The Moving picture world (November 1926-December 1926)

212 MOVING PICTURE WORLD November 27, 1926 Who's Who and Why On the Coast Newman Is Observer of Public Needs Frank L. Newman, managing director for Puuiix's two Los Angeles houses, The Metropohtan and the Milhon Dollar, looks like good feature material for Moving Picture World. A brief cl\at with Newman this week reveals that he made the big Metropolitan pay for the first time in his history, and thai this new era commencing in the hottest months, has developed into the Metropolitan netting bigger receipts every week. Newman knows how to approach a newspaper and to them he modestly attributes most of his success. Despite the fact that this is the production center, Newman figures that the fans here are the same as in any other city of this size. He arranges his programs accordingly and puts himself on the record as being a showman guided by a public demand rather than his own instincts. The Metropolitan has the largest seating capacity here and is the Hippodrome of the West Coast Marcus Loew is Familiar by Now SINCE Marcus Loew has arrived in Hollywood local newspapers have published his photograph several times. The first appearance was when Loew stepped off the train, a few days before this writing, and failed to identify one youthful and especially enthusiastic member of the welcoming throng. Jackie Coogan's haircut came in for another shower of publicity because it was said that Loew failed to recognize him because of the missing blond locks. A few days later Loew is described as having been barred from one of his own sets in the MetroGoldwyn Mayer studios where John Gilbert and Renee Adoree were working. Loew is said to have been about to enter this set when Gilbert is credited with having exclaimed for the benefit of several nearby onlookers "I can't work with visitors on the set." A ction — Camera! Fox To See 20 Pictures On His Lots Local Fox studio executives are already planning a big reception for William Fo.x who is scheduled to arrive out here earl)' in January. Although fourteen companies will be working on Fox lots by next week, we are informed that Fox production will be at its height when the big chieftain steps off the train at Los Angeles. At that time it is said that Mr. Fox will personally have the opportunity of witnessing no less than twenty of his productions in the making. Michael Curtez, noted European director, making "The Third Degree" for Warner Bros., is overshadowed. Laemmle Promoted Ernest Laemmle has been elevated at Universal City from a director of five-reel westerns to a megaphoner of Jewel features. Children See Paintings School children arc permitted to visit the Carthay Circle Theatre and study eleven paintings, depicting early California history, which hang on the walls of the mezzanine floor. The paintings are the work of two noted artists, inspired by photographs and data furnished by the California library. Hollywood Replies To Great Britain (Continued from page 212) ca any good picture from any country." Schenck Knows Europe Schenck said that he had made an unusual study of the continental picture situation. He made known that he had not confined his observations to large European cities but had studied the film situation in the provinces, talked to people of all classes and obtained the viewpoints of many newspaper men. From this investigation, which, he said, continued for a period of months Schenck maintained that the English public as a whole are lovers of American pictures, and that English people who "knock" American films are not fullfledged picture fans. "Some of the so-called jntelUgentsia of Great Britain slam our bad pictures but they do not mention our good ones. While Mr. Fredman is in Hollywood I want him to see everything so that he will be able to convey to the English people the true situation in America's producing center." It would be better for relations between the industry in England and America if the number of pictures shown on British screens today totaled 75 per cent, instead of 95 per cent., Mr. Fredman told his audience. "You cannot blame a country from wanting to be represented on its own screens. We have in England only 3500 screens that we can book a picture to." This condition, Fredman said, makes it practically impossible for England to produce a picture of the production costliness of "Ben Hur" when the distribution is so limited. With such a condition, Fredman said, an English producer making a picture costing $200,000 could not hope to get back all of the money in his investment on British screens. This point is not considered when an English picture reaches distributors in New York, Fredman said. "Such a picture is compared to one of the type of "Ben Hur" and of course there is no comparison. Of course we do not intend there should be any comparison." As the result, Fredman said British producers are realizing practically no return on pictures sent to America. Must Have Realism Another point which does not help the English-American situation was described by Fredman as "American product on British screens travesting English home life." Fredman blamed this condition on American producers begrudging an appropriation of $5,000 or more so that an American director could go to England and personally study English customs before he commenced work in America on an English story. That American pictures made by independent producers are very often far more accurate in their portrayal erf English life than some of the features made by some of the biggest American producers, was another observation recalled by Fredman. He said that he believed this condition was necessitated by some independent producers realizing most of their revenue through foreign distribution. Among those present and represented were : E. W. Fredman, Louis B. Mayer, Carl Laemmle, J. Boyce Smith, Joseph M. Schenck, P. A. Powers, M. C. Levee, L E. Chadwick, John Lowell Russell, Harry Revier, Louis T. Rogers, Erich Pommer, .•\rthur Beck, Harry Cohn, Julius Bernheim, Larry Scmon, John Gorman, Lawrence P. Brown, Major L. S. Ramsdell, Romaine Fielding, Fred W. Fox, Welford Beaton, J. Allen Frankel, Tom Waller, Irving Thalberg, Harry Rapf, Maurice Barber, James Young, Charles Ray, Hunt Strombcrg, George M. Arthur, Jack Nelson, Sol Wurtzel, Samuel Goldwyn, Harry Burns, Ray Murray, John E. McCormick, Tom Miranda, Gardner James, Ernest Van Pelt, R. H. Gillespie, B. P. Fineman, Benjamin Goetz, Herbert J. Yates, Jack Townley, and Mr. DeCarr. Fox — Loew — Newman — And Facts About The m