Variety (July 1925)

W«dn«wjay, July «9, 1925 PICTURES VARIETY 'fi'.- NORMA SHEARER STARRING ■'• .^^ af DREW $48,000 TO THE CAPfTOL -J' 4 -f.? Rivoli Again Surprises Street with $30,000 Gross, Second Week of Ben Bernie's Bancl-^*'Do¥m to Sea,*' Revived, Gives Little Cameo Best Week \ ;„■; i Two outstuidJng avAnUi «a the street iMt week. The first waa the yemsrkable manner In which the buslnesa at the RItoU held up for the second week of Ben Bemte at that house, where the business was •nly off $400 as against the first week of the Jaia leader there, and the second, the revival of Ttown to the Sea in Bhlps" at the little Cameo, the two-year old feature eomlns to the house and doing a better business at the box office than tl>e majority of new films have ) done there in weeks, getting $5,149. The Capitol pulled a remarkable %eek with "A Slave of Fashion," |41,tOa which the Metro-Goldwyn people feel is an Indication that Korma Shearer la set as a star and establishes Hobart Henley as a con- glstent director of box office hits. "Lightnin'" at the Strand did not pull as well as was expected, the picture lust bettering tU,000. At the Rialto *aiugged Waters" With 116,177 showM better than the average summer business at that house. The Piccadilly with "Tracked In the Snow Country" and the Colony With "Under the Rouge" did but the Average business and did not lift in receipts with the balance of the Broadway houses. At the Globe "Don Q" la finishing out the final weeks of its run there the eqgagement closing Aug. %. liast week the house got $18,840. The Criterion is still dark await- big the advent of "The Wanderer." *rhat picture Is due In about three 0r four weeks, the otanagoment de- elding to wait until the August heat Is past before coming In with a iBiblca) subject. Estimates for Last Week Cameo—"Down to the Sea in ■hips" (P. D. C). <K45: M-86). This tevival after two years brought lift ,)b receipts. Bvidently proof of the theory advanced good Idea to ocoa- ilonally revive good picture. $6,143. ... Capitol—"A Slave of Fashion" iN. ; e.), (6,460,- 60-$1.65). Corfcihg Greek's businesa, picture proving It- Mf, showing $47,900. Colony—"Under the Rouge" (A. a.), (1.880; §0-86-99). JTair week. 110,980. Globe — "Don Q" (Falrbanks-U. A.), (1,313; 60-$2.20). Run ends at Olobe Aug. 9. Last week, $18,840. Barry D. Buckley who handled en- gagement representing Fairbanks so elated with result of hot weather record achieved by.picture and.star states he would not h^ssitate any time In future tp opon a I^iirbanks or Plcliford picture on Broadway in the mldat of summer as against the height of theatrical season.** Piccadilly—"Tracked in the Snow Country" (Warner's), (1,380; 60-85- 99). Did not stand out particularly Strong although picture given 'good ! Botlces. Little better than $8,000. i Rialto—"Ragged Water" (F. P.), ' (1,960; 60-86-99). Did litUe better than average summer buslnetu. 116,177 laet week. \ Men" Ben surprised Street last week by business. Fig- ured after first week's big box office return bu^ness due for drop and it Would be off P9BBibIy to extent of 18,600 or $4,000. Instead house got $80,410.70. $400 less than business of previous week. \ ^ Strand—"IJghtnln"* (Fox), '(2,- $«0: 86-«5-86). Did not pull the ex- Pocted big week. Returns around $11,400. Better week at box office •ould have been pulled had stronger ••lly newspaper advertising cam- PAign been placed behind feature. . 