Variety (Mar 1927)

18 VARIETY PICTURES Wednesday, March 1«, 1927 Upstate Promotion Gets Dinner in Elmira Elmira, N. T., March 15. An independent motion picture company recently announced In El- mira, N. T.. is tc go under the name of Silver Eagle Production*, Inc. No stock sale appeal has been made as yet. Publicity for the Silver Eagle outfit got a sendoff at a dinner held at an Elmira hotel. Joseph Smiley of New York was introduced by a local resident. Smiley was on the Hornell deal in the role of an im- portant motion picture company movie director. The Hornell com- pany, after selling stock locally, passed out of existence. Press reports of the Elmira dinner gave forth no intimation that Smiley was directly connected with Silver Eagle Productions, nor was anything said concerning any hoped-for financial aid. Elmira's leading newspaper. "Star- Gazette," gave considerable space to the concern. This was apparently mostly due to the favorable lmprcs- alon created by the giving of a talk Motion Pictures Can help YOU A brilliantly executed presentation trailer will present your act to regular patrone of the theatre 1b a way that will materially- In- crease your J>ox-offlc« value and consequently your earnings. Let ua talk It over with you. Studio at 220 W. tfli St.. N. T.—Right In the heart of things. Moderate prices. Complete facilities. Eastern CORPORATION Film 220W-42nd LLOYD and BETTY (MOSHER) (MARTIN) "JUST DIFFERENT" Wish to announce that their opening bit and closing bit have been registered with the "Variety" Protected Material Department. Any Infringe- ment of our priority rights are thereby protected. ADDHKSS: West Coast Theatres by Malcolm J. Wilson, manager of the Chamber of Commerce, at the dinner. At least, such was the statement of the "Star-Gazette" editor when queried over the phone. The editor also stated that It was his understanding that Wilson had be- come financially interested In the organization. Left Coast for Elmira Officers for Silver Eagle Produc- tions are Jack Jordan and Harry Marsh. Mrs. Jack (Betty) Jordan and Richard Coy are announced as the leading actors, the first-named being bailyhooed as giving up the position of understudy to Bebe Daniels to Join Silver Eagle Pro- ductions. Both Betty Jordan and Richard Coy were declared to have been featured tn pictures produced on the coast. Marsh is credited with making the statement that all pictures are sold before they are made as a result of contracts with prominent distribu- tors. The names of the distributors making this unique deal wero not made known. Publicity also has been given out that several locations are being con- sidered as sites for & studio; that the majority of the pictures will be made out of doors, and that all will be two-reel comedies of "the higher type." Projection Patent Refusal Washington, March IS. The District Supreme Court up- held the Commissioner of Patents In the latter s refusal to reissue of patent No. 1275120 to Edward C. Ballman and Edward P. Even in connection with a motion picture projection machine. The application was refused on three counts. First was that the applicants were claiming two sep- arate specific forms of invention, which made it necessary for either one to be cancelled, which was not done; second, because of a previous like patent, while the third cause for rejection was based on the con- viction that applicants had failed to sufficiently define patentable structure. BARRYMORE-IIOGUE" OFF $10,000 IN BUF. Up-State House Does $23,000 —"Beau Geste" Starts at Teck with $12,000 Buffalo, March It. On and off business featured the takings at Buffalo picture theatres last week. Excellent attractions were presented all round without exciting more than ordinary inter- est. The town was picture Jammed, the solo legit house—the Shubert- Teck—going Into its first week of a fortnight of "Beau Geste." Tak- ings at the regular picture theatres were generally on the decline. Last Week'. Estimates Tock (Shubert) — "Beau Geste" (F. P.-L) (1,800; $1.66). Opened well and built solidly, especially night business. Matinees off all week. Two a day. First week $12,000. Buffalo (Publlx) (S.600); 10-40- 60). "Beloved Hague" (U. A.), "Pa- per Revue." The picture flopped badly with the exact reason a mys- tery. Barrymore suffers through leaning to the Fairbanks stylo in this one, but shows magnificently in the big moments. The week's figure fell $10,000 under the preceding week. "The Paper Revue" stacked up as novelty only. $23,500. Hipp (Publlx) (2,400; 50). "The Potters" (F. P.