El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1917-06-09
ZIEGFELD SAYS
LIKES FL PASO
New York Impresario Is
Struck With Movie
Possibilities.

IF we do decide to locate our film
city here, we will boost FL PasO just
as hard as she boosts US" That was
the promise made Friday night by
William X Ziegfeld, president Of the
Ziegfeld-Cinema Co, who is here to
investigate e. Paso's qualifications as
a possible site for = motion picture
plant II was made at a dinner given
for him by the manufacturers COM
raittee Of the chamber Of commerce in
the Sheldon grill. After having lis
tened to two brief talks outlining Fl
Paso's advantages. Mr.. Ziegfeld said;
Likes FL PasO Spirit.
7 am not prepared 10 say much,
because I have been here but a few
hours. And this is my first visit TO
FL Paso- But I am already impressed
by the remarkable spirit of cOOpera-
tion YOU show. When c. z. BattoD
first came 10 me in New York and
suggested FL PasO as a possible site
for our film city, 1 confess frankly
that ] thought he was joking You
preston Of FL Paso is general
throughout the east Fasteners
think il is still village Of mud hutS
Indians and cactus.
VIII Boost FL PasO.
The motion picture companies
vent to Los Angeles much like sheep
follow a leader-One company went and
the rest followed OF course. it is
possible to secure 1000 or 5000 extra
people there for mob scenes and the
IKE in a short time That is a great
asset. and 1 must Investigate very
thoroughly what FL Paso can offer in
1his respect before making any de-
cision- The first need in my business
is sunshine, then scenery I am CRATE
ful for the hospitality you have shown
and are planning to show me. apd
7 will accept It in the spirit II is given.
And I can say that If we do come here
we VIII boost FL Paso just as hard as
Il PasO boosts US
Robert Krakauer, who presided at
the dinner, welcomed Mr.. Ziegfeld to
FL Paso in the name of the chamber
Of commerce and the people Of the
city. de assured the motion picture
producer that every possible cOOpera-
ton will be given him If he locates
here, and every effort will be made
10 show him the scenery adjacent TO
Lots of Sunshine.
". c. Roe, chairman OF the manu-
1acturers' committee and the most en-
thusiastic proponent Of the film city
project told Mr. Ziegfeld and the
diners Of the many inducements E.
Paso can offer for the proposition.
We have" he said, 80 more days
OF sunshine q year than California
Florida and New Jersey, where vir-
tUa1ly all motion pictures are made.
We have. within a short distance,
some Of the largest forests in America
i'm the Sierra Madre mountains. We
can give unrivaled mountain scenery
around CloudcrOft and there are many
niles OF chaparral scenes in the plains
north of here The White Sands near
Alamogordo are the best possible ma
terial for snow scenes There You
have miles and miles OF pure white
sand without any other thing in sight.
II makes ideal snow As for water
scenery-tO Offset California's claim
10 the ocean-there is the lake at Ele-
plant Butte big enough to make any
kind OF 3 water picture" He assured
Ir. Ziegfeld Of the earnest desire OF
the chamber OF commerce to render
him every assistance possible and pre-
dicted that FL Paso would be chosen
J. ". kirkpatrick also spoke
briefly, experimenting and echOing
the talk made by Mr. Roe. Those /
present at the dinner were W.
X Ziegfeld. Robert Krakauer. W. /
6 Roe. J. ". kirkpatrick. 3. L Far I
rar. Percy McGhee. ST, E D. Lachs I
mann, J. W Lorentzen, J. NJ Lewis, /
II. 7. Ellis. c. E. Baton and George /
H Clements
To Visit CIOuderoft.
Saturday morning Mr. Ziegfeid. IS. !
coTted by Mr.. Krakauer and Mr.. Bat I
ton. visited points OF interest in and f.
near e PssO and Juarez. The trip 1
was made by automobile. The motion /
picture man and Mr. Baton took the Z
Golden State limited this afternoon 1
for Alamogordo. Tonight they viii go
BIZ auto TO the White Sands. where I
the AIamOgordO Commercial club viii
serve q dinner Sunday they viii con-
tinue-the journey to CfoudcrOft- re-
turning TO FL Paso Monday. It IS like
~ that trips will be made up the val
icy and 10 Elephant Butte. Mr.. Zieg-
feds company. he said, is capitalized
zt So, 1000. 600, has headquarters in New
York city and IS planning picture
making on q new and great scale. A /
special series of historical romances
is one OF the features planned.