Variety (July 1924)

VARIETY PICTOilES"^ "^;"'«"WW!">WJ«HWB»»^Bi tn. A J WedMMkiy, Jnly 2; UM 7R1NCE OF INDIA: CULT FIUH, PRIZE PACKAGE; $2,000 ON WEEK ■/' Double Bill at California, Frisco, Last Week Ran Gross to $20,500—Paul Ash Billed Over Picture on Return to Granada, Did $18,500 San Francicco, July 1. Uttle ot Importance among the picture attractions here last week and business generally downtown a bit oH. Thia may be ascribed to the ordinary character ot th« ofTerings together with the fact that the week marked the beginning of the school vacations. The California for the first time had a double feature In "BIufT* star- ring Agnes Ayres and Mr. and Mrs. Martin John's "Trailing African Wild Animals." It stepped into an ' -early lead. The animal picture proved a certain magnet. Nat Holt, the California manager, cut this feature from seven to four reels. ellmiaating all dead action and keeping only the thrills. "The Enchanted Cottage" at the ■WarfieW got second place. The pic- ture is something of a disappoint- ment to Bartbelmess fans. His ffliell-shocked victim failed to meet the approval expected. Business opened light and hit an average stride the rest of the week. Paul Ash and hla Bynco-Sym- phonists returning (or another year's engagement at the Granada helped to boost attendance at that theatre. The feature "Conductor 1492" wittv Johnny Hines held little drawing power. The first part of the week big but then a considerable drop. "The Governor's Lady" at the Strand just average pulling but fair receipts. The Cameo had "Singer Jim McKce" starring Wm. Hart and also got just average week. The TiVoU long dark opened with "A Prince of India" cult film starring Mozumdar, myutic, who made per- sonal appearances but attendance ■was hardly worth while recording. Estimates for last week: California—'BlulT." Agnes Ayres (Paramount) and "Trailing African Wild Animals' (Metro). (2,400— &5-:»0). First time for double bill. Opened fairly big, maintaining steady box otDcc pace. $20,6(M. Granada—"Conductor 1492," John- ny Hines. (Warner Brothers) (2,- MO— 55-90). Opening week of re- turn engagement Paul Ash and Synco-Symphonists. Ash billed over picture and given big reception. Week started satisfactorily with Ash real draw. Picture amusing but not much pull. 118,500. Imperial — "The White Sister" (Metro) (1,400—65-90). First time at popular prices of this super-fea- ture. Opening satisfactory but noth- ing 'extraordinary. Probably will get second week, $6,000. Warfield—"The Enchanted Cot- tage," Hichard Barthelraess. (First National) (2,800—66-90). Week just about average. Bartbelmess name draw but role disappointing to his followers. Big stage act "Arabian Nights" one of Fanchon and Marco "Ideas" with Boyce Combes helping at box omce. $18,000. 8trand-!-"The Governor!s Lady," Rcbt. T. Haynes and Ann Luther. (Fox). (1,700—30-65). Opening just ordinary with balance of week light. $6,000. Cameo—"Singer Jim McKee" Wm. Hart). (Paramount). (900—35-50). Paramount pictures rarity In this boose but they don't seem to be world beaters if "Singer Jim Mc- Kee" is example. Opening light and remainder of week just fair. $4,100. Tivoli—"A Prince of India," star- ring Mozumdar, mystic. (Independ- ent). 2,000—36-56). Mozumdar ap- pearing in person at each perform- ance and giving talk on healing. This privately made film intended as propaganda for health cult. Opened to scarcely anything and receipts on week $2,000. PLUGGING FOE PETE The Theatre Owners Chambers of Commerce of New York Clty, an or- ganization made up of nearly 300 motion picture theatre owners in the Metropolitan district, is cam- paigning for subscriptions for Pete Hairison's film reviewing weekly, "Harrison's Keports." The Clj.-imber publicly announced Its apprecation of the loyal support given by Harrison and his paper to every important measure affecting the exhibitors, including his help in defeating the Davison bill in the ^laet State iegislature and his at- ■titude tovtard the big prodno<ir- cxbibitoi' combines. RcKipen Wilmington House , '■ J Wilmlnpton. N. C, July 1. Th* Howard-Wells Company wi PREWCTS JAP BOYCOn OF SHORT DURATION Better Classes Call Ban On U. S. Films "Hysteria"— May Last Four Months Iioe Angeles, July 1. The Japanese boycott against American fllms, scheduled to go into effect today, will not last more than three ch* four months, according to Miss Unger, sister of one of Va- riety's local staff, who has just rc- torned from tha^ country. The boycott action is based upon this country's Japanese Exclusion Bill and is a means of retaliation, but the business men and upper classes of Japan leok upon the un- dertaking a* a form of bysteria which will soon pass. LOEW-KHFH SIOONG FREEZES OUT INDEP'TS Exhibitors in Loew-KeithCities Must Take F. P.