Variety (May 1926)

uteAiesday. May I, PICTURES VARIBTY 19 d Irst versus the for what ffiST NAT! WR€1 (Continued from p**e 5) ^ . 162 houses Flnkelstcln and **** Lin of 76 in the northwest tuL. of the Baxe broth- •"Mrwisconsln. Thla would bring of house* represented In *• <Wn to around 406. ^Twould undoubtedly mean that *?|T* ^ a line-up of two gl- producing, distributing an^ ^Unrinteroats with the Fin Sinai theatre pool 5«hlbl Theatres. Inc., Tool? appear to be a desperate Originally in the Publlx In 1U Ji,Siern Enterprises Corp. had ?SfS houses added to this witlf- ? i last wort as the Blank chain ,^wWlo the Balaban and Katz dto with Its mid-western ainiia- represents about 153 houses SSuaiT a total of 350 houses for pu^U at present. ^ Only Maana original franchise holders of nrft National arc figuring that this •uTon their part Is the only means SSuccessfully combatting the con- Suit defections from their ran.cs. Thus far they have lost to Publlx the Balaban and Katz chain, the Gorton houses In New England, the gunk theatres in,, the west; while William Fox has stepped in and se- cured a third interest in the West clflt Theatres, Inc.. with a fairly gotd chance of forcing the continu- ing stock holders to permit him to objaln control, losing those bouses to the new company; and the Jan- tei and Von Herberg chain in the N^rthweBt has gone over to the North American Theatrea. Dn the other hand it may also be figured aa a protective measure. Should Famous Players through its publix affiliations obtain a further bold on the First National it might through the stock holdings hold down the production end of the ac- tivities of that organization to such a extent that the First National fitncnlM holder* with theatres would be forced Into the position of bcpnf entirely at the mercy of the producing and distributing control of!corporation outside of their own. T4 avoid this it is believed that those behind the Stanley interests were willing to become the leaders to a movement to bring together all of the theatres represented in the franchise division of First National •o that all might be mutually pro- tected. Jules Maytbaum is quoted :u> say- ing that his whole desire Is to pro- tect the Utile stockholders who are interested in the Stanley Company and to do that he is willing to ac- cept the added burden of heading the movement of the theatre owners. With the allied combination of theatre managements playing pres- entations or stage attractions in any er all of the houses enrolled, the matter of the booking connection (acts) would arise. The Stanley Company and Wilmer ft Vincent of the group are at pres- ent attached in a booking way to the Keith-Alhee tgoncy. It is claimed for the Stanley Company it haa no written "franchise" or agree- ment with K-A, with its booking ■nbject to termination at any time. 4 V. have had a booking agree- ment for years with the Keith's office. K-A has i\ 25 i»rivent interest in *>me of. the pup vaudeville theatres operated by the Stanley Company, what Intercut tho K-A agency h:is acquired in the W. & V. property is Unknown. The "Stanley Company is reported J»ot happy in its K-A booking affil- iation. Tli.it connection deprives »t of a freedom in booking its pic- ture houpo acts and attractions, K -A demanding that Its own big time ho-.is.-s be '■protected" through having tho Keith'* big timers given fll, 8t call on all turns booked or re- quested by the sta nley people. It also operates for the K-A ag-ncy «> be In a position to place the sal- *ry limit on any act the Stanleys j^ay want, despite what the Stan- leys may wish or be willing to pay. Through this condition and the apparent absence of sufficient big jjmc theatres under K-A bookings, «• Stanleys' opposition in Philadel- phia in pictures and presentations, ox a has been very prosperous all °* this season, procuring all of the It has required weekly. SHEETDAN VICKERS' SON Los Angeles, May 4- A 8 0n was born to Mrs. Sheridan takers, wife of the Hrltlsh critic *ow herp Film Version of Prize Play Scores Impressive Triumph Uon surveying studio condi- Vlrl 9 In Los Angeles. rc; i.« dramatic critic of th' 1 AT WARNER'S THEATRE THE HEART OF BROADWAY, NEW YORK, N. Y. WARNER '4 \[ ■ - —— M-t 40 WKm RUTH *ILLER <j AND A JfeR.KAILCAS.1i» A picturization of the stage play by Hatcher Hughes that won the Pulitzer Prize as the year's greatest drama* in picture form it is greater than ever —one of the year's oat* standing box-office produc- tions. I \ J. Stuart Blackton Production ■ * I " 'Hell Bent ter Heaven' is sure-fire movie stuff." —New York American "The dynamited dam and the flood that follows are pictured with graphic realism.'-New York Telegraph. "Far better than the average picture. Sun. -New York "Possesses a fine dramatic quality, capital acting, and stirring suspense."—New York 'limes. "Followed it tln-Mii-h ln»m 1 1nnin:: t" ( ' n(1 W ' ,M con " siderahlo interc t."- \cw Yo'k Daily New-. "London Daily Ex press.'