The Moving picture world (May 1922)

312 MOVING PICTURE WORLD May 20, 1922 Fi'aiik of Associated Exhibitors Fijids Middle West Shoi^meii Confident of Big Business Revival B JSIXESS in the ficture indostrj riuoag^Ksat tlie Middle West and tbe Mianssippi Vallejr is experiencazig a maffcfd revival, accDrdii^ to W. B. Frank, assistant sales mangier of Associated Exlnlritori, wlio has retained to New York after a four weeks' tour. He visited nine exchanges, extendi!^ as far west 2S ^^dtvcr* "Everywhere," said Mr. Frank, "I made it a point to get in close toadi widi the exhibitors, and receive from Aem first-hand reports on actual business conditions. A business revival which diorws every indication of pei-nuiience is now wen under way, and die confidence of men of the industry is evidenced by a building activity that in some cases reaches tbe proportions of an actual bown." "A. H. Blank, of Des Moines, head of the important Blaidc chain of picture houses, oonfidentljr predicts a decided business inqmnrement durii^ the coming summer, as compaxed widi conditiotts a year ago. Whereas, last year Iowa farmers used their com as fuel because they found scarcdy any market for the gsain, they are now gettii^ 30 cents a bushel for it "Omaha is one of the cities in whidi I found great building activity. Harry GoUberg, of Gtrfdberg Brothos, owners of die Sun, The Moon, and odier theatres, pointed out that plans have been dtawn for the erection of three new office buildii^ in Omaha, while a project is on foot to tpead millioiis in the construction and inqvorement of Mtretts aad aveaaes. It is inevitable diat such general prosperity should be shared by exhibitors. Indeed, while I was in Omaha, die Goldbergs opened a new million dd lar house, the World, one of die finest in die country. '^very exhibitor in Denver likewise is optimistic. Not only is much buil^i^ goii^ on in the dty itsdf , notably in the business d»trict, but all of the'smaOer cities and towns in Denver's territory give evidence of the revivaL PoeUo is a striking case in pcnnt Tbe mining and andting plants, which for more tfa^ a year operated with only one-third their normal force, now are opaaog vtp widi full crews. "In Kansas Cty, prosperity seems to be universaL William Flynn, mendier of the iq>per house of the Cty Council, owner of an important theatre, and lessee and operator of several others, is so fnthnstastic over the inyroved conditions diat he has interested himself in a million dcdlar house now being built in one of die suburbs. "Charles Oleson, general manager of the Alhambra Amusement Company, says that business in Indianapolis aiKl thereabouts is piddi^ up steadily. This concern is now conyletii^ a new first run dieatre in one of the iKSt downtown locations in the city. Biin^aaa & Cohen assured me that, notably in the last four or five months, their Colonial has been enjoying excep6ooal proqierity. "^wo otho facts also imprnsed themselves t^KXi me, not onty in these cities but in every other that I visited. These are the popularity of Harold Lloyd and Flormoe V^idor. Air. Lloyd's name has become a magic word which is an a^^surance of big business anywhere, at any time. Miss Vidor, meanwhile, is bdng accq>ted everywhere as a new star whose success is in no senht problematical." Film Man Convicted for Sunday Showing While Other Busiiiesses Go Umnolested WILLIAil DICK.SON. one of the managers of the Ea^' Theatre at Wabadi, Ind., who was indicted last month on a charge of mieratit^ his mamog picbare theatre on Sunday, was fottnd guihy by a jtuy in the Waha^ county circuit court, Friday, and was fined $10 at»d costs. Fourteen other smi§ar cases are pendii^. Net proceeds from die Stmday moving mcture iliowf in Wabash recently have Deen pvea to the city's associated charities. Various other bunness houses of V.'^ haA art open on Sunday, contrary to law under whidi die case against T>v:^gM^ wa« prosecttted, but the pro8«cutinf attorney, Howard E. Plutnmer, has aimotmced (hat he will not prosecute them because they have "become lawful through long established custom." The fheatre men, when they opened their Sunday shows, said the money would be given to diarity until the Sunday shows became law f til ""by long established custom." Paramount Fetes Visiting Managers • ■' t:X'}tHri'^(t nVltJiliiCTr, of were in New York last ' annual spring sales :'ue5t5 of the com. ' . 'ming at a dinner given at the HrAe] Commodore. John C. Flinn was toastmaster and short speeches were made by Adolph Zukor, Jesse L, Lasky, E. J. Ludvigh, S. R. Kent and R. W. Saunders. An mformal eutei lainmem was provided in the form of several acts in whidi die following took part: Claud Saunders, J. .\Ibert Thorn, A. M. Botsford, C. E. ilcCarthy. Waher Lindlar, Md Shauer, J. E. Fontaine, Paul Morgan and Charles Kenmore Llridu ENGENEERS HOLD MEETING <Contmtud from page 311/ Hosmer, Arthur L. Herman, William C. Hubbard, J. G. Homstein, Alfred B. Hetduns. C. A. B. Halvorson, Jr., M. R, Grilfidi, Carl Gregory, E. KendaD Gillett, Otis A. Gage, Henry Phdps Gage, Thomas E\-ans, H. X. De\\ in, A. R. Dennington. C. H. Cole, P. Cazstillaine, John I. Crabtree, G. L. Chaioer, John G. CapstaS, Albert M. Candv, H. A. Canxp. A. D. Cameron, P. S. Bailej-, Frank A. Benford, Robert S. Bumap,' George A. Blair, J. L. Beechlyn. Paul A. Barbier, L. D. A^iell, Carl Anderson and P. M. Abbot Rodiester, N. Y., was unanimously chosen as the place for die annual faH meetii^. The society is in excellent condition, finandaHy and otherwise. The Boston meeting proved conclusively to those who witnessed its functioning that die society has very real value to the industry. In one particular way this is visualized to those attending the meetir^s which is only pardy apparent to those who do not It is just this : the men in attendance are, at last for the most part, men who are oqiert in tiieir various departments. They work on the problems confronting them for six months, then they go to one of the meetings and there meet others perhaps working along the same general lines. They are thus enabled to discuss widi them the various angles of perplexing points; also they hear the reading of carefully prepared papers on various subjects connected widi engineerii^ problems of the industry, and the discussion thereon. They thus not only add to their knowl•idge of the problems occurring in their own particular branch of the work, but rjave their minds broadened and l.»ecome interested in the problems of other branches of the industry. And this meeting of men of real ability twice a year, who seldom or never could or would meet otherwise, cannot possibly result in anything other than real value to the industry. • I repeat, the Society of Motion Picture Engineers has fully justified its existence, and more. It is frf^ this time forward a power in the motion picture industry which must be reckoned widi. The writer is just a bit elated over one thing. He read a paper, the title of which is set forth in another place. It was ordered given the widest possible publicity, aside from being printed in the official j/roceedings, an action never before taken with r^ard to a paper read before the sodety.