The Moving picture world (January 1926-February 1926)

MOVING PICTURE WORLD ^iiiiii:iiiiuiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiuiiiiiiliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!iiiiiiiiiiiiuiiiiii!ii:iiiiiiii!iiii f I Lubitsch 111 \ I Warner Bros, were re i S lieved to learn this week j I that Ernst Lubitsch is on | i the road to recovery from | i what had threatened to be | g a se.-ious illness. g I The director was strxk | 1 en last week with an acuta | I afiack of kiclnsy trouble and | I for a day or two it lookid | i as though a Ecr:ou3 opera | I tion would be necessary. | I Fortunately Mr. Lubitsch | I took a turn for the bette. | 1 just as the surgeons had g I decided to use the knife. | I Reports state thai the | 1 director, although still coa f I fined to his Beverly Hills f i home, is past all danger | i unless complications set in. g iiiiiiiiiiiiii;iiiiiiiiiiiiuiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii«i>iii>iii>>">iiiiii!>'i>iii>i'iB:i^ Friedman Promoted Joseph Friedman, for several years manager of Universal s Detroit excliange and a veteran executive in tlie Universal sales forces, has joined the Universal home olflcc staft as the new contact executive, a position created in that organization by Arthur Kane. Kane resigned some time ago to enter the production lield. Friedman s new activities will be concerned with the maintenance of liaison between the studios at Universal City and the Universal sales force. Lease the Delmonte Jack Weil, independent picture distributor, and Ray Miller, who formerly operated the Grand Theatre, Mexico, Mo., have leased the Delmonte Theatre. St. Louis, from Fred L.. Cornwell. It will become a vaudeville and picture house. Miller will have active charge. Wellston Changes The Wellston Theatre on Baston avenue in Wellston, Mo., on January 16 will be taken over by the Laventhal circuit under a ten-year lease. Fred Robinson, former owner, will be paid an annual rental of $12,500 for this 1,200-seat house. MOVING PICTURE WORLD EDITOR • WILLIAM J. REILLY V hlffihed w yklv hy CH ALTERS PUBLISHING COMPANY. 5r6 Fifth Avenue. New Yo-k. N. Y. Telephone: Murray H II I6I3-I-2-3. Membe Audit Bureau of C reulatlcns. .) hn r. Ctialnicrs. i r sldenl ; .laiiirg P. Chalmers. f?r.. vice prf sld n-l A >fred .1. Chalmers, vlce-presitJent . E.iza J. < "halniers. Becretary avA t" asjre. , and Ervln L. Hall, bus'ncss manager. Manitgins EUtor — John A. A'ch^-: A't-—. t'^^iii^ Min^EPr — Franh Saunde.s; Circuliitlcn Manager — Dennis J. Shea. B.amh CMcoj: Jo^e. h Esler. 5434 ClcnwwKl Arenuc, i h'caKo: W. E. Kecfe, 610! Buniiet Blvd.. Hollywood Cal. SubscrliHi. n rrxt: United States and its posirsilon^. Moxic) and Cula. $:i.00 a ye r: Cajiada, $3.50; f-oreign co ntrles. (pr.straldt. $10 00 a year. Coi-yngh', I '2>. Cha'mers l'.'hli«hln',' Co. Coi'yright throughout (J eat Br'tain and Colonies, und r ti e pr ^1^1 ns f the Copyright Act of lyU. (All rights reserveil.) O.'ur pub'(c:'tlo'S: C:ne-Munf:5a'. Piinllshed in Span'.sh end circulating In all Spanish p-^aUlng countries of ttie woild. technical Bookb. 6 Chinese Favor More American Film Theatres Representative Is Here to Stir Interest Molion pictures are having such an influence for good in China that the Chinese Government has sent a representative .0 the United States to encourage the building of more theatres in China by Americans and fjr the wider distribution of .American films to the population of 400,000,000. China's representative is Sum N'ling Au-Young of I'eking, formerly a student at Columbia University and now Commissioner of Social and Economic Research in America and Europe for the Chinese Government. I Mr. Au-Young is conferrincr with the Motion Picture Prolucers and Distributors of .\ni3rica, of whic'i Will H Hays is president, and with various motion picture distributors. Before coming to New York he spent several weeks conferring with producers in Hollywood. "China wants American pictures," said Mr. Au-Young. "At present there are less than eighty theatres in all of China and these arc heavily patronized. T. 0. C. C. Dance On February 12 The TheatM Owners Chamber of Commerce of New York City announces its annual dinner and dance on Lincoln's Birthday, February 12. This function will be the sixth of its kind and the Hotel Astor has again been selected. The T. O. C. C. is desirous of obtaining a new clubhouse and therefore every effort is being made to make the function an unprecedented financial success. In former years only the Gold Room of the Hotel Astor was utilized, but this year's plans are so extensive that the entire chain of ball and banquet rooms have been acquired. Vincent Lopez and his celebrated Casa Lo.jez Orchestra, augmented for the occasion, will furnish the dance music. With Lcpjz will be his famous dance team, Addison Fowler and Florence Tama ra. The Ball CommittPe is headed by L»e A. Ochs. With him are S. I. Herman. Hy Gainsboro, J. Louis Geller. J. Arthur Hirsch, Joe Hornstein, Charles Moses, J. L. Ryan and M. D. Schwartz. A Zealous Worker When Mrs. F. E. Brooks, the Evanston. 