts, midnight show, slides, public meetings, and assignments, lietween the work of the A. I. C. P. committees, under the chairmanship of Mrs. Courtlandt D. Barnes and the operating committee, a perfect liason has been provided in the person of Frank Tierney. Exhihitar Co-operation Exhibitor co-operation was assured as soon as Sydney Cohen and Charles O'Reilly learned of the character and scope of the drive. In a letter to the A. I. C. P. the Theatre Owners Chamber of Commerce stated as follows: "We have been advised of the drive for your charity with which the motion picture industry is co-operating, by its popularity contest for the King and Queen of the movies, and that the. news reels of our industry are to make pictures of your activities and carry explanatory titles relative to the drive, which is to take place from April 29 to May 10. "On Ijehalf of the membership of the Hieatre Owners Chamber of of Commerce I am instructed to advise you that }-our work and this drive has our unqualified indorsement, and that we individually and collectively will give you the fulles't measure of co-operation to make this drive for this worthy cause a huge success." News Reels Active The news reels are co-operating and will co-operate throughout the drive. The Wednesday release of each news reel this week carried an exclusive shot showing some particular activity of the A. I. C. P. Pathe News covered the Caroline Home for Convalescent Mothers in Hartsdale. Selznick covered the clinic for the poor at the Association Building, Madison avenue and Twenty-third street. h"ox News covered the activities of the To}' Shop, where old men and women are given useful and easy employment. International covered the Tuberculosis Hospital in the Bronx, the only apartment hospital in the world. Kinograms covered a staged outing of 300 kiddies from the poorer parts of the city to the Sea Breeze Summer Camp on Staten Island, which will open for the summer in a short time. On Monday, J. P. Muller, gave a luncheon at the Cafe Boulevard on behalf of the committee to the daily newspaper men who cover theatrical assignments. This meeting was for the purpose of creating the ])roper channel for taking advantage of the newspaper co-operation ofifered by every publisher in New York City to Cornelius N. Bliss, Jr., president of the I. A. C. P. On Wednesday there was a luncheon at the Woodstock given by the screen writers and film editors of the companies in New York to the women writers on New York newspapers. Next week's activities are already I)lanned and all that is needed by the commiltee on their new offices on the second floor of the Loew Theatre Building, is more volunteer workers. CONVALESCENT HOME fOR MOTHERS AT HARTSDALE