Variety (March 1917)

22 VARIETY ^S ^ al acrtTi COLUMBIA Pictures Corporation PrsMDlt \ Little VIOLA DANA IN "The Mortal Sin" A 5 Act METRO Wonderplay of crashing dramatic power, written , and directed by John Collins B :£^ Relmasmd an the Metro Program Mar. 12 :„^v^'- >••••!••■••••••»«», ••••••••••••••■* •■••••••••••••■• ••••••••■••••••* ■*••*••••• • J •••••■•• ••••••••■•••••••a •••••■•••••*•••••• • •■•••• c^•*••*■«• ••••••• •^m •••••••• •••••••4V*••••••«. >••■•.••••4«•••,»«, ••■•■••••••«••■••■«• • ••«••••• r^i •••••••■ ~ ••••••■•••••■••»•■ •••••«••••••«••■• *••••••••••••••■•• •••••••• •••••»•• •••••••••• ••••••••■• •■••••••••I •■•••**»>*«*«4a*< • ••••■••••••••• •• *•••••••• ■*••••••■•••••••••« ••••••■•■•••••••a MMMMiAMMiA**M**M '•-•-«»a*aa«»»( ^ PROVEN SEAT-SELLERS Past releases kave denoMlrated con- dusivefy the seat-seWiis power of Um bia DEPENDABMJE proflran of WorM PldMres BnNiy-Made. ?*• ■•> ••••••■•••■•••4aaai •aaa*aaB*»aa***«««t proof and set new sent iclMag UMk at tHis list of MARIE DRiESSLER b TilB* Wak.« Up." • AUCE BRADY IB TIm HuBflTT HMrt." GAIL KANE in "TIm R«i WwBaB." CARLYLE BLACKWELL, imam DTtdg*. Hmarj HuO mad MurM OdriclM in "A Sqvar* DmL" ROBERT WARWICK mad Jum Elvidf* ia "A Girr* FoBf * ETHEL CLAYTON and Rockclifr* F«ilowM is "TIm W«b of AUCE BRADY io 'OIm DuMv^a PcrO." CARLYLE BLACKWELU i«n* EMdlf*. Artbur AAimf mad Erttfn GtmUt ni *Tb«Sockl Lmpm." Study tiie Isttmake yoor conparisoos and detcnmne now to mn dwse ABSOLITTEL Y IMEP^DABIf SEAT-SCLUaiS In yoor tlwaires *^99w<mmwrfTrrrrvrrm tll ll l U l tlL ■■*■*•••••••••••■•«•« •■•••■•aaaaa«»««*a*a •••••••a*a«*a«»«aaaaa ••a«*aa***««aa«aaaaa, •••4*iaa»a«ftaaaaa»«a •••••••aaaa««a«a««««i •••••••• •■ ^ ■•■aa«aaaaaaa««aaa«« •■aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa ••aaaa«*aaa«aaaaa«aa ••■••••••••aaaaaaaa ••••••••aaaaaaiaaaaa »«»a»aaia* ••aaaaaaat •••••••aaa i*«>aaaaaaa««aaaaaa •aaa«aaaa««a«aaaa*4 i*aa*a»*a*aaaaa*«a* •••••••••••••aaaaava* i>aa«aaa*aaaa*«aa*«aa •••**a«aaaa*aa*aa>aaa ■aaaaaaaaaaaaaaawAaa ••■•aaaaaaaaaaaaa^aaa •aaaaavaaaaaaaaaaaaa aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa aaaaaa»«a««aaaaa**«.« •aaaa««aaaaaaaaa«a«a* •aaaaaa*aa«aaaa«»«aa aaaa laaaaaaaaaaaaaav-a aa^'aaaaavfaaaaaa***' ••••aa»aaa*aaaa*aa«aa ••••a«a«aaaaa««aa«aai aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa ••»aA*a*a*aaaaaaaa*ai •a«aaa*aaaaa«aaa«a««* ■aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaai • (aaaaaaaaaaeaaaaaaaa •aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaai •aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa*** aaa«*aaaaaaaa«»a«a*ai >*aa**aa«aa«aaa»aa«aa aaaaa«aaa«a»aataa««a< >aa«aaa»aaaaaaaaa*«aa •**a«aaaaaaaa*aafta*aa« • aaaa aaaaaaaaftsaaa •aaaaa«a>«aa< '••aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa aaaaaaa«*aa«aaaaaaaai ■*a*aaaaaaaaaa«aaaa»a aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaacaai laaaaaaaaaaaaaaaavaaa aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat >aaaaa«»aa«*aa*«»aaaa •aaaaaaaaa«aaa««aaaai laaaaaaaaaaavaaaaaaaa aaaa«aa«aaa«aaaa^«aa) >*a«a«a*a«»a*aaaa*aaa aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaai laaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa ••aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaai •aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa aaaaaaa*aa»aaaaaaaa«« aaaaaa*aa#aaaaaaaaa« *«aaaaa«a«aaaa*aaaafta •aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa a*aa*a*aaa«a*aaaa*aaa • •••aaaa* aaaaaaaaaaa ■•aaaaaaaaaaaaaaavaaa ••••aaaaa* aaaaaaaat •aa»aaaaaaaa««aa«aa a«aaaaaaa»aaaaa*«*a4 aaaaaaa*aaaaa»aaa«a • aaa aaaeaaaaaaaaaaai aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaatta aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaataai •aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaai ••••••aaaaaaaaaaaaa kaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa • •aaaaaa*a«aa«aa»« a »aaaa*aaaa«aaaaaaaai ••aaaaa^aaaaaaaaaaa laaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaai •aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa •••aaaaaaaaaa»aaaaaaa< aaaaaaaaaaaaeaaa»*a taaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaai ••aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa •••*•.».