Variety (September 1918)

STATE EXHIBITORS AT AUANT PIAN BIG “DRIVE ” CAMPAIGN New York Picture Theatre Men Get Together and Unanim- ously Pledge Undivided Support to Present *Xiberty Bond Drive”—Urge Suffrage G>-operation— ^ Discuss Sunday Question. Albany, N. Sept 25. A conference of the picture theatre owners of the State of New York, rep- resenting some 1,600 screens, will open at the Ten Eyck Hotel tomorrow. According to advance plans a reso- lution will be offered endorsing the Fourth Liberty Loan and lines laid down in which an intensive campaign of bond selling will be waged through- out the motion picture theatres of the , state. President Sydney S. Cohen is ex- pected to appoint 51^ representatives, one_ in each senatorial district com-^ prising the state, in order that proper statistics may be compiled of what the theatre owners have accomplished in the selling of Liberty Bonds. A repre- sentative will be designated in each of the three assembly districtj^ comprising each senatorial district of the state. The question of Sunday opening will be presented. It is the general belief that the elEcient work of the ex- hibitors in support of Gevernifient propaganda will do much to clarify the Sunday opening situation in this state. The loss of revenue to the Gov- ernment due to certain sections of the state keeping theatres closed will be forcibly presented by President Cohen, who believes that all political candi- dates are showing a tendency to remedy these conditions and to give people in every municipality what those people decide they want, A resolution stating that a large percentage^ of the patrons of picture theatres being women. President Cohen • be urged to hold conferences with the leaders of the Women’s Suffrage Party of t|}e state to effect a closer coopera- tion for their mutual benefit. A letter from the New York State Women's’^ Suffrage Party will be read, requesting exhibitors to show slides in theyr the- atres urging the women of the state to reg«ter on the coming Registration Oct. /-12, Those.^present will be -rflque&t--aBd^vto.-.iv. every possible CHAPLIN FIRST AT STRAND. "Shoulder Arms,” the new Charlie Chaplin picture, will first be seen at the Strand, week Oct. 20. The follow- in^f week it will be released for other theatres in JNew York, and the week of Nov. 4 in Brooklyn. The picture is in three reels and the. rental charge is |S0 for the first two reels and 25 per cent, of the price of the two reels for the extra reel or $62.50 for the three reels for each day’s showing. 'S SUNDAY FILMS UPSTATL ^, Ilion, N. Y., Sept. 25. After a lapse of months, Sunday pic- tures again started here Sunday. The Temple was the first to open. Next Sunday, it is expected the other film palaces will follow suit. Ilion has thousands of war workers whose only chance for recreation comes on Sunday, and with gasless Sabbaths, the munitions makers de- manded some other form of amuse- m^t. Sunday films were suspended here months ago following an agita- tion by the “holier than thou” crowd. MARGUERITE CLARK SIGNS. Marguerite Clark celebrated her re- turn from her honeymoon, by signing a contract to make Paramount pic- tures for another year. Miss Clark will probably do six pictures this year instead of eight in order that she may devote more time to each picture. , Her first under the new contract will be "Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch,” followed by “The Golden Bird.” $5,000 for “Brido” Rights. Famous Players-Lasky have bought the picture rights to “Here Comes the . BVide” for $5,000. Max Marcin and Roy Atwell, the authors, were willing to sell at that figure six months ago, but the deal was held up until now by Klaw & Er- langer who wanted a higher figure. Harry Levoy > Managhig Symphony. ' The Symphony at Broadway and 9Sth street, reopening Sept. 21, with Paramount and Universal service (splitting the week) has Harry Levey as manager. Mr'. Levey was assigned by the Universal which is operating the house. BUCKMAIL CHARGED. Jack Le Claire, a vaudevillian, was arrested in New York late last week on a' charge of attempted blackmail. For the past two s asons he appeared for Bert Lamont in “The Race of Man” and “The Montana Five” acts. Last . summer he worked as a clerk in the Hoteb Alamac, Atlantic City. He came to Broadway with a leaf from the hotel register showing the signature of “Owen Moore and wife,” ^ In light of various reports concern- ing Moore’s matrimonial affairs with his wife, Mary Pickford, Le Claire attempted to sell the page to Moore, and also t6 a representative of Doug- las Fairbanks.