The Moving picture world (January 1924-February 1924)

January 26, 1924 MOVING PICTURE WORLD 297 Lubliner & Trinz, Chicago Does Best Holiday Business With seventeen theatres in the Lubliner & Trinz circuit General Manager Stern reports the best holiday business in the history of the organization. The executives of the circuit are optimistic over the outlook for business this year and evidence of this is that they expect to build three new houses this year and take over the Orchestra Hall on Michigan avenue for summer movies beginning May 1. W. W. Ahlschlager, architect, is preparing plans for the new house to go up on Belmont avenue near Lincoln that will seat as many as the Senate Theatre and be the last word in picture theatres. Another theatre seating 2,000 is being planned for Milwaukee avenue near Sawyer street. Harry Kusel is drawing the plans for this house. The third theatre is under construction on Crawford near Fullerton and the foundation is in. This house will seat about 1,800 and be ready for fall business. When these plans are completed the circuit will have 21 houses, the largest number of theatres in this city under one management and the largest seating capacity. In addition to the new houses planned, the management is making important changes in some of the theatres of the group. The State Theatre on the west side, the premier house of the circuit at present, will get a new stage. The Madison Square at 470 West Madison street and the Pantheon Theatre on Sheridan road will also get new stages, so that greater presentations and vaudeville acts can be booked. Taking everything into consideration, the extension program of the Lubliner & Trinz circuit this year is one of the greatest undertaken by the management in recent years. The slogan of this progressive organization is larger, and better theatres with more elaborate programs for their patrons. Kenneth S. Fltzpatrlck and Blair McElroy are completing the Chicago Lawn building at the southeast corner of 03rd and Kedzie avenue, which occupies the entire 125 by 125 foot lot and has a double frontage on the two streets. In addition to the modern 1 ,2O0-seut picture theatre occupying the center of the building there are ten stores, and on the second floor a cafe occupying a 40 by 125 foot space. .The theatre which will be known as the Marquette, has been leased for a term of years by Samuel Katai. F. T. Welter is manager of the Wausau Theatres Company, which took over the direction of the Bijou Theatre of that city this month. The same company has the Grand Theatre there and will book both houses. Salo Auerbach, who is interested in a chain of movie theatres here, was caught in the crash of Leo Koretz, the oil promoter, and It is reported he lost more than $35,000. The Colonial Theatre at Delavan, 111., Is be ing remodeled for spring business. Another movie theatre is projected for Fulton, 111., and plans are being made to form an organization among the local merchants to finance the new building. The directors of the Orpheum Circuit have declared a dividend of 12i/£ cents on the share payable to stockholders of record on February 1. This is the first dividend paid since October 1, 1921, and shows that the combined programs of vaudeville and movies are bringing results. The Grand Theatre at Alton, 111., has been closed temporarily and will be reopened soon by a new company, which will adopt a firstrun policy for the house, it is reported. The Victoria Theatre has been opened at Victoria, 111., and will play road shows as well as pictures. The Castle Theatre at Bloomington, 111., has been renovated and reopened for feature pictures. A new movie theatre has been opened at Forreston, 111. It is called the Star. It will feature music with its picture programs. The name of the Temple Theatre at Morenic has been changed to the Gem. Movies will be featured this winter. It is reported along the street here that a new theatre is planned for Davenport, Iowa., that will be built along the lines of the Woods Theatre here. Local capitalists are interested in the project. Midwest Theatres, Inc., has added the houses belonging to the Majestic Amusement Company of Knnakee, 111., to its circuit. The Majestic circuit operators the La Petite, Majestic circuit operates the La Petite, liam H. Cadoret retains his position as president and manager of the Majestic Company, and Ernest Schmidt will be local manager of the houses. The booking will be handled through the main offices of the Midwest Circuit on South State street. Ralph Crocker is using vaudeville with pictures for his Crocker Theatre at Elgin for week-end shows and reports banner business. The Isis Theatre of Grand Rapids, Mich., has been closed and will be overhauled. When reopened it will feature pictures instead of vaudeville, it is reported