-L.) and vaude. Fields was Ideal for this house and registered heavily. On the vaude side Theodore Roberts eclipsed the bill. Business about average, $17, 000. Loew's (S.400; $5-50). "Johnny Get Your Hair Cut" (M-G-M) and vaude. Takings picked up some- what over last week's "bloomer" business. The picture drew well with the women and kids, which was reflected In the fact that mat- inees proved heavy and night busi- ness was off. $13,600. Lafayette (Independent) (3,400; 50). "Masked Woman" (F. N.) and vaude. Vitaphone occupied the stel- lar position on the bill and In the draw. Takings held up remarkably well with Vita to be credited. Esti- mated $18,000. F. B. O.'a Juvenile Film Los Angeles, March 15. The next picture J. Leo Meehan wlU direct for F. B. O. is to bo "Down Our Way," from a story by the late Larry Evans. F rankle Darro. juvenile actor, will bo featured. It la to bo released under the title of "The Heart of a Boy." Annie Zimmerman Diet Los Angeles, March 15, Annie Zimmerman, 25, short story and scenario writer, died here March 11 from heart disease. She is survived by her parents and two sisters. INSIDE STUFF ON PICTURES Nothing in the report that the entry of Harold B. Franklin Into the West Coast circuit of California is a forerunner of a Juncture there of West Coast with Publlx (Famous Players). What may eventuate is that West Coast under Franklln'a direction may take over the Publlx Paclflo Coast houses. There are not many of these but they are mostly large theatres. The record of Publlx in San Francisco for Instance doesn't prove that the operation of picture theatres at long distance from the home office, under a set system of theatre operation, la either profitable or sustaining. With West Coast absorbing the American Theatres chain in the same territory, the operation of a Publlx house anywhere on the coast would become a matter of easy adjustment of policy, etc., as there Is no de- cided opposition on the far coast If a too far away for the easterners. About the only other circuit of note out there la the growing United Artists that will not open aver 25 houses probably all over the country within the next year, on account of its Idea of a long run theatre for class picture productions. Still though one can not fall to note how highly Important all of a sudden the Pacific Slope became to the picture business, upon Franklin stepping into it. The $500,000,000 merger reported In "Variety" last week has the lesser picture agents worried. They regard that aa "the handwriting on the wall," fearing that the centralization of booking offices will ulti- mately eliminate them and create a direct-booking regime. The present trend by Publlx In eliminating some of its southern houses from the presentation Itineraries and the playing of individual "names" and "name" bands is regarded as the beginning of the end in that direc- tion. Such acts are handled by the larger agencies or booked direct. SALARY LIST CUT F. P. Studio's 60% Cut—Only 7 Films Under Way—Expect 100 from East BRANDTS ADD 1 Brandt Brothers In Brooklyn, N. T., are extending their picture house holdings, taking over the Terminal, Dean and 4th avenue. The Terminal was operated by the Small & Strassberg |3 for "Sunday" Fine Belmond, la., March 16. Despite the threat of weekly ar- rest, Manager Bernard Moody of the local opera house, local moving picture theatre, continues to oper ate his theatre on Sunday, in de fiance of the blue laws. Last week he was arrested and fined $3 and costs. » CONGRATULATIONS TO "ROXY GLADYS RICE PRIMA DONNA Roxy, New York Los Angeles, March 15. Within the past four weeks the payroll at the Famous Players- Lasky studio has had 700 names stricken from It In all departments. This follows a 50 percent produc- tion cut, schedule having reached its peak. With the cutting down of the staff at the studio, Milton Hoffman, executive manager of the plant, has appointed Frank Brandow, assistant production manager, to the post of studio manager. As assistant to Brandow is J. K. Brady, former lot manager. Frank Leahy, one of the company business managers, has been appointed assistant to Sam Jafee, production manager, filling the place made vacant by the pro- motion of Brandow. James Hart- nett, assistant studio superintendent for eight years, was among those relieved. Around 2,000 were on the payroll In January, when 1$ productions were being made. Now, with only seven under way, there are little more than 1,200. It is figured that some 100 people from the mechanical and executive departments of the Long Island studio will be added to tho local lineup. Stanley's 7 in N. J. Stanley-Fabian Circuit has taken the Bratter & Pollack New Jersey circuit of seven houses. The B. & P. deal also gives S-F the right to two sites for new houses which tho latter at this time expect to build upon this sum- mer. The B. & P. houses are the Roose- velt and Hawthorne, Newark; Orl- tanla. Lyric, Eureka and Embassy, Hackensack, N. J. 1 PAUL ASH NOW AT ■ALABAN * KATZ New Oriental Theatre Paul Ash Presentations Produced by Louis McDermott PEGGY ENGLISH EXCLUSIVE VOCALION RECORDING ARTIST E. A. SCHILLER and LOUIS K. 8IDNEY for the following booking Op'nfd Leew'r Theatre Canto*, 0. A RIM la Leew'e Caleeial Reaalee, Pa, A SMtttUn la Lm'i AIiIm PHn*wt> Wee* Mr taeka In Uev'r Stan ia-2i Allen Theatre Loew'l Palace WILLIAM Laear'e Carter? Baltlaere April II Ler«'e Stat Baetaa April M '".«i C P. S.: Harry Greenman eaye: "Hotter than the -Fire Brigade.' BEST WISHES TO "ROXY" DOUGLAS STANBURY LEADING BARITONE ROXY, NEW YORK ■■gl 1 .i??!!. i :!.[.'):i!.]. , :. il .!! ' nu ii uiHi i nnn i ) , ) !' I t »* «*••»•.-«. — •