111., movie censor, fnished with censoring the film "Powder and Paint." there was rttl; left besides the captions, so the minagement of the Campus Theatre decided not to show the remnants of the picture and refunded the money to patrons. pillllllllllllllllllllllllllllllUIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII^ I Today^s Need | I On Board S.S. | i Majestic, Jai^ 10, 1 1 Special Radio Dispatch to 1 1 Moving Picture World. B a What the American ex 1 g hibitor needs todiay is a i 1 greater variety of pic 1 g tures. Any movement to 1 I accomplish this should re | i ccive their whole-hearted m 1 support. g I J. D. WILLIAMS. I I I r.iiiiiiiiiiiii;i:iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii;iiiiiiiiiiiiii:iiiiiiiiiiii:iiiii:iiiiii{!i:iiiiiuiii^ Scores Commend Lalta on Stand (Special Dispatch In Movr.fC riCTiBE Wo»Ln> Des Moines, Jan. 12. The story of C. J. Latta. exhibitor at Shenandoah. la., who advertised that he had a poor picture one week and did not ■want the public to spend Its money for the show, has not yet quit going the rounds. It has been the subject of newspaper and magazine articles and editorial comment all over the country, and the subject for many after dinner talks. Even speakers before Ad Clubs have held the Latta case up as a remarkable case of frankness In advertising. Mr. Latta is staring a file in which to keep the letters that are pouring in from all over the country. The superintendent of the St. Joseph, Mo., Humane Society has written him that the fathers and mothers of the community will surely support him. H. B. Rice, amusement inspector of San Antonio, Tex., commended him and asked to be told which film rt was that he thus advertised. Charles Moning. manager of the Colonial Amusement Co., Plymouth, Mass., wrote that he had long employed a similar policy in his own theatre, and he congratulated Mr. Latta for his stand. A man from Bangor, Maine, wrote that honesty pays in the long run. Jazzbo Club to Jazz At Astor on March 26 The first annual ball of the Jazzbo Club, the social organization of Producers Distributing Corporation, will be held on March 26 at the Hotel Astor, New York. Plans are being made to make this affair one of the most noteworthy events in the social activities of motion picture circles. An elaborate supper will be served at midnight. M. P. T. O. A. Meeting The Administrative Committee of the Motion Picture Theatre Owners of Am«rica will meet at national headquarters at 74.". Seventh avenue on January 26 and 27. The first session will be called sharply at 2 p. m. The meetings are of special importance. Seider May Call Conference on First National He Professes to See Its Members in Danger The M. P. T. O. A. will call a conference of First National franchise holders, large and small, announced Joseph M. Seider, business manager, at a meeting of Western Pennsylvania theatre owners at the Hotel William Penn, Pittsburgh, on January 6. He said: "I am addressing myself to the First National franchise holders. Is there any danger of your being disfranchised? Do some of you believe it will be necessarv lo engage counsel to go into the affairs of your company? If there is anything to be done and If there is anything that can be done, you will find a haven in the Motion Picture Theatre Owners of America." He indicated that the call for a conference will be sent through the next issue of the Official Bulletin. First National officials had no comment to make. Wisconsin Sliowmen Bar Medicine Show Theatre owners of Whitewater. Wis., waged a successful fight against a medicine show which had planned to invade the town and whicli advertised stage attractions and motion pictures each night during the week in the National Guard Armory. K. G. Uglow. of the Strand Theatre, heading the fight, appealed to the M. P. T. O. of Wisconsrn with headquarters In Milwaukee, and Henry Staab, executive secretary, took the matter up with National Guard officials at Madison. The medicine -show contract was canceled by the National Guard office at Madison and the theatre owners continued to present their regular programs without worry of invasion. Williams Arrives J. D. Williams has announced to the British press that "Nell Gwyn," the first release of Brlti.«h National Pictures, will open the new Plaza Theatre in Lower Regent street, London, during February. He has just arrived in New York to arrange for distribution in this country. Slight Fire Damages Fire recently broke out in the engine room of I»ark Hall Theatre, Oakley, Ohio, before the theatre opened for the day. The damage was slight. OBITUARY John G. Sheehy, one-time manager of the Grand Opera House in St. Louis, died at the Melbourne Hotel. St. Louis, on January 5, following a week's Illness with pneumonia. He had been manager of the Greenwich Village Follies. He started his theaCrical career as an usher for the old Havlin's Theatre In St. Louis In 1$8$.