along Film Row. The Empire Theatre on West Madison street has been sold by Herman Fehr for a reported $215,000 to the Empire Theatre Enterprises, which will fix up the house. In Montclare, just across the western limits of the city, a 1,200-seat movie house is projected that will cost $100,000. Walter Butz is behind the movement to put over the undertaking among the movie patrons of the community. The nearest house is located at Tiffin, three miles away, and Mr. Butz says that two chains have offered to lease the house, when, erected, on a fifty-lifty basis. The Hippodrome Theatre at Peoria, 111., will play vaudeville acts in the future in addition to pictures, and business is reported as good. W. M. Sauvage theatre owner of Alton, 111.7 is planning to build a new house in that city. The Orpheum Theatre at Savanna, 111., for many years a small picture house, is being rebuilt and will reopen on February 1 as a feature picture and vaudeville house. The seating capacity will be greatly enlarged and music will have a prominent place on the programs. The Pershing Theatre at Fairfield, III., has been taken over by Frank Hocking, Jr., who will improve the house. W. E. Adams of Taylorville will manage the Matton Theatre at Matton, 111., which was recently taken over by Antone. Bianchi. John Kaufman of this city has taken over the lease of the Gayety Theatre at Ottawa, 111., from Williard J. West and will operate the house in the future with mixed programs of vaudeville and pictures. George Braddock has resigned as manager of the Temple Theatre on North Clark street and will make other connections soon. Bnlaban and Katz report more than 18,000,O0O people entered the doors of the Ave theatres controlled by the company, and they expect to break this record for 1924. The company has adopted the slogan "We that live to please must please to live." Leonard L. Gross has resigned his connection with the Halfield Theatre at 5451 South Halsted street and now is manager of the Temple Theatre and featuring pictures with vaudeville for Saturday and Sunday shows. Every Friday night is amateur night and it has proved a big winner for the house. Manager Lou Weil of the Bryn Mawr Theatre had his troubles during the recent cold snap. He had to shut the house for two days to fix up the boilers that froze during the below zero weather. The Adelphi Theatre on Clark near Madison street had a bad fire backstage that caused considerable damage to the rear of the theatre. It was fortunate that the fire was dicovered while there was no performance on. The loss is covered by insurance. The theatre opened as usual in the evening, as quick repairs were made. As a result of the Are at the Adelphi Theatre last week, Mayor Dever has ordered the building commissioner to make an immediatesurvey of the theatres and other public gathering places so as to prevent a theatre holocast like the Iroquois Theatre disaster. John C. McDonnell, chief of the Are prevention bureau at the City Hall, is in personal charge of the investigation of the Loop* theatres. Walter E. Blaufuss, well known orchestra leader for movie theatres and writer of popular songs, is going to build a million dollar hotel on Diversey Parkway to beknown as the Blaufuss Hotel. It will be a twelve-story structure with all the latest in hotel fixings. (Continued on next page) "let £ot Jfflan $ut timber" PAULINE FREDERICK £55 LOU TELLEGEN ~J. STUART BLACKTON PRODUCTION Wisconsin Elects Guttenberg President FRED SEEGERT, president of the Motion Picture Theatre Owners of Wisconsin, and Henry Staab, who on Jan. 2 assumed the duties of executive secretary of that organization, were the guests of honor at a banquet tendered by the Milwaukee branch at Toy's Cafe, Jan. 4. Mr. Seegert, one of the prime movers in exhibitor organization circles for many years, was presented with a diamond Masonic rirtgr Steve Bauer, selected to make the presentation, paid high tribute to Mr. Seegert's untiring efforts in behalf of the Wisconsin organization, which he said under Mr. Seegert's presidency has reached its highest point of financial success. Other addresses were made by Mr. Seegert, Mr. Staab and J. H. Silliman, retiring president of the Milwaukee branch. Election of officers, held by the Milwaukee Exhibitors in connection with the banquet, resulted in the naming of A. C. Guttenberg of the Grand Theatre as president. Other officers were named as follows: Alex Rice Fern, vice-president; Joseph Mergener, executive secretary; Ernest Langemack, Colonial, treasurer; T. Mertz, secretary, and Otto Anders, Atlas, sergeant-at-arms. The banquet was dcelared to be one of the most successful ever held, thirty-five exhibitors being in attendance. All pledged their co-operation to aid Mr. Staab in his aims to maintain the Wisconsin unit on a high plane.