<^ Heeding a decoy message, Le Claire went to the office of downtown attor- neys and accepted $175 in marked money for the hotel register page. He was immediately placed under arrest by waiting detectives, called there, it IS said, on behalf of Moore. Le Claire claims to have recognized Moore at the shore. Owen Moore denies having been in Atlantic City on the date of the registry of his name. ROOSEVELT SERIES STARTED. Work on the new serial to be made by Colonel Theodore Roosevelt under the direction of Frederick Collins, of McClure’s, has started. The studio di- rection is tfnder Phil 'Nye. No date has bejen set for the re- lease, but it is believed Col. Roose- velt will complete most of the chap- ters before one picture is given to the screen. Bert Ennis will handle the publicity for the Roosevelt pictures. INGE'S CONTACTS WITH STARS. In connection with his denial of the report Charles Ray was about to make other business conndetions, Thomas H. Ince has announced the status of his relations' with his other stars. He says: ^ “I have a contract with Dorothy Dalton for two years more, one more year with William S. Hart, three more years with Enid Bennett.’’ LIBERAL WITH LEAVES. \ The Government has been very lib- ( eral to managers of legitimate pro- 1 ductions and picture producers in i granting special leaves for enlisted men who are in the midst of produc- i tions. f The latest incident was the calling of i Dick Rossen, who is appearing in the film pfodoctib^ for Art- ' craft with Douglas Fairbanks. Rosson is cast for Tony. When called a wire i was sent to Washington asking his c time to report be deferred until the t picture was completed. The request c was promptly granted, after which 1 Rosson leaves f<jr Camp Kearney. ( OFFICIAL FILM SHOWING. Washington, D. C., Sept, 25. The Treasury Department has ar- ranged for a formal showing of the Fourth Liberty Loan picture films be- fore the National Press Club, Sept. 27, at the Central High School Auditor- ium. Geraldine Farrar will sing on this occasion and Vice-President Thomas R Marshall will speak. The remain- der of the evening will be devoted to a showing of the films. ^The Washington representatives of t^he leading newspapers of the country have^been invited, together with many notables from Washington official life. Angeles, Sept. 25. . All the picture stars who made pic- tures for the Fourth Liberty Loan campaign are anxious to get their films shown at Graumann’s for a full week. Several were desirous of booking their own pictures there for a full week, ■which would have excluded everybody else during the three weeks’ drive. The picture Committee of the Fed- eral Reserve, who know nothiiw of the trade rivalry, have notified Grau- mann he must play one a day—for a single day—like all other houses, with no repeats, or not get any of the spe- cial Loan features. „ JFAR FILM OUT OF NOTHING. , The Universal’s six-reel war film, Crashing .Through to Berlib," was made up "out of nothing,” so those say who seem to know of it. Not a bit of camera work was done in connection with the^^feature. It was pieced together and rhade up of old •war film, mostly scenes taken from the Universal's Weekly Pictorial. The task of assembling the rejuve- nated bits is reported to hbve been given to Jack Cohen, editor of the Uni- versal Weekly, and the completed work, of six reels, propelled onto the screen under the "Crashing” title is said to have been done entirely by him. The feature is reported a good card for the Universal, which more highly regards it since the film does not rep- resent a cent’s investment. In the matter of inexpensiveness picture people claim Mr. Cohen received no extra compensation for his work, leaving the war picture clear profit for the U. . ■ The picture' was first put out during the early part of August and met with general approval, including the re- views of it in the trade papers. Though Injured. Emile Chautard, who has been di- recting Elsie Ferguson from his home, due to an injury to his knee, is never- theless completing the feature in spite of this handicap. Miss Ferguson’s next film production will be "The Green Orchard.”