Moving Picture World (Sep 1916)

1870 THE MOVING PICTURE WORLD September 16, 1916 Coasts' Cool Summer Makes Good Business California Exchangemen Say That Business Has Flourished This Summer and Is Now Above the Average. By T. A. Church, 1507 North Street, Berkeley, California. SAN FRANCISCO, Cal — Leading film exchange men of this city advise that business during the summer now coming to a close has been the best in many years. Country trade has held up especially well and fewer houses in the interior valleys have closed than is usually the case. The cool summer that has been experienced is given as one reason for the very satisfactory conditions that have been prevailing, and another is that modern houses have supplanted many of the old-time store theaters, and that these have been equipped with cooling and ventilating systems, making them superior even to airdomes. Last year everyone who could get away made a visit to the Exposition at San Francisco during the summer, and this year most of them are remaining at home, the ideal weather that has prevailed throughout the state having rendered trips to the cool coast cities unnecessary. The few theaters that did close for the summer are commencing to reopen again, and within a few weeks all will be in operation. Locally business is above the average for this season of the year, despite labor troubles in many lines. It is well above that of last year, and the satisfactory condition of affairs is reflected in the number of new houses being opened and the changes being made in others. Work is under way on three fine theaters in the downtown district, and several in the residence sections will be opened at an early date. New Exchange for Film Row. San Francisco, Cal. — The Western B'eature Film Company has opened offices at Leavenworth street and Golden Gate avenue and plans to sell and rent films and handle theater supplies of all kinds. D. S. Markowitz, for a few weeks manager of the local office of the General Film Company, Inc., is associated with this concern, which already has a large stock of films at its command. Coast Managers of General Meet. San Francisco, Cal. — The managers of the Pacific coast branches of the General Film Company, Inc., met a short time ago at the fine new headquarters of this concern on Golden Gate avenue and conferred with Fred Aiken, who has charge of the territory west of Chicago. Those present were H. H. Hicks, who is once again manager of the local office; W. H. Cree, manager of the Los Angeles branch; A. L. Todd, of the Portland office, and Frank L. Hudson, manager of the Seattle branch. From here Mr. Aiken will go to Los Angeles and will then return and look over the Northwest. Former Exhibitor Sells Theaters. San Francisco, Cal. — Fred Frisk, formerly well known as an exhibitor both here and in the Northwest, is now at the head of the United Theater Exchange, Pacific building, and has handled & number of important transfers of late. His experience as an exhibitor, and the fact that he is enabled to assist purchasers in getting started in the business, has assisted materially in building up the trade the firm enjoys. Among the recent sales made through the medium of this office has been the transfer of the Napa house of David Solarl to A. Fischer of San Francisco, who plans to make a number of improvements; the sale of the Empire theater at San Jose to C. F. Morse, who purchased it from G. G. McLachlnn; the transfer of the Regent theater on Fillmore street, San Francisco, from J. V. Hughes to Leroy Blanchard and L. P. Salbach, and the sale of the Fairyland theater on Devisadero street, San Francisco, to A. O. Smith, formerly of Seattle, Wash. International's Big Business. San Francisco, Cal. — The International Film Service, Inc., is meeting with greac success with its new serial, "Beatrice Fairfax," more than sixty bookings having been made in this territory, and the first week's run at the Rialto has not been concluded. Manager H. L. Knappen Id delighted. The arrival of assistant manager J. K. Burger on the Pacific coast is expected at an early date. Gets Clara Kimball Young Pictures. San Francisco, Cal. — Sol L Lesser, ot the All Star Feature Distributors, Inc., has returned from a hurried business trip to New York, bringing back with him the California rights to the Clara Kimball Young productions. A heavy business is expected on these as soon as bookings commence, as exhibitors have filed many inquiries as to where the productions could be had. E. Auger Visits Coast. San Francisco, Cal. — E. Auger, a special representative of the Mutual Film, Corporation, spent several days here recently looking over the local exchange. He has since left for Los Angeles for a brief stay. Bluebird Bulletin Out. San Francisco, Cal. — A neat house organ known as the Bluebird Bulletin is being issued from the local Bluebird office by manager Charles I. Luntz and is now eagerly looked forward to by many California