Variety (May 1926)

VARIETY PICTURES 14 OLD PUBLIX (F. P.) MANAGERS LEAVING Herschel Stuart Goes Over to Loew's—Earl Crabb With Keith's Within the ranks of the Tublix personnel a number of the older managers who were with the old Famous regime have left for other fields. The latest defection Is Herschel Stuart, who was sent into the mid- dle west with headquarters in Memphis after having: been brought to New York from St. Louis where he put the Missouri theatre on the map. Stuart resigned and has aligned himself with Marcus Loew as city manager in Baltimore for the Whltehurst houses which that cir- cuit has just taken over there. His brother "Buddy" Stuart resigned several months ago and id now r!th Associated Exhibitors as a special field exploitation man, operating from the exhibitor's angle. Earl Crabb, brought out of the southern field to manage the Metro- politan, Boston, Is no longer at that house and is now connected with the Keith home office In New York, lie also resigned from Publix. Mayflower Photoplay Corp Has Assets of Value Boston, May 4. Roy A. Hovey, Massachusetts Rink Commissioner, who is in pos- session of the Cosmopolitan Trust Company, defunct Boston Bank, has brought a bill in equity in the Supreme Court against Max Mitch- ell, former president and director of the institution, to compel him to turn over to liim and to enjoin him from disposing of, secreting or de- stroying certain contracts and other assets of the Mayflower Photoplay Corporation and its subsidiaries, the Rainbow Film Company and the Massachusetts Photoplay Com- pany, so the plaintiff can sell part of the assets of these corporations for $35,000 cash. Commissioner Hovey charges that previous t^ his taking control of the Trust company in 1920, Mitchell caused these corporations to be organized, and, although they had little or no financial strength, caused hundreds of thousands of dollars to be loaned to the bank in exchange for their notes, in viola- tion of his duty and of the law. IT COULD HAPPEN Chicago, May 4. A woman bought a ticket at the Randolph street box office of the Randolph theatre and emerged a few minutes later stating she had seen the pic- ture before and would they re- fund her money. As the picture was a first- run. Manager Bach man asked the patron as to where she had seen It. She replied the day before In a theatre on State street That meant the woman had gone Into the same house on successive days from different entrances, not noticing either the name of the house or pic- ture. PEGGY SHAW, "FIND" Rated as a "find," Peggy Shaw will play the second feminine lead in support of Dorothy Mackalll in "Subway Sadie," which shortly goes Into production for First National. It will be supervised by Al Rock- ett "Joanna" Suit Dismissed The popular newspaper serial, "Joanna," screened by First Na- tional Pictures is the subject of liti- gation by Edward Marshall who is suing the Thompson Feature Serv- ice, Inc., and Harry L. Gates, charg- ing conspiracy. Marshall and Gates collaborated on "Joanna," according to the com- plaint, the alleged conspiracy being that Thompson Service paid only $100 for all rights with the film rights actually sold for over $20,000. Marshall accordingly wants $25,000 damages. The Thompson newspaper syndi- cate for its end successfully con- tested the complaint, demanding a dismissal because It does not set forth allegations sufficient to con- stitute a cause for action. The Ap- pellate Division has held for the syndicate, with Marshall privileged to amend his complaint. "Delicatessen" Started Los Angeles, May 4. Colleen Moore started making "Delicatessen'* under Alfred Green's direction at the Fine Arts studio yesterday. Anna Q. Nllsson and Lewis Stone started on "Collusion" at the tame time. Both will be First National re- leases. Wednesday, May 5, 19*33 EMBASSY TOO HIGH, ^ MANAGER LAROSE QUITS Wanted 75c Top Reduced to 50c to Meet Competition— Grosses Fell Away Off Baltimore, Muy 4. Joe LaRose left* the Embassy yesterday as its managing director, through tho owners refusing to cut down the Embassy's 7&o. top to 3G- 60c, to meet the competition of the Rivoll, across the street. The Hlvoli, seating 1,700, has an Admission 0 j 3B-50c. The Embassy seats 1,400. Mr. LaRose came here from Fox's, Philadelphia, and assumed charge of the Embassy when that house was in a slump. LaKosc gin- gered it up, sending the weekly grosses ahead until they hit the sur^ prising total of $11,000 on ong jveek. Later the Embassy ran into some poor-drawing pictures, with the grosses dropping, until last week it struck $5,0u0. LaRose is reported to have in- sisted that the Embassy's scale be lowered to meet the Rivoli top, and