The Moving picture world (May 1922)

166 MOVING PICTURE WORLD May 13, 1922 Keeping in Personal Touch FRITZ TIDDEN ONE day in March S. LRothafel, general director of the Capitol Theatre, contracted for a championship handball match with B. S. Moss, of the B. F. Keith Vaudeville Exchange — the price of the booking being $1,000. Rothafel has not played the booking. Moss is somewhat aggrieved. "It was a contract," said Mr. Moss, "but Roxy has avoided the booking. In the picture game that is a practice the producers and distributors have been beefing about for several years. This is the first time, however, to my knowledge, that an exhibitor has refused to book a contract obligation of this kind." Moss' friends are beginning to wonder if Rothafel is doubtful of his own prowess in the handball courts. The circumstances of the match were these : Moss and Rothafel met at the Motion Picture Directors' dinner to Will H. Hays. Rothafel challenged Moss to a match for the exhibitors' handball championship of Greater New York. Moss accepted the challenge, also the terms— $1,000 a side. Lloyd Willis, of the National Association, was chosen to promote the match; Joseph Johnson, exBoxing Commissioner, now Commissioner of Public Works, was selected as referee ; Mortimer Norden, president of the Norden Electric Sign Company, was chosen as stakeholder. Moss has posted with Norden his $1,000 side bet. Friends of Rothafel say they expect him to post his side bet shortly. Moss' friends, on the other hand, say they are skeptical. * ♦ ♦ "Woman, Wake Up!" should concern those nice old ladies who go to the movies for a nap. * * ♦ Jesse Lasky sails for Europe a week from Saturday. * « * It is stated that D. W. Griffith arrives from Europe simultaneously by the time we skid to press. * * * Helene Chadwick is in town for a three weeks' vacation. Put on your smoked glasses. « * * Jack Meador has left for the coast, where he will spend eight weeks at the Metro studio. * * * E. O. Van Pelt says that the railroads take the lawmakers to Washington but that the people bring them back. * ♦ * There is one thing about the making of Bible pictures. There will be no "personal appearances." * * Thomas Meighan and his director, Alfred E. Green, left the Lasky studio for George Ade's Indiana home to show the humorist the first "cut" of his story, "Our Leading Citizen," which Green just completed vinth Tom as star. On the same Santa Fe train was Walter Heirs, going as far as Chicago to make personal appearances. Walt is a scream wherever he shows. He will be gone three weeks or more. * * * Randolph Lewis has resigned from Pathe to go to England, where he will write a series of plays. * * ♦ Claud Saunders once managed the Alhambra. Did his best to give the folks good, clean shows. The house went into stock this week. And the opening show is "Scandal." * * * Paul Gray is stopping at the Astor. A clerk said: "Mr. Gray, do you know Monte Blue?" Paul, not cracking an eyelid, replied: "Yes, I know Black and White, too. And to show you I am not color blind I'll go out and call a yellow taxi and see if Walter Green is in his office." * * * A finale hopper is a bird who breezes in for the last dance and breaks his neck trying to take the dame home. There is another species of the finale hopper who breezes into picture houses during the last reel. He wants to see who is taking his dame to the movies. She hops to the movies whether he takes her or some other admission payer escorts her. Lester Allen, who, until Georgie White discovered him, was bringing in dollars for Sam Scribner and hi-; burley-que associates, has recovered from an illness that confined him to his bed for eight weeks. Letter, until ill, was featured in George White's "Scandals of 1921," leaving the show in Chicago. Now Allen is dickering with Fred Quimby, formerly of Pathe, and promoter of the Jack Dempsey-Georges Carpentier championship pictures, who will star Lester in a series of comedies of two reels each. In awarding the final prize in the Better Business Contest of "Topics of the Day" Films to Mrs. J. B. Prairie, 1586 Quarrier street, Charleston, W. Va., Timely Films, Inc., the producers of the famous screen subject, announce the close of this highly successful competition. During the run of the contest, an average of 18,000 answers per week were received from all sections of GWVNEDD VERNON The English "harem-scarum girl," who recently arrived in this country to star in pictures, keeps her many admirers in London posted as to her activities in America's Hlmdom the country. Through this enterprise the best constructive answers to the question, "Hovir Can Business Be Improved for the Manufacturer, Merchant, Worker and Unemployed?" were selected and screened in over 3,000 theatres from coast to coast. The final winner is : "It matters not what business pays labor for, in buying goods, labor pays proportionately. Labor should give an honest day's work, enabling present living conditions lo become normal. OPEN FACTORIES—PAY LIVING WAGES —GIVE HONEST DAY'S WORK —REVISE TAXATION. REFORMERS AND BOOTLEGGERS BOOST TAXES. LIGHT WINE AND BEER BOOST REVENUE." * ♦ * Roy Overbaugh recently returned from a long stay in Europe. On the way back some sharks were sighted. At least that was the report. Overbaugh took one look at them through the binoculars and said : "Whatever they are they have been in pictures. I saw the film on their teeth." * * * Gus Inglis, general manager for King and Florence Vidor Productions, and member of the firm of Willis and Inglis, has left California for the East in time to attend the Washington convention. He experts to remain in Washington until the convention adjourns and then continue his trip on to New York, where he will endeavor to secure some stage plays as vehicles for Florence Vidor's forthcoming productions on the Associated Exhibitors' release list. Inglis will make his headquarters at the Arthur S. Kane Pictures Corporation while in New York. * • * J. I. Angus was recently appointed comptroller of the Tiffany Productions, Inc., by General Manager M. H. Hoffman. Angrus was especially selected for this important position because of his past services with such representative film organizations as Famous Players, William Fox and Robertson Cole. The first duties of the new comptroller will be the reorganization of his department. Angus has specialized in motion picture accountancy and will install the most efficient systems of cost analysis, and sales control. In order to accept General Manager Hoffman's offer to join the Tiffany forces Angus relinquished a lucrative practice as a public accountant. * * • Walt Hill says the new fealherzveight turnstiles in the subway give the cash customers no come back on service. The subway is one place where the people are always glad to get the gate. * * * Max Mayer, vice president of the Wohl Lighting Company, spoke on April 25 before Dr. Rogers' class in