exhibitors. It lists all past Bluebird releases, tells the story of the current production, and gives advance information regarding coming attractions. Mr. Luntz has succeeded in booking several productions at Idora Park, Oakland, since the policy of showing feature attractions was inaugurated there, and has had a flood of applications for booking's as a result of the national advertising campaign in the Saturday Evening Post, combined with other Bluebird publicity. Cohen Now with Charles Klopot. San Francisco, Cal. — I. N. Cohen, well known in local film exchange circles, is now with Charles Klopot, who conducts the California Comedy & Feature Film Company, 120 Golden Gate avenue. He will have charge of this office when Mr. Klopot goes to Texas shortly to open a branch exchange. George Metcalfe on Two Months' Trip. San Francisco, Cal. — George Metcalfe, head of the supply house bearing his name left recently for Seattle, where a branch is maintained, and from there will make a series of trips through the entire Pacific Northwest to meet dealers and exhibitors. He will be gone for at least two months and during his absence the San Francisco office will be in charge of W. L. Stern. Back From Long South American Trip S. Blumenthal Tells of Opportunities to S Chaplin in Spanish San Francisco, Cal. — S. Blumenthal, who is known in film exchange circles throughout this country and South America, was here recently making arrangements to handle the stocks of films of local independent exchanges in the new film exchange to be opened by himself and two brothers, G. Blumenthal and E. Blumenthal, at El Paso, Tex., early in September. Quarters have been secured in the Trust building and business will be carried on under the name of the Peerless Feature Film Exchange, with a ytock valued at about $40,000. From here it is planned to serve the states of Texas, New Mexico and Arizona, and a specialty will be made of feature attractions. Arrangements have been made to handle among other lines the films of the Peerless Film Service, Inc., of this city, of which E. H Emmick is manager, and those of the Morgan Film Company of Seattle, Wash. Mr. Blumenthal returned recently from a business trip' of nine months throug'li the countries of South America, from the Isthmus of Panama to the Argentine Republic, with a stock of American-made films and has a fund of information in regard to the wants of exhibitors there. He declares that the mistake made by exporters in this country is in not making a more careful study of the market before sending films. Many films are taken into the South American countries with tlie titles in English, he says, and these are about as useful there as films with Spanish titles would be in this country. Spanish is the language spoken there, and the patrons of moving picture houses prefer films with Spanish actors. However, American films are coming to the front, through their superior quality, particularly in the large cities of South America, and it is believed that in time the Southern republics would prove a splendid outlet for the plants of this country. Mr. Blumenthal found that Charlie Chaplin was becoming popular with theatergoers there and that the small boys of the Spanish-speaking countries were commencing Canal — Charlie ell Film South of the Speaking Cities. to imitate his famous walk. He advises all who may be planning to take films to South America to secure Spanish titles for their productions, to secure posters in Spanish and to be prepared to pay high rates of duty on both film and advertising matter. Singelow Visits San Francisco. San Francisco, Cal. — A. Singelow, manager of the Morgan Film Company of Seattle, was a visitor here this week on business for his firm. In addition to being a well versed film exchange man, Mr. Singelow enjoys a wide reputation as a camera man, having taken many pictures for Pathe. Pantages Books "Yellow Menace." San Francisco, Cal. — So well pleased has the management of Pantages theater been with serial film productions as a drawing card for its circuit of vaudeville houses that it has booked "The Yellow Menace" to succeed "The Iron Claw." In view ot the manner in which the Asiatic question has been pushed to the front on the Pacific coast, and the popular feeling on this subject, it is believed that the production will meet with great favor. Manager Robert Drady of the local house is enthusiastic over the merits of serial films as an attraction for vaudeville houses, expressing the opinion that when properly selected they have a splendid drawing power, and the splendid business enjoyed by this house during the past year serves to bear out his convictions. San Francisco Briefs. The Poppy theater on Valencia street, which has been conducted as a 5-cent house, has gone to 10 cents, and has instituted World Film service. Max Graff is now manager of the local office of the United Film service. The Sunset theater is to reopen shortly