-L. "40" as Second Runs Marcus Ix)ew has booked "Se- crets," starring Norma Talmodge, in the Loew theatres. This is a First National picture. "Secrets" will go into the Capitol August 14 for two weeks, and will thence play the Loew chain. The Keith chain won out over the Loew houses for bookings that Include First National's "Sundown," "Single Wives."*'Born Rich," "Tem- perament," "Belonging," and "Chris- tine of the Hungry Heart." Loew booked 20 of Famous Play- ers' 40, and Keith Interests have acquired the remaining 20. TTius in cities where Loew and the Keiths have houses, the exhibi- tors will get the 40 as second runs. GLEICHMAN SU(T RULING F. P.-L. Officer* Must Submit to EMamination. The Appellate Division of the Su- preme Court in New York Citv last Friday ruled that Sidney R. Kent and four other officers of Famous Players-Lasky Corp., must submit to examination before Hon. Allen G. Thurman, appointed to take thtir testimony in a Federal court action which Phil Glelchman, a Detroit exhibitor, has pending against Famous in Michigan. Glelchman controls the Broai- way Strand, Detroit, and had a Ave years' contract, from Sept. 29, 1919, calling for Famous pictures on first run. It was later alleged to have been abrogated, which resulted In tht suit. Glelchman has been granted supboenas to have Famous officers produce certain contracts with their other exhibits. The higher court will fix the date of the examina- tion in the formal o der. HERUAN LEONABD'S ITEW JOB Los Angeles, July 1. Hcrmand Leonard, who left the post of publicity purveyor at the Strand, New York City, to seek fame in the realms of Hollywood, has been appointed assistant to Fred Stanley in the First National publicity department at the United Studios. He succeeded Jos. Ste<Je, now press agent at Graumqta's Egyptian. Sid Graunnan and Mother Sailing Los / ngcles, July 1. . • — ' Sid fJrauman, accompanied by his »e«fen the Victoria under their own mother,-leaves for New York July i i>|^nagcment. First runs will be the 117 en route to Euiope. They will »«"«y' J sail July 26. Home's AdraiiceaeDt Los Angeles, July 1. From publicity director to managing -director In four weeks Is the amazing feat of Harold Home. Home has been appointed managing-director of the Cri- terion, succeeding H. B. Wright, and is the youngest managing- director on the payroll of West Coast Theatres, Inc. Louis Golden will continue as house manager at the Cri- terion. INJUNCTION REFUSED Am. Releasing Corp. Receiver Un- successful Against Selznick The motion for an Injunction and receivership made by Peter Licarl, as trustee in bankruptcy of the American Releasing Corp., against the Selsnick Distributing Corp. and others was denied yesterday In the New York Supreme Court by Jus- tice M. Warley Platzek. Licari is suing S«]snick and the following individuals who were <onner officers of the American Re- leasing Corp. as enumerated: Wal- ter E. Greene, president; Frederick B. Warren, vice-president; Mark Condell, treasurer, and Leo J. Rosett, secretary. The trustee objects to the transfer of the American Reteasing Corp.'s assets to Selsnick, alleging it was without consideration; that the cor- poration became insolvent tus a re- sult; that auch transfer was with- out notice to the creditors and it is petitioned that the turning over of the assets be declared null and void. The injunction phase was to re- strain Selznick from disposing of any proceeds derived from the ex- hibitions of the films formerly con- trolled by the American Releasing Corp. ' This was denied and the temporary restraining order was also vacated. Otherwise, Licari is still suing for a $350,000 money judgment, the al- leged value of the American Releas- ing Co.'s assets. DAMAGES FOR NEGRO Discrimination Charged Against Theatre Management Los Angeles, July 1. Declaring that persons of all races under the jurisdiction of the State of California are entitled