1k)u1s Cohen of the realty depart- ment of Famous Players, after hav- mg spent more than two months In the vicinity of New York, departed for Atlanta early this week. He will remain away about a month. tiD.irr laet week. Rivoli—"Street of Forgotten or. P.), (3,200; 60-86-99). Bernie and this feature sun NORMAL aosses Di KANSAS cm Kansas City. July 28. The theatres got a real weather break last week and things picked up around the box-offices. The downtown leaders were of the light and frothy variety. The Newman led the parade in publicity with Its Minstrel Week bill. At the Liberty the police picture "The Man in Blue" was given extra prominence, and although it trailed the "Making of O'Malley," a cop picture shown the previous week at the Mainstreet, came in for good notice. The Week'* EstimaUa Newman — "Paths to Paradise' (F. P.), (1,980; 86-60). House also toatored "Minstrel Week." $14,000. Royal — "Lost A Wife (F. P.), (920; $6-60). "Air Tight," Bobby Vernon comic, added screen enter- tainment Royal Syncopators in pit and on stage. $7,000. Liberty—"Born Rich" and "The Man in Blue" (1,090; 86-50). Double header given much publicity. Sec- tion of "Fighting Ranger" on for morning shows made quite some bin. Although police picture not as great drawing card as it might have been had not "Making of O'Malley" been at Mainstreet week ahead, yet weU liked. $4,600. Mainstreet—"The Desert Flower" (1st N.), (3.200; 26-60). Five acts and the picture. Business i.>oat satisfactory. $16,000. At the other downtown honse»— "Jimmies Millions," Globe; "Lilies of the Streets," Pantages. DOUBLE BILL TOWN Providence, July 28. (Drawing Population, 800/)06) Cool weather during the early part of laat week gave a slightly better break than during the pre- vloua week, but business fell off Friday and Saturday when the tem- perature rose again. Last Week's Estimates Majestic, (t,$00; 10-40) — "Marry Me" (F. P.) and "^he Mysterious Stranger" (F. B. O.) Bvenlhgs fairly good. Slightly under $^,000. Strand 2.200; 16-40)—•^Bnemy of Men" (Ctel.) and "Tlie Happy War- rior" (Vita.). Nearly $5^090. Victory (1,9S0; IS - 40) — "My Neighbor's Wife" and, "Shackled Lightning." Good summer week. Around $4,500. Rialto (1,44$; 16-40)—"How Bax- ter Butted In" and "The Brand of Cowardice." Around $3,300. This Week Majestic, 'Sundown"; Strand, "Rugged Water" and "Fighting Touth"; Victory, "The Courtship of Miles SUndlsh" and "$60,000 Re- ward"; RIaUo, "The Talker" and "Tearing Through." Yakima Canutt Burned Hardin, Montana, July 28. Taklma Canutt. cowboy, was se- verely burned while working in a film being produced here and Is confined to a local hotel. Canutt's business In the picture was to ride through an Indian vil- lage carrying two lighted torches. In a struggle where the cowboy actor was to have been thrown to the ground and dragged by his horse, one of the torches dropped too close and burned him severely about ttae face. ^ X. MOTION PICTURE TALENT!!! Ther^Is an Urgent Demand for J New Faces for the Screen , As a result of the mad scramble for Stars every producer is looking for new nanMs—new personalities. THE CRY IS TALENT. ^ . As Representative for Producers and Director* we can ■"■•"■• J?!:! screen tests and interviews with Interested Producers and—QET RESULTS. F. G. CONKLIN MOTION PICTURES .250 West 57th Street, New York City (11^ FOR CENTURY LAST WEEK, EXCELLENT Business Generally Upward— Three Houses Reported at . $9,000 Each Baltimore. July 28. (Drawing Population, 880,000; 200^000 Colored) Business continued up In all the first-run film houses here last week. Patronage was no 'doubt aided by the closing of the Maryland, the Keith-Albee-Schanberger vaudeville house, which has entered on a four weeks' shutdown for the first sum- mer since 1918. The New got the best break In months witht "Bvolutton" film. Estimates for Last Week Century—"Wife of the Centaur" (3,300; $0-76). Excellent midsum- mer showing to $11,000. Parkway—"The Awful Truth" (1.- 400; 2t-60). Co-featured with Speedway Film, moved up trom Qarden. About $5,000. New—"Grounds for Divorce" (1,- 900; 25-60). Real attraction "Bvo- lution" flbn. About $9,000. Hippodremw—"The Midnight,Qhrl" and vaudeville ($.200; 20-76). Many of regular Maryland theatre fans noticed entering. Receipts up an- other thousand, total of $9,000. Qarden —"That Devil Quemado" and vaudeville (2,800; 26-60). Larry Semon also on bill. $9,000. ^ This Week Century. "Cheaper to Marry"; Parliway, "The Mad Whirl"; New, 'Y^heap Kisses"; Metropolltfui, "Baree, Son of Kaxan"; G<urd«Mi, "Riders of the Purple Sage"; Hipi^ drome. "Three Keys." 