The Film Renter and Moving Picture News (Jan-Feb 1923)

:20 , THE FILM RENTER & MOVING PICTURE NEWS. February 24, 1923. YORKSHIRE CINEMA EXCHANGE. Premises to be Redecorated and made still More Sociable. HE Yorkshire Cinema Trade Exchange, probably the finest establishment of its kind in the country, is to be redecorated and otherwise made still more attractive. At the Annual Meeting of the Exchange last week Mr. G. F. Lund, the chairman, announced that during the last few weeks the committee had decided to spend a large sum of money in the redecoration of the club premises, and he believed when the work was completed the club would be very comfortable. Probably those who had not yet paid their subscription would be queueing up to do so when they saw the improvement in the club’s appearance! Coming Social Program. Mr. Lund mentioned that during the year there had been 60 new members, while the names of 37 had been erased from the books, making a net increase in membership of 23—449 as against 426. The club, he said, lacked an evening membership. Some evenings the takings at the bar had fallen as iow as 2s., and on an average were not more than 10s. The committee were hopeful, however, of arranging a number of social evenings at the club in the way of whist drives, dances, etc., and, personally, he thought the time had come when they. should appoint a good Recreation Committee and let them get to work at once. Indeed, the committee of the club had already decided on such a step, and he hoped béfore long that an attractive syllabus of social events would be before the members. 7 4 (Continued from page 17.) market immediately a two-reel series of Jack London stories. They would remember that Jack London’s Fish Patrol yarns were the biggest sellers we had in this country. Over 20 million ‘* Jack London’s ’? had beeu sold on this side. The new series were voted in America the biggest two-ree] bets in the program. Synchronising with the release of these they would Jaunch a new type of two-reeler—the Lumber-Jack stories, in which Roy Stewart was starred. They were a combination of interest, scenic, and ‘‘ punch " stories with their own special allure, and would set the pace in the new type of two-rcelers. ; The one-reel comedies have such popular’ stars as ‘Neely Edwards and Roy Attwell in the leading réles. In ‘‘ The New Leather Pushers ’’ Reginald Denny could not complain of want of recognition by his own countrymen. In many cases exhibitors were paying feature prices to secure them. : As for the Jewel productions, they were now in @ posiuon to guarantee one a month. “‘ The Flirt’ and ‘‘ That Lass o’ Lowrie’ s" had already been mentioned. These would be followed up by ‘* Driven,’’ a Chas. Brabin production, which had won high praise on the other side; Reginald Denny in ‘another Hobart “Henley production, ‘‘ The Abysmal Brute’’; ‘* Bavu,” an all-star production by Stuart Paton, based on the play; ‘ Drifting,”? a Tod Browning production featuring Priscilla Dean; ‘' Jewel,’’ by that artistic woman producer, Lois’ Weber; “‘ White Tiger * and another Hodgson. Burnett story, “A Lady Death of ‘‘ Grousing Committee."’ The Chairman said he considered the club had really had a very successful year, and he thought it was true to say that the club was to-day more appreciated than it had ever been, and that a better spirit prevailed among the members than formerly was-the case, He believed that ‘‘ the Grousing Committee ” was beginning to die of inanition. (Laughter.) They were not anticipating quite so successful a year as they had had. Trade was passing through very serious depression, and it was undoubtedly the fact that members had not so much money to dispose of. In these circumstances it was up to them all to be increasingly loyal to the club to help it weather the storm, Moaning at the Bar. Herd Oates presented a balance sheet of the Wine C acannittee, which showed that at October 81 last, the end of the financial year, there was cash in the bank amounting to £264 and stock in hand valued at £282, and that there was due to the Exchange Company for the loan of the premises £423. The takings at the bar showed a decrease as compared with the previous year of £450. The balance sheet was adopted. The committee were elected as follows: Messrs. Herd Oates,: S. White, J. cinughton,. £ Greenfield (Scala), Burke, J. Smitlr,: and G. F. Lund. of Quality,’’ in both of which Priscilla Dean will star; and a stirring vehicle for Virginia Valli entitled *‘ Up the Ladder." The new. Stroheim super, '‘ Merry-Go-Round,"’ would be on the. colossal scale. we expected from this producer, and as for Victor. Hugo’s.-masterpiece, ‘‘ The Hunchback of Notre Dame," he believed that would even excel in magnitude any of their previous Jewels. Prizes for Top Sales. Amongst those present at the Universal (ouference were F. H. Leedam (Birmingham), H. Possener (Cardiff), R. W. McGillivray (Glasgow), B. Dade (Leeds), H. V. Wallingford (liverpool), A. Cowan (Manchester), and S. R. Child (Newcastle). At the conclusion of the Conference the manuyiny direetor presented Mr. A. Cowan, manager of the Manchest r Branch, with a handsome dressing-case for reachiny the top position in” the week's contest for the biggest turnover of Universal contracts. A special consolation ‘prize wis handed to Mr. J. Hagen for the record amount of business he had secured on the current: week. It was announced that Mr. Hagen had now been promoted to the post of London manager. The Conference was followed by a dinner at the Piccadilly Hotel, and amongst the heartiest of the toasts drunk were ‘Prosperity to Universal,” coupled with the name of the managing di \etor of the European, Mr. Edwin J. Smith.