The Moving picture world (November 1922-December 1922)

December 2, 1922 MOVING PICTURE WORLD 413 Troy, N. Y., Exhibitors Plan to Organize in Near Future a straight week at the Griswold, beginning Sunday. Exhibitors in Troy, N. Y., are planning to organize in the near future, probably with the return of Edwin O. Weinberg, who will manage the new Troy Theatre, one of the Strand chain. Jacob Rosenthal is also busily engaged in con'pleting a new house and \yill soon be classed with Troy exhibitors. There was an organizytion among the Troy theatrical matiagcrs some years ago, but with this one and that one dropping out. the organization passed out of existence. Benjamin Apple, owner of the American and the GriswoU in Troy, is the only member of both the national and state organizations, and it is quite probable that he may be asked to assume the presidency of the Troy organizatiiin when it is effected. Theri are aliout seventeen houses now running in Troy. This leaves alout a dozen owners and managers who will be expected to join the orfranization. Albany has a live lo(1, but Schenectady is in much ti c same shape as Troy. It is barely possible that a tri-city association might be brought about between now and spring. of the house. The fire was discovered shortly after midnight. The theatre is operated by f>abin & Judge, and seats about 500. It -vas recently renovated. The ax:ditorium was somewhat damaged by water. Next to "The Eternal Flame," \vhich established a record for a week's business at the Lincoln, "If I Were Queen" takes second place, although coupled with a fashion show. to have hit the nail on the head and is booking just the sort of pictures that pack the Colonial night after night. The Lincoln just conducted a contest to find a misspelled word in one of the Troy papers, offering tickets of admission to tlie lucky one. Manager Crawford received over 1,000 letters within 'hrce days and is firmly convinced that the scheme is a good one as a means of attracting attention. "Under Two Flags," running' a straight week, went across fairly well at the Lincoln, but, accordmg to many, the actress is not the type that attracts the flappers with which Troy is filled because of its 7nany collar factories. Double features are being booked at the Strand whenever there is a strong opposition in neighboring houses. The scheme appears to be working well. Manager Crawford, of the Lincoln, was right on the job election night and flashed a pict'irc o( Governor Alfred E. Smith the moment his election was assured. The Capitol Theatre was responsible for calling out tne fire department one night this week, when an overheated steampipe threatened to give trouble. There was no fire. The American has enlarged its orchestra to ten pieces, an increase of three. Olin Nilcs is directing. The house is making a drive for patronage through a combination of the best pictures procurable and a musical program that can't be beat. When it comes to keeping in touch with his audience, there isn't an exhibitor in all Troy who can excel Ben Apple, of the American. He is right on hand to welcome his patrons, and also present to bid them a cheery good iiig-ht as they leave his house. As a result almost everyone in Troy knows Ben, and as a further result the profits of the house become better and better through his personal touch. When Percy Waters was screening for Edison on Twenty-first street in New York City, a. id in the days when there were probably not over twenty h.Tlf reels in all New York, "Al" Bothner, now managing the Strand and the Colonial in Troy, started in bu.-.iness. When it comes to exploitation, there isn't a man in Troy who can so much as hold a candle to Bothner's efforts, many believe. Business in Troy is showing marked improvement these days. A* a rule, November and December are not particularly good months in the Collar City, as some of the shops are running at half capacity. With November making the showing that it now is, exhibitors are looking forward to a hangup January, and, in fact, entire winter. Exhibitors are looking forward to the opening of the Ford plant, which will employ close to S,000 men. There is also a big packing plant about to be opened on Green Irland which will employ a thousand or more men. Within the next two months, two new theatres will open in Troy, with a combined seating capacity of nearly 3,000 persons, but with plenty of business activity under way, owners of houses do not anticipate any slump. Battaglia Brothers have just taken over the Arlington, one of Troy's residential houses, which has been closed for some lime. The house seats 400. This gives the Battaglias four houses in Troy. Work is progressing most satisfactorily at the New Rose, and its owner, Jacob Rosenthal, expects to open not later than January. All of the Troy exhibitors are planning to pay a visit to Schenectady next week as the guests of Edwin O. Weinberg, manager of the new State. "Sin Flood" has been booked for After all is said and done, it pays to do a little figuring when one is booking pictures, and, Tkewise, take into consideration the characteristics of the place. That is exactly what "Al" Bothner did last summer, when he started to manage the Colonial in Troy. This is a 10-cent house, which had proved more or less of a "lemon." Mr. Bothner figured out that Troy, generally conceded as a "working girls' town," could pay both a 10-cent as well as a 30 or 35-cent admission, but that a 10cent house would have to run pictures with plenty of action and lay off the society drama stuff. As a result, the Colonial does a whopper of a business at its first show each night, from patrons who are of the early-to-bed-earl/-torise type, being employed in the factories. Mr. Bothner figured that others drawing bigger salaries and who could sleep a bit later in the morning, would patronize higher priced houses. He appears William Berinstein, who ovvns the Colonial and the Hudson in Albany, as well as two houses in Elmira, plans to build one or more houses in the near future and establish a chain. Mr. Berinstein lately moved to New York. Judge Charles McCarthy, of Hoosick Falls, will shortly open a new theatre in that village. He is one of the old-timers in the business, and is widely known throughout the state. Howard Richardson, of the Plaza in Chestcrtown, is in bed, suffering from an attack of pneumonia. Paul Alberts, of th^ Albany, in Schenectady, is endeavoring to pack his house nightly by putting on a couple of amateur nights each week, in connection with his pictui;es. The idea seems to be v,forking well. "The Prisoner of Zenda" pulled so well at the American this week, that Ben Apple decided to hold it over for another week. Witii the exception of "Way Down East," there has never been a picture run in Troy for longer than a week. Mrs. Mary E. Crawford, of New York, is spending the week in Troy, as the guest of her son, Edward H. Crawford, manager of the Lincoln. It now looks as though the new Troy Theatre would not be in shape for opening much before the last of February or the fore part of March. Fred Elliott, of the Clinton Square, in Albany, is planning to use about 500 window card.< in connection with next week's run of "What's Wrong with the Women." Harry Berinstein, of the Mo/art, in Elmira, observed his twentythird birthday one day last week. Fire damaged the Alpine Theatre one night last week. Defective electric wiring is believed to have caused the blaze. Two projecting machines were destroyed and a hole was burned in the roof A Paramount Release MAKING AN EMPTY WINDOW BLOSSOM WITH COLOR This scene, copied from one of the stills of "Manslaughter," was worked up in the window of a vacant store in the business^ section of Los Angeles, and sold a lot of tickets to Grauman t. George Roberts, president of the Albany Theatrical Managers' Association, in discussing business, recently said that there were more really good pictures this year ihan ever before, and that such were really the salvation of hundreds of theatres this fall. "It used to be," said Mr. Roberts, "that there would be one outstanding picture each year, .«uch as 'The Birth of a Nation," but now it would be a hard matter for anyone to pick the real big feature of a year." Stock has closed at the Palace in Watertown, and from now on feature pictures will be givn al (Continued on following page)