to equal rights in any public gathering place in the State, Superior Court Judge E. P. Shortall awarded damages of $200 each to Irvln E. Shane, Sam Collins and Walter Hughe«, three negroes, who said they had been discriminajted against in one of the theatres operated by Gore Bros. The plaintiffs testified that with their wives they organized a theatre party and purchased tickets of general admission to the theatre. When they entered, they allege, an emf>loyee insisted they take seats in the back row, at the same time mentioning they were reserved for colored people. The court granted a ten-day stay of execution to allow the defendants to carry the case to a highe.* court. N.Y.STAirS BUILDING CODE IN FINAL DRAFT-REmOACnVE Applies to All Places of Public Assembly Outsidel of Cities with Building Bureaus—Code Divide4 Into Three Parts BANKRUPTCY PETITION AGAINST T. 0. D. C. Harry Davis, Clarence Hamil- ton and Sidney Cohen Sign Petition WARNED OF TAX GYPPING Upstate Exhlbitera Receive Official Letter Syracuse, N. T., July 1. J. C. Kelly, Deputy Collector of Internal Revenue for this district, has sent letters to about 800 exhibi- tors that upsets their plan for re- taining the repealed five per cent admission tax money. Kelly denied the theatre owners had been paying the tax out 'of thsir own pockets. In his letter Kelly said: "The theatre owners have never been permitted to pay the amuse- ment tJix themselves. This tax was imposed by the government upon every theatre in the country and not upon the owners of the show houses. "Under the.terms of the tax law the theatres were compelled to show on their tickets Just what the cost was for each seat and how much lax they were taking. The Internal Revenue Department cannot specify how much the seats shall sell for, but the tax must be deducted from the admissions after July 1." KILIABD SmrCLAIB MARBIED Rock Isl.and, 111., July 1. Millnrd Sinclair, salesman for Famous Players (Peoria office) was married to Althen Wachter, Qulncy, II]., June 20, in Springfield, III. Harry Davis of Pittsburgh, Clar- ence I. Hamilton of New York and Sydney S. Cohen, former president ot the Motion Picture Theatre Owners of America, filed an invol- untary p«tltion in bankruptcy against the Theatre Owners' Dis- tributing Corp. in the U. S. District Court last Thursday. The next step was the appoint- ment of a receiver in a civil suit filed in the New York Supreme Court by Arthur A. Wakoft, suing on behalf of the creditors of the T. O. D. C. on an assigned claim from William A. True, Wakoff al- leging the concern is insolvent. Jus- tice M. Warley Platzek appointed Joseph Nunnan, Jr., receiver with a bond of $2,000. The bankruptcy proceedings were the culmination of legal complica- tions. Davis claims $1,500 due him on a loan, Hamilton has two. judg- ments of $1,691.31 and $1,629.47 out- standing and Cohen claims $3,600 due him on a loan. Wakoft was represented in court by Arthur S. Friend. True, in this action, appends an affidavit claiming $23,988 due him as follows: $1,381 which he spent for salaries to employes, $2,300 which he loaned the T. O. D. C, and $20,300 for salary as chief executive for 68 weeks at $360 a week, from Jan. 1, 1923, to Feb. 13, 1924. True also alleges that Cohen is a creditor for some $4,000 and Hamilton for t3,000. Listed in the assets is fuisilure bought for $3,500 on which $2,'100 is still due. True asserts that Cohen moved bis offices from 132 West 43rd street to the T. O. D. C. offices and used the furniture. WEISS' $250,000 SUIT Bri^rg Counter Action Over '^en Commendments" The Weiss Brothers, in the contest in the courts In wliich Famo. j Players sought to restrain the Weissea froiB using the phrase "The Ten Commandments," have counterec^ with a motion to have the court order Famous Players to make an accounting to the Weiss Brothers for using pictures showing Moses and the graven tablets. The Weiss Brothers' have a picture named "After Six Days" or "Moses and The Ten Commandments." The Weiss Brothers ask $260,000 damages, papers in the action hav- ing been served on Nathan Burkan, counsel for Famous, by Schreiber, ColUna and Buchter. The Weiss Brothers' foreign pic- ture, "Between Two Worlds," has been booked in the New YorT: Capitol. It was at first planned to give the picture a pre-release the- atre run. CONVICTED OF HITBDEK