'FRISCO'S FAIR WEEK Warfleld and Grenada Only fWO Apart—^'Commandntents" f 40y000 San Francisco, July 28. Just a "Joe Magee" week among the big picture Abuses on Market street. None hit very hard and, by a strange coincidence, none had an outstanding attraction, to top the other fellow's business. Estimates for Last Week Loew** Warfield—"The Talker" (1st N.). Ida Schnall, girl athlete, added attraction. $19,600. ^rmnmim —"Light of Western Stars" (F. P.). Another Zane Qrey, with Ralph Pollock orchestra as added attraction. Fair week. $19,100. California—"Marry Me" (F. P.). Not a name cast. $16,600. Imperial—"Ten Commandments" (F. P.). Held up well Into final week and grossed better than $40.- 000 on the engagement Following with "Wild Horse Mesa," ,strange booking for same author, sane type of story and same cast Just closing across street at Granada for 60& Imperial charges Oso. $11,260. Betty Compeon Free- Lancing abd Asking $2,500 Lo« Angeles, July 28. Betty Compson will be through with Famous Players Aug. 16, when she completes taking scenes In the "Pony Sxpress," which her husband, James C^ruze, Is making. Miss Compson held a contract with F. P. for one year at a salary of around $2,000 a week. The pro- ducing organization had an option to renew the contract. The old con- tract expired several months ago but no overtures were made by the producing organization to renew. A deal was made with Miss Compeon whereby she waa to appear In the oast of tho "Pony Bxpress." As no offers were made following this work. Miss Compson instructed a Hollywood agent to place her on the market for independent or other productions at a salary around $2,600 a week. . This is the second time Miss Compson has been under contract to Famous Players-Lasky, having worked at their studio for several years prior to her last contract, .^ —I . , OOUBSE WITH BEWS REEL Washington July 28. Through an arrangement between the International News Reel and the Army Air Service aerial photogra- phers being trained for the army win take a post graduate course with the news reel photographers prior to being assigned their regular "berths" In the service of the gov- ernment. The course Is not to exc^d three months with the films taking by the army men to be preserved In the archives of the War Department. Graduates from the other services of the army are being assigned to the picture studios on the Pacific coast as assistant camera men. tOMMANDMENTS" IN 4 DAYS AT i L A. AT 85c TOP WD $15,900 ■;\ t Grauman's Egyptian Again Ahead with $26,400—« ''Gold Rush Score Attracts—Bebe Danieb AHei, Light Start, Finishes to $24,800 at Metropolitan • i '■■'■i Los Angeles. July 28. with an abatement of the heat wave early last week the picture houses quickly recuperated from the slump of the past month. However, the wave did not clear for the Sat- urday and Sundax. which inaugurate the week, with tm result that the takings on these two days In the downtown houses were very light. Chaplin '^old Rush," in its fourth week at the Orauman Egyptian, was again the leader, nosing out the Met- ropolitan, the regular leader, for a second time by a healthy margin. The musical score used for the "GoM Rush" seems to be the talk of the town. The musical critics on the dallies have commended it on nu- merous occasions, with the cash pa- trons dividing their praise between It and the picture. The business which the picture did on the fourth week was a bit of an increase over the third, as all of the night per- formances were capacity, with sev- eral of the matinees also. Bebe Daniels In "The Manicure Girl" at the MetropoUUn got Just a bit ahead of the Raymond Grifflth picture, which played there the pre- vious week. However, the week, as far as the Daniels draw was oon- oemed In this house, waa a flop. 