Variety (January 1923)

Thursday, January 2i, lfli PICTURES - j * ■ -j dd 43 COAST FILM NEWS By EDWABD 0. rase FILM ITEMS Los Angeles, Jan. 22. Max Fisher** opening at Loew's State was the direct cause for doing a record-breaking business, for all Attendance records were shattered Sunday, which was the inaugural of the Fisher jazz band, which numbers 25 pieces. Baby Peggy and her parents were hosts at their new palatial home In Beverly Hills to friends a few days a*o. Ambitious plans are under way by the Halperln Productions, which start producing soon on a super- special titled "Tea with a Kick.'* "Victor Halperin is the author and Harvey Thew did the scenario. With one leg in a splint, Allen Holubar broke all of his previous I production records for speed by filming "The White Frontier" for Dorothy Phillips in six weeks, by ' the use of a pair of crutches and a husky cane as the limb con- valesced. The latest and one of the mo.?: important announcements at tho liasky studios is the' acquisition of the noted author. Zane Grey, who •will in the future direct nls talent to Famous Players. The announce- ment was by Jesse L. Lasky. Grey recently was given screen rights to | his stories after litigation with • Benjamin B. Hampton, with wnora he was under contract. terious death of Frltale Mann, stage dancer and cabaret performer. The girl' was found dead, with head crushed and clothing badly torn, on the beach near San Diego. Physi- cians' examinations revealed the girl in delicate condition. As she had made threato to kill herself several days before it was first thought a suicide case. But police say evi- dence of homicide is strong. Both men deny guilt. Filming of "Going Up," Douglas MacLean's first independent star- ring vehicle for Associated Exhibi- tors, started this week at the Holly- wood Studios. ,Th« new Rlvoli, Two Rivers, Wis., a town of 10.000. has opened with six vaudeville acta and a fea- ture picture. It is a ground floor theatre, without a balcony, costing $00,000. The seating capacity is 800. The Rlvoli is a co-operative prop- osition, built largely by the em- ployes of the various aluminum goods factories In Two Rivers. It is said that there is no individual holding more than $500 in stock and no one less than $100. It is man- aged by a board of directors, of which John Mezera is secretary and treasurer. The officers of the board have positions in the theatre such as manager, assistant manager, or- chestra leader, stage manager, etc. There is an orchestra of eleven men. fa Dec, 1920.. Tha action la on behalf of John Mack, who avers he disposed of the pictures to S. S. Grow and James A. McWhorten of Atlanta. Mack was to have re- ceived $500 for each picture and re- ceived commission on one cf them. Victor Heerman, director of "Ru- pert of Hentxau," Selznick special, finds directing a costume picture second nature, although the An- thony Hope classic is his first pro- duction of its kind. His parents were famous theatrical costumers and designers in England and today his mother holds the position with David Belaaco. Jackie Taylor, .orchestra leader and jazz exponent, will contest the divorce suit of Mrs. Vera Stead- man Taylor, film actress. This he announced when he appeared in Judge Summerfleld's alimony court The actress charged that when their little child was ill she sent for Taylor to return horn3 at once. Taylor was directing an orchestra, and Mrs. Taylor alleged that when be arrived home he was intoxicated. The child subsequently d'.el. William Worthington, who organ- ized the 'company and directed Ses- 8uc Hayakawa in his first starring vehicle, is to return to the screen as an actor after an absence of six years. He will play in "Red Lights" adapted from "The Rear Car." Tom Geherty, who has been r.u- pervisor of productions it the Fa- mous Players' I»ng Island studio, left for the west coast Surday. He will assume the duties of super- vising director at the Hollywood studios of the company and un- doubtedly step into the position vacated by Frank Wood. E. Lloyd Sheldon has replaced him in Long Island. Carmela Geraghty, daughter of Tom Geraghty, supervising director of Famous Players, was injured painfully at the Goldwyn studios when she fell from a trapeze. The young woman, who has a minor role in Rupert Hughes' "Souls for Sale/' was practicing aerial circus stunts which she was to perform in the picture when the accident occurred. Another "across-the-border" mar- riage, which promises to rival the Rodolph Valentino affair, came to light the other day through a tenta- tive property agreement between Jack Gilbert, picture etar, and his former wife, Olivia Burrell Gilbert. Involved with Gilbert, who is at present starring with William Fox Pictures Company, is Leatrice Joy, one of the luminaries of the Famous Players-Lasky studios, who married Gilbert in Tia Juan a, Mexico, two weeks after his interlocutory decree waa signed and nearly a year prior to hie securing his final divorce papers. Leatrice Joy is at present in New York, but according to a telegram received by her husband she expects to return to Los An- geles in March, when an immediate' second marriage is to take place. "Stories to the effect that my wife and I separated over my alleged attentions to another actress are absolutely unfounded." In con- firmation of his statement Gilbert produced the following telegram, sent from New York: "Home in March, darling, and to remain. Lovingly, Leatrice." Four high-powered comedy scen- arists are in the employ of Joe Schenck and give their exclusive services to Buster Keaton's screen advancement. Writing from left to right, they are Tommy Gray, Joe Mitchell, Jean Havez and Clyde Bruckman. Mary Pickford's conception of an ideal cast for "Faust," which she is soon to start work on, is John Bar- rymore for the title role and Doug- las