upon the refusal bf the owners he left. This week the Embassy has "Let's Get Married" and the "Pompadour Pallet" at 76c. with the Rivoll showing "The Restless Age" and Waring's Pennsylvanlans, the crack stage orchestra, at 60c. Famous Players is said to have an agreement to furnish the feature pictures to the Embassy at a Hat rental of $1,760 weekly, with a per- centage split of 60-G0 on anything over $8,600. Other P. D. C. Releases Announced for 26-27 Los Angeles, May 4. Producers Distributing Corpora- tion releases for 1926-27 not previ- ously announced will include: "The Deluge," C. P». De Mille's spectacle; "Nobody's Widow," by Avery Hop- wood, with Leatrice Joy starred and William C. De Mille directing; "The Cruise of the Jasper 13." by Don Marquis; "His Dog," by Albert Pay- son Terhune, and "Ladles Must Love," by Aubrey Kennedy, with Rod La Rocque starred and William K. Howard directing; "The Little Adventuress," adapted from "The Dover Road," with Vera Reynolds starred and Donald Crisp directing; "Fighting Love," by Rosita Forbes, with Rupert Hughes directing, and "White Gold," by J. Palmer Parsons, with Jetta Cloudal starring In both. "For Wives Only," from the play, "The Critical Year," by Rudolph Lothar and Hans Racluvltz; "The Night lirlde," by Frederick Chapln; "Man Bait," an original, and "Get- ting Gertie's Garter," by Willson Collison and Avery Hopwnod, will star Mario Prevost. Priseilla Dean will be starred In ^'West of Broadway" and "Jewels of Desire," by Agnes Parsons. "The Heart Thief" and "The Highway- man" will feature Joseph Schlld- kraut, while he will be eo-featured with his father, Rudolph Schild- ! kraut, in "Young April." l>y* Hilger- I K-rt CaM!e I "Rubber Tires." by William Sla- j \ ins MeNuit and Frank Woods; j The Y.irik.e Clipper,"' by Denison Clift; "Turkish Del'ght," by Irvin H. Cobb; "Silk." by Samuel Merwin, and "The Country Doctor," by Mann Page and Izola Forrester, will be produced by Cecil B. Do Mil'e ai specials. "Pals in Paradise," by Peter B. Kync; "The Rcjuvi-nafion of Aunt, Mary," by Anne Warner; "No Con- trol," by Frank Condon; "Jim. the Conqueror," by Peter B. Kync; "A Harp in Hock." featuring Rudolph Sehlldkraut and Junior Coghlan, and "The Sea Wolf," a Ralph Ince production, will be Metropolitan specia Is. Worcester's "Mystery" Worcester. Mass, May *• Mystery shroud. 1 til** Identity of the backers of the project o n " nounced for construction of a 3.S00 seat theatre, the niie of which has been purchased by the City Cen- tral Corporation of Boston. The Boston Cm poi at i<>n refill to divulrre its clients' p:i!.'<>. Poll now is erect inr ;t ::.;,i'fl-?^ a j then?re on a site oppoMi-- t" *' ,ri ' of the "my^l.TV" Mm,i ". B i" be Opened in the f;.H. Triple Your Profits by Playing this FALL Picture NOW! PARAMOUNT^ Big Exploitation Special, "FASCIN- ATING YOUTH" is one of the 15th Birthday Group and set for August release. It will have a gala pre-release showing at the Rivoli Theatre, New York, the week of May 9th. Following the Rivoli engagement, this gala showing will be repeated in the following theatres: May 16 . . Metropolitan, Boston June 20 ... . Uptown, Chicago May 23 Shea s Buffalo, Buffalo July 4 . . . Missouri, St. Louis May 30 Capitol, Detroit " July 11 . Newman, Kansas City June 6 . . . . Chicago, Chicago July 18 Palace, Dallas June 13 Tivoli, Chicago July 25 Loew's Palace, Memphis Aug. 1 Howard, Atlanta Accompanying "FASCINATING YOUTH 1 ' is the John Murray Anderson presentation, "Alice in Movieland," featuring the stars of the picture in person. A special advance crew will turn on a tre- mendous publicity campaign in each city. Three special trailers announcing the picture three weeks in advance have been prepared. The syndicated novel, "FASCINATING YOUTH/ 1 written by Byron Morgan, will run in the leading news- Eaper of each city. Special advertisements in the newspapers and eralds given away at the theatres will invite the public to make application for Movie Screen Tests, the^ tests to be made on the theatre stages during the run of the picture. These are only a few details of the campaign. '"FASCINATING YOUTH" is bound to be the talk of every territory in which it plays. Realizing that the 12 theatres named above should not be the sole beneficiaries of this giant publicity campaign, PARAMOUNT OFFERS "FASCINATING YOUTH" TO OTHER EXHIBITORS IN THESE TERRITORIES FOR DAY AND DATE SHOWINGS WITH THE HOUSES NAMED ABOVE. Here is your chance to play a big Fall Paramount Special in advance of regular release and to GUARANTEE YOURSELF A CLEAN-UP! That's Paramount Showmanship! Ju.uiber of bn,\.<>n l'i« ;ure I'roductrn asd Distributors of America, Inc. Will H. H«y», President.