'K^omnumdmenta" at Pop Scale 'Th9 Lost World" concluded a five weeks' run at the Milton Dollar on Wednesday, drawing '$6,600 on Its three finishing days, considered re- markably good. "Ten Command- ments," which concluded a 34 weeks' run at the Egyptian about a year ago, opened an indefinite engage- ment at the other house Thursday. Shown for the first time at popular prices, the picture caught on Instan- taneously. Though it did not have • Sid Oraoman prolog for a back- ground here. Frank Newman and MUton Feld. Ms production ajd. pot on m worthy replica of the Grauman production, which Is one of the best seen at the downtown houseee. In Ita first days the picture drew $16,900. "Pretty Ladies,^' at Loew's State, got off to a fair start and climbed daily in the intake. It was widely heralded aa a good picture by the dally papers Mid, having in conjunc- tion on the stage Frank Farnum and the Stuart Sisters, the house did almost as well as the previous week, when Colleen Moore, a prime favor- ite, waa shown on the screen. "White MMkay" in Wren« Hou«« Th^ Criterion floundered again Mat week with "The White Mdnkey." a Barbara L*'' Marr product The house Is no location for a La Marr picture, but the star'tf strength of drawing waa responsible for increaa- ing the int^e a bit ofvv that of th« week before. ' "Paths to Paradise," moved to the Rialto from the Metropolitan, did a bit better than the average aeoond^ run does In this house. "The Woman Hater," a Warner Bros, product featuring Helena (Thadwick, really did tittle to get them into the Forum. Miss Chad- wick is not a draw in this section, and it was only by the showing of * revival of "The Woman in Paris" at a matinee and a tew exploitation bouse stunts that the business here ascended just a bit above that of thm week before. Estimate* for Laat Week Metropolitan—"The Manloure Qinf*<' (F. P.) 8,700; 16-86). Weather broke In favor of this Bebe Daniel* picture^ none too strong at the box office^ BulMed from weak starf $24,800. Million Oollai^-rrhe L<yt Worid^ (1st N.) (2,20«: 2$-86). Strong Fin- ish, getting $6,800 en last three day*. "Ten Commandpient*" (F. P.). open.' ing Thursday at popular price*, got off to flying start. In four daya^ $16,900. (irauman'a Cgypttan — "Tb* GoMI Rush" (U. A.) (1.800; 60-1.60). Thia ChApIin la beating all of house'* records. Fourth week. 926,400. Loew's SUte —"Pretty Ladled (M-d) (8.400; 26-86). Great box of- flee bet. Started mildly, but strudc gaft late. $18,100. Criterion — "Whit* Monkey" (1st N) (1,600; 40-86). House doe* not seem able to get them In, with Lft Marr name r*spon*lbIe for gros% even though "red Ink" heavF, $4,100. Forum—"The Woman Hatef" (Warners) (1,800; 26-86). Plctur* meant little, with added feature* re- sponsible for main draw, e*pe«lally "A Woman In Pari*." added fsatorA, $6,600. RiaHo—"Path* ef Paradise^ (W P.) (900; 80-86). Did Car better thaa average picture hrooght la for scok and run. $S.60«. ^ $2,000 Bid n Topeb Topeka, Kan., Jnly M. < Drawl na Pepalatien, 78^000) "Zander" ^ot aU th* plotur* boaW ness of the week. Estimates for Last Week lets (700; 40) "Zander." Ahno*f winter time hit. Biulne** tor weak almost $a;008. Orph*um (80t: 80) "Th* Whlt4 ^onkey." Failed to make Impres* sion, everyone wodering what It wa* all about. Last half, "Bntlccment,'* drew better, but sex title and wanM Ings of erttlo* hurt. Approzlmataly l$MOO. Cozy (400; 16) "How C-xter dotted In." Ihrew fairly well first haM. Last half, "The Mad Whirl.''. fiop. Total gross for week. $1,200. WANTED! At Onc« by the Naitional Amti—ment Company Musical Directors! Producerl lad (■mclawad il aad flrl laawi. nrara ami act» uMBt iimsi^iiii viui i tw es lj •■- ■anlaee coraoraOM awaJt* lb«w «k* mm -" M an la am mm. liart b* cvabl* (f tilMUM Jr* tad »■» y Must Have the Genuine Goods V ym Ma't *mw SMd newid tf vmI wml* WMUeal tn&vtmt wbo MMlaMy imtm tkdr kiulaMA Chorus Girls Also Wanted Wnmimu*a kBd sw>d iMMafl tlil*; tap wUfy; pwaiaiMiit mttfrnrnt; ■ nk* AmljlMil; •• rtrap** hiinpa. atitm who play niulcal Inalniaw-ila «wUJUm irtU toi t lumUfW o*OT awiiting Umo. ADDBBM m]IJBDlATKI>T, WHITK OB WHU NATIONAL AMUSEMENT CO. Abe A. Spitz, President, 238 Tremont Street _ - Boston, IMass.