Fairbanks as Mephisto. Doug, however, is scheduled to start work very Shortly on a pirate story. Leah Balrd is starring in "The Destroying Angel," the second of the Leah Baird Specials now being completed at theThomas H. Ince studios. Marin Sals, former daredevil Ka- lem serial star, who has been spend- ing most of her time writing scen- arios and bossing the ranch for her stellar husband. Jack Hoxie, returns to the screen in "A Son of the Desert," an F. W. Kraemer pro- duction. James Young, director, has se- lected the peaceful atmosphere of Coronado In which to write the script of "Wandering Daughters," by Dana Burnet, which will be his ini- tial production of a series for Asso- ciated thirst National Pictures, In?., which will be presented by Sam E. Rork. Emory Johnson is haunting the Los Angeles railroad terminals, yards and round houses, getting the railroad scenes for his production of "Westbound 99," a drama of the rails. Ralph Lewis and Ella Hall will be featured. Metro production announces that in addition to distributing the Fred Nlblo productions presented by Louis B. Mayer it will serve aa a re- leasing agency for Reginald Bar- ker's productions, another impor- tant unit at the Mayer studios. Phillip Hart an attorney has filed suit against L. Lawrence Weber and Bobby North, claiming $1,000 commission for the sale of three films, including "Notoriety," Suit against the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors and the Prudential Film Service Corp. for malicious prosecution, asking dam- ages of $25,000, has been started by Robert Spear, attorney for William E. Burns. Burns was indicted in July, ac- cused of being the receiver of btolen films, among which were prints of "The Four Horsemen," "My Boy," and "Theodora," The Indictments were dismissed last month by Judge Nott in General Sessions. Burns charges that the M. P. P. & D. went before the Grand Jury without cause and secured five in- dictments against him, knowing the charges they brought were without foundation and that he was confined in the city prison for over two months. to give Spencer a 25 par cent. In- terest if he whipped it into shape by July 21, 1920. Sidney Aschfer, Jo- seph Jacobs and James L. Burke are alleged to have expended $1,500 for the purchase of the fllm; $500 other expenses and $600 to organise the Super-Humor Films, Inc., to ex- ploit the picture. Charley Giblyn returned to New York last week after hiving been abroad for several months directing a production of 'Hypocrites" for the Hollandia Film Fabrlk, Haar- lem, Holland. The picture was made in seven weeks with a com- bined American, English and Hol- lander cast. Because Ralph Spence, the scenario writer, failed to cut. edit and title "The Gentleman Crook," the Ascher Features, Inc., estimate Itself damaged $15,000 according to a New York Supreme Court suit just begun. In May, 1920, the plaintiff purchased the negative of the "Gentleman Crook" and agreed The Park, Worcester, Mass., Feb. 5 will begin a policy of vaudeville and pictures, after showing the latter exclusively for the last 10 years, according to announcement by Manager Max A. Finn. In prepara- tion for the change largo forces of carpenters and electricians are working in tho theatre after the night performances. The Arrow Film Co., independent State-righters, is employing an ex- ploitation device in connection with "None So Blind." It is a miniature talking machine disk on which W. E. Schallenberger, vice-president of .the company, announces himself speaking and urges State-righters to seek Information concerning tho picture. All for art, Bert Lytell, popular leading man, has bleached his hair to realistically portray a leading role in "Rupert of Hantzau." He is now a pure dyed-in-the-wool blond. Two directors have been added to Constance Talmadgc's staff. They are Sidney Franklin and Victor Heerman, formerly of the Selznick forces. Rogers B. B. Clark, picture pro- moter, and W. Heltzen, of Fellowes Film Co., are in jail as suspects in the murder case involving the mys- 100% SF TUB Exhibitors of Michigan Read our magazine published every Tuesday. If you want to reach this clientele there is no better medivnii Rates very low MICHIGAN FILM REVIEW JACOB SMITH, Publisher 415 Free Press BIdg. DETROIT, MICH. Margaret Leahy, English beauty, made her initial appearance before the camt ra in Buster Keaton's com- edy. "Three Ages." Miss Leahy will have the feminine lead in the film. BOBBINS' DIRECTORS Utlca. N. Y.. Jan. 24. The directorate of the Bobbins' Enterprises, Inc., of Utica, formed by Nathan L. Robbins to handle his present and future theatrical hold- ings, was mad* public today. It includes Walter Green and C. W. Cushman, bankers of this city; W. C. Doolittle, banker, of Trenton, N. Y.; Julius Rothsteln, realty opera- tor; Emerson Willis, lawyer, and Jenny I»wery, newspaper company treasurer. A. T. G00K KILLED A. T. Cuuk, owner of the Lyric, Perry, Okla., was killed in an auto- mobile accident near Orlando on Jan. 17. According to Information received, Cook was returning from a business trip to Guthrie and had turned out to pass another machine when his car overturned, pinned him underneath, and resulted in instan- taneous death. A Thrilling Adventure in Love BEAUTIFUL Dorothy Dalton as a spoiled darling of society sud- denly swept to the depths and learning the real meaning of love and sac- rifice. With the gilded palaces of the rich and glamorous Oriental Cairo as the setting. . ■ Directed by Victor Fleming Put it on your From the story by Edmund Goulding • "Good screen melodr list for this week." —N. Y. WorU "One of Miss Dahon's most interesting roles. The story has a very timely interest/' — Journal of Committee (3-col. adv. Mats j*^*; at exchanges) yes*. Q CparamounlQkture (FAMOUS PLAYERS-LASKY CORPORATION . ■ ■ ADOlCM ZUKO«. <WW«.<