Universal Weekly (1923-26)

12 Universal Weekly November 14, 1925 Beauty Lontest Winners trrom oeven Ciiles Vartrta Carroll San Jrartrisco Blanche Wisher Omafav Oorotku QuUUrer SaZt'lJixe City NEW YORK BEAUTY IS SELECTED IN B1Q PAPER-THEATRE TIE-UP WHAT is considered the biggest newspaper-theatrepicture tie-ups ever made has just been arranged by the Universal Pictures Corporation, the Moss, Keith and Proctor interests and the New York Daily Miror, to exploit the final stages of the Laemmle-Mirror Beauty Contest. This contest is being conducted by C. E. Holah, director of Universal's cross-country mobile studio unit, the "See America First" caravan. The winner not only will be starred in a Universal two-reeler to be made in New York entitled "Peg of New York," but also will receive a six months' contract at Universal City. As a result of the gigantic theatre tie-up, the semifinals and finals in the beauty contests will be held on the stages of the various Keith theatres, winding up with the grand final, picking the winner on the stage of the New York Hippodrome, under dramatic and elaborately staged ceremonies. The Laemmle-Mirror Contest has been under way for several weeks. More than 50,000 New York girls have entered. The winner is to receive a six month's contract at $50 a week, expenses to Universal City, and a course in screen acting under the studio experts at the big Universal production plant. This contest is one of a series Universal is holding. In every big city visited by the "See America First" caravan on its way East from California, a similar newspaper tie-up contest was held. During the contests the studio caravan visited various theatres and helped the local exhibitors exploit their houses. The studio caravan is composed of a powerful Fageol tractor, built like a huge roadster, and a trailer car equipped like a railroad observation car. This trailer was used in "California Straight Ahead," and is fully equipped for transcontinental traveling. It is a mecca for great crowds wherever it stops, and its presence has assured blocked traffic in front of hundreds of theatres from Los Angeles to New York. Seven of the "See America First" contest winners are now at Universal City, being trained and getting actual experience in Universal Pictures. They include the winners from San Francisco, Salt Lake City, Omaha, Chicago, Milwaukee, Detroit and Toledo. As soon as "Peg of New York" is selected and the New York "See America First" two-reeler is completed she will join the group at Universal City. The New York tie-up was arranged by Holah for Universal, J. J. Murdock, general manager of the Keith-Albee interests, and Paul Lubben, contest editor for the New York Daily Mirror. Eighteen theatres will participate in the semi-final eliminations, in addition to the finals at the Hippodrome. These theatres are as follows: Keith's 81st Street Theatre, Keith's Fordham Theatre, Keith's Jefferson Theatre, Keith's Prospect Theatre, Brooklyn; Keith's Greenpoint Theatre, Brooklyn; Moss's Broadway Theatre, Moss's Regent Theatre, Moss's Franklin Theatre, Moss's Coliseum Theatre, Keith's Hamilton Theatre, Keith's Royal Theatre, Columbia Theatre, Far Rockaway; Orpheum Theatre, Brooklyn; Moss's Flatbush Theatre, Brooklyn; Keith's Riviera Theatre, Brooklyn; Proctor's Fifth Avenue Theatre, Proctor's 58th Street Theatre, and Proctor's 125th Street Theatre. The Keith-Albee committee for the contest elimination, headed by General Manager Murdock, and consisting of the following managers, Yvilliam Quaid of the Fifth Avenue Theatre, Charles McDonald of the Broadway, Clinton Lake of the Hippodrome, Leon Kelmer of the Prospect, C. C. Egan of the Fordham and Mr. Fotheringham of the Franklin, outlined the eliminations as follows: The thousands of entrants in the contest have been classified into the territories in which they live and each group has been notified to appear at the aforementioned theatre nearest their homes. The theatre manager assigns the girls to one of three clays of the elimination contests. These three days in all theatres are Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, Nov. 2, 3 and 4. Each of these days will see the selection of the most likely girl for that day. These selections will be made by the audience after the girls have been grouped on the stage and introduced and put through rehearsals for the camera. The stage for this try-out will be fitted as a moving picture studio in each theatre, with lights, camera, etc. Thus in each theatre, a Miss Monday, a Miss Tuesday, a Miss Wednesday Matinee and a Miss Wednesday will be selected. After each selection, comprehensive movie tests will be made on the stage, before the audience, of the winner. On Friday, at each theatre, the winner of the preliminary selection will be chosen. This girl will be known as Miss Fifth Avenue, Miss Fordham, or whatever theatre chooses her. The eighteen winners from the various theatres will participate in the finals to be held the following Monday, November 9th, on the big Hippodrome stage. They will have a dramatic entry, being brought in in the big "See America First" studio caravan, which will be run right onto the Hippodrom stage for this event. The finals at the Hippodrome will be noteworthy. Mark A. Luescher, director general for the contest try-outs is planning an elaborate program for this finale.