The Film Renter and Moving Picture News (Mar-Apr 1923)

THE FILM RENTER & MOVING PICTURE NEWS. March 3, 1923. Gleanings from ‘the 1 West. Collections at Trade Shows—Bristol Against Admission of the _ Public—Boosting ‘‘Oliver Twist'"—Gaumont. Busy— Palace Shows—Bristol C. E.A’s. Special. Meeting. ae HE whole question of trade shows was very fully discussed TT at the last meeting of the Bristol and West of England Branch of the C.E.A. Geo. Rees, the chairman, thought that the idea mooted by one of the trade papers a little while ‘ ago, that members of the public who had no connection with the industry who were present at trade shows should be asked to contribute not less than one penny to a collection, was a good one, and he suggested that they should approach the branches, asking them to make this a condition of the admission of the public. Ultimately the meeting decided that the secretary should write to the various branches and get their opinion on the matteb; and if favourable the scheme should be started. The discussion arose out of a resolution passed at a recent meeting to ask renters holding trade shows to take up a collection on behalf of the Branch Benevolent Fund, a practice which was in vogue in Bristol for some years until some of " the renters objected to it. Should the Public be Admitted? It was inevitable that the discussion should lead to the question as to whether the public should be admitted at all to trade shows, especially in view of the fact that a resolution passed by the Bristol Branch protesting against admission of the | public had been considered by the General Council at its last meeting. S. H. Justin, the branch delegate, informed the meeting that the General Council thought it was a matter which ‘should be dealt with locally, and it was Icft to the members of ‘the branch to take whatever action they pleased. This resulted in a resolution being passed to the effect that the public should mot be admitted to trade shows, and that exhibitors should vefrain from attending shows to which the public were invited, Front Pathé to European. C. P. Grizzelle, who has been representing Pathé in this A SERIES OF THRILLS FROM THE STOLL STUDIOS. HI sinister figure of Dr. Fu-Manchu broods over the Stoll studio at Cricklewood, for A. E. Coleby has now started work upon the Stoll series of fifteen two-reel stories of this mandarin’s menacing ways as recorded in book form by Sax Rohmer, and all sorts of uncanny things are happen ing in various ‘‘ scts’’ upon the studio floor. Work commenced with a gigantic set representing the Imperial Palace at Pekin, and proceeded thence to the rooms of Dr. Petrie in London, where Nayland Smith, the formidable Secret Service man, calls on his friend and draws his attention to-a terrifying hand that suddenly appears between the curtains of one of the windows. Fred Paul is playing the part of Nayland Smith, J. Agar Lyons fills that of the inscrutable Fu-Manchu, By our Bristol Correspondent. territory for the last two years, has joined European, and will in future work the West of England ground from Cardiff. Gaumont. Busy. Gaumont’s Bristol Bessh: is, in various ways, having @ very’ busy time just now. E. J. Jennings, who has this week shown Twenty Years After "* at Plymouth and Bristol, has fixed up a ‘ Realart ’? week, which will start on Sunday, March 11. All the shows will be held at the Queen’s, but the films will also be screened during the week at Gaumont’s private theatre. Mr. Jennings informs me that his company has prepared a short advertising film of ‘‘ The Gipsy Cavalier,’’ which will be avail able for exhibitors who have booked that picture for showing — about a week before the exhibition date of the film itself. Palace Shows. On Friday, March 9, Paragon Films will told a show at the Palace, Bristol, the first show which has been held there for some time, but Mr. Blackburn tells me that he is reviving trade shows at this house, and hopes to have quite a number in the near future. C.E.A.’s Special Meeting. 3 aan On Tuesday rext the Bristol] smd West of England Branch of the C.E.A. will hold a special meeting at the Chamber of Commerce, when members will consider the clauses of the new eontract—the ‘‘ Fair ’’ Contract—and the matter of film clearing houses. On the latter question local exhibitors are sharply divided; while some are in favour of the scheme, others are bitterly opposed to it, and at the last meeting there was a long discussion, which resulted in; the decision to hold a special meeting and to ask Mr. Booth, the general manager, to attend in person, or send a representative, to explain in detail the advantages of the scheme. and Humbertson Wright figures as Dr. Petrie, the chronicler of the remarkable incidents which make up the thrilling series. On another floor of the studio a portion of a street has been built for the enactment of tense drama. In the ordinary way Mr. Coleby would have used actual buildings in an actual thoroughfare, but this particular set had to be built in the studio, for the simple reason that after a number of incidents have been filmed the whole structure is to be transported to a convenient field and there burned to the ground. ‘¢¢ Bu-Manchu’ is an utterly different proposition from ‘ The Prodigal Son,’ ’’ says A. I. Coleby, ‘and it’s rather an abrupt change from producing a 17-ree] picture to turn to two-reel stories in a series; but I rather fancy I’m going to enjoy myself all the same. My trouble is that I’m dealing so much with hairraising incidents in the daytime that I’m getting the creeps even in my sleep.’’