The Moving picture world (November 1925-December 1925)

December 19, 1925 MOVING PICTURE WORLD 639 MiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiNiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiniiiy^ I hoew in Conn. | I J OEW, INC., New York, The | g atriced Company, will invade 1 g Connecticut for the first time, it be j g came known this week, announcement 1 g being made of the signing of a contract i P for the purchase of a theatre site in 1 g Stamford costing $500,000. The prop I g erty consists of the westerly half of | 1 the Speike Building on Main Street. It 1 g fronts 51 feet and is 200 feet deep. It | g is purchased from the Connecticut Title g 1 and Guaranty Company of Hartford, 1 g of which Abram Speike is president, g g The new theatre, work on which 1 g will start as soon as the title has been 1 g passed, probably early next month, will g I cost between $300,000 and $400,000 and | I will seat between 2,500 and 3,000. | S Definite plans for the building have g g not yet been formulated. 1 yiarguerite Marsh Dies at 'New York Home; Sister of May MARGUERITE MARSH, 33 years old, sister of Mae Marsh and herself a well known actress, died on December 8 at the home of her mother, Mrs. Mae Marsh, 221 West Eighty-second Street, New York City, of bronchial pneumonia. About a month ago nervous breakdown necessitated her return from St. Louis, where she was making personal appearances. As Marguerite Loveridge, Miss Marsh made a name for herself before engaging lin picture work. D. W. Griffith spotted her sister Mae when Mae called on Marguerite at the studio and engaged the younger sister. Later Marguerite changed her professional name back to Marsh. She starred with Lionel Barrymore in "Boomerang Bill," with Wyndham standing in "The Lion's Mouse," and with Maxine Elliott and Martha Mansfield in a number of productions. Funeral services were held at 2:30 p. m. at the parlors of W. J. Dargeon, 954 Amsterdam Avenue I The Bulletin I f nn HE first number of the Official | I Bulletin of the M. P. T. O. A,, | g to be issued semi-monthly, is in the g i mails. This is a new and valuable serv g P ice for exhibitors instituted by Busi g g ness Manager Joseph M. Seider. The f g first number is an eight-page one and i g replete with newsy departments. i I In the selection of Tom Waller as | i editor* of the Official Bulletin, Mr. | 5 Seider has obtained a man ideally cap g i able of making it an outstanding sue g B cess. That is obvious to Moving Pic g g ture World readers, who are well ac g i quainted with Waller through his 1 g previous connection with this publica p i tion. 1 iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiliiiniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiniiniiiiiiiiniiiiiiiiiiiiin^ Kansas City Showmen Learn to Distrust African Qolf ^ OMEDY, pathos and scandal intermingled on Kansas City's Film Row this week when, amid open mouths and astonished faces, a raiding squad of policemen hacked the "wagon" in front of "Hollywood," the town mecca for exhibtors, film salesmen and others either directly or indirectly connected with the industry. An ordinary raid would provoke little more than the blink of an eye from Film Row, but for exhibitors and exchange representatives to learn that according to the police, copper wires, four storage batteries and a Ford starter had a very direct, as well as effecting and demoralizing, connection with the "little green table" upon which mystic ivory cubes were wont to scamper — well, it simply was too much of a shock. Upon investigation the police found a magnet in a very innocent looking humidor. When the "juice" was turned on the dice "froze," they said. As Mike Curran, keeper of the game par excellence, was "booked in" at police headquarters he gave the name "Mike Curran," but in making his own $50 bond for appearance in court he signed the name J. W. Flynn. That's something else to guess at. Contingent THE following report received in the Department of Commerce from Douglas Miller, Assistant Commercial Attache in Berlin, gives the most recent facts and figures illustrating the workings of the German contingent system : In spite of the dissatisfaction expressed abroad that the German film contingent system is limiting the market for foreign pictures, says the report, in German film production circles there is a growing complaint that the contingent system still fails to give German producers the share of the market that they expected. According to recent figures of films passing the censorship it is evident that German productions are steadily falling behind. For example, the following are the figures for October : German 122, American 104, other foreign 43, making the total number of films 269. Of these 62 were dramas, 21 i)cing German, 28 American and 13 other foreign. In length of film 100,838 meters were German, 83,394 meters were American and 37,789 other foreign, making a total of 222,021 meters. Of the German films passing the censorship in October, 29 were prohibited to be shown to children under eighteen; 42 of the American films and 13 of the other foreign pictures were also prohibited. Accordingly, about three-quarters of the German pictures could be shown to children, while only threefifths of the American pictures were allowed the same privilege. Of the total number of ediltfitibitil films censored in October the Geriflafl"5HSte "was I Defends Pictures | I A MERICAN motion pictures stimu 1 i late the populace and awaken a 1 g necessary ambition, according to Dr. g g Toulouse, a French sociologist, in a g = forceful counter-attack to aspersions 1 s cast on filmC. Visions of brighter, | g healthier lives make people ambitious g s and stimulate them to exertions, he i finds. P = Any tendency of the screen to en g g courage lives of crime the doctor be g ^ lieves insignificant, affecting only the § 5 viciously inclined and the weakminded. 1 1 "I could never see anything particu 1 g larily moral about making believe that | g poverty is dignified, or that anybody 1 I ought to be satisfied with less than the 1 i best he can get," he said, continuing to 1 j emphasize that all poverty is unhealth i g ful and the creator of anemia and 1 1 tuberculosis. g I The greater the inducement, the bet 3 g ter the work, he says. g g "It is the policy on which the wealth g I and industry of the United States have g g been built up," he said. "It is the les | g son all Europe has to learn from her i g sooner or later, and in the movies it is | g taught in the most concrete and com 1 g prehensible form, in which it can reach g g everybody." 1 illlllllllllllllllSIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII'IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIH System a Failure 45 per cent., compared with 63 per cent, the month before. In the number of meters shown the German share was 45 per cent., compared with 54 per cent, in September. Of film dramas 21 German pictures were censored, compared with 41 foreign. The respective figures in September were 30 German, against 43 foreign and in August 28, as compared with 20 foreign. Accordingly the German share in film dramas censored was 34 per cent, in October as compared with 41 per cent, in September and 58 per cent, in August. Many Picture Theatres In Iowa Change Hands E. C. Bunker has opened a new theatre at La Villa, la. He is a newcomer in the picture field. Faagorg & Kelger have sold the Lyric at Kimballtown, la., to Rasmussen & Huffman. Hal Kelley has sold the Opera House at Corning, la., to Stanley & Cecil. C. M. Peregerine has also sold the American of Corning to the same people. The Grand at Cedar Rapids, la., has passed into the hands of Millisack and Johnston. George F. Adams was the former owner. Mr. Keeler has sold the Legion at Gushing, la., to C. R. Sefif. C. S. Bovee has sold the Florence at Elkpoint, S. D., to H. Goldstein. C. Ehlers has sold the Liberty at Lowden, la., to Weise & Belter. John Michael has bought the Strand at Leon, la. Qerman Production Falls Off;