^ • a a • • a ^ . •aaaaaaa ••aaaaaa a ■ a a a a a I ••••■•aaaaaa««aa aaaaaaaaaaa* ft« a •aaaaaaaaaaaaaaa aaaaaaaaaa*a«*a ■ a a *« aaaaaaaaaaa ■•••aa«aaaaaaaa< •aaaaaaaa ••aaaaaaaaaaaaaa laaaaaaaaaaaaaaa •••aaaaaaaaaaaaa ■••aaaaa*a*aaaaa< aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa ■aaaaaaaaaaaaaa«< aaaaaaaaaaa aaaaa ■aaaaaaaa >aaaa»a»*aaaaa*aaaaaa.aaaaaa*a\ a a a a a a a a a a a a a - a - - -V **•'•»'••••••••• aaaaaa* aaaa* a a a a a ...... .A .V '.••••••••♦••aaaaa. aaa^aa^.^aa SERIOUS FlUi THEFTS. In spite of the fact that the New York detective force has worked ft- cessantly to apprehend the thieves, the theft of film from New York exchanc^es and delivery wagons keeps on unin- terrupted. In the last 10 davs the fol- lowing film was stolen and has not as yet been recovered: Merit Film Co., 4 features; Metro Film Co., 1 feature and 3 Sydney Drew comedies; World Film, 2 features; Kleine, 1 feature; Vitagraph, 1 feature; Bluebird, 2 features; Fatne, 1 feature; and numerous other reels and parts of features. The exchange managers have been at their wits' end to cope with the situa- tion and after a special meeting held on Saturday, at which every exchange in the city was represented, it was de- cided to take drastic measures to pro- tect their property. On Sunday a special delivery letter was sent to every exhibitor in Greater New York setting forth the fact that the exhibitor would be held responsi- ble for any further loss if the film was stolen after it had left the exchange and requesting their co-operation by having them snip their film by an offi- cial carrier appointed by the exchanges who were in receipt of a bond guaran- teeing the loss of film while in transit The exchanges also had their sales- men follow up the letters by a per- sonal canvass and invariably it was found the exhibitor welcomed the op- portunity to be relieved of the liability of the film. A lost feature not only means the intrinsic value of the film, but also the loss of hundreds of dollars of book- ing, and it was this that brought such concerted action by the managers, who think there is an organized traffic of stolen film bcfween ttiijriifd'fht^ S'J\Kh American countries, New York City being the receiving point of film stolen all over the country. Here the titles are changed or replaced with Spanish ones and then transshipped. Cnicago and other western cities are suffering from the losses of stolen film also and relief is being recjuested by these branch offices from their home offices. DAMAGE SUIT AGAINST OCHS. Chicago, Feb. 28. There is friction in the lodkl ranks of picture exhibitors, and so hot has it become that Louis H. Prank, one of the best-known film men in the WincW Citv, went to the Circuit Conrt last Saturday and filed a damage suit against Lee A. Ochs, of New York| president of the Motion Picture Ex- hibitors' League of America, and Wil- liam J. Sweeney, of Chicago^ also an official of the League, charging them with conspiring against him (Frank) by circulating alleged rumors his res- ignation had been requested as head of the League's Exposition here. Frank asks the Court to restrain the defendants from further embarrassing his activities with the League. Frank's action is only another al- legation that Ochs is going to certain lengths to further his own interests, and, according to local sentiment, place himself in almost absolute con- trol of the Exposition's official work- ings. Frank last year worked like the proverbial beaver to make the Expo- sition a huge financial success, ana if Ochs' efforts to have him ousted are successful, then a further upheaval in the ranks of the Illinois exhibitors is expected to hit the horizon. C Ka YOUNG'S UNaE INVESTSa New Orleans, Feb. 28. J. A. Cressey, an uncle of Gara Kim- ball Young, has purchased from Wil- liam Oldnow, the Atlanta film man, the corporation known as Attractions de Luxe, which controlled the Selznick productions for eleven southern states. Crcssv-y has also- arran^^d to use the old Biograph studios, to make comedies for a company which he and Selznick are forming. Edward Kimball, father of Clara Kimball Young, will direct the comedies. Cressey's headquartCKS were formerly in Dallas.