The Moving picture world (January 1924-February 1924)

better^ equipment CONDUCTED BY E. T. KEYSER A Pleasant Time Was Had by All Not Waiting for Mellon Cutting The Projector Percentage THE Association of Motion Picture Equipment Dealers of America held the most successful convention in its history at the Congress Hotel on January 10-11-12, with over one hundred members present. Owing to the absence of the president of the association, William Oldnow, of the Southern Theatre Equipment Company of Atlanta, Joe Hornstein, of the Howells Cine Equipment Company, the first vice-president, took the chair. Being a good executive, and realizing that the best way to do things was to have some one else do them, Joe relinquished the honor almost as soon as he assumed it with the happy expedient of appointing three of his fellow officials to preside successively in his stead. Thus it came about that Leo E. Dwyer, of the Theatre Supply Company of Cleveland, and third vice-president of the association, presided at the first day's meeting; Henry Jay Smith, of Hollis, Smith, Morton Company of Pittsburgh, and second vice-president of the association, during the second day ; while C. B. Struble, of the Yale Theatre Supply Company of Kansas City, Mo., who is fourth vice-president, laid down the law during the third day of the meeting. The associate members, the manufac turers, held a separate meeting of their own, presided over by Chairman H. H. Cudmore, and each member, both active and associate, was pledged to bring at least one member into the fold before the next convention, which will be held July 17-18-19 in Cleveland, and at which time the annual elections will be held. The roster of the association, we understand, now shows the names of 162 members, which are equally divided between active and associate. A banquet was held at the Congress on the night of January 11, at which H. H. Cudmore presided as toastmaster in his usual happy style. in the Princess Theatre of Opelousas, I. a., and improvements made to the building; while in St. Qoud, Minn., the Capital has just been improved and renovated. Last, but not least, Gay Green, of Asheville, N. C, contemplates expending $18,000 upon interior decorations and a new organ just as soon as he can decide how much of the amount he will contribute to the organ builder and how much to the decorators. LAST week we mentioned several progressive exhibitors who were not waiting for any Mellon cutting before bettering their houses. Here is another collection tor the roll of honor. The Strand Theatre, of Union Springs, Ala., has been reopened fully renovated. In Chicago V. A. Nomikis is about to remodel the Wabash Theatre, at 1238 So. Wabash avenue; while in Pontiac, 111., Hal Opperman is figuring on an expenditure in the neighborhood of $25,000 for remodeling and enlarging his Crescent on Madison street. New equipment has just been installed THE new St. Clair Theatre of Indianapolis, a $90,000, 12,000seat house, has just opened. So also has the Dixie of Odessa, Mo., which seats 700 and cost $17,000; while out in Alton, in the same state, Mrs. Pearl W hite's new Alton Theatre has just made its bow to the public. In YYewoka, Okla., the Olympic, and in Columbia, Tenn., the Princess have also opened ; while in St. Clairsville, Ohio, a new picture house has just been christened by Charles Amien. When one starts to figure out that the 700-seat Odessa house will probably have just as many projection machines as the $90,000 Indianapolis theatre one feels inclined to envv Messrs. Earl and Porter. WHEN GOOD FELLOWS GET TOGETHER Banquet Association Motion Picture Equipment Dealers of America, at Congress Hotel, Chicago, January 11, 1924