Los Angeles, July 1. Godfrey Cowdrey has been con- victed of the murder of Joseph Langley, manager of the Alvarado and DeLuxe theatres. The tragedy occurred Sept. 18, when Cowdrey robbed the DeLuxe of its receipts. The jury deliberated 24 hours re- turning a verdict to Judge Reeve with a recommendation for life im- prisonment. Keaeel, Jr., Recovers Adam Kessel, Jr., h.is been eiv»n a verdict in the New York Supreme Court for $6,223.40 in his suit against Hugh B. Morrow on a note for $5,800 plus interest. Ke8.scl advanced Morrow the money, the latter's defense being "n« consideration." Albany, N. Y, July 1, ' A tentative final draft of th4 state standard building code foi) ptUces of public assembly in VeW. York state upon which tb« 8tat4 Industrial Board has been worklBK since 1922 has been completed. It 1« anticipated it win be adopted as « part of the building code rules an<| regulations at an early date, al-« though it Is not improbable a further pubUc bearing may be held upon Ht Unlike any other building code M the United States, with the except tion of Chicago, the new state stand* ard building code for places of public assembly will be retroactlT« in many of its provisions. In othcit words, building codes have been drafted generally to impose special requirements on new construction and have not been made appItcabW to old buildings. The new code win affect'Ihe old as well as the new buildings coming under the supers vision of Its provisions. In this respect It is limited by statute and is not to apply to th« City of New York or to other cities having a bureau of buildings, which is charged with the duty of enforc-4 ing a building code enacted by tlM» local administration. It will apply to all that part of the state sitnatcd outside of cities generally. By h»4 direction It will be made applicable to practically all cities of the state, as a number of cities maintaining building bureaus, it Is stated by the Industrial Board, including Troy« Amsterdam and Gioversville, arc awaiting adoption of the state standard to amend their own buUd* Ing code. The new code is divided into thre«i parts, relating to equipment and ar^ rangement of places of public a»4 sembly hreaftcr edected, heretofore erected, and rules relating to malii^ tenance of places heretofore erectcd« Places of public assembly are dl^ vided into two classes. Theatres—! all buildings or parts of buildlngt used or designed for theatrical^ operatic or picture performances and exhibitions, accommodatip^ over 300 persons; assembly halls—• all buildings or parts of buildlBgif not Included under "Theatres," lai which 100 or more persons may aa^ semble for amusement or recreation* and which is conducted fo4 pecuniary gain. Plans for Submission Complete plans and specification^ of all buildings hereafter erected to be used in whole or in part as a place of public assembly shall be submitted to the local enforcing an-* thorlty for approval; where no such authority obtains, not less than two sets of plans and specifications shall be submitted to the Industrial Com^ miesloner, Albany, N. Y., for ap^ proval before commencing work. Inspection of construction and certificate of compliance with the rules laid down in the code are pro> vided for. General capacity rules are laid down as follows: Where permanently fixed seate are provided, such capacity shall he determined by the number ot permanently fixed seats plus an al« lowance of one person for every ' three square feet where "standinc room" Is provided; such standing room shall not include any aislCt passageway or lobby. If benches without arms between seats are used, their capacity shall be figured on the basis of on« per* son to each 18 Inches in width. When peramcntly-fixed seats are not provided the, capacity shall be determined by Allowing six square feet of fioor a/ea per person and all space between walls or partitions shall be mea|<iured in this computa- tion. Standing Room Allowed Standiiigf room will be permitted in the Promenade, provided the aisles txi^ free and- unobstructed and a clear and unobstructed pas"'- sagewayf of not less than seven feet is maintained extending to the foyer kJV- lobby at the rear of siKh Btandjing room nt all points where pcr>/iittcd, tut in no case sflall standing loom encroach iipon the lequiied minimum width of alslox, """-"tinucd on page 26)